We’ve all talked so much about how Grandma Rose had so many flowers in her yard and I love seeing her make notes of what all she did have. I remember quite fondly of her having lily of the valley and when she caught me picking them off, she yelled at me! They were so cute though and I still love them to this day. But it’s quite funny to me that she notes she has daffodils popping up already this week in her journal as we do here in New York already too. My neighbor’s crocuses are in full, colorful bloom despite the chilly wind storm today – I hope they survived. But her mention of daffodils here this week, made me think of last year at my local cemetery about this same time of the year when we hadn’t done our winter clean up yet and I found a random bouquet of white daffys on cheerful display. They reminded me of A.A. Milne’s poem Daffodowndilly (which I think Grandma would have liked!)
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
“Winter is dead.”
NOTE: As always, I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
March 12, 1977 – Elwoods birthday
Spend all day, cleaning house – Took machine top off. Cleaned and oiled it. Sure was dirty. Now I can sew some more.
March 13, 1977 – Ray Hochmuth birthday
Rosie, Bobby Hollenback, and Darryl were here this evening for a couple hours. Ate supper with us. She brought a luscious thick pumpkin pie & was going on to stop and see grandpa at Pickaway Manor.
Spent the forenoon making Len his favorite apple sauce squares & some cookies. Took my afternoon nap. Rained a little today.
11:30 P.M. 47°
March 14, 1977 – Cloud this morning. Got up at 9:00 and did up our dishes from last night – Let them go so I could watch Walt Disney story – Real good.
Yellow barberry, Flowering Almond, cotoneaster, are starting to leaf bud. Daffodils and tulips are coming up.
March 15, 1977 – Beautiful, sunny breezy day – aired some blankets outdoors. Did some hand washing.
Had our first glasses of iced tea this afternoon. Embroidered some – Maybe a few hours all today today & evening together.
77° 3:00 P.M.
Wrote to Ethel – Took a walk around the yard. Daffodils are coming up 3 or 4″ high & tulips are coming thru. Rock Iris are up a few inches high. Sweet Williams are greening up. Also cushion mums.
March 16, 1977 – More washing today. Too cold to hand out doors – so filled the garage lines – again. Didn’t get above 53° today. Sure lots different than yesterdays 77 warm degrees.
Embroidered 1 hr on rabbit.
Got a 10 page letter from Mary.
Really over did on the wash. Could hardly move after I’d finished. Just a panty waist, I guess.
Low 42° High 55° 11:30 41°
March 17, 1977 – Hung out some wash today. Rather cold except things dried – Rosie came after her glasses. Wanted me to go to Lancaster with her – Couldn’t! Rosie brot me a beautiful red and white tulip (potted) that she’d “forced” in the house. Like the ones I used to have in Ashville. Finished my small rabbit today.
43° High
N.E. 10 to 25 MPH
Thought: True friendship is like sound health. The value of it is seldom known until it is lost.
March 18, 1977 – Got up 7:45. Evelyn took me to Jones’ for groceries.
Winds up to 53 M.P.H. Could hardly up to the house with the heavy sacks.
Got letter from Ethel. Cute mouse card.
It sure is getting cold; and the wind has died down some.
Lens foot giving him fits this evening.
Made two meat loaves this evening to freeze while getting supper.
Low 41°
Hi 53°
11:30 35°
More annoying snow supposed to come