Author: David Haldeman

Sunday, January 12, 1947
Kathy & I to Sunday School. Lined up Dick Maxim & Clyde Smith for the rest of the debate personell.

Had Swiss Steak in pressure cooker. How else could you get that & mashed potatoes & gravy & brocolli in 30 minutes in the kitchen?

Lazy afternoon – sorted out a few specimens & mounted them for Mary to take to Jones. Took her back to school about 4:30. Found we had a flat tire while parked at Baker Hall – another break on the inside of the tire! Second time in the new set of tires we got in April.

Home about 7 – Quick supper – kids to bed.

Bernard & Rosina Brooks dropped in about 8:30 after I had started sorting & dating pictures. So Rosina helped. Bernard is all wrapped up in his new “Parkview Letter Shop”.

Saturday, January 11, 1947
Really got ambitious. Washed down nearly all the kitchen walls & the various impedimentia scattered here & there & got a good start on bathroom. Mopped all 3 back floors – Kithcen – bath – sunroom. Beth Hanning here all morning. Her mother certainly doesn’t keep track of her.

Went to an auction for few minutes but things were going too high for us. I shopped at Albers while Wally & kids visited his mother. Then while Wally finished setting up Mary J’s ping pong table in the folks basement I cleaned the rest of the house. And since Delores couldn’t come over we invited the Romines up here instead of going there as planned. Left the kids asleep in Mary Woody’s care for an hour while we played over there. Home for chit chat. Norma Jean Baker* here from a church convention spending night with Mary. She showed us how to do the Virginia Reel.

Romines left about 1:30. Ray helped me compile a list to send cacti advertisement to.

[Not Marilyn Monroe. Norma Jean was cousin Floy & Fanny Baker’s daughter, who died young.]

Thursday, January 9, 1947
A new experience – at 31! Went ice skating with the Romines this cevning at Sawyer’s Lake. I used Flo’s shoe skates & Wally his dads old blades. Managed to keep from falling down by sitting down first. Ray said I didn’t do half badly but I couldn’t keep my ankles straight to save me. Then Ray & I did a little star gazing & back to their house for some ping pong & hamburgers.

Took David up to have stitch out in PM. Is healing fine but a little nick at the side of the main cut may leave a scar. Then got boots $2.50 & slippers $179 for Kathy. And down to the library. Got Kathy a card & Mrs. Ray Barnthouse was very nice in explaining rules, etc. I got out a book on Annual – Emily Dickinson’s new collection “Bolts & Melody” & Ratcliff “Modern Miracle Men”. Picked up Wally at 4 & he started painting the basement walls at the foot of the steps.

Ray’s verse puts me to shame – “Beaten Path” and an unfinished one on winter.

[Ray finished both and they are contained in the booklet “Terradise – Poems of Ray Romine” available at terradisebooks.com

Beaten Path

Let January breezes
Have their frigid fling;
Imagination teases
Me with thought of spring.

For snow, its white perfection
Hurling towards the lake,
Knows just which direction
Apple blossoms take!
]

Friday, January 10, 1947
Roger Stafford birthday
AMong other things cleaned out the desk – re-read some letters Bernard Brooks had written in October 1944 – Wrote a collection letter to Helen Benjamin who still owes for her September wedding flowers. Ordered 100 cacti & such from Texas $3.50. Kathy at Mother’s all day. Left her there last night when we picked David up after ice skating.

Mary up from Columbus on bus. She had been talking with her ex-Botany Prof – Jones – & brought a book from his extensive nature library. Had seen the Herbarium & Jones was very approachable in offers to identify species, etc. Spent the rest of the evening going through my stuff I pruned this summer & some of it is terrible but others were good.

Wally popped corn for us. Jo Planck called to ask me to be spoeaker for Garden Club Meeting on April 4th.

Wednesday, January 8, 1947
Got film & negatives ready to send last night & so had my hair to wash this AM. Baked apple & butterscotch pies – and due to the Crisco shortage they were my first pies with lard & they were super.

Continued cleaning the living room. The draperies certainly don’t show the dirt – were put up last September & this is the first I’ve had them down. Shook them & put them back up. Wally home late again – bowling this time & resented my asking him to call when he was going to be late.

Was ready for a change when the Romines arrived at 6:45. But Delores didn’t get over until 7 – went to see “Margie” Jeanne Crain. Very timely that I had just been reading my 1929 diary. This was set in 1928 – cute. Up here afterwards for butterscotch pie & some Riley & Fishback verse.
Wrote “Lines to a Poet” about midnight.

Tuesday, January 7, 1947
Up at 7:40! Almost had breaklfast with Wally. Spent the morning cleaning out my drawer & the closet sorting some things out for Mother to send to Aunt Theresa. Kathy decided to visit Mother for the afternoon so with David asleep I cleaned out their toy boxes in peace. Also my plants – the Christmas Cactus has had 2 blossoms – is about ready to have a dozen more.

Then started in on the living room – But with the carpet worn in so many places in never looks very nice.

Poetic effort for the day – “In Retrospect” but over the phone Ray criticized my use of “Careers”.

Wally home with Kathy at 5. Had been out playing ping pong with Florence & got 19 points on her. He played poker in the evening – I ironed the chair covers & David’s overalls after bathing the kids & putting them to bed. I had a bath with my new Yardley Salts & am waiting now for Mary W.* to finish hers so I can wash my hair.

[Trella & Walt kept boarders in the 2nd floor apartment, but shared the toilet facilities.]

Monday, January 6, 1947
Eastern Star
V. C. Circle – Virginia Seiter

Washed again – the things to be ironed & filled the basement again. Had pot roast in pressure cooker – 30 minutes. Was a pleasure to wash since Wally cleaned the basement yesterday.

At noon David was playing in the davenport & fell off the arm. Evidently had a pencil in his hand because he got a bad cut on the top of his nose. About 1/2″ long & 1/4″ wide. Started swelling immediately & we took him to Dr. Morgan who took 1 stitch & dusted with sulfa powder. Also gave him a tetanus shot. David screamed & yelled through it all but when I told him to patty cake he did & his bottle helped some. At home again he napped for 2 hrs & when he got up was perfectly ok.

Roger Stafford here all afternoon. Mother & daddy over in evening to see David so I didn’t go either to Eastern Star or Circle.

Sunday, January 5, 1947
Up at 8:15 & Kathy & I off the Sunday School & church – Getting things lined up for Debate for School of Missions on January 19. Communion. E. O. Uncapher & Dail Gorman.

Made a meatloaf from hamburger in Pressure Cooker that was very good. Outlined plot of novel to Wally & later talked to Ray & told him of it. And in the evening went so far as to get chapter outlines on paper. But I’m afraid that is a far as it will go. Even if I could write–. And then Mary took the typewriter back to school with her. Mother & Daddy took her down on our car & ran into a snowstorm that we had not a flake of.

Read “One to a Customer” by Margaret Fishback & couldn’t resist adding my comments in rhyme to some of them. Hope Ray doesn’t mind – his book.

David is at the stage where if he has a nap he doesn’t want to got to bed until 10 & if he doesn’t have one he’s so cross by 6:30 we can’t get him to bed quick enought. Take your choice.

Saturday, January 4, 1947
Little more ambitious today. Did the flat part of the washing this AM & went over house lightly in PM. Bath & went shopping about 5. Got extravagant & bought Yardly Bath Salts $3 & Yankee Clover perfume $1.25. Also a pair of ballet type pumps at Nobils for $1.97 – 6 1/2 but they are a little wide.

After supper – (frozen limas in new pressure cooker, I use it nearly every meal.) bathed the kids & had David in bed asleep when Delores got here. An so out to Romines for ping pong. Florence can beat everybody. (Ray slips a game on her occasionally). Ray can beat Wally & I always & its a toss-up between Wally & I. So don’t know how Ray & I beat Wally & Flo so many games of doubles – 6 to 3. Its fun too! After fruit Jello & peanut butter cookies Ray showed me his Better Homes & Gardens index – a masterwork & we settle the fates of the world.
Home at 1:45.

Friday, January 3, 1947
Certainly am starting the year off to my satisfaction. Another loafing day. Encouraged Kathy to tell me some of the stories she is always making up and typed them as she dictated.

Daddy over in afternoon for me to type out his income tax. He got off by paying only $100. His gross income was over $5,000 but net only a little over $2,000 – per figures!

While Wally bowled & Sandra & Flo took in a movie Ray came up. Didn’t get much done except watch kids play until they went to bed & then started reading my 1929 & 1938 diaries. Diaries are revealing, aren’t they? Had almost forgotten the way Stan & I used to fight.

Mary, after 1 day of OSU, came back up for weekend & came home with Wally from bowling. She’s taking Eng. Comp. – German – Botany & Right Thinking. Then Flo & Sandra popped in. We had ice cream & cookies & they all left about 10:45. Bed at 11:30.