Author: David Haldeman

Wednesday, January 22, 1947
Uptown after Wally came home. He stayed with the kids. Got me a pair of loafers $5.50 & 2 pr. anklets 45 cents each. Got 2 records for David’s birthday & then at Alber’s got 4 for us. They have a pretty good selection there but it takes my time!

Mother & daddy came in after supper. Wally was having Poker Party here so I had to pitch in & do dishes & make potato salad.

After getting things settled I went to Romine’s – about 8:45. Used their typewriter to type up some verse – many want to give Judge a try at it. Then we studied seed catalogs – & I dreamed. Ray accused me of being the kind of a gardener who goes out with a big hat – basket & shears to cut flowers! Played some ping pong & I got 14-15 & 11 on him. Home about 12:30.

Tuesday, January 21, 1947
Rooted around in attic & basement for glass to make a propagating box – the only thing I know to do with some of those plants. Wally cut the glass for me after work.

Cold today. Was 13 at 10 o’clock and 8 at noon. First cold spell of the year & coldest of winter. Light snow. Baked pies in afternoon. Had light supper as Wlly went to J.C. Banquet minus his boss – “Bosses Banquet”. Was all day getting clothes down from basement so could pot the cactus.

Ray came about 8 – Flo & Sandy had decided to go to movies & Kathy was so disappointed. She had been bathed & dressed ready to play. We got things pretty well started before he went after them at 9. Wally home about 9:45. We potted about 70 plants & put rest in prop box. Ray generously brought some of his hoarded loam & moulders sand. He called after they got home saying he had just learned Wally was having poker gang here tomorrow night & inviting me out there. To bed about 12 – 4 degrees was 2 during night.

Monday, January 20, 1947
Trisha Haldeman birthday
Burroughs Club

What a washing. Started at 9:30 & finished at 2:00 with time out for lunch of course. Cleaned house lightly & had early supper as Mary was coming up from Columbus to go to Eastern Star. Took 10 min. to park so we sat in balcony during opening & I left at 8:00 to go to Burroughs Club at Lillian Plack’s. Nothing too exciting. Mrs. Struble read 19th cent. poets’ nature stuff – Yep, mine stinks! Back to pick Mary up at 10 & it’s snowing.

Daddy had been to Doctor again about his knee – “Housemaid’s Knee”. Taken fluid off twice now. Sure hope it isn’t serious.

Cacti shipment from Texas came & from first glance I only got $3.50 worth including postage & labeling!

Sunday, January 19, 1947
George Stafford birthday
Sunday School – Observed in primary department at Rev. Holloway’s request & didn’t find too much wrong. Emily Barnhart – Supt – is alss adult pianist & so isn’t there for the opening. Mary to church & brought Kathy home from Jr. Church so I stopped for a chat with Mother & daddy. Incidently, my verses were not in Miss Weakley’s Citizen column.

Light dinner of bacon & eggs & then back to Mother’s to play ping pong & make out order for plant hands for daddy. 2,000 seems a lot. I beat Wally all but one game but Mary beat me always. Took her to the bus at 4:20 – Home for a nap & then got ready to go to church for debate. Took Mother & Kathy & Aunt Lily who came just as we were leaving.

The debate was superb – “Resoilved – Home Missions Are More Important Than Foreign” Adn although I won 25-16 Dail & Dick M were very pursuasive. And the ad lib was worthy of Bob Hope – I even got compliments on being a good moderator.

Read “Modern Miracle Men”.

Helen Benjamin came while I was at church & paid her bill – My letter got results!

Saturday, January 18, 1947
Bobby Johnson birthday
Oh what a headache – woke about 4 with it splitting in every direction. Took Dr. Morgan’s pain pills but it went on & on till 5:00 when I finally got to sleep. Still aching in morning so Wally brought Mary over to dress & feed kids & she took them to mother’s while she got her hair fixed. Wally brought them back over here at noon – I had slept the morning away & felt better – got up, but didn’t do much. Stopped in – Mary J did – that is – & said she wasn’t going to Bernard Brook’s party tonight “because I*’m not interested in Art Exhibits” When is she going to wake up to herself? Got supper & bathed kids. David asleep when Delores came.

Bernard Brooks showed us all his printing & mimeo stuff – & the garden club programs he’s working on – And was quite good in his “Art Lecture” on Pius Lipp*. And Rosina really put out the feed! Home at 12:00.

[* German artist 1883-1952 – perhaps Bernard obtained some of his paintings while stationed in Germany in WWII]

Friday, January 17, 1947
Cleaned the nursery & that is a job. Put away one box of toys – but they’ll probably find them & have them all over basement which I also cleaned – Looks pretty decent down there what with Wally’s recent efforts.

David definitely doesn’t want his afternoon nap – & if he does take it it’s usually late & then he doesn’t want to sleep at night – so – no nap.

Delores over to stay with kids while Wally bowled & I picked up Ray to go to observatory. Met Mary there but we were late as our tickets said 8:30 & it started at 8. But wasn’t much new anyway. Home in Marion at 9:45 so stopped at Neicr’s book store – sale of rented volumes. Got “Ancestor’s Brocade” & “Try & Stop Me” 49 cents each. Mary & Ray home with me – Wally & Flo to pick up Sandra at movie so popped corn for all of us.

Jones had identified the plants I sent down. Phacelia & Mallow (?) especially interesting to me.

David & Kathy bath up after company left & quite a time getting them settled.

Thursday, January 16, 1947
House looked pretty well cleaned up this AM & since Kathy slept at Mothers & so wasn’t here to pester David I took the morning off & wrote some poor verse. But got to keep in practice!

Took David to Mother’s at noon & on up town. Got a heavy Scotch Tape dispenser. Now I can get busy on those pressed specimens. Saw Florence & her mother. Everybody is raring over raise in taxes. On our house went from $19 to $21 or something like that.

Troop Development Committee meeting at Scout office – was assigned Oak & Mark to kinda look out for.

Met Wally at bank & we shopped for groceries. Managed to keep it down to $5.11. Thins are coming down, though. He had to give me an extra $10 on this new budget. A $13 milk bill (month) knocked heck out of the $15 that’s supposed to do me (+ rent money).

Ping ponged on mother when we got kids. Man from Equitable Ins. here in evening offering Wally job as an agent. Read book on annuals from library & yearned over seed catalogs.

Tuesday, January 14, 1947
In cleaning out Kathy’s closet found the lost boot! And just bought new ones Thursday. But these are a little small. Sorted out some of Kathy’s outgrown dresses for one of Mother’s neighbors.

Brought in some peat moss that some plants had been delivered in & mixed it with garden dirt & sand & gave top dressing to most of my plants. Also potted an ivy that had been in water. Brought in a pot of daffodils from compost pile – to basement.

Since no cabins available at Zaleski got out literature on Skyline Drive. Told Ray about it when he called & he said go ahead & write for June 8,9,10. So I did.

David is yelling for his bath – Kathy is picking things up & playing she is buying stuff – Wally has gone to play poker – so after kids baths I’ll work on pictures & read.

Wednesday, January 15, 1947
Daddy over this morning bringing the resst of our pork from the locker so there will be room for the beef he got Saturday. Sorted clothes, etc.

Took the kids to mother’s while we went to Romines. Since David hadn’t had a nap thought he would go to sleep early but too many new things & he was up until 10.

The Romines are painting walls & ceiling of dining room & living room so their house was all messed up. Played ping pong mostly but Ray & I had a nice chat about Emily Dickinson – I’m reading “Bolts of Melody” the last of her verse to be published. Some of it is terrible and other superb. Everybody still bests me. Got 5 points on Florence & did beat Wally once. But Ray & I took them in doubles. Flo servied date torte with whipped cream. Delicious. Home about 11. Picked up David & left Kathy sleeping on mother’s davenport for the night.

Monday, January 13, 1947
Washed – & for the life of me that’s all I can say I accomplished. Did nap awhile in a chair during afternoon. Scrubbed front porch & should have known better because it’s thawing & it’s tracked up already.

Worked on pictures more in evening & can see I’ll need a lot more “drawers” to put them all in.

Wally’s new budget cause of some discussion. The only difference I can see is that it pinches constantly instead of occasionally.

Reading Ratcliff’s “Modern Miracle Man”

Popped corn – to bed at 11:30.