This week introduced another new 1970s product to me courtesy of Grandma Rose; I had never heard of Axion before and had thought it was maybe bleach since she was soaking her whites in it, but looks like it was just a generalized laundry detergent/pre-soak. They actually still sell it overseas in Asia but at Big Bear in July 1978, it was selling for $1.17 for a 25 oz. box according to the ad in the Circleville Herald.
I was also wondering what “bitter heaving” was that she mentioned – lo and behold! My life is again mimicking Grandma’s! Bitter heaving is basically dry heaving with a bitter taste in your mouth, which is totally unpleasant. The underlying causes are usually GERD or bile reflux, BOTH of which I suffer from thanks to my lovely hiatal hernia, even after a repair. So I beyond sympathize with her. The bitter taste of bile is something you just do NOT forget.
Also – we are all caught up to date and back on schedule! No more double weeks, starting next week.
NOTE: As always, I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
_____ WEEK 17 _____
April 23, 1978 – Got up 8:00 and put on water for coffee. Went back to bed until 9:00. Real tired this morning. Took good hot bath to wake me up. After breakfast hunted up some embroidery for Len to work on. Cut out two white cobbler aprons and one pink one for myself. Len will embroider the pockets for me. Something to keep him busy these rainy days until he can get outside to work.
Took nap from 3:50 until 4:10. Felt awfully tired. Had beef with noodles and the first mess of our asparagus for supper with cheese sauce.
51° High 12:30
41° 11:15 P.M.
April 24, 1978 – Got up 8:00 Put water on for coffee – mailed letter to Effie. After breakfast put on my back brace and went outside to work leaving Len with house work again.
First I dug up the lilies Ralph and Ethel gave me from front of the trailer flower bed and put them in bank flower bed by Donnas day lilies. Transplanted a few gailardias, sweet rockets & strawberries. Dug up more of the bed. Cleaned more grass from around holly bush and iris. Emptied foot two of soil that had Ol’s tree.
After lunch and “soaps” cleared off fodder and the leaves from the potato patch – set out a start of variagated grass into old rose bed. Len came out for a walk and worked around apron of trailer.
Low 40° High 66°
53° 11:20 P.M.
April 25, 1978 – Rained all night last night. Got up 8:30. Had breakfast and got ready to go with Arch to get some flowers for Mothers Day. He called yesterday and said he wanted to take me someplace and get me flowers. Went to Pickaway Gardens – they didn’t have too many to choose from, and it was so rainy we couldn’t get out to look at the shrubs. Came back to Rhodes Market after eating our lunch at Puckets.
Got big hanging baskets of trailing verbena, Burning bush, 4 impatiens, 2 boxes petunias, 1 box red impatiens, 1 pink geranium
Chill and windy all day – warmed up but North wind 15 mph all day.
(Note on the side – “The tulips Rose gave me, the hyacinth, Narcissus and creeping phlox up front are simply beautiful – Red, blues, yellow and lavender with Royal blue grape hyacinth scattered here and there.”)
April 26, 1978 – Got up 8:30 Just got water on for coffee when I heard Len padding down the hall. Thought I’d finish Mary’s letter and get out to mailbox – Had breakfast about 9:15 – Let Len make the bed and I started to work getting Lou’s slacks hemmed. Back got tired – Rested and finished slacks after lunch and watched soaps. Worked some on a white cobbler apron until 4:00.
Len went out to get the Herald this evening. He needs the exercise more than I do. I put escalloped potatoes in the oven and went outside for half and hour to turn compost and empty garbage. Took big hanging basket to green house.
Awfully windy today and chilly.
Low 46° High 64°
49° 11:20
April 27, 1978 – Mailed letter to Mary. Dr. appointment for Lens eye. Just 5 years ago today we set out shrubs (evergreens) in front of garage and between garage and trailer)
Got up 8:20 Put coffee water on – Mailed letter to Mary. Fed cat. Took bath and washed my hair, got ready to go to eye doctor to get prescription for new glasses. Had breakfast 9:30. Laid Lens clothes out and made bed – Ethel and I took a walk around the yard before we went to Circleville – Ethel brought me two bunches of day lilies, pot of Joseph coats – bunch of veronica, a tray of wandering Jew coleus, and a bag of peat. I gave her five snap dragon plants.
Went to Big Bear, then Revcos after the Doctors. Took another walk around yard about sun down. Carried all flowers Arch got me to the green house. Wind chilly.
Low 36° High 64°
48° 11:15 P.M.
April 28, 1978 – Woke up 6:30 turned off night lights, put on water for coffee. Seemed earlly to get up so went back to bed but couldn’t sleep for thinking all I could be doing out doors since it was calm and the sun was shining. Dug up around phlox by green house door and brought basket of compost and put around roots. Saved sod for the mole spats in front yard. Ate breakfast, then put sod down in front – worked in front flower bed, cut off climbing rose and cleaned around hosta. Re-set creep phlox from under the garage evergreens to back bed – some in front.
Len brought in wagon load stones for breezeway path. Tired enough to come in and rest and eat lunch. Wind started up again about noon. DARN! Brought two buckets compost and put on asparagus bed and old rose bed, ready for lilies and Ethel’s early poppy tomorrow. cleaned in green house 3:45 to 4:30.
Low 35° High 64°
54° 11:15
April 29, 1978 – Woke up 6:00 Put on Water for coffee. Too early to stay up. Went back to bed, but couldn’t go back to sleep. Got up 6:45 – Took my first cup of coffee and went to the green house. Rake up debri from around rose and asparagus beds. Pulled grass and cleaned around evergreens and Ethels yellow lilies.
en cut down the cotoneaster at corner of garage before lunch. After lunch he cut off spreading evergreen that winter killed. I cleaned Bergamot bed in front flower bed – Leisa, Jill and Amy came this afternoon. Brought us a record player. Lisa brought some country music records. Stayed until 4:00.
I went back out and pulled grass up front of creep phlox bed. Loaded up card with debri, sod, etc. Trimmed dead limbs from Japanese Holly and Rosies bush.
Low 44° High 68°
58° 11:15
_____ WEEK 18 _____
April 30, 1978 – Got up 6:00 7:00 new time – Set living room clock. Water on for coffee then went back to bed until 9:00 new time. Ate breakfast 10:00. Dressed and went outside – left Len to make bed. I carried compost and fixed bed for Ethels poppy, lilies and veronica. Set them out and transplanted some California poppies.
After lunch, went out and spent two hours on bank flower bed. Dug up lots of old moss and goose necks and made room for Burning bush and petunias. Len came out for a walk about 3:00. I emptied cart of debri from flower beds from yesterday. Came in about 3:30. Put on some of records and listened to noise – really enjoying Amy’s record player. Put on chicken and lay on the couch until 4:35 and listened.
Made chick and wide noodles for supper. While Len did dishes, I cut asparagus, and put pots over my asparagus and snap dragons in case the greeze thats predicted.
Beautiful today and evening tho cool. Good day to work in the ground.
May 1, 1978 – Got up 7:30. Put on coffee pot – Back to bed for another hour. Len got up first this time. After breakfast, I put Len to work scraping carrots to freeze while I went to the green house at 10:30 to repot flowers. Repotted 12 petunia plants, 5 impatiens, put more soil in geranium pots and watered them plus Josephs coat. Put heater back in green house. Nights have been pretty cold for the flowers. Got back in the house in time for lunch at 12:30.
Len cut up the carrots while I watched my “soaps.” 3:30 I did the carrots and took them to the big freezer while Len dug grass from around the red bud tree. Covered the pansies, snap dragons, and bleeding heart again tonight.
48° at 11:10 PM
Low 30° High 52°
39° 78° (1977)
May 2, 1978 – Got up 9:00 Mailed letter to Lisa, Amy and Jill. Made bed – After breakfast, opened garage and green house. Took pots off pansies and cover off the bleeding hearts. Dug around the Hawthorne by the garage so we could dig it up. Len came out and dug the hole for the Burning bush while I hauled compost for it.
Watched “soaps” after lunch. Too windy to work outside so Len oiled the wagons and I worked in the garage. Gathered up all the pint jars and stored them in a big box. Sorted jelly jars. Cleaned off shelves and put heaters up. Sorted paper bags and reboxed. Kenny mowed field. I put fence around asparagus bed and wire around rose bush in front yard. Len hunted around in his tools in the garage this evening.
Dug out my old 1930s scrap book. Still can’t find my Mother’s Day poem.
51° 11:15 P.M.
Low 31° High 59°
88° (1959)
(Note on side: “Kenny mowed field for first time this year. Rosie’s Mothers Day card verse – What a joy to have a beautiful daughter like you – To see you grow year by year into the wonderful person you have become. – 1978”)
May 3, 1978 – Wow ee! I could scarcely move when I got up this morning and put water on for coffee at 8:00. Back to bed until 8:30. Sun was shining beautiful. After breakfast, put some white things to soak in Axion. While Len worked on his sprayers, I repotted the second box of petunias, and watered pansies and snap dragons. Trimmed dead blooms from verbenia and watered it. Carried some pots from garage to green house. Len got another wagon load [of stone] and a half and put on walk. I unloaded compost on BiWay flowers beds and got another load – fixed iron pot; planted one hanging basket with impatiens and white petunias.
Had bitter heaves in the night, last night. Not bad, but enough to get me up for a few minutes. One today about lunch time – came on all of a sudden. had to take Maalox. First I’ve had the attack for months.
May 4, 1978 – Wrote Rosie. Heard it raining, so turned over and back to sleep at 8:30. I was too stiff and tired from outdoor work, getting started today didn’t appeal to me. Len got up at 9:00. I slept in ’til 10:00. Still pouring rain. Put on rain coat and hood and mailed letter to Rosie. After we ate breakfast Len rolled washer to sink for me – and we did the wash. Got done 12:50 in time for lunch.
Watched “soaps” ’til 3:00 Took nap until 4:00. Pelvic acting up some today – Some pain when I go up steps, or step crooked. Put meat on for supper at 4:30 in pressure cooker. Hung 3 lines of clothes in garage and got the paper. Rain still pouring down. Had to wade in water to get to the paper box. Poor old cat couldn’t find much of a dry spot to sleep today.
Blooming almond bush weighted down with the rain. Crazy head ached today and slight ear ache. Got too much wind yesterday, I guess.
Low 44° High 50°
May 5, 1978 – Got up about 9:00 Mailed electric bill, watered petunias in green house. Watered tomato plants and oxalis bulbs. Pulled some grass by green house. Took tour around yard – gathered some more asparagus. Cleaned dead leaves from wild ferns.
Worked on couple pair shorts of Lens before lunch. Watched soaps after lunch – then cut Lens hair. Ran sweeper in living room. Did a little sewing on machine. Got things from freezer for supper. Had macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, and tossed salad for supper.
Mended on work gloves while watching T.V. this evening.
Low 46° High 53°
49° 11:20
May 6, 1978 – Got up 10:00 Really slept in this morning. Didn’t do much today – Got stamps from mailman. Burned 3 bags of garbage bags of trash cleaned around trash barrel and pulled grass from around trees there, clipped grass from around rose bush in front.
Fixed pockets on pink polyester blouse that I didn’t get done when I made the blouse.
Had potato and egg omelet for lunch – took nap from 2:30 to 3:45 – another heaving spell woke me up.
Got in more asparagus when I locked green house and garage. Had asparagus for supper. Second time we’ve had it. Hope there’ll be lots more if it ever gets warm. Len did supper dishes while I read the Herald.
Winds 5 MPH W
50° at 11:15
Low 46° High 54°
91° in 1959