Category: Ray Romine Diaries

Tuesday, December 1, 1953
($152.90 – 2 hrs overtime) Slaved tonite till 9- we planted shrubs till dark, etc. Painted storm doors & the inside of back door proper. I then wrote M. C. Nielsen of Lansing, who’d inquired about certain bugs here.

Monday, November 30, 1953
Stayed in for lunch (Fletcher’s); coldish, some snow still on. Got big shrub order & Trella & I planted on it till dark. Dubbed on bug cases (cleaning & checking bug-dope) & wrote 2 letters.

Sunday, November 29, 1953
Snowy, cold – frozen a.m. Sandy & I took nice hike over this side ‘o river acres & split a gob ‘o firewood. Trella took her back around 11:30. Hutchman’s here most ‘o p.m. I dubbed Skippers* & cartooned tonite.

[* a type of butterfly]

Saturday, November 28, 1953
Cleaned & dubbed around a.m. P.M. got Sandra Jean & we picked Trella up at 22 E. Fairground & all 3 to Galion – Chase’s, Kame Indian Site, back for supper (Hazel’s) & piano ala Gill & to Gill’s – Olive & Jamie for cake ‘n coffee. Sandra Jean here tonite – fine time.

Friday, November 27, 1953
Snow 2″ ? Trella & kids in for all day. I morgued, dubbed. Ray Hemmerly out 2 hrs. – we got heat on greenhouse! (etc on greenhouse after he left) Tonite, made watercolor & a brush drawing. [image of rubber stamp] New, both of us (Baker)
Long weekend.

Thursday, November 26, 1953
Thanksgiving. We froze a.m. (cold out), dubbed. To Mary’s for dinner & p.m. Wonderful dinner! Home b/4 5, & I made sleigh & xmas tree for Trella. Ate little supper, bug-hunted in stored stuff for Hazel Chase, Xmas shopped. Called Sandy about Saturday, & Hazel, too from Mary’s.

Wednesday, November 25, 1953
Snowed off’n on. Had help; 1 hr 4″ overtime too! Hemmerly’s for lunch. Mary & Harold took kids in tonite. Trella & I loafed- she baked pies!

Tuesday, November 24, 1953
Trella brought lunch in, but they can’t work on her Nash till Monday. Hauled greenhouse benches out in Hemmerly truck after work. Made “lyre” for Trella’s friend; cleaned up, typed up 1st “gags” for file & morgued. Trella ironed.

Monday, November 23, 1953
Coolish. Cloudy some. Trella took me to Mary’s for lunch. I got haircut after carrying trip. Tonite, got Cereus* at Dutch Fail’s; after supper, wrote letters, drew & morgued. Got 1st cartoon (Herm) money today – $30 for 3!!

[* cactus plant(s)]

Sunday, November 22, 1953
RAIN!!! (p.m.) a.m. we delivered Sandy back, got water, etc. Napped p.m., put para* in all attic bug containers, built new rack for potato chip cans- holds 9. Morgue- looked etc. too.

[*para-dichlorobenzene – moth balls to prevent moths from eating lepidoptera specimens]