As Jon and I keep working on our own gardening, I keep thinking back to Grandma Rose’s greenhouse and how much I need one for all my pots and tools! Grandma was onto something there. I just wish I had more land/space for it but such is the lament for city living. However, I wonder how she’d like my answer to keeping birds, squirrels, and rabbits out of my plants. The chicken coop was an amazing deterrent. Just a few days ago we added a wooden frame at the bottom of 2×4’s to keep out chipmunks because they could squeeze through there. It makes it easy to water as well! You can spray right through without having to fuss with the door. I think she’d approve of my ingenuity!
NOTE: As always, I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
_____ WEEK 26 _____
June 24, 1978 – Got up 8:00 Opened up and fed cats – Didn’t intend to do much so took a bath and washed my hair after we ate breakfast – Len went to garage to works I cleaned bathroom mirrors and bedroom mirror. Len worked on door of shed a little while.
After lunch I crawled on the bed and slept almost 2 hours. Got chicken from freezer to thaw for tomorrow –
Len came in about 4:00 to get ready to go to Archs – Loris shower at Neal Barrs, so he will stay at Archs while we ladies go to shower. Robert and Lori picked us up little after six. Had wonderful shower – Lori got so many nice things. I gave her $10.00. Couldn’t get away to get a gift.
June 25, 1978 – Got up 8:15 Woke up 7:00 Couldn’t go back to sleep – Leg aching. Got up, put on coffee + Dressed and opened up – Water berries and tomato plants in iron kettle – Found half dozen small fox glove plants so set them out in starter baskets. Watered petunias and hanging baskets.
Laid down for a little while after lunch. Cooked chicken for supper. Looked for Ef and Ralph, Grace & Jimmy – They didn’t get here until nearly 4:00 Took round of the yard – taking pictures.
Mrs. Dingledine called about 5:20. Was I ever surprised. Talked for 15 minutes. Said she gets lonesome.
Ethel and company left at 6:00 – we just had a big chicken sandwich for supper. Ice cream for dessert.
Had pretty good storm tonight – Had to close up everything. Stifling hot. Gave Ethel yellow dress I’d been working on. Also Circleville Heralds. Gave Grace some carnation pinks. Also hanging basket of oxalis.
June 26, 1978 – Got up 9:00 Was so hot in the house last night we were both soaking wet. Couldn’t find dry spots on pillows or sheets. Finally got to sleep about 11:30 – Didn’t even hear the windstorm Len said we had.
Opened up garage and green house. Took ice cream and ice cubes to the freezer and defrosted the reefer.
Awfully windy today + Broke off one of the big limbs from big locust tree – so cut all that off and cut out other dead branches – Trimmed forsythia and double mock orange and spice bush. Pulled few weeds from beans, washed screen and put in bedroom window – (west one). Good breeze coming in.
After “soaps,” I worked more on new dress Rosie and kids gave me for Mothers Day. Len worked putting boards around bottom of garage closet, and caulked it to keep water out of the closet when it blows into the garage. Filled gallon jugs and carried in almost 5 gallon water in bucket in green house.
(Note at top: “Ed brought us 2 burning barrels $6.00 ea”)
June 27, 1978 – Got up 8:00 Watered all the hanging basket before sun got up then raked off old dead pansies. Fed cats.
After we ate – Len went to garage to sort out boards for cupboard in garage. Trimmed more branches from spice bush and red bud. Len had a fit because I got out in 81° heat in forenoon and cleaned up all the branches I’d cut off yesterday. It was awful – water poured off my face & forehead, down into my eyes but I didn’t feel hot until I came in to rest –
Pelvic and leg aren’t too bad today. Very stormy this eve. Windy. Much damage in various counties but we got no rain.
Low 74° High 95°
75° 11:15
June 28, 1978 – Got up 7:00 Took coffee and went to green house and sifted fertilizer through leaf mulcher and hoed and fertilized wax beans and tomatoes. After breakfast, burned all the trash – papers, etc., from greenhouse and garage.
Emptied box of leaves from garage out to the potato patch. Len drove stake on back fence where cows have been eating grape vines and I wired fence to post and tied up grape vines.
Len finished one cupboard for canning jars. I watched “soaps” while finishing pr of my short slacks.
Ate supper in garage this even. 85° in trailer. Set out another big tomato plant and some marigolds. Dug up bed for my carnation pinks on bank flower bed. Carried 2 buckets peat to green house. Brought in compost and put red and pink geraniums in big tree pot on patio.
Low 66° High 85°
75° 11:15 P.M.
(Note at top: “Send B’Day cardto Ruth Ann – letter to Olive”)
June 29, 1978 – Got up 7:00 Usual opening up – Took my first cup of coffee and took tour around yard. Picked off dead pansies and watered hanging baskets.
Went to Tarlton with Evelyn and got a few things. Took bricks to back to put under burning barrels. Len finished doors and hung them on new cupboard in garage. Cut off few seed pods of the coreopsis and gaillardias on bank flower bed. Awfully hot out there.
While Len sawed more boards, I carried all the peat moss to green house. Watched “soaps” and sewed up my new shorts after lunch. Put some white clothes to soak in bleach so I can wash tomorrow.
Scrambled eggs with ham for supper and we ate in garage. 85° in trailer. Watered all having baskets after supper – also snap dragons and pansies. Set out few flowers.
Low 69° High 89°
79° 11:15
(Note at top: “Mailed letters and B’Day card to Dorothy Nesco”)
June 30, 1978 – Got up 7:00 Put on coffee. Opened up green house and garage. Watered hanging baskets. Spaded up small spaces by side maple tree, for bed of carnation pinks. After breakfast, went back with Len to make drain holes in burning barrel.
Len worked on another cupboard in garage; while I did a hand wash from 10:30 to 12:00. After lunch, I hung out 2 lines of wash – Len went back to garage. Tried to watch “soaps” but T.V. acted up. Got disgusted and decided to sew up some dish towels for an hour or so. Made macaroni salad, so we could have a cold supper.
Ate supper in the garage again this evening – 85° in trailer. Len kept working on cupboards. I fixed clipped false dragon heads, clipped off strawberries and grass from around greenhouse and garbage cans – watered potted flowers and fed dumb cats. Folded clothes. Lori called for Mary and Elwoods address.
Low 62° High 84°
75° 11:15