November 17 – Saturday –
Cloudy – cold wind from the east – Very penetrating.
Before I was through eating breakfast Plavcan’s men arrived with their truck, and were soon busy raking leaves – and before I could get dressed, Plavcan had arrived with evergreens and hollies, etc. – He said he felt the weather would not hold and they had better get in what they could.
They turned out to be the kind of workers we dream about but never see: for later on, when I came out he said one of his men had noticed one of my rear tires was flat – (one of the snow-tires I just had put on) – Did I want them to change it? – of course I did – and a trip to the back-yard to see what should be done there – “We’ll rack up all these leaves if you want us to, and take them away” – (he noticed the hose lying on the ground) “We’d better roll up these hose-lines and put them in the garage – do you have any old pails – No? Well never mind, I have some at home, We’ll nail them to the studs and hang these hose on them.” Etc, etc –
I took the tire down to the garage – Nenner was not in, but his assistant Labby examined the tire with some sort of liquid, which showed it to be full of pin-holes through which the air had escaped. I regretted that I had allowed N – to persuade me to get re-caps instead of new tires.
Bertha + I then to lunch at Cream’s – a fine “spit” of snow when we started; when we were eating a steady snow had set in, which gradually increased all afternoon until the “whole world” was white – the first real snow of winter that never fails to surprise us with its beauty –
After lunch, to Southgate Plaza food shopping.
On our return home we found everyone working madly to get bulbs etc. in before the storm would stop all work – Mrs. Plavcan had joined the group – Later in the afternoon, when I went out on an errand to the garage, she asked me if I had some Kleenex – She seemed cold, and I insisted on her coming into the house – Bertha made tea for all of us, later Mr. Plavcan came to pick her up, and we persuaded him to have tea too.
Evening – we write notes and Thanksgiving cards for relations and friends.
Charles E. Burchfield, November 17, 1962