Author: David Haldeman

Tuesday, July 1, 1947
Up at 6:45 – Washed & even starting at 7:45 wasn’t thru until noon.
Made 2 funeral pieces for Mr. Haberman – from Gracely & Kerr.
Made another pice quickly between 7:20 & 8.

Reset most of the iris along north fence. Have bushel basket left over. Set ou the seedling dahlias I raised.

Hazel Chase and John Gill couldn’t go sugaring tonight so Ray & I went along to Scout Camp [Camp Young]. Sugared 24 trees on Camp Fire Knob in brilliant moonlight. Only saw 4 moths at the bait & took 3 of them & one on the ground. No catacalas. Left about 10:15. Fed Ray & Sandra strawberry shortcake.

Wally & Flo came after they left. 12 P.M.

I sure am dead tired.

Monday, June 30, 1947
Went to basement to wash & was it a mess! Mud all over the floor where water had ran through. So amid the rats – cleaned it up – got rid of lots of stuff – rearranged the corsage bar. Put out Anti Rat Poison in the numerous hols along the foundation. See one occasionally on north sid of house & near garbage can. Even getting used to them-

Weeding & staking tomatoes. Some have tomatoes on big as a silver dollar.

Made funeral basket for old schoolmate of mother’s – Charlie Welch.

Romines phoen out of order so we drove out to tell Flo Wally won’t be working at races this week. Ray busy getting moths ready to send to Yuma, Ariz. & Dublin, Ireland.Up to Foot Long Hot Dog Stand for Hot Dogs & Frosted Malted. Caught up on Sunday Papers.

Sunday, June 29, 1947 Hot! 88 Rain in afternoon
To Sunday School along – Taught 3rd yr. Primary boys. Quite a talk with Emily about Summer Set up for Dept.

Wally & Kathy picked 3 qt. strawberries.

Taking both cars – Ray & I in ours with the kids – Romines & us went to Logan County – back of Zane Caverns. Kids swang etc while Ray & I bugged. He got 2 homoptera militaris & I got a few specimens. Just got out of the woods before it rained.

Ate supper in Bellefontaine. Home in rain. Ray wrote Hazel Chase a letter while here about a sugaring trip for Tuesday night. Read some poetry & sorted out some duplicates for Hazel.

Saturday, June 28, 1947
Picnic with Romines at Roadside Park at 30S and Rt. 61 [south of Galion]. Looked for wildflowers along road coming home. Saw a stretch of Canadian Anemone that was beautiful.

Ray took me out to their house to see a long letter from Mr. Baker & some of the new stuff he has taken. Had little lunch when we came back here. Wally & Flo played records.

Friday, June 27, 1947
Picked strawberries. Had colored boys help me. Got 7 qts – sold 6 of them. 45 cents qt. Pd 5 cents qt. for picking.
Spent afternoon listening to Flo Weimer’s tale of woe about Primary Department – Then got teachers lined up for Sunday & called Emily & listened to her. She wanted all the children in one big class for the summer.

Went with Kathy to the closing program for the Bible School. It was awful. Even the teachers spoke in a whisper. But Kathy was thrilled. Lasted from 7:30 to 9:45.

Uncle Perry Shuster called from Akron about letter about Scot but I can’t find it.

Wrote letter to farmers near Camp Young explaining why they can’t cut timothy. Also joined American Nature Study Society. To bed at 11:30.

Wednesday, June 25, 1947
Kathy off to Bible School as I got kitten out of pear tree. He was driving the wrens crazy.

Ironed some of my dresses & the kids things. Cleaned the house after dinner putting coffee table by radio. It holds the 3 record racks. Watered some of the annuals & new iris after supper. The French marigolds are just ready to bloom. Paul’s Scarlet Rose & Dr. Van Fleet daisies – corepsis – tritoma – all in north bed along fence.

To Romines about 8. Ray’s cecropia eggs had hatched & he had larva all over his room. Feeding them on lilac. Look small beside mine with only 3 or 5 days start. He wrote a FLF article on conditionning of a robin to the pulling of a string on its nest. I mounted some of the stuff collected Sunday. Florence supplied the shortcake & whipped cream for the berries I took out.

Thursday, June 26, 1947
Picked strawberries – Late ones but nice. Brought dirt over to pot plants. Napped after lunch – Always provokes me. When Wally came home potted up plants in propagating box so I can use it for the cecropia larva. Put it behind garage and counted 193 larva when I put them in. Wally got screens out – I washed windows on outside.

Mother & daddy over just before leaving on their vacation. GOin to Columbus tonight & then on to Salisbury NC to visit Forrest & Mary Sheneman.

Just as we were ready to go to baseball game Bertha Tower cam to order her wedding flowers.

At the ball park Wally drove into a mudpuddle & got stuck so we left it there while we went to the game – In National City Band Box Seats – Cubs won over league leader Zanesville 6-2. Good game. Bachman’s brought me home – Florence pulled Wally out of the mud.

Tuesday, June 24, 1947
Washed – so the house was a mess with Edith Keeler came up after lunch to make blueprints of some of my ferns. Went through a lot of my stuff & identified some. Made the prints in the bath tub. Lady fern, long beech – oak – rattlesnake – marginal wood – spinulose wood – & some we didn’t know.

Picked berries (ambrosia) after supper. Kathy helped & did very well. Washed her hair & made curls. Wrote to Mr. C. W. Baker thanking him for the grand day & telling hom about the stuff I took – 9 new speices for me. Also acknowledged card from Hazel Chase telling me to check round-leafed or Hooker’s orchis. It was what we took Sunday. Wrote Mr. McClure of Trinity Trustees about a bookcase for Primary Department & hell system for basement.
Ray called saying Hazel & Johnny had just been over – out mothing & they too had decided that Baker should have the rare moth.

Monday, June 23, 1947
Delores over at 3:30 & later took kids to mother’s for supper. Wally working late at bank. His week to lock up & they have examiners. Met Mrs. Frew – Oliphant & Cheney at Cheney’s store & we went to Camp Young to prepare supper for Council. Had chili – celery – pickled beets – olives & pickles – hard rolls – cottage cheese – strawberries & gingerbread baked in reflector oven. Only 13 there but several who had never been to camp. Council voted to name Camp Trustees & I was put on for 1 year. Due to my Wildlife Sanctuary activities, I suppose.

Home about 9 & stopped at mother’s. Daddy had borrowed a projector & was showing Uncle Allen’s films. The ones of Kathy when she was little are so cute.

Sunday, June 22, 1947
5:30 – Just was up when Ray called saying Baker said it was a good day – come ahead. Left here at 6:10 – Florence, Wally & kids left at 9 to go to Camp Muskingum to visit Mary.

Picked up Hazel Chase & John Gill at Galion & even with high water detour made it to Baker’s at 9:20.* He is around 60 – very common – Uncle Jim type & at first very taciturn. His house – as he had warned – was a mess – painting, etc, – books piled everyplace. At Hazel’s insistence we started for the woods immediately. He nearly run us down in the driveway – Backed right into Ray’s car! The land we tramped on is all leased by his company for mineral rights – coal – clay – oil. The first woods had been catalogued for 18 ferns but my biggest thrill was what we think is twayblade. The buggers went wild – moths mostly in the woods – and the mosquitos welcomed us heartily. But my 448 was effective – no bites but they still swarmed. Then to a high hill & ate lunch among sasafrass trees. Saw house snake (milk). Then along stream where Baker nonchalantly announced “You should find phaeton here.” And the did immediately along with harrisii. He warmed up while alone – then to a high contour planted field – song sparrow in nest. All the while new plants – new butterflies. To his house again & got an idea of the immensity of his collection. Hundreds of all kinds. Very satisfying day.

[*near Waynesburg, Ohio, SE of Canton]