Author: David Haldeman

Tuesday February 7th 1978 – 1400 – 5 Lil and I to Ponderosa for dinner.
Jerry Harding called saying Mike sent home from school sick and would be to work. I had delivered in Caledonia on way to work and then took Morral delivery. Stopped at mothers with cards to stamp. She had letter from Walt [first husband Walter Haldeman] and Mary Sheneman. Ran an east delivery. Dave took hospital and I took west. Last house on Keener Avenue still snowed in. Had to hike up snowdrift to get the door.
Called Shorty. She enjoyed visit to Don and Rita in November in historic Massachusetts.
Kathi called- all settled in Railhead apartments in Bethany Oklahoma and kids in school.

Monday February 6th 1978
Took truck to Race Motors to get bodywork that Sue caused running it into tree in November.
Jerry Harding in to check on how Mike Martin doing. Told him okay but very slow. Very busy with funeral. Ted Sansbury in till Valentine’s Day. Had to put him on funeral work. Did eight pieces in two and a half hours several firesides. Need more like him. Dave said we did 73 funeral pieces Saturday.
Bed early still achey. Called travel bureau for trip reservation.

Sunday February 5th 1978

Snowing- three more inches. David called saying wouldn’t be up as Karen’s car being restored and not completely painted and his in garage.
Lazed the day away. TV had 25 years of ABC programming. And I’ve lived here for all of them!
Wrote Don Schuster and Marjorie Patterson. Mr. Sharp of Peacock came out at 7:15 and found leak under TV room and had it repaired and heat in house by 8:15. Stopped up water that had seeped into rec room.
Called Wilda and she’s delighted I’m coming for visit.

Saturday February 4th 1978
Headachy, but fever gone so struggled to work. Routed Mike. worked on five funerals. Ran out of flowers, but I went to Marion Flower Shop and got Iris and carnations.
Two wedding appointments. David called saying they would be up to Mansfield for skiing tomorrow and here later and will stay Monday to go to Palace to see Maynard Ferguson.
Called Kathi and they are all set to leave for Oklahoma City tomorrow.
Bed early- coughing. Frozen pipes under TV room. Burst. Howard got water turned off and furnace turned over. Merle Peacock out to be sure no danger.

Friday February 3rd 1978
Taxes on four properties $785- these are new appraisals, but not much more than I have been paying.
Fever of a hundred and three, but took triaminicin and aspirin and it helped aches. Deep chest cough. To bed at 7. Shorty* called about 9.

[*Shorty Decker, Donald Decker’s mother from Fountain City, IN]

Thursday February 2nd 1978
Sunny but cold and I don’t for a minute think Winter’s over even if groundhog didn’t see his shadow.
News full of curtailing electric usage because of coal strike.
Got dinner for Jordan’s, BBB, Mary and Kenneth Hecker. Had ham loaf David had brought with herbed rice, broccoli and snackin Cake. Talked and played Boggle.

Wednesday, February 1, 1978
[No entry]

Tuesday January 31st 1978
Mike Zucker had therapy appointment at 11 & didn’t want to come back for p.m. deliveries so I told Dave to tell him if he didn’t want to work and if we had to call in Mike Martin it would be the new Mike’s job. Dave handled it and said that Mike Zucker quit. So Mike M. came in about 12:30.
Cheryl Knapp in. Their basement was flooded because of no sump pump running, but pipes weren’t Frozen!

Monday January 30th 1978
Back to normal at work except to Cheryl Knapp and Mary Walker and Lillian not in because roads still blocked. Lil was at her parents on Pleasant Hill Road and they burned the boards from coal bin in old furnace not removed. Kate Snow from attic to melt for water.

Sunday January 29th 1978
Sheriff still asking people to stay off the roads. David called and said 71 was blocked from Washington Courthouse to Cleveland. Radio back to normal schedule with only blizzard news at an expanded news cast.
Sun shining so house finally warmed up to 65. Only had enough wood in the house for about 8 more hours so haven’t burned any. The rest is buried under 6 feet of snow pushed up a long driveway. Call Kathi to reassure her. She had been trying since Thursday and all long-distance calls to Caledonia were blocked.