Category: Trella Diaries

Thursday November 11th
Pay bills, Jim O’Dowd here washing windows and putting in storm doors. I did more cleaning in kitchen and ran two loads washing. Freddie painted around outside picture window in living room and installed dead bolt on rec room door. Three calls and one caller on Star ad. Scott here off and on. His mother having cataract operation.

Wednesday November 10th 65° Windy
Scott and Freddy worked until noon putting on another coat of mud in new room. Took jackets and coat to Peerless to be cleaned and left an ad at Marion Star to sell AC, TV and salvaged doors. Took 20 copies proxy and James contract to Virginia Howard to mail to board. Picked Mary up and was at River Valley High School by 10 for their Veterans Day Celebration. This year focusing on women in the service and on the home front. We each talked to a class of about 20. Mary showed her wack photo album to her class. To Bordeaux and picked up boards for shelves in garage. [Diagram of AC pipes.] Ralph Hedges here painting garage to match siding. Don Keil came and dug cannas, clean the spouting, cut perennial foliage and scattered prairie plants across road. Nice note from Warren Harding thanking me for tour Saturday.

Tuesday November 9th 76 degrees and sunny warm
Scott and crew didn’t work here today. Unloaded VCR tape from cabinets and re-thought closet use. Worked in garage shelves and got room to get car in. Mulched leaves and driveway. To Heritage hall at 4 p.m. for meeting of personnel committee. Eula and Margaret brought Dan Bush and Don Ryan in to bolster their anti-Jane agenda. Anna went on for 15 minutes. No communication. Then said wastes time talking to people. I reminded them if Jane leaves they’ll need someone to do the accounting, newsletters, membership records, news releases that Jane now does that I did formerly. But finally had a motion to renew her contract but with no raise and it passed! Richard Carey, Virginia Howard really put down M&E and A’s arguments. I and Mary Hecker had dinner at Bob Evans. Ralph Hedges and wife out to evaluate paint job I have. Garage door area. Living room. And new TV room. He suggested textured ceiling.

Monday November 8th
Kensel Clutter brought five Burr oak seedlings from his farm and planted them around the evergreen copse across the road. Gave me list of 12 plugs of prairie plants he planted on Green camp prairie. Scott and crew mudding seams on wallboard. Was about 6:20 relaxing after supper and catching up on Diary when I wrote the above date and realized it was tonight. Not tomorrow that I was to speak to Town & Country Mothers Club on Bethlehem Road! Made it only 10 minutes late. Talked on Marion County Historical Society with a little hours history. Sold 2 DBY and they gave me $20! Home by 9:45. Woman who was at Crusaders meeting gave a glowing report on my Florence Harding program.

Sunday November 7th
Al and Matt Sisson and two other men here at 9:15 to pick up old entertainment center and green Lazy Boy chair. Also took some of the salvage- laid out near oak stump.
Into Hemmerly’s for Christmas open house. Nice to talk to old customers and employees. Picked up wreaths they redid in Fall colors. Home and made Johnny Marzetti and had Mary out for supper. Watched “Annie” on TV. Sort of. To bed by 9.

Saturday November 6th gorgeous cool day 60s
Breakfast here but Karen didn’t even have coffee. To Harding Memorial before 10 and found ceremony wasn’t until 10:45. David videotaped ceremony and then left for Cincinnati. Willis Thomas came to let Dr. Warren G. Harding III and me into Trinity after the ceremony. Then Dr. Harding and I went to Harding Home to meet Melinda [Gilpin] for a private tour. Dr. H has four golf clubs of Warren G. Harding given to him by R. T. Lewis. And wanted to see others. Also handled Dr. Sawyer’s sword. Then Dr. H and I headed for Caledonia- quick stop at Terradise to pick up book with pics of boyhood home. Methodist Church open so we went in. Then to site of Ohio Central College in Iberia and Harding birthplace east of Blooming Grove. Dr H so appreciative and wants to come back with son Chip (WGH IV). After taking Dr. H to his car at memorial I stopped at Resource Center and Marion Area Genealogical Society got first family filing cabinet moved in.

Friday November 5th
To Epworth church for Eleanor’s funeral. Dan Kiger celebrated her life. To Marion cemetery for committal then back to church for lunch. Sat with Kathy’s [Hinklin] parents Bill and of Blue Ash. Then with them, Bob and Kathy to Eleanor’s house. So sad among all her beloved things. We finally said goodbye to Bob and Kathy- he and David are like brothers. We headed north in Harpster to hunt up Gene Logsdon whose books and articles we enjoy so much. He was mulching leaves with mower but received us so graciously. And invited us in so he could write down my address. Says he’ll come to visit! Home about 5:30 and David and Karen changed clothes and headed for Michael’s Steakhouse to meet with boys for supper. We’ll be back to spend night. Called Willis Thomas and he will meet the Hardings & me at Trinity at 11 so they can see the Harding pew.

Thursday November 4th up at 7 Sunny 51°
Royce arrived at 8:15 to help with basement shelves. Wenig’s men arrived at 8 a.m. with Scott and Fred’s already working. By 9 the air conditioner was moved down by rec room door and landscapers had arrived. Hardly room to park. I went to Marion about 9:30 to pay Nu-Supply for tile and carpet and picked up tile. Unloaded trash at Hemmerly’s. Deposited $5,000 check from National City Agency Fund (Howard) at Marion Bank. To Lowe’s and bought side light with motion sensor and handleset with deadbolt for rec room door. 2 split rails to repair fence. To Meijer for VHS digital tape. Back home about 12:30. Voisards finished moving AC by 1:30. Royce waiting for her check. Don McCoy here to be sure bricklaying going okay and also Rick. They got all bricks laid but need half bricks to fill in at sides. Took a 2-hour nap. To Denzers Funeral Home at 7 for Eleanor’s calling hours. Sarah and Dave there so prim and neat in their black suits. Eleanor so composed. Lots of flowers. Bob and David’s high school friends Ron Snider, John Hix, Gary Geyer, Jay Walker. David and Karen arrived about 7:30 and Josh and Jed about 8 in suits that D&K had dropped off at OSU on their way up here. Bob and Kathi joined us at Tim Hortons for a late supper David fixed all my computer problems.

Wednesday November 3rd my 84th birthday
60° in my bedroom until I went down and reset boiler water temperature from summer temp. Up at 7- bath- checked email- frag greeting card from Margaret Ann singing Happy Birthday. Dave Decker called. He’s flying Navy to LV this afternoon and will visit Kathi and Bob. Kathi called. Had barium enema yesterday for tests. I called Wenigs about moving air conditioner unit. Sent two men out about 5 to check it out. Will be here at 7:45 tomorrow. Don Keil here and we finished cleaning shed got old doors and windows out. Don cut evergreens for Hemmerly’s Open House also helped me move stuff for Wenigs but I have to take stuff off shelves. Been there since we moved in. Sliding door arrived about noon and Scott and crew installed it by 2:30. Removed plywood between new room and living room and put up plastic. Have the wallboard on. I cleaned the school desk of 75 years of dirt and moved back to front porch. Also cleaned hutch in kitchen. All dishes and drawers. Washed down kitchen cupboards. David called about 6 and made plans for weekend. Mary out- brought box of candy and videotape for my birthday. We had hot cocoa in cup from Kathi’s gift basket and one of the big cookies. Virgil Hinamon delivered lovely fall arrangement from Kass & shop personnel. Two bluebirds perched on the wire across road. A promise of happiness in my next year?

Tuesday November 2nd
Voisard man came and left. finally at 11 a.m. called Steve. They had to go to Columbus to get a part. While I hand picked up patio door delivered yesterday it opened on wrong side!. Crew installed insulation and started with wall board installation. Found a pile of Kathi’s 25-cent books. At 1 to La Salon of Styling for permanent. Had left my window open after all the excitement yesterday and the car was out because of yard sale stuff in garage. So seat was soaked and I got soaked even with two towels under me. Marsha supplied me with a pair of posts[?] and towels inside my clothes. Canceled going to Exec committee meeting. Shopped at Meijer gas was turned on gas at 4:45. Don McCoy was on them all day about service. Call on answering machine from David saying Eleanor Hinklin died last night of a heart attack. He and Karen will be up Thursday night for calling hours and stay over for funeral and Saturday for Warren Harding visit. I will have to cancel plans to go to OAHSM annual meeting Friday.