Author: Trella Hemmerly Haldeman Romine

Wednesday, January 1, 1986
With Mary and Ken Hecker, Bill and Erma Hutchman and Mary Jordan (Carl still recouping from operation) welcomed 1986 here. Ate earlier as Mary and Ken want an early start to Arizona this morning. Sorted through Christmas cards and entered info in address book.
Dave came in from Sierra Club party in Columbus about 2:30 drunk. Went with Dick and Mary Cooper. Took Oleta. Didn’t get up until 3:00 very grumpy.

Tuesday, December 31, 1985
Sharp here from Peacock Plumbing to bleed the radiators. Howard had no heat in the one in the work room.

Temperature 40°, so I shoveled snow and ice off part of upper driveway, fuming at Dave still in bed but I did his work. He finally got up at 1:30 when Lee called. I picked up pop bottles he had emptied from all over the house. He did finish drive about 4:00 when temperature was back down to 30. He picked Oleta up and came back here so Dick Cooper and Mary could pick them up to go to Columbus for Sierra Club party.

Cleaned house, made jello salad and dip for wieners and a dip for crackers and chips.

Mary and Ken, Bill and Erma and Mary Jordan out. We looked at books I got yesterday and laughed at silly things. Watched TV at midnight and they left by 12:15- another year—

Monday, December 30, 1985
Mary came at 8:30 and we left for Akron about 8:45. About a 2-hour drive to the Perkins Mansion on Copley road. Margot Jackson and Dorothy Biggs so friendly and gave us a wonderful tour of the mansion and gift shop. Summit County Historical Society offices above orientation rooms.

Went to Grace School for lunch. Has been converted to an antique mall- had quiche and French silk pie. The Bookseller just across Exchange Street and Frank Klein the proprietor is a friend of Margot’s. Took the 1907 Marion County History for an estimate on rebinding. Bought “The President’s Daughter” and “The Strange Death of President Harding”. Frank gave me a book by Cuneo with a sketch of Harding. Wants Herb Gary to verify it. Sold him a 1979 Marion County history for $20. Margot gave me a copy of “At Home on the Hill”, “Cuyahoga Valley Tales” and “The Miller, the Quaker and The ___”, all written by her husband. Doris had nice supper for us.

Sunday, December 29, 1985
Bill Hutchman and I did bird count. Temperature 20 with 15 mile an hour wind so mostly drove. Only 13 species but included a Snowy Owl. Erma had chili for us. Shopped at mall. Out to supper with Heckers.

Saturday, December 28, 1985
Mary and Ken out with their Toro 20-in snowblower. I was able to handle it pretty well so bought it for $200.
had to roused Dave out of about noon for him to try it he did part of the lower drive before he ran out of gas it is a two cylinder.

Friday, December 27, 1985
Royce here to clean- got Dave up by 10:30 to go to Columbus Defense Construction Supply Depot to get his ID card. No problem but this was first day we could make it down since we got papers signed by Don on December 14th- only open from 9:00 to 3:00 weekdays.

Had lunch at Flaky Jakes and bought Dave a shirt and me a blouse at Lazarus.

Called Kramer Implement about a dozer blade for lawn tractor- $350 and $20 to put it on and $20 to take it off each spring. A snow blower is $450. Called Mary and she will bring hers out for us to use while they are in Arizona.

Thursday, December 26, 1985
[No entry]

Wednesday, December 25, 1985
Good thing I had today to finish getting ready for Christmas.

Gave Howard his cross word puzzle books and several 1950s Reader’s Digests. Also bird feeder from the Heckers.

Haldeman’s arrived about 5:00 and Mary and Ken and Dave and I had already opened our gifts. Gave Heckers a dinner at “The Harding Inn” as they like Hans Kamphaw’s cooking but think it too expensive. Gave all the Haldemans $50 except gave David $250 completing the $1,000 (VCR and Camera, earlier gave him $750) I had promised. Sent Kathi $500 for traveling expenses to Ohio and $500 for her IRA.

Susannah loved her baby in the stroller and blocks. After dinner we sang out of Children’s Songbook that I gave them.

Tuesday, December 24, 1985
Dave to work at 8:30. I shoveled snow and made delivery on Whetstone South and got to work by 9:30. All three deliveries that I got up last night had left. Got three more ready and rearranged delivery area into more usable space which let me see how filthy the whole back room was. Cleaned the delivery corner. Was at delivery desk right through to 2:30 routing. Lunched on cold meat, ham and roast beef, coleslaw and potato chips provided by Hemmerly’s. First food that has tasted good to me since Monday a week. Finished delivering by 4:00- only about five regular and 15 dinky poinsettias left. Sold only about six dozen roses- price finally ruined the rose trade. I can remember Maggie Gracely doing rose arrangements from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on December 24th.

Dave and I to Mary’s about 5:00 and opened gifts first. Brown cords for him, a large Crystal angel, hose and a see-through cooking pan for me. To Trinity for lovely Christmas Eve service by families. Church lovely and had luminaries around every walk outside. Gary Barnhart invited us to his house afterwards and it is the one Allen and Ruth* lived in on Mary street. Home about 9:30 and Dave and I opened gifts.

[*Allen Sheneman, Ivaloo’s brother and Trella’s uncle]

Monday, December 23, 1985
Dave and I working. he jumped with Virgil and me on phone.