Christmas 1973: Clearwater FL and Palatine IL

 Christmas 1973  (Ruth's Diary)
"I made a large bowl of cole slaw with halved grapes and nuts.  Also prepared lge. quantity of candied sweet yams.  This was our dinner contribution at Ken & Nellie's.

We phoned Diane & Dan at 9:15 AM & Cindy answered first.  They all got on different phones & thanked us for the gifts.  Diane especially liked the string purse & onyx necklace - was surprised, pleased.  Girls liked rings and doll dresses.  

We picked up Mom and Jim & got to Ken's by noon & got right into package opening & picture taking.  The dinner - 16 lb. turkey & dressing - was all good.  We had pie & fruit cake & coffee 3 hours later.  Had fun with a 'sponge' ball. "

The picture of Kate, Lynn and Cindy in our Palatine house was taken in about 1973 - ages 3, 7 and 6.  The picture of Ruth Kellogg (left) and her mother, Lottie Meredith, was taken in 1978 in the house son Jimmie and Lottie shared in Florida.  Ruth was 72 and Lottie 92.

Our lives changed dramatically when first Ruth and John moved to Florida, followed by Lottie and Jim, then
divorced son Ken with his sons Roger and Philip.  Ken met and married Nellie in Florida.  Dan and I had our holidays with friends or the Pellettiere family.  We saw my parents occasionally, but less and less as the years went by.

Ruth Celebrates Turning 73 in Clearwater FL

The picture (1978) shows us about to leave Clearwater FL after a visit with Grandpa (John) and Grandma (Ruth) Kellogg.  Dan, Lynn, Cindy, Kate are shown with Diane as the photographer. This isn't in Pieces of a Life, nor are Ruth's diary entries.

Thursday, July 5, 1979  - "A year older - 73.  Busy!  Hair done while Mom baked chicken thys while Jim & I shopped.  We got Pepperidge Farm pineapple cake and Mom put 5 candles on it.  Later John phoned to get flowers - none at our store!  I did and hurried home for the Kelloggs - 3 of whom came.  

Philip phoned to say 'Happy Birthday' and how old are you?  He had to work from 4:30 to 1:30 A.M.!

Ken brought cake they ordered & got as requested by John.  Gave me a silver bracelet.  All went well.  Took pictures."

My mother meant "thighs" rather than "thys" in the second line of her diary entry.  She was a good speller most of her life, but later on dementia gradually impaired her language skills.  Evidentally they ate with Lottie Meredith, Ruth's mother, and Jimmie, her brother, at lunch in their small home in Largo FL to celebrate Ruth's 73rd - and then dinner with son Ken Kellogg, wife Nellie and younger son Roger (15) to light the candles again.  Ruth and John lived on the 7th floor of Horizon House in Clearwater FL for many years after leaving Illinois.

I looked for the pictures Ruth mentions, but haven't found any.  I'm not sure if copies were sent to me.