Back with week 3 of Grandma Rose’s journal! Her phrase on January 17th is one I’ve never, ever heard before and I chuckled because I could hear it in her voice. Her punctuation, capitalization, and run-on sentences are just atrocious this week but I attribute that in part to the little square boxes of this journal. I imagine that throughout the day she would complete a chore, walk by, and just jot it down. I don’t think this was some planned-out, deep-thought type journaling where she was concerned with proper English. On a personal note – I shudder at the thought of it being 19° below.
NOTE: I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
January 15, 1977 – Cleaned house & furnace today Usual old week end routine Water lines frozen up Don’t know why it “throws” me when this happens. Guess I hate to think of not being able to flush the john like it should be done and all the water carrying from the green house.
January 16, 1977 – 13° below early 6° this morning in Col – 8° airport Winds up to 24 MPH Waiting for bath room pipes to thraw out. Hot water line frozen.
Be glad when I get a good bath again. Get tired taking a bath in a measly quart of water – But I can’t knock it – Should be glad I have that much.
January 17, 1977 – Colder than Billy be durn. Pipes still frozen Have cold water in bathroom Kitchen line frozen – no water in kitchen at all.
Fixed a light in bath room closet and took drawer out of sewing room work table so heat could get to the wall. Kims pipes froze. Shes staying with Rosie while it’s so cold.
Rosie says her kitchen flowers are beautiful, and have sure brightened up her winter.
Her cherry tree has 12 green cherries – unusual for they usually have to be out to be pollinated.
19° below
January 18, 1977 – 8° below Pipes still frozen this morning. Nothing to do so have been sewing.
4:00 P.M. Pipes let loose with a bang and the trailer shuttered. Now we can have hot water again.
I can take a bath – Tired “Spit” bathing on a quart of water. Now I can feel clean for a change.
Thought: “Enough is enough, and too much spoils.” Italian proverb.
8° below Lo
3° above Hi
January 19, 1977 – 12° above this morning, (heat wave) but its snowing again.
18″ oil in tank
Lo of the day 3° below
January 20, 1977 – Got up at 8:30.
Went to Circleville with Henry Johnson and family. Roads were burm to burm ice snow. For over a month, Hadn’t been to the grocery or drug store in Circleville. We been without vitamin tablets for two weeks, out of Lens foot medicine; so I bought up enough pills for a month.
Good cheer – full sunshine and I broke my sun glasses.
Carol and kids stayed with Carols niece while Henry and I went to the bank and shopped.
Lo 2° – High 19°
January 21, 1977 – Got up at 9:00 Finished a blouse for Jills birthday Can’t seem to get any big sewing this winter.
Seem to be tired most of the time – from digging, I guess.
Measure the oil tank every three days so we won’t run short of oil.