Author: David Haldeman

Saturday January 15th 1977
Several small weddings & Connie invited to one so she left at 1:15 and Cheryl Grogg invited to another so she left at 12:30. Busy with funeral work and Barry said Trinity was locked and we still don’t have a key. Invited shop personnel and families out to Terradise for sledding but it was Barry who invited them to eat. So I shopped for sloppy joes Etc.
When I got home mail had letter from Kathi and Audubon Society brochure on Philippines tour in March.

Friday January 14th 1977
Wrote letters to Chris Rife, her professor at Michigan State, Mr. Dunbar Kip at Ohio State and Bill Hixson’s telling of our opening for a wedding department manager. Our 318 weddings last year total $23,000 and corsages wear another $19,000
Kass [Mattimore] to Philadelphia for her father’s birthday.

Thursday January 13th 1977
House never warmed above 65° even though it got up to 22 outside. Lazy day catching up on mail for 3 days just delivered. Cooked chicken and noodles with dumplings for early supper.
Worked for 3 hours on script for “Marion 1976”. Easy to do after seeing the movie and using David’s outline of time and subject. Bath and washed hair.

Wednesday January 12th 1977
Not busy and Faye back. She got several artificial arrangements made.
Barry showing much interest in the shop operations since attending florist meeting. Wanted to know how much stock would cost so based on a $200,000 value I told him $400 each. Also figured gasoline mileage about 10 and he drove about a thousand miles per month at cost of $60 and gas until December when I was sixteen hundred miles for the truck alone.
When I got home the driveways up and down had been bulldozed out. Howard had no timetable saying Wood Valley did it.

Tuesday January 11th 1977
Slept until 10 temperature still 3 but sun shining. Cheryl Knapp and Dave Knapp finally in about 3:00- had been snowed in- with payroll. I made up large dried arrangements. Dave Woessner was surprised if I could do it.
Dave Wester signed contract for Yellow Pages advertising and I’ve waited for a month to tell that salesman that I don’t want Yellow Pages this year. He signed for $800 advertisement without consulting anybody!
Called Nancy to come to work at 11:15 all schools still closed and she still hadn’t showed up at 12:45 so we called Tonya and she got out of sick bed and came in before Nancy got there 1:15. Nellie Kline not working as her mother is bad. Altrusa cancelled because of snow.

Monday January 10th 1977 Pat called in with inventory figure $13,700 means our cost of goods sold is down to 40% from 45%
David woke me with breakfast ready in 10 minutes. He had fixed pancakes bacon and sausage! Snowing and blowing and temperature 8 degrees but he went to Marion to lead Mark Milner out in his car. They all left about 10- David and Mark to go skiing at Clearfork and Karen and Sarah to Hoff’s for the day. No problem driving in but Cheryl Knapp couldn’t get in Smeltzer road with payroll. Funeral work mostly. Nellie Kline not in- her mother worse- Nancy not in- her birthday- Tonya not in-?? Told Kass [Mattimore] we would like her to be secretary of the corporation- she was pleased. Still having problems with Jerry. I came home about 3:30- Still snowing and blowing. Travel series Thayer Soule cancelled along with everything else.

Sunday January 9th 1977
To the Columbus Sheraton at 10 to attend Ohio Florist Association meeting. Earl Hebert session great and he gave me a public pat on the back. Later showed him profit and loss and balance sheet and daily register report. He was enthusiastic and said he gave me A+! The luncheon with Fred Blankenship FTD rep, speaker from Poison Center. Laura, Cheryl Grogg, Nancy, Tonya and Barry came for afternoon session. I left at 2:30 to get ready for David& Karen & Susannah. Roads snow-covered about 4 in snow. David up for Mark Milner rehearsal and out here at 4:30. Historical Society members who were to come for preview of Marion 1976 cancelled out because of bad roads. David brought new hanging screen $40 and used his new Elmo projector $450! But made a great movie.

Saturday January 8th 1977
Barry off to be in Tom Chandler’s wedding so Dave Knapp in. Went with him to set up wedding at St Mary’s and First Presbyterian and service Inskeep wedding at First Presbyterian. No business except weddings so I sent Nancy and Tonya home early and when Dave Woesner and Dave Knapp loaded me for Waldo wedding they didn’t put it in the aisle candelabra and I had to come back to Marion for them. Got them up by 7:05 but church was full by then!
Stopped at Ponderosa for steak and shopped at Great Scott for hamburg [sic] for chili tomorrow night. Got some for $0.58 a pound!!

Friday January 7th 1977
WDIF salesman Geyer? In. He sure gave me a better impression of what I’ll get for my money, including a cassette of each commercial.
Showed him through the shop to get idea of image I want to project.
Helped Barry price Indiana Glass and get it on shelves and helped Connie clean up dried arrangement area. All the debris in carpet made it difficult! Head to clean sweeper twice. Called Rick’s Floor Covering to have someone come in and give us ideas for covering.

Thursday January 6th 1977
Howard took Christmas tree down from the deck and got all Christmas boxes into a headache. 6 inches of snow on ground now and hasn’t been above freezing for weeks.
Read Walter Havighurst’s “The Miami Years” about Miami University again.