Author: David Haldeman

Sunday December 23rd 1979 Temperature 62 rainy all day
In 16 1/2 hours work designers turned out 40 arrangements! And 5 hours of that was plant department. But Dave pouted when I pointed out that it was not a very productive day. 2 arrangements an hour! I can do 6 and I’m out of practice.
Routed.
Took arrangement to mother and home by 4 but Howard had gone to bed. Cooked pot roast, Etc. Enough to have Christmas day with him before I go to David’s.

Saturday December 22nd 1979
Called David. Beverly, his college girl employee, was mugged coming to work this morning and is in the hospital with fractured skull.

Friday December 21st 1979
Dick Himler called from Mathews Ford in Mount Gilead saying our cream van was in and we could pick up at 4. At same time Engel’s on phone saying poinsettias will be ready anytime after 4. Sent Terry on long LaRue delivery to use up the gas and he was back by 3- everyone was afraid the truck wouldn’t make it to Mount Gilead. It really is a wreck. Got there and gave it to them plus our check for $5,777.50 and drove it off to Columbus. Drives almost as well as my Olds. Has power steering, automatic transmission, air conditioning, sliding side door, step bumper.
No help loading and the van just held a 100 poinsettias. Back to shop and had delicious supper Lillian fixed.
Routed tomorrow’s deliveries after designers finished.

Thursday December 20th 1979
Very busy but handling everything well. Called Engels for more poinsettias. Can pick up 100 tomorrow at $3.75 each. Took money from books to John Cottrell and he had check ready for me to pay off the note I held for $6,325 so we have sold at least 175 books at $35 each.
Wrote Hemmerly’s Flowers a check for $6,000- loan to buy a new truck. Will collect 12% interest.
Got up at 6:30 a.m. and wrote bonus checks- $450 for Dave, $225 for all regular employees and $115 for part-timers. Totaled over $3,000. Didn’t write one for me as Hemmerly’s has not yet paid the $2,000 dividend declared in July.

Wednesday December 19th1979
Wanda Straub in to work but she was so distraught- Dick’s father in intensive care in Columbus hospital and her father injured when someone backed into his station wagon. So me sent her home until tomorrow.
We are not using the Mercury FTD machine to send orders. No point in not being sure they have what you want when you can talk quicker and find out right then. If it had been invented before the telephone we would have thought it was wonderful. I predict the system will fold.
Nancy Elsey is working. She really tries but doesn’t grasp the finer points. But she is so beautiful who cares!!

Tuesday, December 18, 1979
[No entry]

Monday December 17th 1979
Had supper alone at Long John Silver’s and then to Camera Club. Boys all interested in history I took but Barry used it to prop up projector. My clouds didn’t even place but Lynn O’Dowd thought it was terrific. Barry nominated for president. Ralph Layman from Columbus flew up. He does portraits and talked on lighting.

Sunday December 16th 1979 Christmas bird count
Picked Bill Hutchman up about 7:45 and headed for our area around Ridgedale School. not too cold but birds not moving. Got 17 species. Big thrill was 175 geese on small farm pond at 203 and Irvin-Shoots road. They flew over us later headed for killdeer.. Also saw about 200 horned Larks in a field where we stopped to investigate a song sparrow.
Back to Hutchman’s about 2:30 & Erma had dinner for us. Bill has done a terrific job on his genealogy. Notebooks with cemetery and pictures and portraits.
Home at 4 but Howard was already in bed.

Saturday December 15th 1979
Sent Dave Knapp to post office with books first thing. Then Kass, Laura and I went to Robin Baker’s funeral. Not many there so we went to cemetery. She is buried near a Kentucky coffee tree and I picked up pods.
Did wedding at St Mary’s at 1:30 and Laura was just leaving for New Bloomington when I got back so I sent her to 1:30 reception and I drove to New Bloomington for 2:30 wedding.

Friday December 14th 1979
Tom Bain helped pack books for shipping and Ruth Sloane stopped by and I put her to work too. I used the boxes they were shipped in cut down. Mailed 66 books to out-of-state addresses at book rate $1.91. Got 100 blister envelopes at $0.70 each and packed 58 to mail tomorrow to Ohio addresses at the parcel post rate of $1.76.
All this in the midst of a very busy Christmas rush.
Suggested Lydia Baker as the name for the colonial Dames of 17th century to Ruth. She had to asked for suggestions and Lydia was descended from William Brewster- Mayflower type!
Went to Denzer’s to see Barry’s mother. Lillian and I stayed about an hour as there weren’t many there.