Happy Driving-to-FL New Year, 1966-7!

The picture shows (l to r - back row):  Jimmie Meredith, Ken Kellogg with Roger (3), wife Beth, Grandma Lottie Meredith, John Kellogg;  (front row) Dan, Diane & baby Lynn Pellettiere, Ruth Kellogg, Philip Kellogg ( 6).

It's Christmas, 1966 in Dan's and my first house at the corner of Greenfield and Greenwood in Mt. Prospect, IL. The Kellogg-Meredith-Pellettiere family gathered to have dinner together. Notice 3 of Dan's paintings - and a Van Gogh - behind us.

I'll go back through some of the many events of 1966 another time.  Here's what Ruth said on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 as the Kelloggs left to return to their condo in Clearwater FL.  They no longer had a house or apartment in Illinois for the first time since 1929.

Saturday, December 31, 1966   - "There were few flakes of snow in air as we left Diane & Dan's at 7 AM.  D&D got up to see us off and would probably go back to bed.  We gradually ran out of snow area, taking road slower because of blowing snow over the road.  I ate 2 P.M. lunch alone at Kum Back Inn while J. got the car greased.  I then drove clear here - to Hopkinsville - the last 25 miles after dark - 5:15 J. went for haircut."

Sunday, January 1, 1967  - "We left Ky. Motel at 7:15 A.M.  Had rain & fog last part of trip today, so were glad to get to the Robinhood Motel south of Atlanta, Ga. early - 4:20 eastern time.  We had dinner south of Monteagle (where we first hit fog in mountains, but not hard to see road.) They predict snow tonite in that spot.  I did about 1/2 of the driving today."  

Celebrating Christmas, 1930

The picture shows Ruth in a canoe on her honeymoon in Detroit, 1929.  The diary entries below were in 1930,when Ruth and John Kellogg were married 18 months.  The Depression had been running the country downhill for over a year.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1930     "It was cookies we got Mon. from A.A.  Rec'd gift from Wanda - sent John with hers.  He didn't have to work today.  Had the first of 3 pots of baked beans for supper (4:00).  Again."

The cookies came from John's family in Ann Arbor, Michigan...Wanda was such a close friend of Ruth's in high school, but gradually drops out of the picture.  At this point John was still working for Montgomery Ward, but not Ruth.  After being shunted from department to department because of the huge layoffs of workers, Ruth was finally let go in August, 1930.  She went to an employment agency and attempted to find another job, but the economy was collapsing around her with jobs were fewer and fewer.  Notice that baked beans, a thrifty dish, was on the menu. Again.

Christmas Day, 1930      "Nice sunshiny day.  Took snap of John carrying Xmas bundles over to the folks.  Had a big turkey dinner and played cards later.   Ate a lunch in evening too.  Drove us home with our gifts.  Gifts listed under 'Memo'."

I didn't find a tally of the gifts for 1930, though the ones for 3 other years in this 5-year diary were listed.  I'm sure there were few of them with so little money coming in.

The Kellogg's Christmas in FL, Complete with Polaroid Camera

There's a lack of Kelloggs-in-Florida pictures from the early 1970s.  This one is from 1975, showing the family playing cards around the table.  In the picture are Ruth (65), John (72) and grandson Phil, who was 15.  He, his brother, Roger, and  father, Ken, had moved to Florida in June, 1971 after Ken was divorced.

Here's a Christmas entry from Ruth's diary that wasn't in Pieces of a Life.

Christmas Day, 1971 
"A gorgeous, warm, sunny day!  We went for Mom and Jim early and went in for 20 minutes.  Then all drove to Ken's - who took movies of our arrival.  Philip got started fast on gift-giving and soon the living room was cluttered with papers, boxes and games!

In A.M. I opened John's gift - a new Polaroid camera & case!  We studied it for over an hour & decided it was too complicated for the little use it would get.  It's going back!  Also opened all our other gifts here.  List in back of book.

Xmas dinner was FUNNY.  Two places we went to eat were too crowded.  So we ended up with carry-out fried chicken & back to Ken's to eat it & potato salad & Jell-O mold - our Christmas Dinner!  We were hungry enuf to enjoy it - no work!"

"Mom and Jim" were Lottie and Jimmie Meredith, Ruth's mother and brother.  At this point, Jim was living at home with Lottie, medicated for his schizophrenia.  Ruth did write a list of her gifts in the back of the diary. Besides the camera, she got a green nightgown and Hallmark diary from us, a cookbook with some of my recipes in it from the 3 girls, gold scuffs, tennis socks and 2 half-slips from Lottie, a purse and a diary from Jim and a sliver evening purse from "B & K & boys".  That was habit or maybe a hint of the dementia to come - to add Ken's former wife to the list. She was no longer in the picture.

John and Ruth had stopped coming north to Illinois for Christmas by this time.   Back in Palatine, Dan, myself and our 3 little girls (Lynn, Cindy, Katie) were having our first big Christmas dinner in a lovely new house in Hunting Ridge.  A few relatives would have joined us.