Author: David Haldeman

Sunday, March 23, 1947 Temp 62
Taught Opal Harruff’s class 2nd year boys – stayed for church after talking to most of children’s superintendents. Mrs. Holloway* high handedness is getting them down.

Ray called about 2 & from the tone of his conversation I thought he didn’t want to go out. I lay down for a minute & Wally up & left. Uncle Perry Shuster came – here visiting Scott & we had a nice chat. Wally called from Romines saying it was nice out they wanted to go & would I. Then it was another hour before he came for me.

But we all (Mary H & kids too) finally went & had a good time. Warm but dreary day. Got spring canker moth. Saw horned lark, buthatch, downy woodpeckers & got 12 cocoons – prometheus from a tree.

Romines stayed for supper. Ray brought up book & clippings from Smartt – Ireland – quite nice. They left at 9.

[*Trinity Baptist Church’s Rev. Judson Holloway’s wife.]
[**his brother-in-law Scott Baker]

Saturday, March 22, 1947
Wally took Florence skating at Mansfield. Mary H. & Ray here & we worked on my pressed specimens & chit chatted nature stuff. Showed them article I had written on spring beauties. W. & F. didn’t get home until 12:35 so we went ahead & ate our hamburgers.

Uptown in afternoon & got Easter shoes for kids – Kathy $4 David $2. Ruth baked elderberry pie for Wally & we stopped for that.

Sold both baby beds today. The small one with felt mattress for $5 & the bigger one – originally Mary Johnston’s kids – for $12 – It had inner-spring mattress we had bought on it.

Man cleaned out sewer with roto-thing.

Friday, March 21, 1947
Letter from Montgomery Ward saying they couldn’t ship 5x field glasses I had ordered & did I want 8×25 mm binoculars for $33. I had already sent $24. So I am sending for them.

Wally bowled & his team is in first place.

Mary took Kathy to see Sinbad the Sailor. They got home about 10. Everybody tired so we went to bed shortly after.

Thursday, March 20, 1947
Got the nursery some cleaned ready for new beds. Started to clean wasll paper but cleaner was to crumbly. Mopped & waxed floors. New beds came about 5. Mary stayed with kids while Wally & I went uptown. Got a pink blouse $3 & a knit half slip $2.

Stopped at folks – Daddy laid up with cold. The Carder-Huffman girl had come to pay her wedding bill from last August. My letters really get results!

Scott Baker had his leg removed above knee & still no circulation. All started with pneumonia – then a blood clot in leg that didn’t dissolve.

Got kids new beds made up & they wanted to go to bed immediately. David went right to sleep but Kathy had trouble. Out to Romines for ping pong & I was rotten. Ray had two more letters from Jack Smartt – Ireland – one from Hazel Chase – Galion & showed me the one from Baker – Waynesburg. I was too tired – or something to ejoy anything very much. To bed at 11:45.

Wednesday, March 19, 1947 High 40
Took kids to mothers at noon – went to Troop Camp Operating Committee meeting at Scount office & the committee unanimously endorsed the plan for making Camp Young a sanctuary. So now it goes to the Council Monday night for final action.

Met Wally & we went down to Loeb’s Furniture & I bought bunk beds for the kids. Beds were $600 – spring $12 each ($24) * innersprings mattresses were $30 each ($60). With tax made it over $145. They will be delivered tomorrow. Then to Montgomery Ward’s & got Venetian blind for bathroom $7. Also material for pollow covers – living room $1.50.

Wally pitched in and helped me get ready for the prayer meeting here. He did the front part of house while I did kitchen etc & got kids ready – David was asleep before anyone came. Only 9 – Mr. & Mrs. LeMasters – Emily Barnhart – Mrs. Hart – Mr. * Mrs. Reid Epley.

Called Ray after they all left. Going out there tomorrow night.

Tuesday, March 18, 1947
Schools have been closed this week – because of flu epidemic. We’ve had no real spring yet. The grass hasn’t greened yet. Had snow to cover ground yesterday morning. But sunny & cold today so hung washing out. Brought scabiosa flat up to sun room. Only seed leaves yet & a little struggling. But so far the different treatment haven’t seemed to make much difference. Planted ageratum, petunia & penstemmon in one flat & geranium & dahlia on bricks.

Shopped after Wally came home – at Kroger’s for a change. Took Mary down to movie when I went to Hotel Harding for Exhibit Committee meeting. Had a table in Coffee Shop. Our club decided not to help with this one because of Fine Arts Day for May. (Show will be Mary 7) & District meeting on May 23. So I was very glad. Of course we will exhibit. Home about 9:30 & worked some more on violets. Wally playing poker.

Monday, March 17, 1947 Noon – 29
Opal Epley – Keith Radebaugh birthdays
Typed off violet identification from book Mary borrowed from Jones – so maybe can get someplace with violets this year.

Sent order to Schupps for 6 bolts ribbon – pins – cards – $16.

Christian Education Meeting at 7 at church. Got a start on Children’s Day program – suggested we give them something – perhaps flowers.

Phone exhibit committee & Mrs. Danner about meeting tomorow night to decide about Spring Show. Our club is not too much in favor of it.

From C. E. meeting joined Mary at Temple for Eastern Star Men’s Night – served lunch at tables – dressed up in paper doily head bands – aprons, etc.

Stopped over home – outlined plans for handling Easter business – got 4 orders today & other inquiries. Sent out 3 more letters to people who ask for them.

Sunday, March 16, 1947 Temp High 30, low 18
To Sunday School – taught in Jr. Dept. & stayed for church. Sat with mother & daddy. Several favorable comments on corsage letters. Dinner at home. Then finished taking corsage boxes over to mothers – played Wally T Tennis & Romines came as planned & we went hunting waxwings again. No luck. Hiked in mud around Indian Mound. Got a promethea cocoon – 2 old ones. But no birds – on south of town & still no birds!

Back up here for waffles & ham. Ray is very gratifying in his appreciation of them – much to Flo’s disgust. But Kathy cottoned up to her enough to make up for it.

Showed Ray the villanelle I wrote in February & he says it’s the best I’ve done. But he was in a mellow mood.

Mary went over his article correcting rhetoric. Her technical help will be invaluable. We decided to work on them all summer before submitting any – in the meantime collecting nature errors the Star prints.

Popcorn after they left & I went to bed with headache.

Saturday, March 15, 1947
First Robin – in Mountain Ash
2 or more inches of snow covering everything when I got up. Such a surprise – got front part of house cleaned.

Picked up Mary H. & Edith Keeler around 2 & drove up to Camp Young. The birds we saw before weren’t among the weeks & although we tramped the whole place saw only 2 birds & those from a distance. Drove on west & saw several horned larks. They are along the edge of road & either run ahead or fly into field beside. Wally spotted a possum in a corn field & we watched him eat, cross the road in front of us & walked into his den in side of a hill. Also a flock of redwing blackbirds just back from south. Juncos – and then a meadowlark – identified by white tails only. Edith is a grand bird companion. Drove through Heights look for Ray’s Cedar Waxwing, but no luck.

To Romines in evening. Ray had written article on Spring canker worm & we looked at butterflies. Home about 12:30.

Friday, March 14, 1947
Ray called before I was up saying we could send letters for 1 1/2 cents 3rd class. So May brought 250 stamps when she was uptown. We had them almost all on when Wlly called saying had bought stamps. When I asked him to last night he had flatly stated he didn’t have time. So Mary mailed them about 11:30 & noew we wait see if anything happens.

Schools closed because of large numbers of colds & flu. So Beth Hanning was over here all afternoon.

Finished up the seersucker play dress during afternoon & evening. Wally bowled. Called Ray about 9:30 about tomorrow night. Flo doesn’t want to go skating this weekend. Ray has been seeing Cedar Waxwings in Vernon Heights. Ask him to go with us tomorrow to Camp Young but answer indefinite. He has also started a correspondence with a Lepidopterist in Waynesburg. And is still hepped up on writing nature articles for Star.