Author: Trella Hemmerly Haldeman Romine

Sunday, October 11, 2009
52° sunny
Infuriorated again as I read Carl Anthony’s ‘Florence Harding’ saying she and Henry DeWolfe were not married.
Across the road with a basket, scissors, pen and plastic bags. collected seeds of big and little blue stem, Liatris pycnostachya and scoria, butterfly milkweed, gray-headed coneflowers closed gentian,Virginia mountain mint. A truck pulled in and unloaded a lawn tractor and mowed the Murphy lot. I saw other cars park in their drive. Crowd of people had filled the trash tank that has been parked there. Talk to Donnie- faulty fluorescent ballast caused fire and they weren’t able to save anything but one of their dogs. Happened night of September 22/23.

Saturday, October 10, 2009
To Meijer and purchased a Gerbera Daisy plant for Gale. Jim took it to her office with my card.
I got into the Charlton Myers black file cabinet and spent two and a half hours studying his folder ‘Hodder’. Many letters from Francis Russell who opted not to pursue Warren Harding connection. His handwriting difficult to read. Much publishing history of Shadow of Blooming Grove.
Jim wanted Lawrence Orchard’s unpasteurized cider. I got a gallon $4.25 and he got two half gallons to share one with his sister. I also got many kinds of apples
Carpenter leftovers for supper. Watched last half of Ohio State Wisconsin and scored didn’t change- OSU 31-13.

Friday, October 9, 2009
No power when I woke at 4:00 and woke again at 8:00. After waiting till 1:00 no phone. Cell phone one message to David- and dead. No microwave no dishwasher no washing machine. Had to use match to light gas burner to heat coffee water. Gave up waiting for power to return. Went to post office to return a Haband jacket and Joan phoned Ohio Edison for me. Said to check breaker box. It’s okay. So to Martha Neville and used her phone to call Emergency Services again. Told me service truck was on way from Marion. Friendly Mr Martin checked meter. No power. Drove truck beside pole across and went up in bucket and disconnected all the wires. Said he had to call the big guns to put in a new transformer. As I left for Carpenters for supper saw Ohio Edison truck working on wires in front of Donna Murphy’s house. Did her fire cause my outage?
To Carpenters by 4:30 Dorothy Simmons also a guest. Great food. Ham with pineapple sauce, candied sweet potatoes, corn casserole, deviled eggs and lime Jello and pears.
Home by 6:30 and had lights on all over the house.
Email from Jackye and send back to her and David and Kathi story of my day.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Jim’s 60th birthday gave him Day Before Yesterday and at 9×10 tintype of unknown found in attic.
Email from Jackye- passed Little Rock & Arizona. Sent pics of Chessie and me.
Royce brought Jim Carpenter. Worked with him to plant the replacement peony roots that had no pink eyes. Putting near the Sargentii Crabtree and trimmed it. Cleared the edge of drive of frosted weeds. Pulled marigolds above wall. Reworked compost piles for neatness. Hauled the combination pots from decks to greenhouse. Loaded recyclables for Sims. Shopped at Meijer- both of us. To Sims and unloaded. To Dr Winger and he left me while he went home to load pop cans one year accumulation he got $21 for them. Picked me up at Dr Winger where Dr Winger found the right hearing aid was not functioning. Will send back to Starkey. To chicken shop on North Main for box suppers and I took Jim home. TV This Old House
Two to four inches rain forecast for Marion County
Jim told me while he was resting that he couldn’t have a better place to spend his birthday than here.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Dick Cooper returned my key ring that he had pocketed after unlocking my door last night.
New shipment of peony roots from Brooks arrived. Only $7,500 in my checking account and I have $5,500 health insurance premium due.
Enjoying TV with a headphones the Powells gave me and installed.
Reading Dave Decker’s book Lure of the Abyss- Christmas 2008 gift. Self-published hardbound black. Only a few copies printed- unbelievable experiences. How does he remember every small detail?

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Up at 10:00 a.m.! bath, breakfast, shortening for birds fewer last few weeks.
Prepared folders for the three Claridon Township Trustees for visit by Dick Cooper and me tonight. Background, history, Terradise Nature Preserve endowment fund, brochures on Terradise Nature Preserve cleared and Prairie and Friends of Prairie Parks. Dick picked me up at 6:30 Township trustees very receptive to learning about Terradise Nature Preserve- promised to attend open garden and Terradise Nature Preserve in April. then Dick drove us to Hotel Harding for Science Cafe on Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas survey in 2010 – 2011 of Ohio. Told that trustees meeting about Gatewood Cemetery (may be Underwood in Midlam book. If so 110 graves of 1812 soldiers.)
At Science Cafe sister of Dan Saxton stopped me. Told me Donnie’s house burned Monday night September 21st or 28th. She will tell Donnie of my concern.
Gave Dick Cooper an extra copy I had of cemetery book. He is so helpful taking me to meetings

Monday, October 5, 2009
Jackye, Leon, David and I to Perkins Restaurant at 9:30 for a good breakfast. David to call on Boyd’s and Denzer-Snyder Funeral home. Jackye and Leon and I to Radio Shack where they purchased a headset for me to enhance hearing TV programs and CDs of music fantastic! When I smiled and almost laughed everyone in the store smiled with me.
To Terradise & downloaded Jackye’s photos 250 plus back to their last trip to Maui through Chessie on my lap. Jackye insisting that David and I join them on Maui before November 17th.
Last minute pictures and hugs and they pulled out at 1:10 in that long RV headed for London Kentucky tonight. David came back at 1:10! Worked until 4:45 cutting trees and mowing.
Gale and David for skimpy supper. Discovered archive files. Asked her to present me at Night of Thousand Stars in December- okay. David to Columbus to play with Vaughn Wiester’s jazz band.
Great to watch TV and hear it!

Sunday, October 4, 2009
Across the road to visit Jackye and Leon and their new RV – such luxury 27 volt system, two lounge chairs, sofa but they have a leak so they borrowed my hose to fill the hundred gallon water tank. Riding golf cart down in the woods. To Terradise Nature Preserve and they took the short walk to river. To Gist’s RV Sales and Service- closed on Sunday so we’ll go back tomorrow for part to fix leak. Into Heritage Hall- quick tour and talked to Willis Thomas in Resource Center about his schools book- he gave no mention of the hours I spent making sense of his text! Leon interested in popcorn machines. Said he would spend hours in there. Then took a tour of Marion including 229 East Fairground, 449 Van Buren Rockwell home, Daddy’s lots where he raised plants then 309 Kennedy Court, the Shuster’s home- Jackye’s grandparents. All in lower class areas so I had to take them to Vernon Heights and other upscale homes. Back home and I rested until David arrived at 8:30. Took over the conversation- I couldn’t hear any of it! Spent time in the RV before getting two large pizzas at Dugout instead of the dinner at Red Lobster they suggested.
Took Jackye and Leon to the attic. Such a mess but many treasures. Leon entered his genealogy in my Family Tree Maker. He is the Powell genealogist and a great guy. They left for RV about 8:00 and David to bed early.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Emails and cell phone calls. Jackye David H and me be at Terradise about 5:30.
At Heritage Hall at 1:00 to meet Scott Spears. To storage room under loading dock to the three filing cabinets holding the tapes and vinyl records from WMRN. Scott chose seven of them. Made a list but couldn’t print it so he signed a receipt. Gale will have to do the paperwork!
Dan Saxton and son came to Resource Center to see me. Grandson of Saxton’s who started Wood Valley Estates & collector of Harding memorabilia. He told me that Ladonna Murphy’s house burned this week. I was stunned. Donnie and Mike [Lyon] got out but lost everything!
Dan says he remembers me as he was growing up.
Jim Carpenter invited me to dinner for vegetable soup. I told him Jackye and Leon would be arriving so when I took Jim home he gave me a big container solving my food problem tonight. Bought corn and red raspberries at Crums. Got Actinol and birthday cards, grapes, bananas. etc. at Meijer. Home by 4:30. Almost ready when Jackye and Leon drove in with their new 44-ft motorhome. Parked across road. Had their wine in front of fire in fireplace before eating. Then lots of good conversation and another invitation to visit them in Maui next month. They left about 8:00. to spend night in RV.

Friday, October 2, 2009
[1.5 in. rain AM Sun PM 60°
Email from Jackye Powell will pick up a new motorhome tomorrow in Lexington Kentucky and drive to Terradise tomorrow. Have a cold I’ve waited all summer for.
email from Scott Spears notifying me of my being selected for a community award by ___________

Transferred 2009 MCHS notebook into a larger one and red up my office.