Author: David Haldeman

Saturday April 10 1943
Kathy acted again last night like she did Thursday night. Woke after we had gone to bed & made life miserable for us for about 3 hrs. Nothing wrong. Just wanted to be up.

Friday April 9 1943
Spring housecleaned outdoors. Raked leaves from hedge & rock wall along sidewalk. Finished ironing. About 6:30 Daddy came over & Kathy & I went with him to Grandma Kehrwecker’s to get baby breath plant. She gave me a large bleeding heart. I set it about in the middle of my perennial border.
Birdie & mother came over just as I was starting to get her ready for bed so of course she stayed up a while & before I finally did put her to bed she really acted up. Wally brought ice cream home from work & we ate & talked. To bed about 10:30.

Thursday April 8 1943
Mother took my ironing home so I worked on Children’s Dept. reports & reading reports & Missionary Education Committee reports all morning.
Left Kathy at mother’s to sleep while Birdie & I went to missionary meeting- Mrs. Holloway gave all the chairmen & officers small sweet pea corsages for their years cooperation.
Mary Johnston came over tonight to start her garden in ours. She’ll help us for produce.

Wednesday April 7 1943
Sick headache. Might have got over it but for all the phone calls. Mary Johnston, Florence Bryant, Ruth Rhulman, Donna Tower, Johnny Ashworth, Emma Osterhold, Mildred Gorby, etc. etc. When Wally came home at 3:30 he called mother & she came over. Daddy here for supper. Was in bed all day except when answering phone. Did complete the reading report of Guild in late evening.
Birdie Hemmerly* over from Barberton to spend the weekend. Came in at 9:15.

*[Birdie P. Nichols Hemmerly 1873-1955, wife of Earnest Hemmerly son of Abraham Hemmerly]

Tuesday April 6 1943
Washed. Wally provoked me into not eating any lunch. I’m sorry he ever met Alymore Phelps since he seems to think his boorish ways are so good to copy.
Took Kathy to mothers in basket of bike & then rode on to Scout meeting. Miss Trent with some more first aid.
To mother’s too late for supper. Brought Kathy home (not on bike- we fell off.) Went to bed about 9:30. Wally just got in. Burning off the land for farming at the Ordinance Plant.

Monday April 5 1943
Tippi’s tiny kitten died yesterday.
Finished up last week’s ironing. When Walt came at noon we went to Mother’s for dinner & then loaded Mary & her bags all of us in the car & took Mary to Kenton to catch the 2:40 train for Cincinnati & Daytona Beach. Her orders are to report by April 7. Kathy had fun running around benches in depot but then we had to go uptown & buy her some pants. Martha Fout had sent Mary a corsage of sweetpeas. Mother bellered at the last minute & on the way home.
Guild at Edith Robert’s tonight. Girls were willing to take the 18 more books necessary for us to qualify in the reading contest.

Sunday April 4 1943
Took Kathy to nursery myself while Lora took over. Only took few minutes to get her settled & she stayed right through church. Had family here for meatloaf. Mary’s friend over home in afternoon. Uncle Allen took movies & we took stills. After church a gang of young people up. Mary has lots of presents.

Saturday April 3 1943
Cleaned all over quick as Aunt Sylvia & Mary came over for waffle lunch. Left Kathy asleep with Betty in afternoon (Wally did ration banking until 7) and went uptown with Mary & Sylvia. In evening went to wedding of Elton Kates & Delma Geckle at Windfall church. Was embarrassed in my corudroy dress when I found we were invited to reception afterward.

Friday April 2 1943
Here’s a resume of some of the things Mary got before she left for the W.A.A.C.
41 hankies from Guild girls
2 hankies, $1 and 2 books from Margaret & Mrs. Johnson
3 boxes of candy.
Sewing kit from Geneva
Brush kit from M.C. Byrnes (Albert)
Dopp bags & $5 from church
$20 from girls at Universal
Shoe shine bag from us.
Summer dress from Mother & daddy.
Bible in red leather
Pencil flashlight from Josephine Y.
$1 from BBB & Rosina
She bought a 24 page picture portfolio & stationary, etc.

Thursday April 1 1943
Mary quit work today. Finished putting out rock plants in front rock wall. About 3:30 – while Wally & I eating his lunch – Aunt Sylvia called from mother’s. She had crawled in bedroom window. Mother & Mary at circle meeting. I had supper with them & they all came here in evening but Aunt Sylvia so tired they went home early.