February 1956
Feb. 1. 1956.Wed./ Ernie went to school from here this a-m. No mail today. Cloudy alday. Men did get mattress here today Thurs. (40.69) Nellie & Bonita came & gone to Huron for the things we do need, they can only get partly of what we need Elbert’s bowels are so bad. I Praised God for our blessing.
Thurs. Feb. 2. 1956./ Nellie, Bonita came today instead of yesterday & Men brought the mattress today. Ernie went to school from here this morning. Groundhog day Cloudy all day, here but sun shone in some places Ella Jane came tonight & brought laundry & olive oil had to have my crying Spell & she stayed to enjoy. Dr. L. came gave Elbert dope for flu. & he is still feeling bad lots of pain on bowels. I thank Thee Jesus for Thy care, help my faith to get me on my feet in Jesus Name, Amen.
Fri Feb. 3. 1956./ Jim & Jean are 22. yrs./ old today Jim will soon be home from the Service. Well, sun came out nice & bright & warm this a-m & Ernie didn’t come this morning Elbert drove car to end of road & it stopped, he walked to pay station & tried to call Webers & couldn’t get them so called car man & he came & said he’d get car Sat. I received card from Bonita & letter from Eva Kegan. I thank God for all blessings Nellie & Ella Jane came tonight. Mr & Mrs. Weber brought me maple custard in little cups & it’s so good, Elbert’s bowels are little better. Frank & Armond came & brought water & visited awhile & I had to have a crying spell when they left [note “geritol” written diagnally over the left edge of this entry] [Sat & Sun.Mon. Feb. 4, 5, & 6 1956: No diary entry]
Tue. Feb. 7. 1956./ page. 3431./ 32 second St. Oh. God only knows how I hate to go. I thank & praise God for all things in Jesus name. Well they’re coming tomorrow noon to have me out once more, how I dread to go & leave Elbert. Oh God help me I pray in all Thy Ways.
Apparently Feb 8 1956 Elinor was taken to Hospital.
Wed. Feb. 8. 1956./ Well, we were ready on time but the stretche was late or amblance, we left home round 1-p-m. took about 3 hours it was such a rough ride had to grip my self & had a bad time with my nerves, put me in ward with 3 others We sent Audrey, Frank & the Dr. & Katherine each a card. Elbert came over with me he’s all broke up I pray God will keep him & help him to rest while I’m gone. Ella Jane came in for a fw minutes. Been another dark misty wet day but not cold.
Thurs. 9. Feb. 1956/ Same kind of a day as yesterday, Ella Jane came in & the other 3 women had callers & said weather was wet & hard walking. 4. oclock & quite dark. I thank & praise God for my blessing. Elbert didn’t come to bad today to drive. Amen.
Fri. Feb. 10. 1956./ Another cloudy day. Elbert called last night & said he’d come today. and he did & brought a letter from Miss. Clark & she thanked us over & over for the food we sent to her she should thank God more from Whom all blessings flow, Praise His Holy Name. it was God Who came & showed Miss Clark to me weeping & wishing for food & then weeping for joy after Elbert took it to her. I’m glad Jesus showed me & I do wish so much He will show me about what I ought to do for myself. Elbert came & Martha came & took him home he said some one nearly broke glass frame in storm door, he said he’d try to get back Sun. Nellie has-n’t been here since I came, Ella Jane’s been here a couple of times. Received letter from Hardware man’s wife Mrs. Beenoline Schinmin I’m not very well a-quainted, but May God Bless her she’s done better than some of them. Dr. L. is holding up things, he has to release me to the Dr. over here, I do hope they do
Sat. 11. Feb. 1956./ 3432./ Audrey sent me a beautiful vase of flowers, Carnations evergreen, yellow glads iris & a golden bell like lillies of the Vally, Cassias they are yellow they say they grow on trees in California. Audrey came in & Ella Jane. Audrey brought me bed room slippers & stockings 3. prs. run out of pills & so cried awhile this morning going to cost over $1.50 a month to stay here. Well I’ll have to turn in all my check so they say & state makes up the rest, I thank God for my many, many blessings. I miss Elbert so much & I pray Jesus will take good care of him & soon convert & heal him, Oh Jesus help me to understand. I thank Thee & give all Praise & Glory to Thee. (been another wet misty day)
Sun. Feb. 12. 1956./ Rather dark day & a woman they called Violet who has been here all most 9 yrs. seemed to know she was going home to Glory, ask me to pray a number of times for her & she left us about 6-a-m & before noon she was taken out & they have part of her things taken care of. Elbert was here & Nellie & Bonita & Loretta Hobbs, I don’t remember her married name We had quite a visit her father live with her & is 83. yrs. old, her mother is dead. Well, the Drs. came in gave me examination, decided to take me over to Bayview & give me some treatments to see if I can be fixed up to walk again. & I do hope the test wont be to hard, I’m getting so weak & feel whimpy. Oh God I thank & Praise Thee for all things.
[Mon. Feb. 13. 1956 After 5 days in Hospital (? where) Elinor was apparently taken to Bayview Hospital for “treatments to see if I can be fixed up to walk again”]
Mon. Feb. 13. 1956./ Sun is shining, Pain is bad & at about 1-p-m they are coming to take me to Bayview Hospital & Elbert is coming to go with me, He came & they were late 3-30-p-m. Oh I’m so tired, Elbert couldn’t stay, he went back to Lorain with Schorts minilittle carrage & is coming back as soon as he can Tue. or Wed. Well, no pills untill I cried & hr or so.
Tue. Feb. 14. 1956./ Page. 3433./ Cloudy with some rain & snow but sun came out before noon. I had a bath & got my hair combed, & I’m so tired & sweat so bad. Well, I got through untill tonight they called me a grandma & ball baby & they put me off & make me wait for the bed pan untill I sweat Ella Jane came last night & Mr. & Mrs. Swarthouse & Mrs. Weber were here & prayed for me. Oh how happy I’ll be to get home & I’m wondering if Elbert will be happy to have me back Nellie & Bonita were just here & said Easel will be here to see me tomorrow. I’ll be so glad when I’m better. a little boy brought me a valentine.
Wed. Feb. 15. 1956./ Nellie & Bonita came in & not much doing today in any way.
[Apparently the medical staff is using a hoyer lift to get Elinor in and out of bed. She is unable to stand on her own. They are also giving her “pills” presumably for pain, which she sometimes”runs out of” . She refers to getting dope and then it sounds like Ella Jane may be giving her medication “inserts some in me.” Much later in the diary she says she was getting insulin daily from 1956-mid-1960. She doesn’t refer to giving herself insulin shots. She explains that she has to summarize events because she “felt to bad to keep my daily writing” She describes having a nasal-gastric tube placed (drainage or ? feeding). ]
Thurs. Febe. 16. 1956./ Elbert & Easel came in she sent me a plant & Ella Jane came tonight. Poor Elbert. Audrey & Martha & Jean & Bonita, Frank & Ruby were the only one’s that came to see me, I felt to bad to keep my daily writing & so will just tell what I can remember, Drs 3. gave me a thorough going over run a rubber tube up my nose & into my stomach if only I could stand on my feet, they put me in a little houst & lifted me out of bed & back a-gain Elbert was out several times but he doesn’t feel very well. Sat. they hauled me back home again thiner & weaker & I can’t very well, legs still aching hope they can get legs fixed up, before long, but trust God will do that, Ella Jane has been here, twice. got dope & inserts some into me. I feel as if I don’t get what I need to strengthen me.
Fri. Feb. 24. / We had a terrible storm, took Nellie’s frontc door steps away & broke them up & racked the house some & took the cow shed down acrossed the road from them Columbus had 95 mile wind & there was some damage in several places, rain, hail & snow lights were out 13. hrs. at hospital, it thundered & the lighting cracked like kindling sticks but
Elinor left Hospital and was taken back home Sat. Feb. 25, 1956.
Sat. Feb. 25./ sun came out & it was a nice day. ride tired me bad coming home although carrage road smooth. Ella Jane & Bonita came home with me, my head felt bad yet. Only Ella Jane been here all week.
Sun, Mon, Tue. Feb. 26 27 28, 1956: no Diary entries
Wed. Feb. 29. 1956./ page. 3433 [should be 3434] / No one come in all week except Ella Jane. Now today Feb. 29. sun is bright & wind is strong.
[March through October 1956, although Elinor is apparently home, there are no diary entries in over 6 months.
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Oct. 6. 1956: (last night Bonita baysat for us (Mother too). They had been hit by truck (E.J.’s yellow Dodge in Sandusky/Huron? as they were taking Uncle Elbert to see Aunt Elinor–now in hospt. -has been partially paralyzed for some time. He was hurt & had to go to hosp. now too.)]
From Oct 1956 through December 1959 no diary entries. John Harnish suggests that Elbert was injured in a car accident in Ella Jane Harnish’s car.
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: July 14. 1957: Since this is technically my last day of vacation we went to Mother’s & took her with us to see Aunt Elinor & Uncle Elbert. Aunt E. has been bedridden about 2 yrs. now -has a hosp. bed in her room. She lay very still (has paralysis) but was able to converse o.k. -seemed weak. We went to see Uncle Frank & Aunt Ruby Bonney in Lorain. Took the kids down to the river there. To Mother’s briefly (had quite a severe headache) Home by 9:30. Bed by 11. Marci was upset w/ tolerating Mother’s personality for an afternoon & the fact that Mother may come & live w/ us awhile this summer.]
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: July 31. 1957:[The family went w/ me for a call to Cleveland Clinic. We went to Mothers & M.J. stayed there. Mother is doing ok alone, Nelson stays a little Bonita comes out often She has begun working mornings in a rstaurant & afternoons & eve. at her shop.]
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Aug. 7. 1957: [I went to Mothers to supper & we all went to see Aunt Elinor & Elbert]
At this point Elinor has been taken to a rest home but planning to go home soon. He references that Nellie intends to sign over the Harnish “home place” to him.
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Mar. 22. 1958:[We went to Vincent. Took mother to Bellvue (M.J. & Wes stayed at Vincent) to see Aunt Elinor. She is in a rest home there-will go home soon. Mother tells me she expects to sign over the home place to me]
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Jan. 1. 1959: We all went to see Aunt Eleanor & Uncle Elbert. She is bedfast at home but seems to be doing pretty well. ]
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Mar. 28. 1959: Mother & I went to see Aunt Elinor & Uncle Elbert.
[In John Harnish’s 1956 diary entry: Nov. 14. 1959: Went to see Aunt Elinor & Uncle Elbert. A group came as we left they were to hold a prayer meeting.