The Diary of Two

St. Louis Rehabbers

With Photos of our Neighborhood

ã 1999

Most people probably like to think of their dream house as being newly built, affordable, beautiful, ready for moving-in...in short, perfect.

Unfortunately, nowadays there's a problem with houses like that: The dreams they represent are becoming harder and harder to realize. Here in Saint Louis, the recent average sales price of a new house was $144,500, compared to an average income of about $20,000.* As a result of this dichotomy, people seeking the traditional American dream are having to settle for less and less.

What we found was somewhat surprising to us, lifelong suburbanites whose previous mental picture of the city had been formed largely on the basis of daily news reports about "urban" crime, blight, and hopelessness. We found these problems, undeniably—they were often worse than we had ever imagined. On the other hand, it seemed to us that all of these problems might be overcome by a simple influx of caring, earnest homeowners.

*Universal Almanac, 1997,pp. 252, 313

It now seems that our oak may be pine too. Not sure about the elm.

Sorry not to have written sooner. We've had some strange adventures since the last entry, mainly going through the winter without heat, freezing our rear ends off, and learning (unsuccessfully) to fix broken water pipes. Until now, we've been in a sort of semi-frozen daze. Sue's fingers are still defrosting, so I'll try to summarize as best I can.

What happened was this: We innocently called Laclede gas Company one fall day to help us disconnect and cap an old gas stove, left in the kitchen by the Bs. The gas man who showed up capped it, looked disgruntled, then took it on himself to inspect the furnace too, an old behemoth with huge arms taking up half the basement. (Actually, he'd looked disgruntled when we answered the front door.) Why he needed to inspect the furnace, we don't know. It had already been checked for safety before we moved in.

Anyway, we started to suspect we were in for trouble when he took one glance at the furnace, looked disgruntled again, then took a red crayon and circled a small crack on the outside of it. Standing back a minute, he wrote the word "crack" above it, then underlined the word. Still dissatisfied, he proceeded to draw a thick, red arrow, linking the crack itself and the word "crack." All this time, Sue and I were just standing there, watching him doing all this, with the idea slowly dawning on us that this was probably not going to be a good day. We both knew it for sure when he took a red tag out of his bag of tricks, tied it to the furnace, and capped it off just as he'd done to the gas pipe upstairs. By that time, the previously subdued smirk around the corners of his mouth was becoming obvious. I hate to say it, but this was probably not a nice man.

Needless to say, our hearts sank immediately, but the full ramifications of what he'd done hadn't yet become clear. We didn't know it yet, but the coming winter of 1983-84 was to be one of the most unpleasant in the recorded history of St. Louis. Getting through it without a furnace would soon turn out to be more than little inconvenient.

How cold was it? I've been thinking quite a bit about the proper answer to that question. One answer: Bobby's gold fish bowl was frozen solid all winter long, except for a couple of inches of water at the bottom. (Incredibly, the fish survived. We fed them through a small gap in the ice.)

How cold was it? We wore hats and coats indoors at all times, taking them off only to get under electric blankets at night. We bought a tree for Christmas and brought it inside, but never got out from under the covers long enough to put it up.

The obvious solution here, "just buy a new furnace," was clearly out of the question; we'd just spent everything we had or could borrow on the house itself.

[more about the winter of our discontent] For an alternate means of heat, we tried electric heaters, first getting some new, safer wiring installed by a handyman Sue knew from work. These heaters proved to be woefully inadequate, however, except in tiny confined areas like the bathroom. The handyman came in handy, though, coming back periodically during thaws to fix broken and gushing water pipes. During the alternate periods of deep freezing--which comprised most of the time--we had no running water at all. Bobby had to live part-time back in Kirkwood at his grandfather's apartment, where we also visited occasionally to shower.

Unfortunately, we couldn't "just turn the water off," either, since the only existing valve to do so was located outside at the curb, buried under about five feet of frozen snow and tundra. Our novice plumber, Jim G., hadn't installed a whole-house shutoff valve.

[continued] This has probably been enough complaining to make my point. So, to shorten the story a bit, kerosene heaters proved to be the ultimate solution. We wound up with five of them, strategically placed in the basement and around the house. Along with our two electric heaters, this finally made life bearable, if not ideal. One major downside was that we had to keep the kerosene burning 24 hours a day, necessitating twice-daily trips to the gas station, filling canisters in the basement, inevitably spilling some. The fire hazard was unavoidable. I slept lightly, checking the house throughout the night.

The denouement of all this was unfortunately delayed until spring. One march night, not long ago, we thought we smelled gas. Out came Laclede again. This time, they found no gas leak and nothing wrong with the furnace at all, except a harmless crack in the outer housing. Their explanation? The first gas man was just "inexperienced." We're thinking about the best means of revenge, but may wind up trying to sue.

I should point out that our neighbor, Dan R, has helped out a lot during these rough times. He and his wife, Susan, are on their third or forth "rehab." I don't know what we would have done without them.

Most of the rest of the winter is already getting to be a blur. I do wish we'd kept better track of things. One incident I do recall from our first few days here is that Mr. B's employment somehow got our phone number and called looking for him several times. Reveling in his bonanza, he evidently didn't go back to work for some time after the closing.

During that period, we were also scammed by some Gypsies, who offered to cheaply trim our tress, then tried to rob the house. (Yes, strange as it seems, there are traveling tribes of Gypsies who make a habit of visiting this area, preying on the gullible, touching off periodic crime waves.) We quickly became suspicious about them and called police, but the Gypsies got away. We only lost an initial "deposit" of ten dollars.

In another incident, we had a $1200 check stolen from our mailbox. The crooks then had enough nerve to take the check to a nearby bank, open an account, and start drawing on the proceeds. In this case, the cops found out who did it, but wouldn't prosecute. We didn't lose anything, since it was in part the bank's fault. We only found out about all this when the bank sent us an extra box of checks. For a long time afterward, we kept getting harassing phone calls from the local 7-11 about bad checks supposedly written by us.

What improvements have we made on the house? I honestly thought it would all be finished by now, which proves how naive I was. To date we've stripped and refinished most of the downstairs hallway. We're also in the process of redoing Bobby's room and the upstairs hall. Things go very slowly.

Expenses are now so extensive that I really wouldn't have space to list them all. A couple of recent ones that come to mind would be a heat gun for stripping paint: forty dollars; three gallons of texture paint: fifty dollars. These would be typical of our weekend shopping expenditures. Interestingly, about fifty percent of the stuff we've bought so far hasn't been used yet.

August 10 Friday

We settled with Laclede Gas for $500 and got the check last week. It could have been $750, which was our actual expense, but we would have had to give Laclede the five kerosene heaters we bought last winter. For "pain and suffering," we got nothing. Aren't they nice?

Frankly, even getting what we got wasn't easy. Two more inspections were necessary, the final one conducted by Laclede's chief inspector himself. For the final negotiations, they sent their lawyer to our house, but wouldn't let us be represented by counsel. To keep them honest. we put a recorder under the couch and taped the whole conversation. We also counted our fingers carefully after the lawyer left.

To continue our plumbing saga: I haven't noted that Jim G. drove away with our VW, got three parking tickets which were charged to us (due to the license plate) and never finished the plumbing work he started.

We then engaged two Vietnamese immigrants, Minh and Moe, to finish the downstairs (new) bathroom. I traded them two deep freezers for the job. The freezers were left over from an old get-rich-quick shrimp peddling scheme of mine. Minh and Moe wanted the freezers for a get-rich-quick egg roll scheme of theirs. They worked two days from 9:00 A.M. to 6 or 7:00 P.M. They didn't exactly finish everything, either, but I suppose we got our money's worth. Now Bobby can take a shower, which he does about three times a day.

September 4 Tuesday

We're now working on the third floor--not that we've really finished anything else. We just thought the third floor might be easier. This is on the recommendation of Michael A, the Dean at Christ Church Cathedral, where we sometimes attend Sunday services. Dean A had noticed us a few times and invited us to his office for a chat. We were expecting a pitch for money, but he obviously didn't have the heart after hearing our hard luck stories about the house.

One other note: We're beginning to suspect we may have a friendly female ghost! It seems both Sue and I have been smelling perfume at times and places where there shouldn't be any smell--not of perfume anyway. I just happened to mention to Sue how I've smelled this in our room, and she said she's noticed it on the front porch at times. She thinks it's one of the previous ladies of the house, hoping to see it restored. Luckily for the ghostess, she has an eternity to wait.

Chatting in the front yard one day, we told this story to our neighbor, Susan R, who claims the same thing has occurred at her place. She also said she'd actually seen the ghost, detracting somewhat from her credibility. Just then, though, her two kids came running out of her house, screaming that their kitchen stove had just spontaneously caught fire. Spooky, isn't it?

September 7 Friday

Our charming limestone front porch caved in recently when a heavy-footed musician friend of mine, Crazy Gary, decided to come calling. Sue patched the damage with concrete, but more has appeared. Now that I think of it, perhaps this would be a good time to list some of the many other items that currently need fixing:

1. The back porch is rotten, as I've mentioned before.

2. The cellar door is hanging on by a thread. (An obvious security hazard, this is the door we've been wanting to replace since moving in.)

3. The stairway window sill has fallen to the ground.

4. The gutters leak so badly that rain runs down the walls and lands in the kitchen.

5. We still have no installed door locks; we jam doors closed instead with two-by-fours at night.

6. We have at least one broken window at all times, the lights blink ominously, and the side porch is missing.

In other news, a mouse appeared last night at the mouth of an old gas pipe in Bob's room. Incidentally, Bob's room is about ninety percent done!

The new bathroom door we bought in May, 1983 was just installed by Sue and Bob.

November 12 Monday

Back to the kerosene heaters, since we really can't afford to run the furnace, even if it is safe. This season, we're going to try to keep track of the kerosene costs. Also working on the third floor. It's coming along fast.

December 16 Sunday

Approaching Christmas this year we're in much better shape than last time. For one thing, the weather has been beautiful, although of course that could change any day now.

On the third floor, we've done a quickie job--painting the floor, walls and woodwork (even painting over some old wallpaper, I'm ashamed to say). About half of it is done. That's where we'll celebrate Christmas. Last year the house was so cold we never even got around to decorating the tree. So, we're making progress. The tree goes up today.

We've heard also that the Benton Park area has now become an official "historic district," which may be either good or bad. Anyway, nobody asked us. I must say that Sidney Street, one block over, is getting a lot of attention. Some improvement on Victor too.

New Year's Eve and Day were quite successful. Bob attended a party in the MG after fixing its tail lights. Wearing my new tux, I played for the retired Teamsters, and it went great. Sue stayed home and watched TV. Frankly, it was quite unusual for any of us to be up past 10:30. (My musical performances are usually afternoons.)

Waking up on the First, we found it had snowed lightly, the first of the winter. Bob got some practice driving in snow as we made our way to Shoney's for their famous All U Can Eat Breakfast, one of my favorite meals. Incidentally, this is the house's centennial anniversary (100 years!) and my own forty-first year now begins.

Again, more and more litter in the yard, which I'm now picking up regularly. This is either my neurotic obsession or my neighborhood improvement project...not sure which. The litter problem really should be more than a one-man job, however. I just wish more of the neighbors would realize how bad it makes us all look.

There's a gang of workers doing a job on the house immediately west of our row. This house has been vacant for some time. I've noticed them installing multiple electric boxes outside, meaning multiple tenancy. I only hope this will mean condos or "market rate" apartments. The government-sponsored apartments around here don't seem to hold up very well, to say the least. To say some more, these apartments are often destroyed by their own tenants faster than they can be repaired. Gaping holes punched in thick brick walls are not uncommon there, nor are dented metal doors, broken thermal windows, ripped out window screens, etc.

The MG's leaking clutch fluid rapidly, and one of my tooth fillings fell out. Bob drove to school yesterday in the Mazda. Also, yesterday I installed our neat new automatic phone answering machine. Still waiting for our first call.

This week, I'll have to resume my floundering teaching career, if that's the right word for it. Luckily, Sue still has her job at the bank. Unfortunately, my music career isn't exactly skyrocketing either. (I'm at home brooding a lot, which accounts for the lengthy entries of late.)

Sue has drawn a very pretty picture of the house which I hope we can save and use somehow. She already reproduced it for the invitations to the open house, at which I got drunk. (New Year's resolution: no more getting drunk!)

Yesterday the temperature was sixty degrees, always nice for old house dwellers. (The bricks soak-up heat during the day and release it at night--a phenomenon we've come to rely on. We recently read about it in an interesting free pamphlet available from the infamous government publications office in Pueblo, Colo.)

January 18 Sunday

Heavy snowfall last night while Bob was attending the Military Ball. Luckily, they stopped things early and he got home okay. The city, unlike Kirkwood, has a policy of never cleaning most streets, including Victor Street. (In that respect, I still miss Kirkwood!) Pothole-filling is another job which the city Street Department workers seem to find beneath them; we've almost lost the MG in some of the larger ones.

Local crime has resurged a little. Friday I was awakened at 7:15 by Sue's phoning the police about prostitutes in the alley. One prostitute, in fact, with two men. The cops came, saw and detained them a while, then apparently let them all go with nothing but a warning. This has happened once before; for some reason, the police never arrest them. I can't understand why such behavior so often seems to take place in the early morning; probably it goes on all night without our noticing.

House note: I'm taking heavily painted stairway spindles, three or four a week, into Riverside Antiques on Cherokee Street to have them stripped. To my untrained eye, they look like walnut, just like a fine gunstock.

January 20 Tuesday

Bob and I tore down and disposed of the old white metal cabinets in the kitchen, a big improvement in itself. This also makes it clear, however, that there is much more wood to strip.

Frozen pipes last night and this morning.

Later: Thawed with twenty-four-hour kerosene.

We discovered that our rusty, greasy jack is missing from the MG. Proving that people around here will steal anything.

February 18 Wednesday

Still stripping wood in the kitchen, plus more stairway spindles. The discouraging part is that Shelly climbs up the stripped wood, leaving unsightly claw marks. Lately, I've been upgrading my anti-cat campaign with a plastic water-squirting bottle.

Spent the morning with Sue installing a nice (but broken-windowed) door for the kitchen entryway, which should keep Shelly out. We found this door in the alley, thrown out by some other frustrated soul in the neighborhood. Seeing it up makes me realize that all these first floor rooms were originally supposed to have doors, entering from the "shotgun" hallway. (We've been boning-up on the proper terminology.) At some point the doors were taken down, probably for the sake of "modernization."

March 8 Sunday

My substitute teaching foray still isn't going very well. I've now been officially barred from two schools because of discipline problems with the children. While finding this somewhat humiliating and unjust, I must say it's not exactly unexpected or uncommon among "subs." I'm told that "reverse-racism" plays a part here: Saint Louis public schools have over eighty percent black students and staff.

On the home front, our friends Dan and Susan and kids are moving to Phoenix. I'll be sorry to see them go, although we didn't really see too much of them.

Nothing new has been done on the house, as I've been sick for about a week with a cold caught via runny noses at school. We are accumulating lots of stripped stairway spindles, which to me look beautiful in the morning sunlight.

March 30 Monday

I've accumulated two new jobs and left off "subbing." I'm now a part-time teacher at Sylvan Learning Center and a temporary copy editor at Sorkins Business Directories.

The house has been rather neglected, but our tulips are coming up encouragingly.

Much trouble with the MG, which won't start and has become a second major source of frustration, after the house itself. Not having a second car causes endless arguments among Sue, Bob and me.

Dan, Susan and the family moved to Phoenix over the weekend. I understand their house is listed at only $49,000 or so.

The house being rehabbed immediately to our west now bears the banner "Fairview Additions Apartments--Now Leasing." Betty R, our nice neighbor across the street, tells me that this construction company is notorious for "Section Eight" (public) housing, sponsored by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. This all probably sounds very confusing, which it is. I just hope Betty's mistaken. As I've already mentioned, public housing hereabouts seems to be a foregone disaster.

April 20 Monday

Spent most of the weekend and week working on the MG, which seems to be taking over as our rehab project. We've spent about $200 so far--new starter, coil, wires, and a $1.50 distributor rotor, which finally made it all work. The rotor idea was suggested by a man who lives in the neighborhood and walks his dog by here. Don't know his full name; he's an openly "gay" school teacher named Bill, who seems to be quite knowledgeable about things mechanical.

In the process of fixing all this, I also broke some of the clutch mechanism, which we'll now have to fix before we can actually drive anywhere.

Bob left today on an ROTC field trip to Huntsville, Alabama. There's been so much friction lately in the home, I hope he really enjoys himself, and that we all cool down.

April 28 Tuesday

The MG is now somewhat fixed. The Mazda, however, also chose this time to break down, last Friday just as

I reached home. It's now also somewhat fixed. Don't know how...we know as much about cars as we do about houses. I must say that added aggravation like this is just what we don't need; the house provides quite enough aggravation by itself.

Have put in a few more stairway spindles...shamefully, our only recent progress on the house. If ever taking out stairway spindles, be sure to number them first! (We didn't.) They're not interchangeable.

Black real estate agents and their clients are now regularly filing through Dan and Susan's house. Perhaps our 1887 row houses will finally be "integrated" in time for their centennial, which would represent a big change. Until recently, this whole area was nearly 100 percent white.

May 6 Wednesday

More car troubles. The Mazda's now in the shop with a broken transmission. The MG starts only with a push, but runs fine afterward. I'm in the process of selling my $2000 investment in silver coins to finance these repairs. Unfortunately, the coins are now worth only $800.

Again, the MG is seemingly fixed, this time with the advice of Bill C, an ex-mechanic (he's the son-in-law of neighbors Rex and Jenny W) I drove it yesterday to a music engagement with sweaty palms all the way, fearing I'd get stuck.

Today, for the first time in a month, I was actually able to do some work on the house (stripping wood in the kitchen, naturally.) Today, also, the Mazda comes back from the shop and life may return to "normal," except we are more broke than normally.

We also have a new kitten, "Sidney," whom we found loitering in the middle of the street at the busy corner of Jefferson and Sidney. Just what we need with five cats already. The problem is that people around here have so little regard for their pets; our last three were similarly rescued from perilous situations, or came starving to our back door. We couldn't turn them away.

May 20 Wednesday

Cousin John has now moved in--temporarily?--due to family troubles. He may possibly help somewhat with the rehabbing; we've promised him the back bedroom, which presently has half of its ceiling on the floor. I saw something big and black flying around in there the last time I opened the door, shutting it fast!

June 1 Monday

Hopes for help from John have fallen flat. His father, Mac W (another of Sue's three brothers) came to pick him up yesterday, apparently still not in the best of moods.

Anyway, with the onset of summer, Bob has promised to be of more help. He worked on the kitchen today, knocking plaster off the chimney.

Bob has revealed, as I suspected, that he's very much ashamed of our perennial mess here. Wish I could do more to speed things up.

One and a half years now stripping wood in the kitchen with the electric heat gun (since December 17, 1985)! I finished the first phase of this yesterday. Now, we'll start sanding with some thick, black, smelly insulation(?), which Bobby finds down at the abandoned Falstaff Brewery near here. Don't know what this stuff is, but it does work; Sue says it looks just like costly sanding stuff in the hardware stores. Until now, we've used liquid stripper for this final phase. This stuff stinks like hell, but is abundant and free (with luck like ours, it's probably cancer-causing asbestos.)

June 16 Tuesday

Unfortunately, the "black stuff" has some even blacker stuff on one side, sticky black tar. So, we sometimes rub black tar over our newly stripped wood. The sanding side takes it off, though; we've sanded quite a bit of the kitchen so far.

I was unexpectedly put in the hospital last week after an apparent heart attack, but it now looks like I'm okay. I'm somewhat upset after being told my lungs and EKG are "like a seventy-year-old man's." Hope the "black stuff" is not at fault!

Bobby's got a summer job working with some friends at the Firefighter's Union Hall, which is making him more independent, a mixed blessing.

Also: Dan's and Susan's house has a "sold" sign as of yesterday. We saw a late model pickup parked behind it yesterday. We're naturally jittery about such things, living in this neighborhood, tottering as it is between slumhood and urban renaissance.

The late model pickup belongs to a black real estate agent, Sue tells me.

Later: Correction: our new black neighbor owns the truck.

I'm still sanding away with the black stuff and making some progress. My hope is to get the wood finished, then install the new kitchen cabinets we bought last year (have I mentioned those?). We really should install a new floor, new ceiling and new walls before new cabinets, though of course we won't wait for these small details.

For several weeks, someone has been subtly fooling around with the MG. I presume it's the same neighborhood kids who continually vandalize the warehouse-condos behind us. Whoever it is has been gradually becoming bolder, at first undoing a few snaps on the tonneau cover...last night almost taking it off completely. The radio's already gone; perhaps they now want the battery or are simply curious. I don't think many tonneau covers have been seen before in this area.

After seeing what happened, I spotted a pair of nice designer sunglasses lying on the ground near the MG. Out of pent-up anger, I stomped the glass and twisted the frames irretrievably, then realized our neighbor Rex wears glasses just like these. Rex, incidentally, has been feuding violently with the owner of the warehouse over parking rights. Yesterday, they almost came to blows. So, if Rex finds his glasses, he probably won't suspect me.

Another thing I must confess: We're starting to join the ranks of the area's numerous "dumpster divers." Our alleys and dumpsters sometimes yield surprising treasure, so we're starting to take advantage of the bounty. Today we found a small wooden table which we'll save for future rehab. That's also how we got our new kitchen door, a nice oaken microwave cart, plus lots of used lumber and trim. The downside is that other, less scrupulous scavengers go through every scrap of our garbage, looking for personal letters, credit card numbers, etc. We have to be careful to shred anything of value before throwing it away.

Also: Sue claims she's started to smell the perfume again, for the first time in quite a while.

We spent a couple of hours this weekend replacing now-stripped spindles in the staircase. About half of them fit imperfectly and the rest didn't fit at all, meaning that each spindle must be different. We really should have numbered them, as I'd feared previously, without doing so. Now we'll have to think of something serious to compensate for the discrepancies.

The steering, always rather tight, has now gone totally bad on the MG. So, we'll have to try and fix that. We're paying a small fortune for insurance on this monster, and can't drive it most of the time.

Our entire V.P. Fair/July Fourth weekend has been plagued by rain...rain that overflows our gutters (and through our gutters), rain that runs down the walls, over the windows and into the house...torrential, monsoon, indoor rain. The stairway landing looks like a lake.

Bobby had an accident today driving in the rain, turning over the truck, luckily not killing him and his friend Jerry. Nobody was hurt, thank God. Lost my temper briefly and am sorry.

Sue's on vacation this week; it looks like I'll be riding the bus a lot until the truck gets fixed.

July 7 Tuesday

More rain, rain, rain. We desperately need new gutters. According to Sue, it's not the roof itself that's at fault.

Sue painted window sills, doors, etc. in the kitchen today. It's beginning to look good.

Fixing the truck will take $250 or less, which surprised me.

July 8 Wednesday

With Sue on vacation, we seem to be making progress. Bobby and I threw out the old kitchen sink this morning. Now Sue and Bob are assembling the new cabinets and sink.

July 12 Sunday

New sink installed and looks great! A tremendous improvement, even though the rest of the kitchen isn't finished. Sue saw a kitchen carpet at Gravois Furniture, a used junk store, and is trying to arrange a deal for it, trading an antique bed of ours for the rug and a small stove.

Today we screwed on some pretty French doors at the back end of the dining room, where there'd previously not been a door for years, but only some old hinges. We'd found these about a year ago at a garage sale for three dollars. They look good, but don't fit together quite properly. Sue says we'll have to take 'em down again and cut 'em to size (typical progress for us). I never said we have any idea whatsoever about we're doing here.

July 17 Friday

Sue and Bob picked up the Mazda today. The charges by that time had grown to $700 or so, and it's still in bad shape. I'm now just thankful that Bob wasn't hurt.

Sue and I had an accident ourselves yesterday in the MG, when the front suspension collapsed on Highway 44. Again, we weren't killed only through sheer luck. We had it towed during the night to a garage in Rock Hill, but the next morning they refused to work on it--quite insultingly at that, threatening to push it into the street. Ninety dollars wasted in towing fees as it now sits in the back yard.

My mother's coming this weekend for a short visit, and is bringing a very welcome $1000 savings bond left me by my grandmother. With the interest accrued, it just may meet some of our current expenses. Getting a little ahead is out of the question, of course.

July 23 Thursday

My mother's visit was short with mixed results. She wasn't particularly impressed with the house, but the savings bond has already yielded fruit...a new washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, and funds for NEW GUTTERS! For the last week, we've been on a $2,000 shopping frenzy, which will clearly not subside until we're again dead broke.

Bob came down with the mumps (apparently) on Monday, but was already out roving again as of Thursday. The mumps turned out to be mononucleosis, and not too serious. Now, however, Sue's afraid she'll get it.

Bob and Theresa, his girlfriend, have started tearing down the kitchen ceiling, which we hope to have dry-walled before the new appliances arrive.

The house is totally infested with fleas, originally carried in by Sidney. All the cats are now wearing flea collars, and I walk around with a spray can of insecticide, using my feet for bait.

July 31 Friday

I received a letter today confirming that one of my poems will soon be published in English Journal, published by the National Council of Teachers of English. Therefore, as Sue's already noted, I'll be even harder to live with than usual. Scanning the letter, Bobby quickly discerned that no money is involved, and is duly unimpressed.

August 7 Friday

A busy week. Rex's son, Keith, has been dry walling the kitchen ceiling while we patch plaster, paint, and finish up the wood paneling. We also bought and have semi-installed a new rug (the deal went sour at Gravois Furniture). Bob and I are going to try and install some pegboard too, not having bought enough cabinets. Tomorrow the appliances are due to arrive; we missed them once already.

I'm beginning to think that the art of rehabbing lies in just how much imperfection one can overlook.

August 8 Saturday

The new washer, dryer, refrigerator and stove arrived this morning. Bobby seems impressed at last...things are looking good. Sue's even been doing laundry just for fun.

The gutter company now is starting to back out of our agreement, claiming it's a bigger job than they'd estimated. This is "b.s." of course; they'd previously given us a bid for even less (a bid we lost). The real trouble is that rain is forecast for this weekend and may come indoors, ruining our new drywall!

More problems: Our electrician (Rex W's son-in-law, Bill) hasn't shown up. A minor detail, meaning we can't use the new stove, but we're used to a hot plate anyway.

I spoke with our new black neighbor last night, fearing that he might think we're avoiding him (actually we don't communicate much with any of the neighbors). His name's Neil; he seems to be well-educated and aware of the rehabbing agenda. Also says he lived earlier in Lafayette Square, an upscale area not far from here, but couldn't afford to buy a house there.

And then came the rains, smiting the drywall, paint, refrigerator and carpet. From this day forward, there shall be enmity between all the tribe of gutterers and ourselves!

Much more trouble with the gutters. The good news is that the electrician came, finally. Also, Bobby installed our new oaken toilet seat, which is harder than I expected, but looks nice.

August 15 Saturday

If it weren't for the gutter trouble, we'd really be making progress. Sue's finished installing the pegboard, plus shelves and decorations in the kitchen, which all look pretty good. I'm just dreading what the next rain may do.

August 21 Friday

Little rain and no further damage. The situation with the gutters now is that Mississippi Valley Roofing Company admits they are not equipped to finish the job within their original bid. In other words, they admit to making a mistake. Hank, the boss there, told me Monday they'd bill us for the small amount already done. In fact, though, from all I can gather, we're not legally bound to pay them anything, since they broke the contract. We shall see... They've caused us enormous aggravation already. In the meantime, I got a bid from Sears to finish the job. We only pray they do it fast.

I stopped in yesterday at Sports Port World, where the MG was last towed about a month ago. The charges there now amount to $360, which I paid, but Bobby wanted to chip in $100 extra for a tune-up and inspection.

Also, Bill returned last evening and installed our new kitchen light/ceiling fan. The kitchen's beginning to look good.

Approximate costs for the kitchen so far:

Appliances: $1750

Sink and cabinets: $460

Ceiling: $225

Electrical: $150

Fan and installation: $80

Pegboard and paint: $30

Miscellaneous: $50

Total $2913

This doesn't include previous costs for plumbing and carpentry by Jim G., Minh and Moe.

August 30 Sunday

Slight water damage this week; the Sears guttermen have not shown up. Also, the Gypsies are back in town, according to TV news reports. Last night we had strange visitors, who dug up Sue's potted geraniums on the front porch, apparently in search of a door key.

Now it dawns on me that these Gypsies may explain some missing mail we've been experiencing; probably someone is stealing it again, though it's harder now with our new semilocking mailbox. (Mail can still be fished out through the slot.)

-Dickens

I happened to be reading Great Expectations, and felt this passage strike a nerve. For instance, we finally got the MG back yesterday for a total of $750, more than $200 of which was Bobby's. We're now officially broke again, with a car as unreliable as ever.

More rain last night, with some damage to the kitchen ceiling, wall and carpet. The Sears gutterers still have not arrived, despite some bullying and many promises.

Insectwise, most of the fleas have now been replaced with spiders, probably attracted by our ready-made cobwebs.

September 22 Tuesday

The Sears people showed up at last yesterday but left immediately, claiming they couldn't work without electricity (we weren't home, so couldn't plug them in). I managed to lure them back by phone, but then they spotted a wasp's nest and wouldn't work without ten dollars for antiwasp spray, which Bob had to donate. At last, they got out their ladder, took a glance and ruled (like Mississippi Valley before them) that the job's too complex. Now it's up to their supervisor to arbitrate the issue. The bottom line is still that no work's getting done.

Spoke to several Sears supervisors last week and was assured that all would be well. Today, two more gutterers appeared, got out their ladders and, when I looked a half-hour later, vanished.

Also: Sue says she smelled "the perfume" very briefly Saturday night.

Sears is now openly trying to back out of the guttering contract, claiming it was "subject to approval."

October 1 Thursday

As of late yesterday, the deal is "on" again with Sears. Mississippi Valley, however, has started dunning us for their bill (for the small part they completed), which Sue refuses to pay. She called the state attorney general's office, which confirmed her prior belief that we don't owe anything for contracted work left undone. In the meantime, we've had slightly more rainwater damage, one more reason not to pay.

October 2 Friday

No gutterers in sight. They were supposed to start work today, but called and complained that the wind was too high for ladder safety.

October 5 Monday

NEW GUTTERS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!! (HOORAY, HOORAY)

The gutters may even be working. We haven't had enough rain to seriously test them.

Otherwise, things are quiet, except for adolescent battles with Bob. I've just finished stripping a pretty section of wood in the small side-entranceway, which I'd left half done several years ago. I've also taken a few whacks at the pocket doors with the heat gun.

We've been trying to clean out the basement, which seems to need this yearly, and had a garage sale yesterday. Sue did most of the work and made about $130, $60 of which was sales to friends. I had labeled this a "townhouse sale" in the Post-Dispatch, but drew only a small public crowd.

Our area is now beginning to improve dramatically. A couple of new townhouse/condo developments are underway on Victor itself and already for sale. I'm excited to see all this new elegance! We've even got huge new street banners of the type we've envied elsewhere in the city; ours say BENTON PARK.

Forgot to mention: A doctor visiting our sale even offered to buy the house! And said he loved the yard.

A beautiful day today--blue skies, warm air, and the wonderful aroma of the Budweiser brewery, which we can't miss coming through most of our windows. I don't think I've ever mentioned this: Bob loves the brewery and started collecting Budweiser memorabilia shortly after we moved in. He is even called "Bud Man" at school, and has attached an extra license tag to that effect on the Mazda's front bumper.

In my opinion, things are going great, but Sue is often upset by our recurring shortage of funds. I am working a bit more, four nights a week at Sylvan Learning Center, plus one or two music jobs per week. Still, it's never enough. I've recontacted Sorkins Directories, hoping to get another assignment there, plus tried out at Life Skills Foundation for a job working with the handicapped.

Sue and I are also embarked on another flea market campaign, coming up in December. We're planning to sell all our junk at Kiel Auditorium on the fifth and sixth, hoping to beat the overhead of fifty dollars.

The house is still coming along slowly. I'm still stripping the BIG DOORS between dining and living rooms. Bob finally sold his motorcycle this week and is planning to use the proceeds for flying lessons.

November 27 Friday

Yesterday morning (Thanksgiving) around 3 A.M. I woke up to smell the perfume stronger than ever. Was really a little frightened by this. Prayed for "it" to go away, which it finally did. We still have no idea what causes this phenomenon. At this time of year, it surely can't be flowers or blossoms on the trees, as we once had thought. Sue has suggested it might be some kind of industrial pollution, which certainly isn't unheard of in this area (Monsanto Chemical is another of our illustrious neighbors). Or it just might be YOU KNOW WHAT. I've read that olfactory manifestations are the most common kind. Furthermore, ghosts have been quite common around here for years (the most famous are at the DeMenil Mansion).

December 7 Monday

We spent the weekend at the flea market, clearing over $200, which will help for Christmas expenses. Bob went flying this weekend for the first time in many months. I'm also busy with my music, though have had a couple of cancellations. These will hurt, especially one for New Year's Eve.

Today's our first snow of the year. Sue left for work this morning in it and is now stranded in Kirkwood. The Mazda's acting up again and she doesn't want to get stuck along the highway. I'll try to rescue her, in the trusty MG, after my work today.

I'm still stripping the pocket doors, and will be for some time to come.

I didn't make it, either to work or to Kirkwood. Sue had to come home by bus. Today, Bobby took the bus to try and rescue the truck, we hope successfully.

The Mazda needs a new carburetor, which we've ordered. $236 so far. I'm only thankful we don't have fuel injection to contend with.

Bobby and his friend Jerry installed the new carb yesterday and it seems to be working! We've had a rough time using the MG because it now has no top and one door won't open. Out of sheer embarrassment, Sue has voluntarily taken the bus for two days.

Bobby and his friends also helped strip some wallpaper yesterday in the dining room. (The dining room's our new rehabbing target.) (The pocket doors still aren't done.)

My poem has now been published in the January issue of English Journal (available at most libraries)!

Today the weather's turned bitterly cold. I added more anti-freeze to the Mazda, since it was only tested to minus ten degrees.

Our New Year's weekend proved to be interesting. We sold at another flea market, making $200, all of which will go to pay various taxes. It seems flea marketing can be very rewarding. Of course, some of our most treasured belongings are now gone forever.

When I returned from the flea market Sunday evening, I found Sue, Bobby, Jerry, and Theresa hard at work on the dining room. They had already stripped most of the wallpaper. Also made a fantastic discovery: Drywall tape and "mud" patches walls 1000 percent easier than the patching plaster of Paris we'd been using. This will help us enormously. It seems that even huge holes can be fixed in minutes.

The dining room's coming along nicely. Sue, Bobby and I have finished stripping most of the old wallpaper. Also, Sue's already experimented with some painting, sort of a purplish pink, on the woodwork. The woodwork here hasn't been stripped at all. Except for the pocket doors, we've decided just to paint the rest of the wood in the dining and living rooms--stripping everything just takes too long for one lifetime!

Unfortunately, one of the pocket doors came off its runners the other day. I have almost finished stripping them, though, on the dining room side.

January 25 Monday

Much more work on the dining room. We've taped and patched all the walls with our new technique. I'm also in the process of taping the ceiling. The Bs, or somebody, did us a "big favor" at some point by putting in a plywood ceiling here, replacing ruined plaster. (We'll have to see if this was really a favor or not; I may be premature in applauding this.)

To explain this a bit more, the waterproof plywood was apparently installed as an alternative to fixing the roof, two floors up! This kind of penny wise/pound foolish repair work seems to have been common in the recent past, probably from the l960's or so until now. We've seen many other silly things like this around the neighborhood, like concrete replacement for ruined plaster and plastic tarps for new roofs. Here in our house, a makeshift tub and shower were put in the basement after the original tub almost fell through the rotted floor. On Sunday afternoon, Sue, Bob, Jerry, and Theresa started painting walls and everything looks good. We're now getting some very cold weather and are occasionally running a kerosene heater in the basement, underneath the pipes.

Much nicer weather, which has brought out the criminal element again. This time it's three elastic stretch cords, which were holding a tarp over the MG. Cost: thirty-five cents each. I continue to be amazed at the mediocre local level of thievery.

One of the male cats, T.C., got sick Sunday night and is going to cost us about$200 for emergency care. We're going to have to borrow from Bobby's stash.

Sue's brother, Doug, needed his ladders back last week, so the higher work is stalled on the dining room...

There's talk going around about a new, required housing inspection program for Benton Park. In fact, it seems almost a sure thing. This may spell trouble for us later.

More petty theft/vandalism on the MG. Now someone has unscrewed and tried to wrench off two rear view mirrors. From now on, I'm going to try not to mention the MG any more than I have to. Inside the house, the cats are continuing to vandalize our newly stripped and varnished woodwork. Shelly's the worst offender.

Sue's in the dumps again about money, and is even threatening to get a second job.

February 27 Saturday

An interesting aspect of our life here is the sequence of events when someone comes to the door, as just happened.

A: We're usually holed up in our room upstairs and don't hear a thing.

B: If we do manage to hear something over the highway noise, we must first put on our shoes to avoid splinters.

C: Halfway downstairs, we realize that we forgot to bring a key to unlock the deadbolt, and head back upstairs.

D: By the time we get back downstairs, no one's at the door anymore.

Even having a working doorbell wouldn't help all that much, but an intercom might be the answer. In the meantime, we very seldom get visitors inside the house. We've just about decided not to answer the door anymore at all.

March 3 Thursday

We've been baby-sitting two poodles since Saturday, and have definitely overreached the limit for animals in the house. The first thing they did on entering was to gobble up some cat excrement on the floor, which was okay, but since then things have gone downhill. I'm going to deliver them back to Sue's dad this afternoon. One odd thing about these spoiled, suburban poodles is that they did not seem to understand multilevel houses at all; they would just stand and bark at the bottom of the stairs, waiting to be carried up.

March 8 Tuesday

There's a chance Sue's job may be transferred downtown, which would make life easier. By continuously commuting between here and Kirkwood, we've put 100,000 miles on the truck in five years.

Just for the record, I'm still stripping the dining room side of the pocket doors. Also, Sue's painted the dining room floor, which frankly doesn't look too great.

To be honest, I'll have to admit all progress on the house has stopped for now. I've been working more often at SLC, plus playing more music, and we've all had colds off and on. I'm sure we'll get back to the house sooner or later. There's a possibility I may come into a little money from my Aunt Doris' estate in Florida (I'm the executor) and these funds would help to get things moving again on the house.

Important news about Bobby: He "soloed" as a pilot Monday, and will also be getting some special wings for his Junior AFROTC uniform. We're in the throes of college entrance exams, etc., and shooting for a scholarship.

One more item of note: There's a black house painter named Moselle who's been after me for months to buy the MG! He approached me again yesterday. I'm tempted, of course, but afraid he'd bring it back (probably by tow truck) the next day.

April 3 Sunday

Easter, but we've stopped going to church. Still, we have been doing a lot of praying, since Bobby and two friends have gone camping with the truck. Sort of a rainy weekend, and Sue and I have been house cleaning. Spring cleaning for us is a big annual event...any cleaning for us is an event. Coupled with the rehabbing itself, the dirt in this house is almost overwhelming. An awful lot of it must come from the highway, filtering through our old, leaky windows.

Bobby asked Sue the other day why we don't go out or entertain much. I'm sorry not to set him a better about this. In fairness, though, the constant shambles we live in are part of the problem. We're as embarrassed as Bob is. Very few visitors seem to really understand what we're trying to do, or that the house is in any sense worth saving. We've had many comments, for example, along these lines:

..Well, you've got a lot of bricks here.

-John I.W.(Sue's dad)

And he was trying to say something nice.

April 5 Tuesday

Summerlike weather already, which is bringing out the alley-pissers and "porch monkeys" (Mac W's phrase) in droves. He hasn't really been here enough, however, to see the whole picture and his terminology is inadequate. We see specimens of humanity, parading by our house daily, that seem almost to be subspecies: toothless half-wits, midgets, cripples, beggars, grifters, drunkards, thieves and hobos, just to name a few. South Saint Louis is indeed a unique habitat, but we like it here.

April 6 Wednesday

One small step for man: I've single-handedly stopped the downstairs toilet from "running."

April 16 Saturday

Sue's been on vacation all week. Still not much progress on the house. We did cut the grass and I had one stripping session. Today Sue and I visited Parks College, where Bob would like to go. We were very impressed, and hope it will be possible. Parks specializes in aviation and pilot training.

Sue's last day of vacation. Yesterday, we had THE SMELL for the first time this year. (Not "the perfume;" this is a horrible stench that envelopes the city every summer.)

Bob's been having girl troubles. He discovered Theresa had secretly gone out with another boy, and in retaliation he punched out the windshield of our truck.

Our neighbors at the west end (1838), Dr. and Mrs. W, have sent a note suggesting we all chip in to repaint the front facade. A good idea, but we're temporarily broke. I plan to stall.

Also, we've fed a couple of meals to Joe, one of the many local homeless souls. A very genial dinner guest.

I've been stripping more wood lately, which is usually a good sign.

My job at Sylvan Learning Center, however, is being "seasonally adjusted" once again, to two days a week. This may lead to a full phaseout by summer, either on my part or theirs. For once, though, we aren't too worried about money. We're just counting down the days until I get my executor's fee.

Our next-door neighbors, Rex and Jenny W, confessed yesterday that they've been renting all this time and may have to move. They're apparently more broke than we are. All this comes as a bit of a shock. We'd thought they owned the place.

Also, Neil, our black neighbor, is putting his house up for sale. He says it's just too much house for one person.

I often wish I owned all six of these places, just to insure some stability.

May 11 Wednesday

With the coming of summer, there's been an amazing burst of activity in the neighborhood. There are new Victor Street Condominiums for sale about a block west of us, and I'd say about half of the other houses on Victor are either for sale or in the process of being rehabbed. All this does my spirits a world of good. Right now, I can look across the highway and see a row of previously dilapidated and abandoned houses being reroofed and rebricked. I feel my prayers are being answered before my eyes everywhere I look...with the possible exception of our house.

Things are not going particularly well right now. I flew into an absolute rage at Bob last night, literally attacking him with screams and flying fists. (Didn't actually hit him.) All this just because he sassed me and was gone all weekend, really nothing new. I'm so sorry, but of course it's too late now. Maybe the lead paint is driving me crazy.

Other notes: Someone stole a small wrought iron table out of the back yard.

The heat gun (our second one) gave up this morning. Guess we'll have to get another, even though I have only the pocket doors to finish. Also, our new deadbolt lock in the kitchen has broken for the second time.

I'm trying to make amends with Bob, although the harm is done. He's basically a wonderful kid and I've been much too hard on him. The environment we've placed him in is our fault, not his.

May 26 Thursday

I seem to be lost without the heat gun, since it represented the only real progress I'd been making lately on the house. Today I'm sitting here with the MG broken (the starter again!) and no way to escape. I may try to take revenge by trying to sell it.

May 31 Tuesday

The end of Memorial Day weekend. The house painters are here today and will be starting work on our house. Last week they did the other end of the row. Only Neil's house remains in doubt, since it may already be sold. Rex and I agreed to have ours done after the other three had begun...a subtle form of blackmail costing us $250 each.

The painters have come and gone, doing about an average job (i.e. not finishing and leaving a mess, including beer bottles and half-eaten sandwiches).

Sue's been working at the downtown branch bank, temporarily, and it's made life much, much easier.

We're still awaiting our "inheritance," so the spending spree can begin.

June 15 Wednesday

Still in the doldrums, housewise and financially. No money equals no progress. Naturally, we do have plans...and plans...and plans.

Through a mutual friend, we got a message from Sue N, who acted as our real estate agent six years ago. Now moved to West Virginia, she said she privately doubted we'd ever last this long!

June 20 Monday

We bought a ladder at an estate sale yesterday for seven dollars, which may herald a renewal of work. So far, we've changed one light bulb. (Our ceilings are about twelve feet high.)

The whole region's in a drought which is being compared to the 1930's dust bowl. We're just keeping our gutters dry and sitting quietly in front of fans. Today's supposed to get near 100 degrees. Truthfully, the heat doesn't bother me much, but does get to Sue.

The painters returned today, finished the job, and we paid them.

One-hundred degree weather for the whole week. It's too much for Sue, and she's booked us into the Omni Hotel for tonight (we've had a small trickle of money from the estate).

Also, thanks to Aunt D., Bob and Jerry fixed the MG (again)... And Bob has done some flying... And I've bought a "drum machine" for my music... And Sue's bought some new clothes.

July 5 Tuesday

End of the famous Veiled Prophet (V.P.) Fair. We attended briefly and saw the famous B-1 Bomber do its stuff.

After a week of cool temps and one rainy day, the heat has returned. Our mini-vacation at the Omni was a success, the cool spell beginning just as we left the hotel.

I've now begun a summer course at Harris College, Sue's returned to work, and Bob's got a job at Hardee's hamburger stand, which he doesn't seem to mind. He and his friends are also doing a little work on the dining room, off and on.

As goes without saying, our money's all gone (about $1000 in two weeks).

July 14 Thursday

Bastille Day: We've been busier than usual with little time for the house. Bob and I did work one morning on the living room, succeeding only in getting drywall "mud" all over the floor and Sue's roll top desk. She reacted by shattering a crystal vase.

Renewed heat. We went without electricity for about eight hours one evening. Don't know how the old-timers survived.

Weather much improved. Sixty degree nights and we've had some rain. I've been playing quite a bit of music and working occasionally at Sylvan. Bob left his job at Hardee's and has been able to do more flying. (He inherited $1,000 of his own, and isn't squandering as fast as we are.)

Yesterday we had another instance of prostitution in the alley, which Bob and Theresa unfortunately witnessed in toto. We got the culprit's license number, but the police claim they can't do anything about it.

Our new neighbor, Neil's successor, seems to be white. Neil had told me previously that it was to be a single man with much interest in rehabbing.

July 28 Thursday

Whether the above means "gay" or not, time will tell. Around here, it often does. The St. Louis homosexual community has a longtime involvement in rehabbing, particularly in the Lafayette Square area.

Sue and I spent Saturday morning working on the dining room, which Bob and I had already cleaned up. Finally, Sue decided that we weren't doing it well enough (taping the ceiling) and wants to wait until we get "our money" to have it done professionally. Which was okay with me.

Bob's still pursuing the pilot's license; this will be quite an achievement for him. His friend, Pat W, came up from Georgia this week for a brief visit.

We're back in the pattern of 100 degree days, making it hard on us all. So far, we've still done without air conditioning. These hellacious weather patterns, AIDS epidemics, homelessness, pollution, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars make it seem that the apocalypse is upon us.

My class at Harris is just about over, as of tomorrow. Then, I must try to scare up eighty dollars for another one. Potential sources of revenue are:

A. The penny can

B. The sale of my last textbook

C. Some useless auto parts I hope to return

In other words, money's still tight and the estate is still far from settled. Bobby also needs more money for flying, which I may have to wheedle out of my mother.

We have done a bit of yard work and planted some grass, on the cool days. Otherwise, no progress on the house.

Don't know what's gotten into me, but I have worked a little around here, cleaning up the mess we made in the back bedroom some time ago. This ceiling will have to be redone, like some of the others. Here, we also plan to insulate, which may help to control winter temperatures in the rear portion of the house. Officially, there's been no heat in there since the chimneys clogged.

Other notes: I've met the new neighbor, named Stu (he seems to be normal), and we seem to have a new cat again. He/she/it is living, at least temporarily, in the back yard. Sue's trying to find it a home, besides ours.

Also: Rex's daughter, Alicia, has returned home with two kids and marital problems. Rex says she's bored with Bill, the electrician. Boredom, to me, doesn't sound to me like such a bad problem. I hope they work things out.

Finished tearing down the ceiling in the back bedroom. Bob helped throw some of the rubble out the window.

The warehouse people have installed a high chain-link fence around their lot, which may keep the rabble from cutting through. This would be a big plus for everyone. The warehouse, like us, has suffered a lot of vandalism, litter and crime back there.

Also, Sue actually did find a home for our homeless cat. A secretary at the bank took her home last night.

Stripped wallpaper for about an hour last night. I'm afraid to do more because six or seven people have died lately from heat stroke, including a forty-two-year-old man yesterday.

Rex, Jenny, Alicia and the kids have gone on vacation, asking us to watch their house and cat. Hope they won't be burglarized, a common pattern around here--it's happened so far to Dan, Neil, and "the girls" next to Stu.

More work on the back bedroom.

I was too hasty about the new fence; it isn't helping much because the alley-travelers have found a small loophole, just barely allowing human entry. Therefore, they still have a "shortcut," even though it means climbing, snagging clothes, tumbling to the ground. The mental processes at work here would make a good doctoral thesis for some sociologist, somewhere, someday...

Worked on the back room with Bob for about a hour. Later, I saw Ken T drive by a couple of times. He and his wife Bev, our previous neighbors, own Rex's house. I spoke with him awhile. Ken said he was just trying to collect the rent and would be happy to sell the place. Wish we could afford to buy it.

Also, incredibly, we had some rain this afternoon. It reminded me of our days in Arizona, where we lived for a year and where rainfall was a real event. There in the desert, people would stand at their open doors, staring in awe at the rare cloudbursts.

A little more work on the back bedroom. Also, Sue and I spent a Saturday morning trying to clean out the living room, in preparation for working there.

We're now into the hottest weather so far--104 degrees yesterday. Quite a few folks are literally dropping dead from the heat. Even so, I spotted another "hooker" and "john" in the alley last evening. At the same moment, Bobby was running off some black kids who were vandalizing the MG. He chased these kids all the way down to a dilapidated house at Gravois and McNair. Today, as we drove by there, the kids recognized us and started shouting, threatening retaliation from the older members of their family. We'll have to try to avoid that area until things simmer down. My job at Sylvan Learning Center is starting to become a cruel joke (a total of two and a half hours work this week). Even my music career pays better than that.

Good news: The heat wave and drought are abating.

Bad news: The rain is coming in the kitchen again.

Other news: More prostitution in action yesterday. I called the police but they came too late.

We have done a little more work on the house, mostly carrying junk from the living room to basement to dumpster.

A follow-up on the ten-foot-high warehouse fence: Its lock is now broken off and the gate's often wide open, blocking the alley. Our high hopes are beginning to fade about this.

Correction: The gate is always wide open and our hopes now faded totally. In the meantime, we've had to become the unofficial gate keepers.

Anyway, Labor Day weekend over, Bob started his senior year of high school today. I told him it seemed like only yesterday that he stated kindergarten, which it did.

Just a bit more work on the back bedroom--peeling remnants of wallpaper and patching a few holes. If we ever get the funds, we could easily finish that room

Funds are the problem, as usual. We hit the Missouri Lottery for fifty dollars on Saturday, which was nice, but a drop in the bucket. We'd just accumulated forty dollars in parking tickets, due to expired plates on the MG.

On Sunday we went to the Anheuser-Busch Flea Market, at the brewery near here, making $100 peddling the remainder of our salable junk. Now, however, we have a $2500 insurance payment on the cars to contend with. This is an outrage, of course. We're shopping desperately for cheaper coverage.

More alley activity. Sue called the cops, but again it was too late.

September 19 Monday

Work is coming along on the back bedroom. We've now totally cleared plaster, lath, and wallpaper fragments and are just patching holes. Bob got a free five-gallon bucket of paint, which we hope to use soon, from his friends, the Cs.

Sue's in one of her periodic depressions about money, or the lack of it. I'm looking on the bright side, as usual.

We've had a heavy rainstorm and the kitchen got soaked badly. The problem is that even the new gutters must be kept absolutely spotless; otherwise they overflow. A real flaw in the house's design. (Another serious flaw is the cold, "semidetached" hind end of the house, which I think causes pipes to freeze.) We're going to try covering the gutters with plastic screen. So far, the ceiling looks okay, but may well have concealed damage.

More progress on the back bedroom--we've patched all the holes and cleaned the chimney bricks with muriatic acid.

October 13 Thursday

Quite a lot has been happening in a fairly short time. The back bedroom is now painted blue and white, curtains installed and other refinements. Sue and I have moved there temporarily, so that we can start working on our bedroom. Also, Bobby is off today to the Marine Corps Reserves, where he suddenly decided to sign up! The Marines really rushed him into this shamelessly, I must say. We had only called to inquire about their college tuition programs, and the next thing we knew he was being picked up by a staff car, spending the night taking tests at the Saint Louisan Hotel. It was almost like a kidnapping. Now, we can only hope and pray this all works out for the best... He's only seventeen!

We had another incident yesterday behind the house...a guy standing beside his car without his pants on, while a prostitute sat in the seat, servicing his desires. (Otherwise, he was wearing a nice three-piece suit.) Sue and Bob saw this from the kitchen window, then Sue screamed bloody murder while Bob ran out with a billy club, which might have been dangerous for everybody concerned. Anyway, it worked. Apologizing profusely, the man pulled up his pants fast and took off. Today, we went to the police station and complained, but I doubt much will be done.

Not much new on the house. Sue and I are still living in the back bedroom, sans ceiling. Strangely, a redone room never looks as good as it did before you moved in; you soon start noticing the details. In my spare time, I've been stripping wallpaper in our old bedroom.

My work at Sylvan Learning Center has slowed down even more, from a trickle to a drought. It looks as though it shortly won't even be worth driving there. Fortunately, in a way, I've seen this coming and started working a couple of days a week at an antiquarian bookstore in Rock Hill. It’s somewhat similar to antiquarian work I did, years ago, at the Saint Louis Art Museum. However, the pay is LOW. I'm still playing quite a lot of music, (eight times this month).

The rest of the time, I sit around, mope, or practice the trumpet. Just now, I've been reading the work of my fellow-diarist, Anne Frank, with much admiration. (This probably accounts for my waxing so eloquent today.)

Another prostitute today, Saturday morning, at 8:30! Sue screamed out the window again and Bob was on his way out the door again, with a pair of nun-chucks, when this couple took off in a hurry. This new method of crime fighting seems to work quite well.

Not much to report. It's raining and we're fighting the battle of the gutters again. As soon as all the leaves fall off, we'll be okay.

More gutter trouble because of clogged leaves at the downspout. The only time we can effectively clean them is in the middle of a thunderstorm!

In the last two days, a more serious problem: Water seems to be seeping out of our street-side water valve (like it's leaking underground somewhere.) I've been dreading for years that a water or sewer line would fail, and hope this isn't the first symptom. From what I understand, the costs can be astronomical. For now, we're just trying to ignore the seepage and "hope it goes away." Water pressure in the house does seem to be normal.

Water's still leaking out in front. From exactly where we still don't know, but it's now also emerging from Rex's front yard. I don't really want to know, but he called the city about it.

No action so far. Rex seems to think it may be a water main or storm sewer leaking somewhere further up the street.

Sue thought she found a lump in her breast recently and we called for a doctor's appointment, but now it's disappeared and she won't go. (I had prayed it would disappear, so am thanking God.)

Shelly's becoming a real nuisance, climbing up the woodwork and down the walls in our new bedroom. We may have to have her either declared or shot.

The mysterious water leak, according to the city, is on our line. They're digging it up right now, but there'll be no charge to us, thanks to a recently changed ordinance. Hallelujah! This could have been devastatingly expensive.

I'm still stripping wallpaper in our bedroom. It's stuck worse than anywhere else I've seen.

The leak is fixed and our water pressure does seem somewhat better. This is a plus for us, but unfortunately the rest of the line coming to the house will need replacing sometime.

We turned on the furnace last night for the first time this season... Another big bill to be paid later on.

Speaking of big bills, the estate is still unsettled, so all we ever get are bills from the attorney. I'm waiting till after the first of the year to try and speed things up. It would really be better that way, since we are soon going begging for scholarship money, and don't want to look too prosperous.

Another big battle with Bob over the weekend, mostly my fault. The three of us threw individual tantrums, but mine was the most spectacular.

We've also finished stripping our bedroom and resumed a holding pattern, once again.

We got a nice tree and put it up in the dining room. Planning to have a quiet Christmas this year. Due to various family feuds, we won't be going out too much.

Neighborhood news: We attended a local meeting about the abandoned

Falstaff brewery, which seems to have been officially "blighted," although no one would officially admit this. It seems that developers are interested in the property and everyone's worried about Kmart stores, "tanning salons," or other eyesores going in there. Only one neighbor, besides Sue and me, seems concerned about saving the existing historic buildings. This man lives on Lami; we hadn't known him until now.

Haven't heard any more about Falstaff. One thing agreed at the meeting, not yet realized, was a circulating petition to this effect:

Totally unenforceable, but a nice sentiment. Sue, Bob and I have all had colds, but did have a nice Christmas and visited her Dad's. I did have to cancel one musical performance due to illness.

The brewery petition has been circulating, I learned today from Libby R, and there is a public hearing due shortly about the "blighting." I'm afraid, though, that this is becoming another case of "those who know best" taking over for the rest of us. We're rather touchy already about a new public heath clinic just constructed near here at Lemp and Gravois. No one even warned us about that one.

The clinic appeared almost overnight, with absolutely no public debate. Literally hundreds of "indigent" patients now stream in there daily to get free treatment. It's surprising, incidentally, how many of the indigent drive brand new cars. They also now stream through our neighborhood on their way to the clinic.

Our own little group of three is doing okay, despite the handicap of having to pay for our own heath care and insurance. We're just trying to work on Bob's college admission, speed up the estate, survive the cold, etc. I'm also still doing a little patching in our bedroom.

January 19 Thursday

We finally received a check, almost $22,000, from the estate yesterday. This is only six percent of the total (most of which went to a cat and dog hospital!) and we can't even cash it yet. Furthermore, as a personal rep's fee, it's fully taxable. Even so, I guess we should be thankful to get anything.

The estate's still not finally "closed," but we may be getting close. Sue and I have been doing a lot of window shopping.

The weather's been very mild, but the crime rate low. Only one prostitute in months, so Bob's and Sue's activist tactics may have paid off. I'm still doing a bit of patching, off and on, in our old bedroom. Not much else for now.

An interesting coincidence this week was that Bob and I were both assaulted. He was attacked by a gang of blacks and hit with a brick while visiting a friend in the Shaw neighborhood. I was cruising past the Projects and got the truck pelted with a rock. In Bob's case, a couple of the kids were hauled away temporarily by the police, which is some small consolation.

We've officially got THE MONEY now and went on a mini-spending frenzy over the weekend. Also had some frozen pipes, but all is now okay.

Bob's application to Parks College was turned down (technically, "continued" to next fall). This is a real disappointment, since he did have a B average in high school, plus flying experience and supposed "connections." Don't know yet just what we'll do.

Had the locksmiths out again for repair of the rear kitchen deadbolt. They also put a nice doorknob set on the inner kitchen entry door (the one we installed). This now keeps the cats out, a real luxury. Needless to say, our funds are shrinking already.

Sue and I got inexplicably ambitious over the weekend and installed all the stairway spindles that were stripped so long ago. We also bought and started assembling new white bookshelves for the third floor. And framed a couple of pictures.

We didn't have enough spindles, so the stairway's still unfinished. We dug up a few extras for stripping, some of which don't quite match. We got them a few years ago from Joyce, our first next-door neighbor, whose last name I've now forgotten. Will also have to install molding to hold them in. I'd love to do something about the newel post too (half of it is missing). The trouble is that it's mahogany(?), it's fancy, and would be quite expensive to replicate. I haven't even checked into the cost of this.

Quite a big day yesterday for our Mazda truck, me, and Bob. The alternator quit working a few blocks away and we had to cajole it home, then patch things up, with all the usual hassles well in evidence.

Spring is in the air, presumably, but we've had it bad the last few days. A foot of snow yesterday and ice storms before that. Sue and I had tried to sell at a flea market Saturday, just before the bad weather moved in. We only madeforty-four dollars, which I think is a new low.

I have finished plastering in our room, so there's always hope.

March 14 Tuesday

Had quite a tiff with Bob already this morning over use of the truck. It's now about nine A.M.; he's at school and Sue at work. I assume the battle lines will be redrawn later.

The house is about as discouraging as usual. Sharpening their claws, the cats have reknocked out most of the spindles we reinstalled. I'm now pulling nails from the woodwork in our room, no mean feat. We quite often find giant nails around the house. Whoever put them in meant business, but was quite indifferent to the medium in which he nailed, be it drywall or American walnut.

Saw one prostitute on Sunday, but it was just as she and her client drove away.

Some much better news from Parks: Bob has been accepted. It's just contingent on his completing a year first at Meramec Community College. Parks is simply overcrowded now in the pilot program and he has to wait for his spot.

Bob's gone camping with some friends for what may be a week. We just pray that things go smoothly. Yesterday he had a double accident with the truck, front and rear end collisions. Fairly minor damage, physically, but the fiscal damage is unknown as yet.

Today's Good Friday; Sue's at work. I'm making calls booking music and (still) working on the ceiling in our bedroom.

Yesterday, Sue and I went to a sunrise Easter service, which was very nice, at Tower Grove Park. Coincidentally, this was also where Bob had his accident(s), repercussions of which are now emerging. The Taxi driver he backed into is demanding almost $600 in damages!

March 30 Thursday

Paid the taxi driver off--$700!--from our shrinking funds. Guess the word is out that we've got bucks. I don't want to talk about it any more.

More work on the spindles yesterday. Sue took off from the bank, where things aren't going very well. Reinstalled about half the spindles, cat-proofing them as best we could.

I'm still working on the bedroom ceiling (the ceiling that won't die--it must have had about 600 nails!) but will somehow have to finish it fast. Kevin W, Rex's son, is coming on the twenty-first to do some carpentry that depends upon our room's being done.

Kevin has come early, but we're glad to see him. He started work today. What we plan is to have ceilings dry-walled in the two long hallways, plus the stairwell. Then, if there are time and funds, we'd like to have a ceiling in the back bedroom (if this isn't asking for too much!). Also want this: a larger closet in Bob's room and a redone porch in back.

He's estimating $300 for the labor on the first phase of this, which seems reasonable. Yesterday, I bought materials for less that $150. Cheaper than we'd thought, which seems ominous.

The prostitutes are back again, like robins in the spring.

$338 as of now for materials.

Kevin's finishing the back porch now. He's also done the hallways and closet. The new closet wound up in our room, rather than Bob's. We had to sacrifice an existing smaller closet in his room, meaning there is still only one closet in the entire house. (In the old days, I theorize, they must have stored everything in trunks on the third floor.)

The fees for all these improvements are now $550, but I guess it's worth it all. It's like living in a new house, if you don't look at all the other parts.

I spent seventy-four dollars today for more stuff, so the total is now just a little under $1000. (This was really about what we'd had in mind.) The living and dining rooms are still untouched, but that's close enough for now.

After advertising for two weeks, the MG's finally gone! I must admit it won't be missed.

The weather's been quite cool--down to thirty-five degrees tonight, they say. I can well imagine that the MG's new owner is having second thoughts, since it starts so poorly when it's cold. I've also been wondering how he got it off the trailer at his home --we only got it on with a forklift borrowed from the warehouse. The ground clearance was too low to drive it onto trailers, or on some streets.

More news about the warehouse: One of their big soda trucks crushed the doctor's sewer line, costing him about $900. After that, he, Cyndi, and Stu began putting up extended privacy fences, bordering the alley, so no more soda trucks can trespass their property. Hope it works out, but those fences look like hell after a few years.

Sold some junk and books at historic Soulard Market this weekend, making about fifty bucks. Sue thinks this location might be good for a permanent effort. It's nearby, anyway, and picturesque.

We've been living high on the hog lately from the proceeds of the MG sale. Bought a new VCR and some other luxuries. In the meantime, we've been painting once again and still cleaning up debris left from Kevin's work.

Also: Sue's QUIT SMOKING, for which I've prayed fervently.

The Benton Park house tour took place this weekend and got page one publicity in the real estate section of the Post-Dispatch. Quite a bit of progress seems to be in progress.

Spent the morning cutting grass, our hedges and our locust trees. One hedge is mock orange we've been trying to establish for a couple of years, the other honeysuckle dug up and brought from Kirkwood. Locust trees and grass grow like crazy here (not that there was any grass to start with, inside the chain-link fence. There's state-supported zoysia outside it, thanks to the highway department.) I've often thought locusts could solve shortages of energy or wood someday, the way they proliferate. Sue's attached a sign to the outside of the fence stating, "NO DOGS PLEASE," since we have to cut the grass there every week.

I'm sneezing like a madman from the locusts and the grass, and I'm tired, so won't paint today.

Later: Painted anyway, as it turned out.

The weather's beginning to get pleasantly warm. We've also had "the smell" once or twice (the bad smell of air pollution, I mean, not "the perfume").

Rain today. We have to be extra careful now that we have new ceilings, so I check the gutters constantly.

Bob's been sick the last few days, but is better now. This was to have been his monthly weekend at Marine Reserves, but it now seems he'll be dropping that, at least temporarily. The Marines bungled on his boot camp scheduling and they now can't guarantee that he would be back in time to start college. He's going to take a college class in summer school, instead, and then matriculate at Meramec.

May 23 Tuesday

Bought a new (used) door for our room today for fifty-four dollars. Have I mentioned that our existing bedroom door had its top four feet sawed off? (Why, no one has ever explained satisfactorily.) I thought this replacement door was a real bargain, since most used doors I've looked at had run about $200. When Sue got home, though, she threw a fit because it inexplicably had two holes drilled in it for door knobs on either side, left and right. I'm assuring her that this minor imperfection can be overcome with wood putty.

Also, we've floodlit the front porch, which looks elegant. Some fawning already from the neighbors over this, so our social standing may be moving up.

Bob has finished high school, though refused to attend graduation exercises. He considers himself a three-year victim of "reverse discrimination," which I think I understand, but Sue's quite upset. Bob and I are now arguing a lot more, since he's home more often. We just can't seem to get along; guess I'll have to try more diligently to "let go."

On the home front, here's some recent progress we've made:

1. The new bedroom door is installed, though imperfectly. The wood putty did fill one of the knob holes. However, we had to nail yardsticks to the edge of the door, because it wasn't quite wide enough. After painting, the yardsticks probably won't show.

2. The back bedroom is redone, though imperfectly. Even so, it looks fresh and wonderful to us. Sue and I are sleeping there again, and will soon restart work on our room. One added advantage we've found for the back bedroom is its strategic location for alley surveillance.

We tried to make things up to Bob, at least in part, on Saturday by throwing him a graduation party of his own. Everybody (Dad, Jane, Bruce, Theresa, Doug, Debbie, Jason, Jeremy, Crissy, Tom McM, plus Bob's current girlfriend, Kelly) seemed to feel it was a real success. Two cases of beer for this relatively small bunch really greased the skids.

We'd also tried hard to induce Bob's cousin John to attend (he was also graduating, from Parkway West) but his parents short-circuited things there. This is all tied in to a feud that developed long ago when John ran away from home and hid out with us, causing untold family strife. As of now, it's been about three years since we and John's parents have been on speaking terms. Anyway, we sent John a present with Sue's father.

Today, Sue and I leave Bob in charge and begin a cross country trek via rented car. We're attempting one last-ditch assault on our bank account, in other words, which Sue's considering our vacation of a lifetime. More about this later, if we make it back alive.

We're back now, seemingly alive and well. Not having to breathe plaster dust for ten whole days can work wonders for the lungs and sinuses. Had a good time and of course spent lots more money than we should have. First stop was Pittsburgh, where I'd lived as a boy. We called one of my old friends there, who's now a psychologist.

Then we spent some time around Point Pleasant, New Jersey, where my mother and Aunt Molly, her twin sister, share a house. Also saw a long-lost relative, Cousin Ned, whom I'd once spent a summer with in the fifties. We visited Lake Telemark, too, my mom's original home. The lake was a Norwegian settlement, and still is to some extent, founded by her father. We also spent a day and night each in Manhattan and Atlantic City. Took the train to NYC, which was fun. For variety, on the way home we chose a more southerly route, with site-seeing in Maryland and Kentucky. Stopped at the Jim Beam distillery and a Civil War battleground.

Altogether, it was 2600 miles of driving and pure enjoyment...until we got back and found out about the housekeeping habits Bob had been practicing. It's going to be hard to stop living the life of luxury, but we'll manage it somehow.

A few more reminiscences about the trip... At a bus top in New York near Lincoln Center we saw Tony Randall, the movie star, who looked and acted just like his roles. The coin box on the bus was jammed and he tried to fix it for the driver with his silver comb, which didn't do the trick. "Does this mean we all get to ride for free?" he asked the driver, but it actually meant that the bus stopped for good. So, we didn't get to take a ride with Tony Randall. I'd never seen another movie star, though Sue had once on a childhood trip to Hollywood.

Other highlights of the trip were the highway tunnels that seemed to be everywhere in the east, terrifying for us mid-westerners, cutting under rivers and through huge mountains. Give me flat prairie instead, even though I was raised back there until age twelve. Adding to our anxiety were the many warning signs, such as NO EXPLOSIVES, NO ATOMIC WASTE, or RUNAWAY TRUCK SANDPILE. The run-down turnpikes and the toll roads were another shock to us, after riding free all these years on comparatively good pavement.

Some more pleasant memories: The Amish riding in their horse-drawn carriages around Lancaster, Pennsylvania; the Hershey Chocolate factory, where we took a tour; Chinatown (we also took a quick tour of New York). Did a lot, didn't we?

We've settled back into a regular schedule now, but are still on a spending trip. This weekend brought a new color TV for Bob and Cousin John (he's now staying here awhile), new brakes for the Mazda, a new Patton fan for our room (the "high-tech" kind). It's getting very hot; we almost bought two air conditioners instead. Have to stop now...I'm dripping sweat all over the page.

Sue and I finally broke down and bought a small air conditioner on sale at Venture. Feelings of mixed guilt, dread of electric bills, and WONDERFUL COOLNESS—WE HAVE JOINED THE TWENTIETH CENTURY! Now John and Bob want one too. We'll have to either draw the line or go for broke.

We bought another air conditioner. Consequently, it's now only about eighty degrees at midday, and sixty at night.

The high today was sixty-seven degrees. Also quite a bit of rain, which is nice for a change. The drought and heat wave, it seems, have been greatly exaggerated.

July 24 Monday

Much more rain, but no trouble with the gutters yet. Otherwise, things aren't really going well. More spindles out on the stairway, thanks to the cats, who love rubbing against then to scratch themselves. Two new picture frames, newly hung, also shattered falling off the walls.

Not much progress to report. I'm patching plaster in the upstairs hallway.

July 28 Friday

Hot again. We're using both air conditioners full blast.

The brakes on the Mazda, just repaired, aren't working very well, but we'll probably just let 'em slide without complaining. Taking the VW's brakes in today. We're working nicely through the second half of Aunt Doris' bequest (about $11,000 down, I believe, since January).

One bright spot is this: Sue's come up with the idea of a steel stairway brace for the spindles, theoretically holding the banister down tight. We're trying it; just have to see if it holds up to six cats' abuse. My hair and beard, maintained during our trip, are getting that unkempt look again, a giveaway if there ever was one as to my employment status ("permanently underemployed"). In other words, I'm not really doing anything very useful, just coasting slothfully. Around South Saint Louis, however, no one notices or objects. Compared to bums pushing shopping carts, muttering obscenities, I look almost respectable. Sue and I have been selling used books again at Soulard Market, but that's about all for me, occupationwise. My music and house work are minimal. Maybe things will improve by fall.

Incidentally, I'm not even working at the Book House anymore. I got in a screaming argument, nothing new for me, with the owner there. The city's now hassling us to buy a license for our book sales at Soulard. I guess we'll have to get one.

Little work on the house. The stairway brace, though, turned out to be a good idea and is holding up so far.

One more good thing: We haven't seen any prostitutes for months.

Got our license for Soulard, so we may have to start taking this seriously. The city couldn't get it straight, though, that we sell books, and put us down for selling "fruits and vegetables." "Soulard," I believe, means "drunkard" in French--an odd surname. The Soulards were one of St. Louis' founding families and bequeathed the market to the city. It's been operating since 1779.

A little more work on the stairway and spindles. Actually, it's just about done if the cats leave well enough alone.

August 17 Thursday

Bob has gotten an A in his summer school course at Meramec--hooray for Bob! Only 3.999 more years of college to go!

Our two goldfish died suddenly last week, which was sad. They'd been living in Bob's room for six years. Sue swears they always greeted her when she walked by. Don't know what happened; just hope they're in goldfish heaven. These poor things endured so much during that first cold winter here.

August 24 Thursday

Bob and John's first official day of real college at Meramec. I really pray they'll take it conscientiously and do well.

We had a drenching rain last night and again this morning. Now, for the first time, the VW won't start, rudely reminding me of the MG.

On the brighter side, my music "gigs" are beginning to pick up again, and I've almost finished patching and sanding the second floor hallway. We could even paint soon if we really tried.

There's an escaped lunatic, who got loose from Malcolm Bliss State Hospital, at large in the area today (the second one in about a month). With approximately one murder per night on the South Side already, plus all the other nonfatal crimes, we're sleeping even lighter than we usually do.

August 29 Tuesday

The escapee was captured yesterday in Saint Charles, about thirty miles from here. He'd decided to kill his ex-wife there, but then changed his mind, hesitated, and got picked up. We weren't overly worried anyway, but the last runaway from Bliss had done some pillaging and rapes.

I spent Sunday at the art museum with Helen, my "retarded" friend. Spent Tuesday evening at a meeting about Soulard Market at Chris' restaurant. Then I went to a movie last night about Chet Baker, the late trumpeter, with my jazz friend Bill... So, it looks like my entertainment budget for the year is about tapped out.

Guess I'll have to start working on the house again.

Bob and John continuing in college, though burning the candle at both ends. Bob, especially, stays out past midnight, then has to be roused out of bed. No doubt I interfere too much, and should rouse him without comment.

We now have eight pets again, Bob's girlfriend's girlfriend's cat having been repossessed by Bob, plus a box turtle that wandered into the yard last week and seems to be surviving. We've been supplementing its diet with watermelon.

I bought a beautiful extension ladder yesterday at a garage sale for ten dollars, a real steal. Today, I started patching and sanding ceilings and walls at the stairway landing, an area I haven't been able to reach for several years... We may be making progress again!

I've been putting texture paint over the plywood ceiling in our room. One of the messiest jobs I know of...but it's getting done.

My main nemeses these days are the cats, who seem bent on destroying things faster than I can fix them. Sometimes, I become totally livid at their antics. Am seriously worried they may kill me soon through a heart attack or stroke.

Hope to finish the ceiling today. I've also been filling in plaster at the corners of the stairway landing, where we'd previously stripped the old plaster down to brick. I'm tired from waiting up for Bob last night. Gave up about 2:30. Don't see how he can manage to keep attending classes at this rate.

I wanted to mention that the turtle has been given a new habitat in Kirkwood Park. Hope it does well there.

On the home front, we're in the midst of a new crime wave as of last night. First, Sue and I came home to find our new $150 lawn mower stolen (I'd had it chained up in the back yard). Next, we witnessed what must have been a mid-level drug deal taking place in the warehouse lot.

What happened was this: Early in the evening, we happened to notice one of our new black neighbors sneaking in there carrying a briefcase, which he surreptitiously placed in one of the abandoned cars parked on the lot. As soon as he left, John and Bob couldn't resist sneaking in there too, hoping to recover what we all thought must be a briefcase full of cash, drugs, or something else illegal. At that moment, a taxicab pulled very slowly to the end of the ally. John and Bob scurried back into our yard, trying to look innocent, just before it reached the lot and stopped. Another black man then got out of the cab, quickly retrieved the briefcase, and drove away. It all looked like something out of James Bond or Miami Vice. Unbelievable but true. The first black man, the new neighbor, lives in the newly done apartments at 1840, which I've mentioned before as being suspected of harboring Section Eight tenants. Before now, there had already been nasty rumors circulating about him, to the effect that he's a pimp. Now things look even worse. We've already spoken to the warehouse manager, who'll now make sure the ten-foot fence is locked at night. The other neighbors, who've been noticing untoward things themselves, also plan to be more vigilant. This kind of thing is outrageous, and it’s going to have to stop.

As for the lawn mower, no one saw it stolen. I have a strong suspect in one of the neighborhood kids, who was seen just beforehand, but I can't prove a thing.

September 26 Tuesday

Today a flat tire on the truck, clearly caused by a deliberate puncture. Suspecting the same kid, Juan C., Jr. by name, I spoke reasonably with his mother, but to no avail. Then called police. Frankly, this kid has been a one-man crime wave around here, so deserves any trouble he gets in. For once, we got a very helpful cop, Officer Bill V., who questioned the mother. There's possible prosecution, at least for car windshields we've seen him break on the warehouse lot, or for rocks he's thrown at cars on the highway.

Neighbors Cyndi, Luann, Rex, Jenny, Clem and Betty are all aware of this problem and may help out if needed to.

It looks now like V. isn't following up on the case.

October 11 Wednesday

Now it looks like V. has left this area and nothing will be done. We haven't had any more incidents so far, but Halloween's coming up.

I've been painting a bit in the master bedroom. Even got some help from Sue on Columbus Day, when the bank was closed. (She's now working permanently downtown, five minutes away, a real joy!)

A week of temps in the eighties. Rain and leaf deluges today. More work on the master bedroom, but it's still far from finished.

Another flat tire yesterday, caused by an imbedded screw. This may be accidental, but I'm doubtful.

Bobby's birthday today. We gave him a nice shirt and, of course, cash. Unbelievably, there are snow flurries at the moment.

October 25 Wednesday

More painting on the front bedroom, but it's still not done.

Worries about Bob and John... I found some hard-core pornography, magazines and videos, hidden in their room. Threw it all away, precipitating a tongue-lashing from Bob, which perhaps was justified. I realize I was wrong to snoop, but also discovered drug paraphernalia (seemingly John's?), so am glad I did check up on them.

T.C., our sweetest cat, has been sick about a week. He won't eat or drink and we've had him to the vet three times. We're all praying for him like crazy. Hate even to write this down; I'm scared for him.

November 2 Thursday

Found another screw this morning in a truck tire.

November 7 Tuesday

Poor T.C. isn't getting any better, and now isn't even alert. Sue wants me to have him "put to sleep" today.

Also, Bob's announced he wants to quit college and become a construction worker. If I weren't already crazy, I believe I could have a nervous breakdown at this point.

Another flat tire yesterday. Also, a couple of new incidents with the prostitutes. The weather's been beautiful, which tends to bring them out in droves.

Much leaf raking yesterday and today. The weather's been so mild, however, that many of the locust leaves haven't fallen yet.

I've been playing quite a lot of music lately. Sue and I are still selling books on Saturdays. I also sell a few rarer items through the mails.

An interesting article on the front page of the Sunday Post, headlined BREAKING BARRIERS. According to the Post, "the number of blacks living in predominantly white South Saint Louis neighborhoods has jumped dramatically."

1,047 white people have departed Benton Park, for example, since 1980. 10,000 whites have departed from South Saint Louis generally. The blacks moving in to replace them claim they're escaping crime, blight, drugs, etc., in their former North Side neighborhoods. Inexplicably, from the Post's point of view, these very problems are now on the rise here.

From our point of view, Sue and I are certainly starting to see behavior among these new migrants, the likes of which neither one of us has ever witnessed before, outside of movies or TV. People handcuffed, for instance, being led away by police. We also now regularly see evictions, with people's belongings piled up on the sidewalks. People sleeping on the sidewalk is another one--I have seen this before, but only in New York.

November 28 Tuesday

In today's paper, there's talk about tearing down the Darst-Webbe Housing Projects, near here, which the residents have virtually destroyed, despite million-dollar renovations.* Where they'll be moved next is anybody's guess. I'm sure the city will think of someplace appropriate, probably Section Eight apartments.

In any event, the holidays are upon us. On Thanksgiving morning our friend Homeless Joe knocked on the door and got a pleasant surprise when I handed him five dollars. Soon afterwards, he was seen with a twelve-pack of Milwaukee's Best.

Our niece, Jenny W, had a baby girl Saturday night.

$750 worth of bedding, mattresses and box springs, arrived today. Our new bedroom's just about ready for them, although seriously flawed by the taped and patched plywood ceiling. I never could get this to look right, despite a lot of work.

A new low today: Someone stole the Christmas wreath off our front door! Sue's replacing it with a thirty-dollar new one, attached inside the glass.

We're now sleeping in the new bedroom. With new rugs, new bedspread, new furniture, and newly blue woodwork, even Bob admits it looks nice. I've already pressed on, painting walls in the hallway outside our room (white walls of course--they hide imperfections best). We're going to paint woodwork there too, even though I'd spent months stripping it.

John's in trouble over a "weapons charge" of some kind, but is being very secretive. It seems he was caught carrying a knife and now must appear in court, not for the first time.

The annual festival of frozen pipes has begun earlier than usual this year. I've been running a heater in the basement all day, so far to no avail. I just pray the pipes don't break. It's so cold and snowy that Bob's and John's finals at Meramec have been canceled for this week.

December 19 Tuesday

Nut-cracking cold for the whole week. Fortunately, the pipes didn't break, though it took quite awhile to thaw them out. We've put up a small Christmas tree in our bedroom, which still isn't quite finished. In my spare moments, I'm doing more painting in the second floor hallway.

Lots of trouble with John's car, and a little with the truck. I've had to fetch him home twice around midnight in freezing temperatures.

Sixteen degrees below zero this morning! The good news is the VW started up immediately. I'd say we've gotten our $750 out of her.

Bad news: The hot water pipes are frozen again. I'm now running three kerosene heaters under them in the basement, one heater balanced precariously five feet off the ground. This doesn't seem too smart, I know, but seems worth the risk. If the pipes start gushing, wrapped as they are with electrical "heat tape," we could really start having fun. I just love this time of year.

The water pipe crisis was averted finally only through prayer. Christmas itself turned out to be a warm and lovely day. I played some music in the early afternoon, then we visited the family bunch at Sue's dad's. Bob got the truck stranded at his girlfriend's apartment with a dead battery, then left town to go camping with friends. Guess I'll be rescuing it later on.

January 4 Thursday

Things are getting back to normal now. We've had several more days of warm temps--the mid-winter thaw. Also had about $120 worth of trouble with the VW, which I thank for waiting until now.

Our money level's beginning to get dangerously low again. Due to bad weather, we've missed a couple of weeks at Soulard, although I have played a lot of music over the holidays. We've also started getting more mail-order sales for books, which may help a little.

The cats continue to bedevil me mercilessly, excreting in the bathtub this morning, for example, and climbing the walls regularly. Last night, they got into the kitchen, eating half a bag a cat food. We've had to install ugly makeshift latches everywhere just to keep them out, but this doesn't always work.

Sorry I complained so much about the cats. Sidney immediately came down with a bladder infection, with blood in the urine etc., which of course panicked us after poor T.C.'s disease and death. Apparently via Sidney and the vet's office, all the other cats then came down with colds. Kelly has it worst, so we took her to the vet's too. They're all sneezing left and right.

I'm not feeling all that good myself.

Everyone seems to be feeling better now. Even White Cat has shown up (a stray I'd been feeding earlier). I was getting worried he had frozen to death. This week, temperatures have been in the sixties!

More good news: Bobby plans to resume his flying lessons!

I've been plastering on the landing again, having a seasonal hiatus in musical performances (I played for pay sixty-seven times last year). We had one sighting of our usual black prostitute, unusually in front of the house, when I went to get mail. These girls seem to be getting bolder all the time, and now seem unafraid of confrontation. This time, for instance, there were children present across the street, playing within sight of her.

Sue's gone on a family outing to Las Vegas, leaving me and "the boys" for the weekend. Both John and Bob seem to be taking full advantage of the situation--John even seems to have brought a girl home last night.

Several inches of snow on the ground this morning, but they say it'll warm up today.

Correction: The girl in John's room later turned out to be a long-haired blond male, I think. (I had only seen him from the back.)

Still not much good to say about the house. I'm plastering a little bit, plus more catproofing. They're now working their claws under the doors when they can't get in, scratching our new rugs and newly painted woodwork. They also did quite a number on the new mattresses, nearly giving me a "cerebral incident."

In other news, John's moved permanently into the back bedroom, something I didn't really want to happen after just redoing it. In fairness, though, he has tried to keep it neat. Bob and he argue constantly, including a rip-roaring battle at two A.M. last night, so it's best to keep them apart. (John's lost his job and quit college, so he's around a lot.)

Rex next door claims he's sold his house, but we'll wait and see. He tends to jump the gun a bit.

Also, more hearings about the abandoned Falstaff Brewery and its possible "development."

More problems with John. He and some friends were arrested over the weekend for illegal drinking, and spent a night in jail. Sue had to go pick him up. Then, yesterday, I had to help him retrieve his car, which the cops had towed to the auto graveyard. This all comes at a bad time, since a prior court case of his (for drug abuse) was just settled. I asked him to pray for guidance, but I'm afraid he's not a believer.

Rex moved out yesterday, so it looks like I was wrong about his exaggerations. Took a minute to wish him and Jenny well. He says a young stockbroker and his wife bought the house.

I'm working quite a bit again at my music--five times this week for Saint Pat's Day--but it's always an uphill climb. Sue's starting to get depressed again about finances, mainly the amount John eats!

Later: Looking back at recent entries, I'm afraid I've seemed too hard on John. The truth is, we like him.

March 26 Monday

Eight inches of snow Friday night, which allowed Sue and me to stay home for once on a weekend. We did a lot of painting on the landing and hallway, plus some touch-up on our room, John's room, and the third floor. Just being able to report all this makes me feel good, it's so long since we did anything "constructive." We've met the new neighbors, by the way, Tom and Liz C. She's a high school teacher. Interestingly, I was playing music at a party last week and met Rex's real estate agent. We'd had our suspicions about this whole deal until then because Rex never even put up a FOR SALE sign.

We bought some good (expensive) antique green paint last night at Glidden's and Sue's started painting the second floor woodwork. We're pleased already with the results, gradually abandoning any loyalty for stripped wood.

Both Bob and John are gone this week, Bob gone camping for spring break. John's gone on a month-long alcohol dryout in Hannibal, Missouri. His parents' theory is that this will cut his legal penalties...hope it works.

Little Sidney, our youngest male cat, had to go in the hospital yesterday with a blocked urethra, the same problem that has plagued us before with T.C. and Jelly. This is a potentially deadly situation; just wish somebody could tell us how to prevent it. The fact they've all been neutered seems to be a possible cause, but what to do now?

Over the weekend, Sue and I bought another new lawn mower (I think it's our fourth). Then we cut the grass, which right now looks like a golf course. Taking no chances, we're going to keep this mower in the front hallway, as we used to do. Dog droppings on the wheels are the downside to keeping it there.

Sue chased a possum out of the yard this morning in the rain. Don't know how such critters exist around here, but somehow they do. I wish them all the luck that they can get.

Bob's got himself a job working as a bouncer at Harpo's, a nightclub on Laclede's Landing. We aren't looking forward to it, but he starts tonight.

Income tax day. We owe lots, thanks to Aunt Doris' estate, so we're paying with refunds from Bob's financial aid at Meramec.

Sidney's not much better. I'm taking him in to the vet's again today.

A rather lonely Easter yesterday, also rainy and cold. Sue and I, all alone, ate at Shoney's and spent the day in bed.

No work on the house.

I've been doing some painting on the second floor hallway; Sue's also done a lot of work in the yard. Most of our time is being spent at the various book fairs that start cropping up around now. We made a real haul at the Webster Groves fair--about 300 books for eleven dollars.

Sidney seems to be a bit improved. We're also now feeding White Cat twice a day.

Neighbor Stu, two doors down, has suddenly replaced his back porch and fence, neither of which had been standing for years--a real improvement. I think the city may have come down on him about this.

The truck's day of reckoning. Tomorrow it's plates expire. Therefore, Bob and I must find someone crazy or dishonest enough to pass it for its annual inspection. Not much hope of getting off without some expenditure, possibly a lot.

More news about Stu. Now he's run off in the night, having secretly rented his place to blacks. (Cyndi and Luann tell us this; don't have confirmation yet.)

The worst news yet: Bob's started smoking cigarettes! John's been released from stir and has gone home to his folks, trying to begin a new life. He moved his things out yesterday.

May 3 Thursday

The truck's inspection wound up costing over $200. At least it's settled for another year, or until it quits running totally. Next comes the VW, due by the end of June.

May 10 Thursday

Bob's finals at Meramec are coming up. He predicts a B and C for the two courses he hasn't dropped. I trotted out my usual lecture, but it's wearing pretty thin. So far, I haven't even tried to bring up his smoking.

The new blacks are installed at Stu's--another trial by fire for LIBERAL PRINCIPLES.

The new neighbors are Jerry and Felicia. Sue gave them some pretty cut flowers last evening. He's a fireman in East Saint Louis, Illinois.

Bought some more paint yesterday for the hallway. One gallon costs fourteen dollars! May do some more painting today.

We've had drenching thunderstorms and the VW won't start again.

No painting yesterday, as it turned out. Rain's started coming in again, precipitating roaring arguments between Sue and me. To wit: I haven't cleaned the gutters properly if a leaf or two remain to clog the downspouts. She's absolutely right, of course, so the kitchen and John's room got soaked. Rain's also coming in on the third floor, perhaps due to missing fascia boards outside. (We'd just painted the ceiling there, which is now stained horribly.)

Sue also slipped on the back steps in the rain, badly bruising her behind. Poor White Cat's suffering too, cowering under cars, but we can't let him in. All in all, I think I preferred the drought, although the lawn's nice and green.

Lots more rain and thunder storms, with large limbs down. Tom C's also had water damage, though we'd tried to warn them about the gutters. What we both need, possibly, is an awning of some kind, since these houses have no "overhang." It's either that or clean gutters constantly. Perhaps this wasn't a problem in the old days when the trees weren't so numerous or so large.

The latest Benton Park house tour took place this weekend. I was gone at Soulard Market, but Sue reported seeing lots of Saabs, BMW's and other luxury vehicles cruising by. Looks like the tour was moderately successful. On Saturday, though, Bob ran off yet another prostitute. Luann, my favorite neighbor, says she frequently finds used condoms in the alley. Don't know what she does with them. She's my favorite because she helps with litter duty, weed-whacking, etc.

At last, I've done some more painting, the rain having abated for now. Will trim broken and dead limbs today if I can, plus trim honeysuckle and mock orange hedges in the back yard. In front, Sue's planted a mail-order privet hedge, which is flourishing already, although minuscule.

June 12 Tuesday

Sue's been on vacation for a couple of weeks, most of which brought more rain. We'd had some big plans for the house during this time, but finally only worked one day.

Bob's new job seems to be going well, though the late hours frighten me. We've been making final preparations for Parks College in August (mainly borrowing money).

Yesterday, I saw another drug deal "going down" at some newly renovated "Section Eight" apartments at Jefferson and Shenandoah. Two black kids with a baggyful of white powder--too dumb even to conceal themselves from casual passersby. These apartments, incidentally, are being destroyed with incredible speed (new doors kicked-in, graffiti on walls, broken thermal windows & etc.).

We installed the air conditioners yesterday, as the temperature's suddenly in the nineties . This year, Sue wanted one in our room, but it doesn't seem to work as well as in the smaller back bedroom. Anywhere we put one, including Bob's room, a major side effect is water-damaged carpeting and window sills.

June 25 Monday

John's come back again, for how long we don't know. Apparently, he and his folks have irreconcilable differences. We've also had a visit from Sue's Las Vegas relatives, and shined the house accordingly. As Sue said, we should have company more often. Don't think they were very impressed, though.

Veiled Prophet Fair week, a new Saint Louis tradition. Working down at Soulard Market, we've been able to see the air shows almost perfectly. Bob's also been in on the Fair, working many hours on "the Landing." As quickly as he came, John's gone again, moving this time (with three dollars to his name) into an apartment with a friend.

We're also in the throes of inspection for the Volkswagen, which has failed once so far, even though we'd tried our best to patch things up.

July 11 Wednesday

Still working on the VW. I'm now sunburned, with permanently blackened fingernails, but have managed to install a new muffler. John's helped me a good deal on this (yes, he's back).

The VW failed again on its state "emissions" test, despite an A-1 tune-up job and new exhaust system. As a last resort, Bob took it to a friend of Kelly's and got things squared away semilegally. Now we're set for one more year, at least, and it's running beautifully.

Sue's promising to return to the green paint, but the house news remains about the same. Outside, I've been learning to propagate new mock orange hedges out of three inch cuttings. We've also trimmed some trees that were knocking slate off the roof.

White Cat has a new friend, an unusual robin that comes every morning to share his breakfast on the back porch. I want to get a picture of this before it's too late.

Also saw White Dog yesterday, an unbelievably mangled stray who's been around here for years, but which I thought must be dead by now. A true survivor, he's blind in one eye and almost totally lame. We don't need to feed him; some nice people on Lami Street have been doing so, whenever he shows up.

July 23 Monday

We've finally done some more paintin' o' the green, which looks like it will be a long job. It still breaks my heart to paint over stripped wood.

Some disturbing news. Sue heard a rumor that our friend Homeless Joe was found murdered. Trying to find out the facts.

More green paint; some grass seed.

August 6 Friday

More of the same. The new grass is starting to emerge. It seems we have to do this periodically or the lawn dies.

Sue heard Bill McClellan, a local columnist, mention something on TV about "Bucket" (Homeless) Joe's being found shot, adding somewhat confusingly that the police don't confirm this. I've tried to check it out with homeless bums at Soulard , who knew him but don't have info about this incident. It may be better not to know.

John got a job offer yesterday at the Missouri Bar and Grill, something of a downtown landmark. Hope this works out for him; we could all use some extra financing. On our way to the interview, we were propositioned in the car by a black prostitute and pimp, who pulled up alongside. Needless to say, we turned them down without much regret.

John's first day of work today. He stayed out late last night, but made it to his job on time. Bob's school year will be starting soon, so much to do for him too.

Our weather's been beautiful for at least a month. Haven't even used the air conditioners for most of the summer--a real break.

Some new developments at the warehouse lot behind us. It's been refenced with a junk yard dog installed, which seems like a sensible idea. Looks like real progress there. I'm sorry to report, though, that Liz and Tom's car was broken into Saturday night in front of the house. Tom heard broken glass and chased someone a ways before giving up. Very sorry about this, since they're so new here. Hope it doesn't scare them off.

August 22 Wednesday

Tom and Liz on vacation/honeymoon in Mexico, and we're trying to surveil their property. I've been doing a bit more painting, always a frustrating job.

Unfortunately, I've had some terrible rows with Tom's bricklayers, who've started working while the Cs are away. These guys have had free rein with their property, for some reason, coming and going into the late evening, with total access to the house. Not content with that, they've dumped rubble and dragged equipment all over our roof too, halfway filling our new gutters with sand. After being cussed, Sue finally threatened to call the police on them. Meanwhile, I blew my stack ineffectually, as I usually do.

Some good news: "Bucket Joe" has surfaced, alive and well, pictured on the front page of the South Side Journal! The rumors of his demise had apparently upset everyone around here, but he seems to be doing better than ever. He's moved in with an old family friend for the last four months, and cut down drastically on his drinking. Thank God for this deliverance...he'd been on the street for many years.

September 4 Tuesday

Did some work on the house over Labor Day weekend. I attempted some tuckpointing over the back porch, to less than rave reviews from Sue. Also treated the porch itself with CWF (Clear Wood Finish). This stuff supposedly keeps the wood from turning gray. It seems to be turning it yellow instead.

Now enrolled at Parks, Bob seems to have an excellent attitude thus far. Soon he'll have his pilot's license and be on his way toward a degree and career. John's attitude, on the other hand, seems to be deteriorating. I have to ramrod him every day, just to get him to his job.

Extreme heat again: one hundred degrees yesterday. On a misguided impulse, I attempted to clean John's room, bringing on delirious despair.

I plan to do some painting today, possibly finishing the green paint on the second floor woodwork. Shelly's picked now to start climbing it again.

Bob came home the other day and found a squirrel in the kitchen, explaining nibbled loaves of bread we've been finding lately. The varmint was getting in through a window partially opened for the dryer vent. Until now, we'd been unfairly blaming John and the cats for this. We thought he was leaving the kitchen door open so they could get in.

Fall has arrived with some cool days. Over the weekend we attended a graduation party for Jenny at "Grandpa Doug"'s in High Ridge. (Doug's now a grandpa to Victoria, Jenny's cute baby.) Jenny's now officially certified to be a female cop, which sounds good careerwise. All she needs now is a good job.

Bob's also doing well, flying "cross-country" today. So far, he still seems to be interested in his studies. Just hope that we can finance him all the way without building up enormous future debt.

The house is a mess, slowly rotting away as usual. Two ceiling light globes I just installed in the kitchen have come crashing down at ten dollars each.

October 8 Monday

Columbus Day, a holiday I've never taken much notice of, so it's caught me by surprise. Sue's off from work, sleeping in, and John's taken off for Chicago with some friends. I must say I'm rather shocked that the Missouri Bar and Grill would either be closed or let John off for this occasion. I haven't asked. As far as I know, Bob still has college classes today. It's seven A.M. and I'm lounging on the third floor (sounds decadent, doesn't it?). There seems to be further "progress" on the Falstaff site. Thirteen of our neighbors are running for election to a committee to "liaise" with our Alderwoman, Phyllis Young, and the potential developer, as yet unnamed. The level of intrigue here is getting alarming. I'm afraid this will be in direct proportion to the mess to be made of things.

We plan to vote, anyway, for Liz C, Viki W, and Steve D, a Soulard Market buddy of ours, plus three others picked at random.

By the way, we've had an earthquake (a little one), but they're promising a big one soon. A west coast nut named Iben Browning has been getting much publicity about this prediction.

Sue's had a week of vacation and returned to work today. While she was off we managed a thorough house cleaning plus some painting on the staircase. We even had company over one evening, rare for us, and a good incentive for housework. Then last night we had a nice dinner with Jane and Sue's dad, in honor of Sue's and Bob's birthdays.

John quit his job at the Grill last week and is looking once again. His long-term employment prospects do seem pretty bleak unless he returns to college.

Yesterday we bought another lawn mower, our sixth I believe, for thirty dollars at a garage sale, then cut the grass for possibly the last time this year. Earlier, we'd returned our fifth nonworking one to Venture. (Actually, I've sort of lost count on lawn mowers and may be wrong about these numbers.)

A morning when I really shouldn't write anything. I'm much too angry about young men and young cats.

Somewhat to our surprise, Liz next door and Viki W won election to the liaison committee, giving our building quite a lot of clout. Steve D didn't make it.

October 28 Sunday

More "good news:" Additional black renters have been moving in at the duplex across the street, which already seemed to be overcrowded.* This news via Liz; I haven't confirmed it personally. We have noticed a new Cadillac and a barbecue pit, made out of an old oil drum, sitting in the front yard.

Better news: John starts a new job today as mail boy Sue's bank.

November 1 Thursday

Indian summer's in full force, Halloween over for another year. We had more visitors than usual, including four of the new neighbors' kids.

I stopped yesterday to read some small print tacked to the warehouse/condo door. Someone's now petitioning to open a restaurant there.

November 5 Monday

Colder now and some rain; guttersful of leaves. Yesterday we planted some more hedges to help disguise our chain-link fence. Tom and Liz are taking the other route, installing wooden privacy fences. Talking with them yesterday, Sue discovered that the kid who broke into their car fits the description of our lawn mower thief.

More of my creative writings have been accepted for publication by an obscure magazine. Don't know when or if they'll see print, but the news makes me grin inwardly.

November 16 Friday

Mild temperatures are persisting--seventy degrees yesterday--lulling us no doubt into a false sense of security about the coming winter. Last evening, on some instinctive impulse, Sue and I started cleaning up and winterizing the basement. What the cats have done down there is unprintable.

Thanksgiving last Thursday. We saw Jenny's baby, Tori, and also Bruce and Theresa's new arrival, Lucy. Seeing babies was the high spot of the evening.

At home our wintertime batting slump is still on, so nothing much to add about the house. Juan-the-Mexican's back porch fell off and was beautifully replaced in treated lumber, apparently by their absentee landlord. It looked great for a few days, until they started refilling the new porch with new trash. Similarly, Jerry and Felicia's brand-new deck is being gradually dismantled by their kid's abuse (otherwise a nice kid, as are Jerry and Felicia themselves.) This kind of blight, to me, really makes a strong case for home ownership versus rental property, especially in fragile historic areas. However, nobody asked for my opinion.

December 3 Monday

Colder weather at last and we're now burning kerosene off and on. Why do I dwell so much on the weather? Because it comes in the house so much! John just broke a window in his room, which isn't helping at all.

Indoors, I've been making some token efforts recently, but they've mostly come to naught. Tried to patch some missing woodwork on the stairway, but it looked like hell so I took it off.

Bob nearly had an accident in his flying Saturday, almost having to "ditch" due to high winds when landing. He pulled out of it, thank God, and learned quite a lesson.

Some more to be thankful for: Bob's ex-Marine unit, has been called up for active duty in the latest world crisis. Also, this is D-Day for the big predicted earthquake, but not a tremor so far.

I finally did some more painting, plus almost losing my voice screaming at cats. My music hasn't been going well, putting me in a worse mood than usual.

We just attended the bank's annual Christmas party, our usual social peak for the year. This year, though, we've also been invited to a party at Cyndi and Luann's.

Spent an hour repainting woodwork scratched by cats. I realize this is good evidence against my sanity, since they'll just scratch it up again.

White Cat's gone missing, which probably upsets me more than it should.

December 19 Wednesday

White Cat's back. I'm sorry we can't do more for him to cope with the cold. I did try to make a shelter under the back porch, but he doesn't seem to be using it. I'm not sure if he has another home, but doubt it from the looks of him. He definitely won't come indoors here.

Ice and snow for three days. White cat and I keep missing each other, though I did see his tracks in the snow yesterday.

My birthday again, the forty-fourth time. I'm aging by the minute now. I would like to see the house done before I'm dead, but that may be asking for too much.

Earlier this week, one night about midnight, we called the owners of the house across the street to complain about their new tenants' routine late-night horn blowing. To my amazement, this tactic seems to have worked.

More good news: Some of the ritzy new Victor Street Condos are now being sold. This tidbit per Dr. Clark W, whom we talked with at Luann's party. He seems to be quite committed to the neighborhood, but plans to build a new house someday (shame on him!).

December 31 Monday

Frigid temperatures and ice storms. Curiously, no frozen pipes so far and both cars intact. Christmas was a bust, with roaring arguments about Mac and Sue W (John's parents). I gave our Sue a jelly cabinet and a cheap watch.

 

 

 

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-1991-

January 7 Monday

My New Year's resolution to stop drinking alcohol is now in its seventh day. Disappointingly, no one's noticing. More ice storms. "Blue stuff" (windshield deicer) is now de rigueur (I'm reading I.A. Richard's French Through Pictures.)

We heard last night that a neighbor's home farther west on Victor was invaded, while occupied, by four black youths. Don't know the details. Coming home late, John met these people, who were pursuing the intruders.

I've been doing touch-up painting over water stains with a can of Kilz (very good stuff).

January 14 Monday

Here's some rehab terminology I've picked up lately watching This Old House our favorite TV show...

Rosette: The "round thing" at the top of door molding

Threshold: The raised semicircle of hardwood underneath a doorway (We need one where we installed the French doors at the entrance to the dining room.) I'd thought it meant whole doorway.

January 18 Friday

I've been to a couple of new doctors at Saint Louis U., who tell me I have blue fingernails, "transposition of the great vessels," and a "big atrium," none of which sounds very flattering. Bob's started college classes again, and also has a part-time job. I've done some work on the house, about six hour's worth, mainly painting white paint over green mistakes.

January 23 Wednesday

We seem to be getting nosier as the years go by, perhaps a necessary defense mechanism for city life. Lately, for instance, we've noticed that the white landlords across the street are clandestinely loading boxes into their cars at night. Another observation: Workmen are installing brand-new water lines (a great luxury around here) at the Victor Street Condos. Our own water pressure, by the way, is steadily dropping (probably unrelated to the condos' improvements). We suspect this means that past sins of Plumber Jim are now coming to light. Sue thinks major repairs here may be needed soon (and she's usually right).

January 25 Friday

The white landlords' official moving van arrived today, confirming our worst fears. Meanwhile, their black tenants are repairing cars at the moment in front of our house, leaving behind empty beer cans and a fried chicken box on the curb.

January 29 Friday

I'm painting with a small artist's brush around the edges of woodwork.

My nondrinking regimen, I'm proud to say, is still on. The hardest part, so far, was an art exhibit at Washington U. (my beloved alma mater) with much free wine. For every day's abstention, I'm squirrelling away one dollar in a secret place.

February 4 Monday

I had to give Sue twenty dollars yesterday, so the secret's out. Of course, she deserves every penny she can get out of me.

More trouble with the cats, who've now figured out how to get onto the third floor by clawing open the stairway door. Someday, I just may become violently irrational about this kind of thing.

Across the street, more black colonists seem to be arriving every day. The nighttime horn blowing has also been resumed. Wish we could thank someone properly for all this; we can't find the landlord's new phone number.

I got a new paint roller yesterday: look out, walls!

February 10 Sunday

The walls have been spared, due to a sore throat I've been nursing. I also got a new job, working this time as a private tutor every Saturday.

February 25 Monday

Our customary year-end money woes are persisting well into the new year. Hot water's now getting to be a trickle, but pro plumbers cost far too much.

Yesterday we tried floor painting around the edges of the carpet in our bedroom, with disappointing results. This with floor paint we'd spent a lot on some months ago. We'd also intended to use it on the second floor hallway, but it just won't do.

March 5 Tuesday

Well, maybe it'll have to do...the usual story.

What else is new? The windshield wipers have quit working on the VW, due to the ice storms. Brakes are also getting low. Bob says he's moving into a house being rented by his friend James G. Not very welcome news, but I'm trying to steer clear of arguments.

Haven't mentioned this: Our niece Jenny W got a job with the Arnold Police Department. Her brother Doug's also doing well, working in Jackson, Mississippi. I wish them lots of luck; we all need it in these troubled times.

March 13 Wednesday

I'm playing at seven parties for Saint Patrick's Day, and even had to turn another one down. Feast or famine are the ways that music always seems to go.

The VW wipers are proving more difficult than it had appeared at first. We're still not finished with that job, and now the truck starter's acting up again.

Bob's definitely moving out. He's already been gone for some nights now, coming home days to loot his room.

A follow-up on the subject of our alley prostitutes: Several of these poor girls have been found lately, murdered horribly, then stuffed into containers of various shapes. The containers containing the bodies have been turning up along highways throughout the area.

March 18 Monday

Another Benton Park house tour this weekend. We looked in briefly at the Victor Street Condos, four or five of which are now sold at about $100,000. Tax abatements are apparently a big part of the package. Just wish the city would extend this privilege to poor private rehabbers, not just to prosperous professional developers.

Anyway, things are looking up for the moment. During the tour, we saw quite a number of well-heeled visitors hanging around the neighborhood.

March 25 Monday

Had the truck's starter fixed professionally--well worth the cost in aggravation alone. At last, we've finally fixed the bug's wipers ourselves with junk yard parts (hope they'll last). Bob moved back home after a big fight with his friend J.J.G. He's quite upset, also having had problems with his (ex-?) girlfriend. Not much I can do to help.

I'm staining stripped walnut stairway spindles a deep walnut color. Sue says they're too dark. Maybe I should have tried to restore their natural color somehow, but it's too late now.

April 2 Tuesday

We've had a bit more trouble with Juan C., Jr., who's now started a street gang and is painting obscene slogans all over the neighborhood. Sue sent Juan, Sr. an anonymous letter about this. We're not getting much cooperation from one of the other neighbors, who could have helped a lot. His carriage house was decorated profusely with spray paint, but he won't do anything about it. Sue calls him a "wimp."

April 8 Monday

The brakes on the VW are now completely dead. I think it's the master cylinder. Must try to fix this but it's raining too hard right now.

Yesterday we did yard work and house cleaning. Looked in briefly at John's room, which has reverted to its prerehabbed state. So has Bob's, to a slightly lesser degree.

April 10 Wednesday

We've had an ugly incident with Tom next door, who seems to think we should repair his wooden privacy fence. It's definitely not ours. Under prior ownership, this same fence fell down several years ago, crushing a metal storage shed of ours. At that time, we were fully reimbursed by the neighbor's insurance company (Bev J--about '84).

I don't at all relish starting bad relations with Tom and Liz. He seems to be building up hostility fast, though, and also started complaining about rainwater from our front downspout. Sue went to the hardware store and fixed this immediately with a plastic extension. She's thinks they're just overwrought with unexpected old-house problems.

Just wish Robert Frost were here to handle this.

April 15 Monday

No more fence trouble as of yet. We've discovered, however, that Tom's getting encouragement in all this from Cyndi and Luann, who should know better.

At present, spider infestation is a bigger problem: dozens of them in places, ringing the ceilings, lying in wait for us. I hate killing anything, but had to spray today.

Still lots of trouble with the bug's brakes. Don't know if we can finish this or not. Much frustration.

Haven't had much time for house work. One project I've been working on, long-term, is an investigation of prior inhabitants of the house. I'd always wondered who lived here over the years, but was stymied by rental company ownership listed on the titles. Lately, I've gotten lucky, to some extent, through studying records at the library. Gould’s and Polk’s city directories are the main sources. A major roadblock is that before 1930, there's no cross-referencing of names and addresses. Otherwise it would be easy.*

*I later started using actual U.S. census data. A big problem, however, was that all the 1890 data were destroyed by fire and aren't available.

April 17 Wednesday

Bob flew yesterday on a perilous "cross-country" to Paducah, Kentucky and back. Congratulations, Bob!

April 23 Tuesday

We got an abusive phone call today about the fence from Tom, including x-rated language. Unfortunately for him, we just can't budge on this, as it would set a precedent. (I did offer to tear the fence down, which he didn't want us to do.)

April 29 Monday

Our locust trees are in full blossom. A pretty sight, but hard on allergies. They do smell good.

Two house fires in the area this weekend--an increasingly common occurrence. Last night, the fire trucks came here by mistake, waking Sue and me. Brick buildings don't really burn, of course, except for the interiors and inhabitants.

Lately I've stained a total of two whole stairway spindles, the extent of my work on the house. The VW is still taking up all of my spare time.

May 5 Sunday

The bug may be fixed at last. If so, no one will be more surprised than Bob and I.

Major thunderstorms this weekend, with the usual results... Much of the work I've done on the landing is ruined. I bought a new can of Kilz today

May 8 Wednesday

6:30 P.M.: our first "hooker" sighting of the season just now. Sue ran her and her customer off in no uncertain terms. She also took the license number.

Later: We called police with this info, in case this poor girl turns up stuffed into a crate.

May 9 Thursday

Sue's started some painting on the outside doors and around windows. Central Hardware's changed its line of paints and colors, which I don't appreciate.

May 13 Monday

Sue's been having lots of trouble with her back and rear end. She won't visit the doctor.

Yet another house tour this weekend, and another nice write-up in the paper. It was actually sort of a mini-tour, meant to show off houses for sale in the are. All this helps, certainly, but the front page headlines scare most people off. This one, for example, from the Sunday April fourteenth Post-Dispatch:

MIGRATION: Blacks Moving to South Side

Families Fear Crime,

Drugs on North Side

I've already tried to comment on this black migration, so won't add much more for now. One thing: it is certainly not like "integration," as we all used to picture it. The only integration here is short-lived, indeed, just before the white people all move out.

Hoping for the best, we've been sprucing up the house, trying to keep up the illusion of prosperity.

I've also been observing a young robin family, whose two babies recently hatched in a nest over the warehouse door. They're now coming of age in the back yard, with lots of parental guidance. It's a rather charming sight. The yard itself looks beautiful, but two honeysuckles died where I buried T.C.'s ashes.

May 20 Monday

Bob's latest grades arrived, but aren't exactly great so I won't quote them. John's grades arrived too, and are about the same.

Rather childishly, I haven't been speaking to Tom and Liz, Cyndi, or Luann since the fence incidents. Really, though, we should all stick together.

On a related note, Jerry and Felicia seem suddenly to have disappeared. Jerry, an East Saint Louis fireman, hasn't been getting paid regularly, which may explain this.

May 28 Tuesday

Bob spent the Memorial Day weekend aboard a boat in the Mississippi, coming home badly sunburned.

Rising this morning, we found three white teenagers parked beside the house, apparently smoking "crack." Where they got it is what worries me (evidently somewhere near here). Our new neighbor across the street has been sporting an electronic "beeper" dangling from his belt. This often figures in the drug trade, I understand. Sue's also seen their kids smoking drugs of some kind outside the house.

Jerry and Felicia have moved for sure. We ran into them Saturday at Soulard Market and found this out. Rumor has it that "two girls" have bought the place (code words for lesbians?). Much yard work this weekend. We've also rehung the inside kitchen door, which was falling off.

Summer's heating up, driving me off of the third floor, my favorite hideaway. I love the view there of Saint Agnes Church's twin steeples, particularly at sunset.

June 5 Wednesday

Sue's been on vacation, mostly watching video movies with Khaki (this poor animal is now hooked on TV). We also had a brief visit from two old friends, Linda and Eddie D, whom we hadn't seen for twenty years. They have three daughters now.

Further brake, wheel bearing, and electrical problems with the bug, which I finally gave up on. Took it to Rex S, our back-up mechanic, spending most of Sue's vacation funds.

Some pleasantly cool temps rolled in last night. Hope this lasts awhile. We had been running the a.c.'s full blast.

June 9 Sunday

Sue's vacation continues. Giving her a good rest is a top priority.

I lost my star private tutoring pupil, Kathy T., who's spending the summer in Chicago. I hated to see her go: a good kid with big problems.

Another prostitute sighting Saturday evening, an old white man this time with the black girl. We scared them off, though, before things got underway (probably doing him a favor).

June 14 Friday

Rather hot again and no rain in sight. Our yard stays relatively cool, though, due to its abundance of large trees. The open expanse of highway right-of-way beside us also makes for a nice breeze. Don't know if I've noted this before. The electric meter reader mentioned today how much he appreciates this effect, which is really quite noticeable.

Some shots fired at Twelfth and Victor shattered a car window the other night. This is very common, of course, at the housing projects, and becoming common here. South Saint Louis, all-white when we moved in, is fast becoming the new ghetto of choice--largely thanks to Section Eight "fair housing."

June 17 Monday

More nefarious activity at our black neighbors' across the street. Well-dressed whites keep arriving in nice new cars, staying a few minutes, then taking off. Suspicious, at the very least. If this is drug dealing, it wouldn't be the first time (see Sept. 22, 1989). Cyndi and Luann took action after that operation and managed to get the bastard at 1840 Victor evicted (another newly arrived south side black).

Sue's vacation's over now, by the way. Besides getting her rested, we did get a little bit finished on the house, notably tearing off some ugly aluminum siding installed over the front door transom. We found two colors underneath, black and gray, so the siding must have been there for some years. Dan R had told us that the house was gray when he moved in. Now it's a yellow-buff, Brod-Dugan Balsa, with salmon-colored trim. The rear window trim is a pleasant beige.

We also did some more spindle work, with Bob's help.

June 18 Tuesday

On this day, for one shining moment, forty battered stairway spindles stood at attention as I passed proudly in review! The cats are just seething, I'm sure, and planning revenge.

June 24 Monday

Spindles still intact, despite some attacks and loosening.

More painting on the front and back doors. The improvement with the transoms revealed is phenomenal. Later: An unusual couple pulled up and "went at it" beside the house. Unusual in that they were middle-aged and both white, maybe amateurs. Bob ran them off anyway on general principles.

June 25 Tuesday

More painting.

July 8 Monday

Survived the holiday weekend. No V.P. fair this year; we saw a nice parade instead.

White Cat's been missing for about a week. I just pray he's alive.

Got the bug inspected, through the good offices of Rex S. Also finished painting the front entranceway. This would look even better if its outer double doors, long gone, were replaced. A sister building to ours, almost exactly alike, exists in Lafayette Square, and has the outer doors intact. Another coincidence: these sister row houses, on Lafayette Avenue, have the exact same address numbers as our houses on Victor.

Later: I may be wrong about the doors. Our house may never had the outer pair, since there are no hinge marks to indicate their presence.

July 15 Monday

White Cat is still gone. Somewhat eerily, a new kitten that looks lots like him has shown up. I'm feeding it, of course.

Liz's car was broken into again this weekend, she and Tom quite disheartened.

July 16 Tuesday

Something I should probably make clear is that White Cat was almost totally wild. I never really got near enough to touch him throughout our relationship (now over?). The new kitten, unfortunately, seems to be the same, always staying just out of reach. I think they're called "feral cats." If only I could get near it, I'd try to find it a safe home.

July 25 Thursday

The new kitten's getting somewhat friendlier. Just possibly, we can save it somehow before it's too late. One thing's for sure: we can't have more felines in the house.

Planted a little more grass seed, which is already coming up. Yesterday, however, the new lawn mower went on the blink.

Later: Got the mower fixed. Its gasoline looked like dishwater, so all I had to do was clean it out. Also did some trimming with a new electric weed-eater we picked up at a yard sale for two dollars. Did some mulching too.

July 29 Monday

One spindle out. All cats be damned! Central Hardware no longer stocks the molding we had used to secure the spindles, so I don't know how we're going to put this one back.

One young bird also just killed by outdoor cats. The new kitten can't be responsible(?). He's waiting mornings now on the back steps to be fed.

Sue and I both abed this weekend with a galloping diarrhea, known as stomach flu. Looking out the windows, we saw some egregious alley-pissers outside (three of them at once). The recessed warehouse doorways are an old favorite spot for this. We just didn't feel well enough to yell at them this time.

July 30 Tuesday

Rerepaired the spindle, which took some doing.

August 5 Monday

No more damaged spindles; no more progress either. Nicer weather this weekend. I played at the Saint Louis Jazz Club (for free), where things went well. Otherwise, my music's still declining in frequency of appearances.

The new kitten's getting even friendlier. Sue's found a potential home for it, but we have to catch it first. Bobby tried and got clawed.

One of the buildings at the Falstaff site has started collapsing, simply through benign neglect.*

*This historic building, labeled the California Trading Co., was totally razed several months later.

August 19 Monday

A new development: We've halfway painted the upstairs hallway floor Cape Cod Gray. Bought new latex paint for this because of the cats. The oil floor paint we'd hoped to use takes two days to dry, while latex dries much faster.

Also added two new phones, John having worn our old ones out.

August 21 Wednesday

Finally met one of the new neighbors (1832), who turn out to be sisters. Carrie M is her name.

Some more floor painting last night, followed by a cat romp.

August 26 Monday

Still working on the floor paint.

Bob's college classes resume today. Dissatisfied at Parks, he's going back to Meramec, continuing his flying independently. John's taking two courses at Forest Park College.

August 27 Tuesday

Sue's been going to GHP, our HMO, for "stress counseling." I don't think it's doing much good.

August 28 Wednesday

Touched up doorway thresholds with artist's brush.

September 3 Tuesday

Labor Day weekend. The V.P. Fair was rescheduled for now, after being scratched for July Fourth. Sue watched the parade with her friend Tonka.

No more floor painting for now. My last clean-up job ruined the vacuum. We've started painting white instead on the downstairs walls, which don't need vacuuming.

September 4 Wednesday

Sue to Saint Louis U. Hospital for more tests.

September 6 Friday

More wall painting. The cats have already baptized the floors with body products of all kinds.

September 11 Wednesday

More wall painting. We'd already done these walls once before in a "Victorian" maroon, which was much too dark and now hard to cover.

September 16 Monday

A big birthday blowout this weekend for Sue's dad, who's now seventy years old.

More problems in the neighborhood. Section Eight blockbusting continues on apace; one new arrival in Senate Square was just arrested for the brutal murder of a young white invalid. All of this is sure madness, but seems to go unrecognized as such. On the city's North Side, 100 historic houses per month are now scheduled for demolition, ruined and abandoned by the very people now moving here, "rent-subsidized."

September 17 Tuesday

Plaster patching in the hallway and side door vestibule.

September 18 Wednesday

Sanding and more wall paint.

September 19 Thursday

More painting. A problem now becoming evident is this: I shouldn't have used three brands of white paint! May have to live with this. Some of it is Central Hardware's fault, for changing colors.

September 23 Monday

Gentle rain all day yesterday, with the decency to stay outside. Sue and I house cleaned.

Low temperatures are now fortyish. "Baby," the new kitten, is spending nights indoors. We've tried twice and failed to give her(?) away. She hides and can't be found whenever anyone else is around.

September 26 Thursday

1836 Victor, rental property for some time and neglected, is now sporting a SOLD sign.

September 30 Monday

John was finally exiled Saturday, having broken rules for the 30,000th time. Sue's too sick now to put up with him (we still don't know what's wrong with her). John's parents picked him up, so at least he'll be safe.

Painted stairs awhile yesterday.

October 2 Wednesday

Some wall painting this morning. Last night I went to a baseball game, one of the year's last, with Bob. We couldn't stay too long; his allergies are now worse than ever--another failure for GHP (for which we're paying about $200 per month!).

In other news, the duplex across the street, currently occupied by ever-increasing numbers of African Americans, has gone up for sale. Behind us, the warehouse has been sold again. According to Viki W, the newest neighbors (1836) are decent folk, one of them named Scott.

October 7 Monday

Cut grass and painted stairs again today. Sue's youngest brother, Bruce, an engineer, is coming Wednesday night to inspect our plumbing. We're trying hard to spruce things up.

October 8 Tuesday

More sprucing, more stair paint.

October 9 Wednesday

Bruce's visit comes tonight and it's lit a fire under us. I painted stairs again last evening until about ten.

Later on, about midnight, someone broke into the truck, stealing Bob's new duffel bag, a pair of Levi jeans, and some other valuables. Sue made a police report, suggesting Juan C., Jr.'s name.

October 10 Thursday

Another incident in the ally last night. Spotting some suspects about midnight, Bob called police, who arrived with surprising speed. (Our new neighbor Scott, another recent crime victim, had apparently called too.) After a short chase, three handcuffed teenagers were carted off--satisfaction guaranteed!

Earlier that evening, right on schedule, Bruce arrived. Hurray for Bruce! If all goes well, hot water may be gushing soon.

October 21 Monday

No hot water yet, to speak of.

Another week of vacation for Sue, meaning extra work around here. We painted outside kitchen window sash (four hours per fenetre!). Also checked the decorative front gutters, which need work badly. In our room, Sue installed some spiffy new brass latches, inside and out. We're still trying to control the cats. Baby makes seven of them again. (We now think he's a boy.)

On Friday evening we met Bob Vila, longtime TV host of This Old House, in town for the Home Show... Our Hero, face to face! Got his autograph too. To some extent he's responsible for our being here (or to blame).

Saturday was Bob's twenty-first birthday, a real milestone. He celebrated traditionally with friends on Laclede's Landing.

October 28 Monday

Thunderstorms and leaves: the fall blues. Water coming inside as usual. We tried some new gutter guard, which wehad to custom-make ourselves out of "hardware cloth" (chicken wire). This may be helping.

Bruce came again Saturday and Sunday, replacing lots of pipe, but no real improvement yet.

October 31

Halloween tonight. Bruce returned last evening in triumph, leaving hot water gushing in all the right places. Just wish we could give him a gold medal (Sue did give him a hug). We've been washing dishes and taking baths ever since he left. The old pipes were just packed with unbelievably black crud.

November 6 Wednesday

Right after Bruce finished up, the weather began turning cold, adding to our gratitude.

Sunday evening I got mauled by a very wicked cat (named Jellybean). I was trying to break up a cat fight, and he lit into me with all his claws and teeth. The ensuing swelling made my hand look like a Danish ham, and it hasn't gone down yet. Had to cancel one music job and get a tetanus shot plus antibiotics.

November 13 Wednesday

Saw the doctor again; my hand's coming along. Otherwise, not much is new. Our new gutter guard and new pipes remain the big story. Rain's still getting in, however, from the third floor roof, an unsolved problem. Missing slate may be the reason. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to patch this with roofing tar.

A very flattering article in Old House Journal for November '91 describes this place to a T as epitomizing the French "Beaux Arts Style." What we have here, as we always suspected, is something extra special among row houses. I'll try to save this magazine for posterity, just as we're trying to save the house. (Saving the magazine will be easier.)

November 14 Thursday

I forgot to mention that the ceiling is collapsing in the living room. At this point, we're just keeping the pocket doors closed and ignoring it.

November 19 Tuesday

More roof patching with black tar, a horrible mess.

Also more family problems: John's parents have kicked him out again. We don't know where he's staying now.

Last night Victor Street had its first "drive-by shooting" that I know of. 2900 Victor--ten blocks from here, thank God, but that's not much consolation.

November 21 Thursday

We had to take Baby in to be neutered. The mere thought of this makes me cringe, but it seems to be the only way to go with three unspayed females in the house. He's getting to be a BIG boy already...affectionate, beautiful, and frankly enormous for his age.

November 29 Friday

Thanksgiving yesterday. It started pleasantly enough with a big parade downtown, to which we took Jason and Jeremy. Later on, things went downhill fast.

December 9 Monday

Shirt sleeve weather this weekend, so Sue and I raked leaves and strung Christmas lights. I also repatched limestone steps in front. Sue vacuumed quite a bit with a new v.c. she just bought.

December 10 Tuesday

Bob repainted Cape Cod Gray on stairs, doing a nice job.

December 12 Thursday

Had to have a wisdom tooth pulled yesterday, after five years procrastination. Not the pain, exactly, but bacterial endocarditis is what I really dread, a heart complication that almost killed me once.

December 17 Tuesday

No endocarditis, but I did catch a bad cold from the dentist. Nevertheless, repainted second floor hallway and stairway landing, working under the lights for several hours last night. As of now it looks nice, although Shelly took a wet-paint catwalk on the walnut banister.

Bob fixed a bad oil leak on the truck, plus a loose exhaust manifold: two significant improvements. He's working three nights a week for Clark Oil Company.

December 26 Thursday

We made it through Christmas upstairs without much ordeal. Sue gave me a beautiful Irish sweater, which I received rather gracelessly since it cost too much. In return I gave her an antique wrought iron heating grate from a place called After the Paint. Not that we've finished painting anything. Everybody also got underwear, including Bob, who usually doesn't wear any. About one A.M. Christmas morning, I smelled our mysterious perfume, which I hadn't caught a whiff of in a long while.

December 31 Tuesday

A few year-end tidbits... Bob made a pleasant, quick trip to Mississippi to visit Cousin Doug. Coming back, however, he discovered that his job at Clark is suddenly being eliminated, due to economic cutbacks. This recession's also cutting into my own already-low earnings: down seventeen percent for the year. Justifiably, Sue's now threatening to shoot me, which might be the kindest thing to do.

In the meantime, I'm still remaining cautiously optimistic. Have even done some painting around the place lately.

 

 

 

-1992-

January 7 Tuesday

More painting on the stairway, touching up gray and green. With help from Sue and Bob, I also installed some new moldings to hold the spindles in, this time using Liquid Nails, a great product. Slapped some more white paint in the front hall, too, and shoveled out the living room.

According to the Post, we had "only" 260 homicides last year, not the record that the journalists had been ghoulishly hoping for. The numbers are misleading, though. Most attempts miss being fatal only due to poor shooting.

January 27 Thursday

I haven't written anything because hauling broken plaster to the dumpster gave me an inguinal hernia (only painful when I laugh). GHP plans to operate February twenty-fifth.

February 2 Sunday

To update, it is now somewhat painful at other times than when I'm giggling. Nothing near unbearable, however. Through sheer orneriness, I'm continuing to perform music.

February 20 Thursday

More tests at GHP. The surgery for next Tuesday is still on... God help me!

Actually, I've been feeling somewhat better and am sorry that I canceled several music jobs. According the doctor, I won't be able to play at all for a month afterward.

March 1 Sunday

GHP's Filipino surgeon threw me out of Deaconess Hospital on Wednesday evening, calling me a "beeg baby," which may be accurate. I'm still screaming. At home, Sue and Bob are both sick too, with the flu.

March 16 Monday

Bob improved in time to celebrate Soulard Mardi Gras plus spring break, and now seems okay. Both Sue and I are still mending. She wound up in the hospital emergency room with severe bronchitis, and still has a bad cough.

March 31 Tuesday

Sue seems back to normal now. I saw the surgeon yesterday and he gave me three more weeks before I'm healed completely. In the meantime, this has all been quite a strain, causing much anxiety and stress.

Around the house, I really haven't done a thing for months. My only useful activity has been participation in a Price Waterhouse "audit" of our deteriorating U.S. mail service. PW sends me "test mail" every day or so, then I report on how much or little of it arrives. The only pay, alas, is in free stamps and revenge.

April 16 Thursday

The stress I alluded to almost put me in the hospital again on Saturday. A new doctor mistakenly diagnosed me with "total heart block," potentially fatal, and was about to drive me himself to the hospital immediately. This finally proved to be only a partial block, which I'd had before, aggravated by anxiety. After that scare, I'm just going to declare myself healed, before things get any worse. Spring's now here for sure. Sue's been busy planting Coloratus euonymous, a rather expensive ground cover, all over our now-barren front lawn.

In the back, our latest part-time cat, as yet unnamed, evidently just had kittens (she had been huge up until today). Liz C and Viki W, coincidentally, are also expecting babies any day now: the first human newborns here, that I'm aware of, in a decade.

April 23 Thursday

Viki and Clark W's baby, named Rebecca, came first over the weekend. Liz's and Tom's baby, Chloe, came next. We haven't seen any kittens yet, though we do have some possible homes lined up for them.

Sue's continuing to landscape, planting lots of impatiens, which do well in the shade, plus English ivy. Bob's cut the grass, what's left of it, a couple of times. We've had plenty of rain, and the good news is that the third floor roof (fixed by me!) doesn't seem to be leaking anymore.

April 27 Monday

Bob's wrapping up classes at Meramec, and now plans to attend the Saint Charles Police Academy for the next four months. He's very discouraged with his flying prospects, military or civil, due to aviation cutbacks. We also feel he's had very poor instruction at Parks. It may be possible that Jenny can help him land immediate employment with the police when he completes the training.

May 11 Monday

House tour weekend, with good weather for a change and a nice turnout. Sue and I had been asked to participate as "house-sitters" (watching for thievery), but were busy at Soulard Market. We did do some sprucing up, most notably painting our rusty chain-link fence, which now looks much better. Sue also painted the highway department guard rail, previously marred by graffiti, at the end of the street.

We still haven't seen any kittens.

Bob's enjoying the Police Academy.

Later: More fence painting this evening; we're using rejected silver floor paint and a roller. Then Sue found three kittens under the back porch.

Later: Make that five kittens!

May 18 Monday

Mother Cat and five kittens are now settled in our kitchen, where she carried them after harassment by outdoor males. The babies are about the size of coffee cups. Very cute, but they've got to go and soon.

Car inspection time again. The Mazda pickup just squeaked through for about $300 in repair bribes. They're asking $500-$600 for the Beetle, though, which is just too much. I think we'll have to try to sell it.

May 26 Tuesday

Memorial Day weekend just over, with four days off for Sue. We worked quite a bit in the yard, which is starting to look nice again. Also attended the big annual flea market, Gypsy Caravan, at the Arena, where we ran into Bruce, Theresa, and Lucy. Bob was out of town on a float trip.

The latest cat news is this: Sue managed to give one of the kittens away to a friend from the bank, but we're now taking care of the others all by ourselves. The mother ran off after we refused to let her bring a half-eaten squirrel indoors. We haven't seen her since.

June 2 Tuesday

More cat news. The kitten we gave away last week tested positive for feline leukemia. It's serious and contagious, they say, although the remaining kittens seem healthy and rambunctious. I don't know exactly what we're going to do now. The mother cat still hasn't reappeared.

About cars: We finally managed to get the VW past inspection for a finagled cost of $330, plus bus fare. This lower amount seems worth it to me just for the sake of transportation, even though the bug's now almost twenty years old.

Later: another lengthy session on the chain-link fence.

June 4 Thursday

More fence painting.

June 9 Tuesday

Much yard work Sunday. We found some acceptable compost at Carondelet Park. Also sprayed for "grubs," which may be what's been killing the grass, then we reseeded some more in back.

Last evening we took two more of the kittens to our friends at Watson Road Animal Clinic, who assured us they've never put any to sleep and that they could find homes for these two. I really don't believe there's anything wrong with them healthwise. If so, however, I assume the vet would find it out for himself before any more animals got infected. Unfortunately, Watson Road could only take the two, leaving us with two others. It looks like I may have to take them in today to the Animal Protective Association, which I understand has a fairly good record for placement. I'd much prefer a private home setting, but just can't seem to find anyone suitable.

Homeless update: We've been noticing a young couple hanging around here a lot lately, picnicking in the grass etc., and just figured out that they and their Doberman pinscher been living in their car, parked out in front! Sue found the three of them sleeping there this morning and called police, who ran them off. (To account for the length of this entry: I'm still procrastinating about the kittens, trying to decide what to do with them.)

Later: At the last minute I steered clear of the APS, taking them instead to a small clinic in Kirkwood, where they promised no knee-jerk euthanasia. They said they'd try to find them good homes.

June 15 Monday

Still concerned about kittens in general and particular. I can't bring myself to call the vet and inquire about ours. Must just hope for the best. Their mother's never returned, a troubling omen.

Our latest little project has been an intensive restoration of the bug's paint job, bringing about torrential rains. We painted the wheels in chain-link gray.

June 24 Wednesday

Awakened last night around midnight by repeated horn blowing across the street. The only revenge we can think of is to record this racket, call the neighbors up some Sunday morning and play it back to them full blast (We got a name and number from a misdirected phone bill, which arrived at our house.)

Did some more mulch and yard work. Sue has some lovely gladioli and lilies that are blooming now. Tom's stepdad, Jay, has also been puttering around, doing nice work on their yard. A nice new deck's been installed, too, at 1832: welcome improvements all. The neighborhood at large is now very much under siege by ghetto-blacks, hoping to extend their lifestyle here through "Section Eight."

July 3 Friday

V.P. Fair weekend, reinstated from Labor Day last year. Sue's on vacation and went down to the riverfront this morning with her friend Judi. I'm playing music this afternoon, so couldn't go.

We had an odd phone call last night regarding an old college roommate of mine, later a successful attorney, who's died of AIDS. I hadn't heard from him since 1965, except for a couple of Christmas cards (I guess I was still in his address book). It seems to be a tragic situation; apparently his wife now has it too. He also had an eighteen-year-old son.

I did some painting yesterday for the first time in about six months. Also cleaned the fancy banister with lemon oil. Sue fixed a long-broken window in the back bedroom. Hope to get more done while she's off, but we'll see...

July 13 Monday

Sue back to work today. Not much of a vacation for her. We could have afforded a couple of nights in a cheap motel, but she passed that up in favor of paying bills. Meanwhile, I managed some more painting and tuned up the Volkswagen (work we'd already paid the "inspector" to do.) Also saw two more heart doctors.

The third floor roof is leaking again, and the backyard sewer line seems to be collapsing.

July 20 Monday

Sue's still worrying about the sewer. It is still working, but more cracks have appeared on top. We're thinking about selling an old Eskimo carving, found in Alaska by Sue's mother during World War II, just in case we need a fast $10,000 or so. We don't know if it's really worth anything or not.

Yard work on Sunday. The weather's been moderate.

July 21 Tuesday

I forgot to mention that Peanut Butter (my favorite cat) is sick, probably mauled by Jellybean (my least favorite). We had to take her to the vet last night.

July 24 Friday

Peanut seems to be improving, though not dramatically. I had to take her to Dr. Zeis again today. He seems to think she may have some sort of cancer behind her eye, nose and throat. Sue and I are still going with the injury theory, which seems more hopeful. Peanut won't eat, so we're feeding her a liquid diet by eyedropper several times a day. About the sewer: I talked with a couple of sewermen, working in the neighborhood, who tell me ours is only partially collapsed so far. $600-$700 to fix it at this point. We'll wait, naturally, until things get a lot more expensive than that, and more urgent.

August 3 Monday

More heart tests Friday at Barnes Hospital.

We've had very pleasant temperatures for summer, with a corresponding rise in the crime rate. Saw a new black hooker going at it last week, plus some white kids smoking crack (or something). If we were using the back bedroom, I know we'd be seeing a lot more action. We're taking license numbers now, trying to get registration information from police sources. Sue discovered that the hooker's white customer was using a company car, so she called up his office to complain. She told the whole story to the switchboard operator, hoping to spread it all over his office.

On Sunday we reinstalled doorway trim around the kitchen door. It's been missing since '83! Jim G. had removed a wall there, plus the woodwork, roughing in the new bathroom. We also redid some drywall around the entranceway.

August 10 Monday

Taped, "mudded," sanded drywall on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday. For an amateur, my work doesn't look all that bad to me, though Sue disagrees.

Hot again over the weekend. Aggravation from the little black kids across the street. I've counted up to seven of them, now with a dog, playing outdoors all day long, totally unsupervised.

More real crime: Liz's car was broken-into again... Discarded condoms in the ally... Suspicious drifters lingering, studying the house, drinking out of paper bags. Sue thinks she saw formerly-Homeless Joe around again, so he may be back at large.

My prediction is that the dog won't last long. Maybe Tom and Liz won't either; she's already worried about Chloe's future here.

August 17 Monday

The dog does seem to have already disappeared. Sue's now trying to befriend the kids. Four of them say they're just here temporarily, due to drugs and violence in their own neighborhood. The adults, apparently, sleep all day, leaving these poor kids to their own devices. We had a horn concert Saturday night at one A.M., then again Sunday at eleven P.M., followed by lengthy, shouted outdoor conversation.

Bob's routine at the Academy has been grueling, but he seems to be enjoying himself. He leaves every day at six A.M., returning about six in the evening. This weekend, he also got some extra on-the-job training, working the midnight shift with the Hazelwood Police.

High temperatures all last week were only about seventy degrees! Sue and I did a polish job on the truck yesterday. She's also been trying to restore the back bedroom (again). I'm still plastering away.

August 18 Tuesday

Bloodcurdling screams at seven A.M.: Sue chasing off a prostitute, "Get the hell out of here and don't come back!" Probably, the neighbors thought she meant me. What I still find truly baffling are the hours at which these trysts take place. Incredibly, this same girl (a white one) cruised by again at nine with another gent, but took off when she saw me out in the yard.

August 19 Wednesday

The bug's at Rex S's today for re-refixing. Stuck at home, I started painting the kitchen entranceway.

August 25 Tuesday

Rex's verdict on the bug is that we should "find another vehicle." "Undercarriage extremely rusted" is the way he put it officially on the bill. The engine, which he braced, was literally falling out.

I'm still painting in the kitchen entranceway, much water stained from overflowing gutters two floors up. In one thunderstorm, rain had cascaded down the stairway like a waterfall. Sue and I saw our new prostitute again on Friday morning, standing with her pimp (we think) on Sidney Street.

September 8 Tuesday

A busy Labor Day weekend. Thursday and Friday I saw more doctors at Barnes. Dr. H there wants me to get a heart pacemaker, which I'm very reluctant to do. Saturday we went to Soulard Market; Sunday and Monday I played music. I've also finished painting the side entranceway.

The Eskimo head turned out to be a nineteenth century grave marker. According to Sotheby's in New York, it's only worth about $1200-$1800, not enough for them to bother with. We may still try to sell it privately, though I'd really rather not.

September 17 Wednesday

Bob's Police Academy graduation was last night. Sue's dad, Jenny, Lori (Doug's first wife), and Doug were there, plus friends of Bob's. Everybody commented on how handsome and how tough Bob looked. Doug said he looked like Jack Webb (from Dragnet on TV). Bob has accomplished a lot through his hard work.

Speaking of law enforcement: a big "crack bust" yesterday on Ohio Avenue near here, arresting more newly-arrived North Side blacks selling drugs. Our neighborhood is now definitely under attack, much of it perhaps already irretrievable. I shudder to think what the South Side, still called "Dutch Town," will look like in five years.

Later: Inspired by the drug raid, I personally went out and found a cop to ticket our own black neighbor's Cadillac, which is parked daily on the wrong side of the street, blocking a fire hydrant.

September 29 Tuesday

Word of the Ohio Avenue drug bust has spread far and wide. Yesterday, President Bush himself visited the neighborhood, speaking at Saint Francis de Sales Church against crime and drugs. He's running for reelection and Missouri seems to be a key state this time. I tried to catch a glimpse of him but missed. Couldn't get inside the church itself. I did see Jenny there, as police officers were invited.

Quite a bit of work around the house. Cleaned out the downstairs bathroom, which we may start to "finish" soon. Also re-redid gutter guard in preparation for fall. Tried some floor sanding, too, in the downstairs hallway, unsuccessfully. Will give this up and paint the floor instead.

Much horn blowing Saturday night at four A.M. across the street. Sunday morning we called the absentee landlords to complain (we'd luckily just obtained their new phone number).

October 5 Monday

More political campaigning. Bill Clinton appeared Saturday for a big rally at Soulard Market. I missed seeing him too, but heard him from the rest room, an appropriate spot to hear campaign rhetoric. Later this month, he and Bush are due to have a big debate at Washington U. I never knew Missouri to get so much attention before; the presidential race must be nip and tuck.

October 13 Tuesday

Painted Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday. We've decided to drop Soulard Market, at least for the winter. My health still isn't very good. I'm now just tutoring two nights a week at Sigel School, plus playing some music.

The Washington U. debate took place already on Sunday evening, and included the Texas billionaire, Ross Perot. We all watched it on TV at Bruce's house during a birthday party for Lucy.

Bob's been scurrying around to find a police job, even going twice to

Carbondale, Illinois. I'm sure he'll get something soon. We've also started hearing from John again. He's now enrolled at Columbia College in Chicago.

Another prostitute sighting Thursday evening. I'm sure these incidents happen much more frequently, without our seeing them. I chased the offending couple off, getting obscene gestures from the customer.

October 19 Monday

Bob's twenty-second birthday. Sue's birthday is on Friday. Most of the other Ws [Sue’s family], by some bizarre genetic quirk, also have their big days this month.

Jeremy, a February exception, spent the weekend. He brought a letter from a farm girl in Valmeyer, Illinois,* who found a bottle Jeremy threw in the Mississippi here in July, 1989! Jason threw one too at that time, sealed with wax and a message inside, but it hasn't turned up yet.

*This entire town was subsequently destroyed by the "Great Flood of '93" and was relocated to higher ground.

Sue was on vacation all last week. We installed a couple of ceiling lights in the front hallway and back bedroom. The latter one doesn't work due to old wiring: very frustrating.

More crime news: Clem, Jr.'s car was broken into across the street, plus more prostitution (one girl we saw twice in the same day).

October 21 Wednesday

Crime is still escalating. Somebody got shot in the head last night at Arsenal and Jefferson. Just one example; this sort of thing is now commonplace.

Some more of my creative writing was just published in California. A big thrill for me, but Sue and Bob aren't impressed. Disappointingly, many more of my pieces are "accepted" than I ever see in print.

October 30 Friday

Crime Report: Sue's bank was robbed of $900,000! This still unsolved. Wish we could get the reward; Sue already has a suspect in mind. More crime: a rape on Utah Street, the victim screaming out the window helplessly. More crime: a prostitute murdered on Wisconsin. While walking her dogs, Cyndi ran off the same prostitute that Sue and I saw twice last week. Cyndi got the car's license number, which friends traced for us. Now Cyndi's going to write a letter to the poor man's wife!

Warm, dry days, now turning cold and wet. We raked leaves Sunday and cut grass. Taking a big chance, we tried leaving the lawn mower covered-up under the back porch. I just can't stand having to keep it in our front entranceway. The dog-doo on the wheels is just too much.

October 31 Saturday

Halloween: Saw Bucket Joe, dirty and drunk, this evening at Vincent's market on Twelfth Street. He's on the skids again for sure.

November 12 Thursday

Steady rain for three days. (Fill in blanks about the third floor roof...)

Painted green four more days. The front hallway still isn't done.

Bob's still looking for a good job with police or in "security." He turned one offer down that was well-paid but unacceptably dangerous.

Three or four "crack houses" were "busted" Friday morning on McNair Avenue. It's amazing how quickly this ghetto jargon slips into our own language, soon becoming commonplace usage, almost legitimizing the behavior it describes.

Meanwhile, across the street from us, our own new black neighbors continue blowing horns, parking backwards, screaming in the night, littering, breaking out window screens, letting their kids run wild. I'm sure they see no connection whatever between their own personal behavior and the condition of their "hood" at large.

November 20 Friday

Saw Dr. H again today. I'm afraid he thinks I'm crazy because I don't want the pacemaker.

Painted green four more sessions. Also got a new front downspout and have been painting it repeatedly. Retarred the slate witch's hat turret over our third floor window.

Bob's still looking for a job and getting pretty discouraged. Bruce came over last night to help with Bob's interview techniques (Bruce's engineering job at Monsanto apparently involves quite a bit of hiring). So far Bob hasn't even been granted a police interview. When the time comes, I'm sure he'll do much better than he thinks he will.

Sue and Bob sick the last two days. Somewhat better now.

Used condoms in ally yesterday: the worst kind of litter.

November 30 Monday

I've been playing Christmas music outdoors six days a week for the Salvation Army, so have been pretty busy and cold. Also still tutoring at Sigel School.

We did get the new downspout installed, though part of it remains unpainted. The constant rain we had for weeks has stopped now.

Thanksgiving was quietly spent at home, for once, by just the three of us. We had gone Wednesday evening to a birthday party for Tori. I painted green two and a half hours on Thanksgiving day.

Persistent horn blowing started this morning at 5:15. Sue finally yelled "Knock it off!" out the window. This worked for about an hour, when it started up again.

The big Webster-Kirkwood "Turkey Day " football game was marred, incidentally, by a shooting spree among black youths. The sister of an old Kirkwood friend of ours was accidentally shot. The "safe, white suburbs" had better start waking up.

December 7 Monday

I got so exasperated with pre-dawn horn blowing that I called up one of the black neighbors, Coleman C., to complain. Rather cowardly, I told him my name was [neighhbor Tom C’s surname]. Hope this doesn't get back to Tom.

Bob got a part-time job working for a security company. It's a start, at least, though he's still not very happy.

December 16 Wednesday

Sue's father, John W, had a mild heart attack yesterday morning, but seems to be improved. I think he'll do okay. We've been visiting the hospital quite a lot.

Some work around the house. Sue and I painted green Sunday afternoon for three hours. Bob and his friend Kevin tore down the living room ceiling on Thursday and Friday. Now everything's a mess again, but that's how progress seems to work.

We got a nice Christmas tree and put it upstairs. Also put up a few lights. The roof's leaking again; we've had record rains.

December 24 Thursday

Sue's dad, age seventy-one, had to have a quadruple heart bypass. He's doing alright, but will probably be in the hospital until New Year's.

Kelly's got a kidney infection and has been peeing everywhere, added to Sidney's usual urination habits, plus seven cat boxes. At times, the house just reeks.

Sue's planning a big family gathering here for December 26 and has been working like crazy to spruce things up. She's hung some dainty lace curtains on the doors, plus holiday decorations. We also redid the hallways and stairs with some great new paint she got from Flanagan's on Broadway. I spray painted the water stained ceilings upstairs with Kilz.

It all looks good, but we're always fighting a losing battle against the cats. Jelly's now become almost felinicidal. He's trying to kill Sidney, whenever he catches him alone. We now have to keep Jelly isolated in the living room day and night. Don't know what else to do. To "just get rid of them" isn't as simple as it sounds, and would surely be a death sentence.

Merry Christmas, anyway. We do have lots to be thankful for, I know.

 

 

 

 

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-1993-

January 4 Monday

The holidays over at last! To catch up a little: I wound up playing for the Salvation Army, then rolled over into another temporary job, seasonal fund raising for the Saint Louis Symphony. I doubt that this will last very long for me; it involves calling people up from an endless list of prospects, then asking them bluntly for $1,000. I'm not very good at it so far.

Our holiday brunch went okay. Frankly, though, this bunch seems to have more fun when liquored-up. At least it gave us an excuse to clean the house.

Played music New Year's Eve-afternoon to round out the year.

January 20 Wednesday

Ice storms, snow, cold and rain since the last entry. I slipped, fell and skinned my knee this morning. We're also nearing a garbage crisis. The refusemen took off on Martin Luther King Day and haven't returned yet.

Sue's trying hard to fix the upstairs toilet; we've been using a bucket to flush it for about a week.

February 1 Monday

A bit more progress on the house. More green paint in the front hallway, where I'd left off before our brunch. The paint there could still really use another coat, but it isn't evident in the dim light. Then a little touch of sacrilege: We sawed off the ornate topknot of our lovely mahogany newel piece, where some vital wood parts have been missing for years. I'm sorry I don't know the correct terminology to describe these, pieces. I had always planned to have then replicated someday by a lumber mill, but have now given up. We'll use some substitutes we dug up, which aren't as elegant by any means, but will have to do.

A big accident at Sidney Street tied up the highway yesterday for hours. One victim burned to death. Gawkers everywhere, including us.

February 4 Thursday

Our anniversary: ten years of foolishness on V Street!

February 10 Wednesday

New developments: Bob's now getting interviews galore! This week he sees Saint Ann, the Airport Police, and the City of Saint Louis. I'm praying one of these comes through for him. Bruce came over last evening to help again with interview techniques.

Some shocking news: Cyndi and Luann have moved away, renting out to blacks. Evidently this was prearranged and kept top-secret. More blacks also across the street: all the children who had summered here, plus their mother.

Sue and I replaced the severed newel piece parts, using Liquid Nails. It looks okay, but not perfect.

The truck's odometer has turned 200,000 miles!

Another poem of mine was just published in New York--the big time at last! (Actually, I'm kidding; the poem is to appear in a very small magazine.)

February 24 Wednesday

Cold temperatures, heavy snow and frozen pipes. They're predicting another storm tonight.

The big news is this: two new ceilings in the living and dining rooms! This was accomplished by a cute Puerto Rican couple, Miguel and Diana C. We found their ad, promising to work cheap, posted at the grocery store. They did a great job.

Also installed a new light switch and ceiling light for us. Wish we could afford to do a lot more. Still, this represents big progress.

March 2 Tuesday

We got another foot of snow, only now wearing thin from traffic. Citing excessive cost, the city still refuses to ever plow "side streets" even if they become impassable. Interestingly, this fiscal frugality does not apply to the daily busing and taxi-ing of black children to suburban schools. Over $1 billion has been spent on that so far. (Bob, being white, was not permitted to participate, so could not attend Kirkwood High, as we would have liked. We would even have gladly driven him there ourselves.)

March 8 Monday

Stripped a little more. We're also peeling wallpaper. The living room had remained untouched, until now, during our ten years.

Bob went trout fishing today with his friend Pat. He's now got tentative acceptances from the city and Saint Ann, a big step.

Incessant horn blowing Sunday morning about six: not a gentle method for waking up.

March 10 Wednesday

Bob's now got "accepted" for sure now by the Airport Police, scoring number three on their test!

Another story of mine published in California.

More condoms in ally.

March 15 Monday

Frigid weather all weekend, but spring may be in sight. It was sunny Sunday morning, so I started picking up March litter. I'm now wearing disposable plastic gloves for this.

Did a little stripping yesterday, then blew a fuse and quit, ranting and raving for a while afterward.

March 31 Wednesday

A few warm days over the weekend. We caught up on yard and car maintenance. No further work on the house.

Saw Joe again and gave him a dollar. He's permanently back on the street, seemingly enjoying it.

Another(?) gray cat's now coming twice a day for meals. We're not sure; this may be the one that had kittens here last year; they're starting to all look alike!

Daffodils are in bloom.

April 12 Monday

Easter yesterday with beautiful blue skies. We stayed home and cut grass, all the rest of the family gathering at Mac and Sue's.

Bob's got a spot now on the Saint Ann Police Reserve. A good stepping stone, at least. He's also working part-time again at Harpo's. Police hiring practices are agonizingly slow, plus heavily weighted right now against qualified white males. I feel very bad for Bob, but the Saint Ann job should encourage him a lot.

The "inner city" of Saint Louis, incidentally, now has its first black mayor and black police chief. All the area "liberals," having fled to the suburbs long ago, are of course applauding this. We seem to have the Emperor's New Clothes scenario at work, now with the perfect emperor to match.*

*The administration of Freeman Bosley, Jr., St. Louis' first black mayor, would turn out to be the most corrupt in the city's history. He was overwhelmingly defeated for reelection on April 1, 1997.

For the record, there were five black drive-by shootings over Easter weekend, plus assorted black shootings of the usual kind.

April 20 Tuesday

I had a week off from the symphony and Sigel for spring break. Stripped pocket doors a total of four hours. Also visited City Hall and the library fifteen hours, tracking down more house history. Finding the identities of long-forgotten residents is an eerie procedure. It's strange to realize that, probably, no other living soul has thought of them in decades. Thus conjured up, they almost seem to materialize, like our other ghost.

April 26 Monday

Stripped doors another hour yesterday, but that was about it for the week.

April 27 Tuesday

A prostitute and customer in ally last night about eleven. This is the first we've seen for awhile, though it almost certainly has been going on.

Concertgoing tonight. I've got some new jazz cohorts from the symphony. Sue and I and acquaintances have also been getting free classical tickets, a nice fringe benefit. I still don't know if I'll last there very long. Playing trumpet at the symphonic level would have been easier for me than fund raising.

May 4 Tuesday

Sue and I stripped wood and wallpaper Saturday night; otherwise slow (no) progress. Another concert Sunday afternoon.

Bob's been getting nibbles again from the Airport Police. He's seeing them Friday(!)(?). We're praying this comes through for him.

May 10 Monday

Bob's still on hold jobwise, but getting close.

House tour weekend again for Benton Park with nice weather. The tour was badly marred, however, by another senseless black murder, outside a Soulard restaurant at one A.M. on Saturday. The victim this time: an unlucky white man from West County, thirty-five years old, in town for his daughter's birthday.

We had ally parkers for sure on Wednesday night, plus evidence of more on other nights. Sue just installed a fancy new double flood light, which may help illuminate the side yard and ally. Horn honking now almost every night out front, usually about the time we fall asleep, accompanied by loud "rap" music.

More stripping in the living room (two brief sessions).

May 18 Tuesday

More rap bombardment from across the street. We finally called police one evening about ten. This may have done some good, or may not; anyway, the "music" stopped.

Bob's now taken a physical exam for the Airport Police: We're starting to really believe he'll get the job! (Thank the Lord!)

A bit more work in the living room. Lots of rain. Our gutter guard and roof patches are still somehow intact, a small miracle.

May 24 Monday

Another scary escalation of black violence: semiautomatic gunfire Wednesday night on Cushing Street, very near to us. I heard the shots myself about one A.M. This turned out to be the work of either drug dealers or pimps, who'd just moved in next door to a student of mine from Sigel School, Phyllis A. With two small preschoolers in her apartment, she got twenty bullet holes in the walls and door.

Prophetically, Phyllis had told me about their suspicious activities on Tuesday evening, before the shooting spree started. I'd even made an appointment to tip off our building's new "mobile patrol" representative, Terri K, that evening, but Terri didn't show up for our meeting.

Stripped awhile Sunday night in living room.

We think Bob's got the job, but it's still nerve-racking to wait.

June 1 Tuesday

Bob's definitely got the job! We're rewarding him with the "Limbaugh Letter," from Rush Limbaugh's radio and TV shows (Bob's quite a fan).

Yard work and stripping over the three-day weekend. Saint Agnes Church, around the corner from here, closed Sunday after 100 years. A real body blow for the neighborhood: Shame on the Catholic church!

June 7 Monday

Bob starts today at the Airport!

Driving rain Sunday afternoon; a little bit came in upstairs. I'm still working on the living room. Started plastering, but the walls are so decayed it may be easier just to rewallpaper.

Sidney's been sick again with urinary problems, but now seems okay.

Ten black murders between Wednesday and Sunday. I may be starting to obsess on this. It is hard, however, to remain objective while all around me beautiful historic houses become black "housing"...in time becoming boarded-up, abandoned, demolished, ultimately becoming vacant lots.

June 14 Monday

The Mazda started smoking worse than usual on Bob's first day of work, plus making expensive noises. He rode the Airport limousine for two days, then (based on future earnings) bought himself a new Isuzu truck. Very pretty but big $$$ Don't know yet what we'll do with the Mazda or Volks. Must just try to keep them rolling as far as possible.

June 25 Friday

Things aren't going very well right now. Unluckily, the Volkswagen picked last night to quit running, about ten P.M. I had to abandon it at a 7-Eleven shop at Chippewa and Morgenford. After that, I got attacked with rocks by a would-be teenage gang, threatened with a club, and got a potted house plant thrown unexpectedly in my face. The police did soon catch up with the culprits, but I'm not bothering to press charges. I didn't tell the cops I'd pulled my trusty Swiss Army knife to make a dignified retreat.

Rain last night; water in the basement and third floor today.

June 26 Saturday

Sue and I leave early tomorrow on another cross-country car trip to the east. Bob's in charge while we're gone. When Bob's not here, our new Radio Shack door alarms will be in charge.

July 9 Friday

We got back last night and had a good long trip, 2,750 miles. Things seem to be about the same around here. Before driving to the house, we stopped at a local discount store on Broadway. Just as we entered the store, two black teenagers came running out the door at top speed, carrying boxed chain saws they'd just stolen.

July 12 Monday

A few details about the trip... First we saw Lake Erie and Niagara Falls (I'd spent a great summer there in Canada at about age ten). Unbelievably, all the same American families were still there, summering in the same houses. Tried to call my best old chums, but they weren't home. The Falls themselves are still stunningly beautiful and unspoiled, though jammed with tourists from around the world. We drove through the Finger Lakes region too, and some very pretty, scenic villages.

After that, our main focus was the "Jersey Shore" around Point Pleasant. My mother, aunt, and cousin Ned all treated us royally. Only wish that I could see my mom more often or do more to help her. We did a lot of extra sight-seeing around New Jersey, including Hackettstown, my father's birthplace, which is very picturesque. Also spent a day in New York City, another in Barnegat and Cape May, taking the Cape May Ferry to Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland.

On the way home we took the southern route, stopping at Williamsburg, Monticello, and Charlottesville, Virginia. All very instructive for old house aficionados. The unfinished wooden floors (left that way to cope with mud) intrigued me in particular.

Fixed the Volkswagen on returning home. It was only the voltage regulator that had gone bad, not a huge problem. At this point the Mazda's just sitting out back, stripped of its battery and state inspection sticker to resuscitate the Volks. Someone siphoned all the gas out of the Mazda one night while we were gone (a full tank!), plus all the gas out of Bob's new Isuzu. We bought him a locking gas cap; they'd stolen his cap too, the bastards.

Lots of flooding here. The river's at a record high.

July 19 Monday

Much ado about the flood. Our president himself, vice-present, congressional hangers-on and newsmen all converging on the airport over the weekend. Bob was in the thick of it, really rubbing elbows. He got a nice souvenir matchbook from Air Force One.

Saw Dr. H again Friday. I rashly promised him I'd "go for it" (the dreaded pacemaker).

July 27 Tuesday

Five black murders Friday night alone, not that I'm keeping score. On Saturday night one of the warehouse trucks, parked outside the building, was broken into under very suspicious circumstances. It supposedly had $10,000 of flood victims' valuables aboard.

I plastered the living room three nights last week. We may be giving up the idea of wallpaper as too expensive.

August 2 Monday

Yard work, kitchen light- and fan-fixing...not much else accomplished for the week. Shelly knocked a spindle out this morning, symbolizing the general direction in which things are going. Sue also just put up some old family photos we got from my mom.

The rivers are still rampaging, even shutting down Highway 40 at Saint Charles.

Hate to admit this, but it seems I may soon qualify for "disability," due to my health problems.

August 10 Tuesday

The "Great Flood" supposedly has crested, but heavy thunderstorms again today. They're also now calling this a "hundred-year flood." It is pathetic for the victims, but I hope this isn't all used later on as an excuse to destroy historic property.

Patched living room a bit more (about two hours for the week).

August 16 Monday

More patching. Sue helped me one evening for about two hours, then I worked alone yesterday for awhile.

More trouble with Bob's new truck Wednesday night, exactly a month after the last incident. This time they broke a window, stealing his new stereo speakers. Fortunately, his stereo itself was the removable kind and was indoors. I felt so sorry for him that morning as he came back inside, soaked with rain, wearing his new police uniform, furious and crushed. These creatures also stole our new renewal stickers from the Mazda license plate ($8.50 to replace) and broke windows in both trucks.

Black crime hereabouts is continuing to escalate like crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if the house is next. We've been taking "steps," probably inadequate, for more security. Saturday afternoon a thirty-three-year-old woman was murdered in her antique shop on Cherokee Street. We're also missing mail again.

Not sure if I've mentioned this: Doctor W's house is now for sale at $75,000, which I believe may be somewhat less than he paid. I still wish I could buy the whole row, Monopoly-style. If things continue to degenerate, this just may become possible--at bargain prices.

August 23 Monday

Unfortunately, things do continue to get worse. Eighteen "shooting incidents" last Friday alone. Two killed on Missouri Avenue, quite near here, in Section Eight apartments. "Fair housing" is now being deemed a civil right, meaning that these people need pay little or nothing in rent. The money they save on rent thus can go directly into drugs, guns, and BMWs. It's a form of insanity, at best.

September 6 Monday

Labor Day weekend. All-night partying for our friends across the street. The saddest news is that Bob moved out, into an apartment of his own on Arsenal Street. Traumatic for me.

More trouble on the crime front. The worst news was an incident at Commerce Bank on Grand: a man killed for ten dollars by four teenaged blacks, witnessed by the man's ten-year-old daughter. The victim, this time, was black himself.

More patching in the living room, more stripping of the big doors. Also cleaned the basement thoroughly, manicured the lawn, mended the spindle. Cybertel Cellular, latest tenant at the warehouse, put up yet another chain-link fence, ten feet high, barbed-wired on top. Installing it, they bulldozed some flowers Sue had planted in the "green space" next to their lot. She almost was in tears.

September 17 Friday

Heavy horn blowing at 4:15 A.M. Nothing new in that, of course, but a segue into what is surely the worst news yet: Coleman C. Esq., and his growing tribe are planning to purchase their duplex from the white people who own it. This news per Betty. If true, this may represent a further escalation of the dreaded "domino effect" for Victor Street. Incredibly, most of historically white South Saint Louis has already fallen, or is teetering into ghettohood, just in the last few years. No one could believe the speed of this change, I'm sure, without seeing it. Sadly, no one seeing it publicly acknowledges the truth (including me).

October 3 Sunday

My heart surgery's at dawn, so am feeling quite a bit of self-pity. I probably should quit writing this for now.

I have been trying to make some last-minute progress. Miguel's been dry-walling the new bathroom, then will be putting in a tile floor and painting (our third contractor to "finish" there). After that, he's also planning to install a small deck by the side door, replacing our rickety $400 steps from 1985. The real lesson about houses is they're never done until you give up on them.

October 10 Sunday

The pacemaker's easier to get used to than I'd imagined.

Otherwise, thing's haven't changed much. Persistent horns at l:15 A.M. Sue finally shined a spotlight on the culprit vehicle, Mr. C.'s Cadillac, parked out in front. Evidently, he still finds waking up an entire block preferable to going up and knocking on his own door.

Earlier that evening, Jelly got stuck above the new drywall ceiling in the downstairs bath, getting in there through a hole cut in the wall for the toilet valve. We were pretty tired after getting him out (removing part of the kitchen wall to do so). A huge new cat cage may be the answer. After all this, our new door alarms went off mysteriously, as they do a couple of time a week.

According to the Post-Dispatch today, firearms assaults totaled 2,896 from January through August for the City of Saint Louis.

October 23 Saturday

Sue's Birthday.

Neighbor-"hood" news: Liz's car broken into early Friday morning, witha broken window and her baby seat gone... A CRIPS (drug gang) drive-by shooting at Pestalozzi and Ohio... (Pestalozzi Street was previously known only as the proud home of the historic Anheuser-Busch Brewery).

I've been back to the hospital a couple of times already with pacemaker trouble. Now, its given me atrial fibrillation, which apparently can cause blood clots, stroke, or coronary incidents. Dr. H wants me to go back "inside" for another week.

Unfortunately, Miguel isn't making much progress on the house, except for making a fine mess.

Dougie's wedding yesterday in Minneapolis. Wish we could have been there.

Also: We did decide to try the cat cage idea, buying one at Petsmart that is three feet long, two feet wide, two feet high. It's been a lot of trouble, but does keep our two antagonists apart. Jelly spends his days in there, Sidney spends his nights.

October 31 Sunday

Miguel (now "Mike") finally finished Wednesday night, making herculean marathons of last minute effort. His work was frankly much better when supervised by his wife. Now he has a very motley crew, among them a drunken old man, who fell off a ladder their first day and had to go home. They'd started on September 28 and mostly loafed until now. The deck and bathroom, combined, cost about $1200. It all still needs many finishing touches, but I guess we're satisfied. These days, we have to settle for a lot less than the original owners got.

Thanks to the p.m., my heart problems are still worsening. What they want to do now is "cardioversion," the old electric shock routine used to reanimate dead frogs. I seem to be getting in deeper trouble all the time. Wish I'd trusted to my first instincts not to get involved in this...

Happy Halloween tonight. We had snow flurries yesterday!

November 13 Saturday

Was in the hospital for four days. On the loose again for now. Much frustration, much gratitude to God.

The only news: a stolen car burned behind the warehouse Wednesday night (it's the second one to end up here). Sue's been cleaning up the mess. She's upset because she saw two suspects running from the scene and told the firemen, who did nothing.

Also: Dr. and Mrs. W have absconded, their house still unsold.

November 23 Tuesday

The Ws surfaced briefly Sunday afternoon while we were raking leaves. We waved but didn't chat with them. (We shouldn't even have waved.) One or two more "temporary" black renters like Coleman C. might just finish off this block for good. Hope that's not what the good doctor has in mind... We also saw last season's blonde prostitute cruising by with a customer. She saw us too and took off.

Another hospital visit yesterday and I'm going back again Friday, this time with nose bleeds and bruising from my blood thinners, plus extreme fatigue.

No work on the house, except general cleaning up for the holidays.

November 27 Sunday

Thanksgiving went okay. Bob brought a new lady friend, Rhonda, and her young son, Brian.

Windy, cold, ice and snow. Brake problems with the bug. We've been stoically riding Bi-State buses. Getting to the Symphony, five miles away, takes over an hour!

However, there is hope: Our trusty Mazda B-2000 may be resurrected soon! Rex S is hard at work on it, when he's not out hunting deer. He's had it for a month already, installing a new engine.

December 9 Thursday

We're due to get the truck back today, ending the bus ordeal at last.

Still only token effort of the house. Did clean things up somewhat for a visit from Jenny and Tori. Jenny thinks she's got rheumatoid arthritis, which can be very serious. Hope this isn't true.

December 20 Monday

I'll be off now for a year-end break at the symphony, so hope to make some progress on the house. Good intentions, anyway, as usual. I also have a welcome break from Sigel School, which I'm getting somewhat discouraged with. Phyllis, my favorite student there, was just involved in an incident in which a jealous boyfriend slashed the throat of another suitor walking her home. This really worries me, especially as I always give her a ride home after our evening's class. Played music yesterday and am playing New Year's Eve.

The week's big news is this: Thanks to a call from me, Coleman C. got a nice Christmas parking ticket yesterday. How it gladdens my heart to see his Cadillac humbly parked in the right direction and right place this morning!

 

 

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-1994-

January 6 Thursday

Had a nice holidaze. Due back at the symphony tomorrow. Sue's also been off work with back trouble, supposedly the sciatic nerve. I'm afraid she doesn't take this seriously enough at all.

Stripped and patched the living room more than usual while I was off. Still, I've really only scratched the surface there: quite discouraging.

Another car fire behind the warehouse Monday night. They also got into our truck, but I've now got the gas tank and the battery locked up. Crime and blight in general are still rising meteorically. Tried zapping C. with another ticket (he's back to his old tricks), but the cops would not cooperate.

Yesterday, I visited the Sisters of Notre Dame in Lemay, who have an interesting collection of old Saint Louis photographs boxed in their basement. Wish I could somehow help them put these in a book. It might help wake the public up to what we're losing here, or have already lost.

January 16 Sunday

Extremely frigid temps. Frozen pipes yesterday, thawed with two heaters. Snow's predicted for tonight. Our poor outdoor cat must be suffering terribly; he still shows up for meals, but won't come in.

The only news: another new black neighbor, courtesy of the Ws.

Later: And snow it did. It's been coming down all day. Also trouble with the truck starter. Don't know if this just from the cold.

January 27 Thursday

A respite from the cold, which may have been the truck's only trouble. We're getting rain just now, indoors and out. The usual places.

I've been patching every day and/or sanding with a new electric sander (slightly deafening), given me by Sue for Christmas. A note about the living room: According to all our readings on the subject, this was probably called the "parlor" by the Victorians.

February 3 Thursday

Still patching and sanding. Also scraping thick, white paint off windows in the pocket doors. Don't know why it's there, unless for privacy during subdivision of the house for two families. A lovely morning, though light snow last night. The first appearance of the sun in weeks. I took advantage of the early light for some snapshots of the neighborhood, in particular an old bank on Broadway whose ornate, Corinthian columns I drive by daily just to look at. It's hard to explain, but the simple visual impact of these surroundings can be remarkable. Just looking at these charming old buildings can be truly therapeutic, soothing for the soul.

February 12 Saturday

Cloudy, cold, damp, but bearable. Soulard Mardi Gras parade today.

Thursday night we attended a Third District meeting with police at Trinity Lutheran Church, which still holds some services in German. A local school principal, forty-three years old, had just been murdered the week before in a street robbery outside his apartment. Not much reassurance from the authorities, as usual. They unveiled a new program call COPS (Community-Oriented Police Silliness?), by which citizens in effect must just fend for themselves.

February 25 Thursday

More truck trouble. It's in the shop again today.

A detour on the house. We've started redoing the "maid's room," adding some crown molding (somewhat mismitered). A new bed, too, and paint touch-up. I'm also repainting upstairs hallway floors, scratched badly by the cats.

March 8 Tuesday

Correction: I never did get to the floors. Instead I re-repainted white landing walls marred by indoor rain in 1991. Worked on this about ten hours total. I'm now stalled again but will try to do the floors sometime soon.

A continuing problem of black misbehavior across the street, horn honking in particular, of which I'm now at least keeping track: forty-plus times so far this year. What to do? That's the question.

March 14 Monday

Finally finished gray on stairs and second floor hallway. About eight hours of work just getting back to where we were three years ago.

March 21 Monday

More paint touch-up. Also retarred third floor turret, in anticipation of the rainy days to come. I'm afraid this is going to need more serious repair soon.

Had a confrontation Friday A.M. at 5:30 with a Ms. Essie J., one of about ten current inhabitants across the street. I had been waiting outside in the predawn darkness, and nicely asked her and her daughter to stop blowing car horns at 5:30 every morning. My request was answered with honks this morning at 5:45.

March 29 Tuesday

Cold for March. We even bought some kerosene, having already turned off the furnace for spring.-

Latest crime report: A high-speed police chase Monday at one A.M., ending with a neighbor's brand-new car getting totally smashed-in by two kids in a stolen vehicle. We didn't get much sleep after that.

More detours on the house. I've been redoing the upstairs bath: sanding, staining, taking up linoleum scratched up by cats. Will paint the floor.

Nice news: I won an essay contest and will be writing four guest columns for the Journal newspapers.

April 11 Monday

Nice Easter visits from Lori, Bob, Dad and Jane. Constant rain after that. Patching third floor turret didn't help. More slate off and missing trim to blame? I've got plastic sheets and cups spread out everywhere on the third floor.

Now the basement's flooding too. Found some tiny holes in the foundation and will try to patch these up.

April 18 Monday

Allergy time: I'm sneezing left and right. Also tulip time; ours were all just picked by small black kids. Last year, Sue had moved our bulbs outside the fence, leaving them vulnerable.

I finally got exasperated with C.'s honking and called his landlady, Laura McC., who was quite cooperative, having once been threatened with a shotgun by Mrs. C. Laura said she'd call and write them with complaints. Incidentally, C.'s not buying the house, as he'd told Betty.

More work on the living room.

April 29 Friday

Work stalled again inside the house. I'm dealing with the elements again. Roof patches haven't worked, so I'm patching more. Also nailed down rotten trim (called fascia board?) or what's left of it. May try replacing all of this. Basement's flooding again too, though it stopped temporarily.

One bad incident with a prostitute, who's client's car Sue--screaming all the way--chased down the ally in our truck. Got his license number. We'll try to write his wife, if he has one.

May 6 Friday

More trouble with C., specifically his nephews, throwing bricks at the highway. One man's car was hit hard. He came up looking for the kids accompanied by police. I said I'd witnessed everything, so may be in for trouble now.

I think I've slowed down water leaks upstairs. It's been coming in through a rusted metal ornament that sits atop the turret. Underneath the ornament was a straight shot at our tongue and groove third floor ceiling. Don't know how I've missed this for so many years. Plugged it temporarily. May replace the ornament if the plug works.

May 12 Thursday

More patching on the roof, tarring over the entire ornament. I have jet-black clothing now, which I use exclusively for this. Had light rain last night and none came in...

Prostitutes Saturday at six A.M., Sunday at 8:45. Yesterday, a black kid heaved a rock into the kitchen, denting the dryer. Don't think this was personal, just pure maliciousness. I'm lying low in wait for his return.

Also: Another house tour; another Soulard murder, this time a Clark gas station attendant, killed for $100 by three South Side black teens.

June 5 Sunday

Vacation for Sue. We also had a nice but brief visit from my mom, preceded by many small improvements around the house: a new ceiling light for the bathroom, back door repainting, CWF for the back porch, doorknobs that work. Having company still brings out the best in us. Jeremy's visiting today with a new kitten, named Gypsy, which we'll keep for him while his parents build a new house. We all cut grass and put lattice work on the new deck.

Otherwise more of the usual--prostitutes and horns. We heard shots one night so close-by that we both hit the floor; I skinned both knees and stepped into a cat box.

June 27 Monday

No real progress. Did get the truck repainted at Earl Scheib--a mediocre job. Saw one possum and one prostitute. Got another parking ticket for C.

July 6 Wednesday

The Big Fair. We saw the Beach Boys, for the second time, and saw our nephew Jason Williams in the V.P. Parade. Big doings, of course, for our African Americans. Mr. C. shot off fireworks until the wee hours. Tom went out about midnight and tried to protest (unsuccessfully), but I have to give him credit for trying. When morning came, I went out and threw all the debris into C.'s front yard.

Three days touching up the limestone facade, badly damaged by the elements and by our air conditioner, which leaks down the outer wall. One step forward, two steps back.

July 28 Thursday

We're redoing outside windows in the rear of the house--stripping, sanding, priming, repainting. A much more thorough job than we've done before. Sue's even taking the windows apart and rebuilding their wood parts, chains, and glass--she's so clever! New glass, incidentally, is much superior to our hundred-year-old glass, which tends to be much wavier. I don't know if the wavy Victorian glass started out that way, or somehow became wavy over the years. Anyway, we've got two windows almost done in about three weeks.

Black "serial rapists" seem to be the latest phase of the crime wave. One just broke an eighty-three-year-old woman's jaw.

August 22 Monday

Still stripping, painting, fixing up. I wanted to take particular note of the side door, which provides some good evidence about prior paint jobs on the house. It seems to have been varnished first, then successively painted green, white, gray, and beige (twice, by us). The result, during stripping, looks like a Jackson Pollack oil painting.

More black rapists, one at the Marriott Hotel across the Street from Sue's bank building. Very worrisome, particularly since the local news media--for fear of being labeled "racist"--give out few details or descriptions. A number of women in the Shaw neighborhood, for instance, were seriously hurt recently before the news reported anything.

August 27 Saturday

Update: A young black suspect was just arrested in this case, charged with nine rapes.

September 21 Tuesday

Still preoccupied with doors and windows, of which we have a total of twenty-two (I think). We've finished eight (I think).

Our only other progress is a new, deluxe water heater, installed yesterday, which is going to cost us about $500, financed through Laclede Gas, our old friends. A potential problem is that the city has to come here later and inspect the installation--I just pray they don't decide to inspect anything else. I'm trying to get rid of some asbestos(?) insulation on the furnace ducts before they come.

Also a little excitement. Sue found a baby possum trapped in the living room; it had apparently come in through a window briefly left open for painting and then closed. The poor critter must have been in there for almost a week without food or water. I wasn't home when Sue found it. She was afraid to go near it, and couldn't get anyone to help. It seemed to be okay, amazingly, and ran off gamely when I came home and opened the window.

October 17 Monday

I'm trying to do a quickie job on two more windows, on the third floor, before the cold hits. Then will try to start again doing windows in spring.

Other than windows, still not much progress. We did wind up repainting all of the woodwork in the "maid's room." I've also been doing a little bit, off and on, in the living room.

When the living room, dining room and kitchen are finally done--maybe within a year--I'm going to consider this whole project done as well. At that point, every part of the house will have been "finished" at least once, so I'm going to stop writing about it.

In other words, we're entering a last phase of sorts, at last!

November 7 Monday

Finished painting the two rear third floor windows. Not the quickie job I'd expected. We had to totally replace one rotted window sill, among other problems.

December 5 Monday

Winter rain's beginning. As an experiment, I put duct tape on the roof turret today, plus some plastic bags and tar.

Still chipping away at the dining and living rooms. Mostly stripping wood there, wood I'd once sworn not to strip. Fear of future Lead Paint Police got to me.

Saw Bob and Rhonda for Thanksgiving. Jenny and Tori visited last weekend.

Found a dead possum hit in the road about a week ago, probably one of ours--this is very sad and unnecessary. People drive too fast. There's at least one more possum I've seen around since then.

Am playing some music for the holidays, but still way off my peak (such as it was) of sixty-seven jobs in 1989.

December 27 Tuesday

We had a beautiful Christmas weekend with temps in the fifties. Today's going to be sunny and sixty degrees! I'm playing music for New Year's Eve, so hope the weather holds.

Spent Christmas Eve at Doug and Debbie's new house--about eighty miles or so round trip. Christmas itself couldn't have been better--we all scored big, thanks largely to big boxes

from my mom and aunt. Sue got a fancy automatic bread maker, which works perfectly.

The only dark spot is a looming garbage crisis in the ally. Also, the third floor roof still seems to leak. Indoors, things are under control. We put up the new doors for the living room and dining room

 

 

-1995-

February 22 Thursday

I've been holding off on writing, hoping to have something positive to report. About the best boast I can make is that patching and sanding are just about finished in the living and dining rooms. Electricity has gone dead, however, on the third floor, probably due to interior rain.

The weather's been basically windy and mild --a record high yesterday of seventy-eight degrees. I've been picking up litter most of this morning.

We had a prostitute next to the house at one A.M. Friday. Sue just happened to wake up in time to catch them. She was so mad she ran outside, screaming and throwing a bucket of ice cubes at the shaking car--which didn't stop shaking! The police got here too late, of course. One officer did give us the private number of his car phone, for faster service in the future. He said neighbors on the east side of the highway have been complaining too.

Later, incidentally, we traced the car's license number to a resident of the Darst-Webbe housing projects--tax dollars hard at work.

March 1 Wednesday

The end of Mardi Gras, a huge success this year, due to the warm temps. Bob, Rhonda and friends came down to visit. He, she and Brian are renting a nice house in Rock Hill. He's working for the Saint Ann Police now, having found the airport too boring.

For seventy-five dollars, we just got electricity back on the third floor. It was just a loose wire, not water damage as we'd thought. We'd been installing three more bookshelves up there, which apparently caused the problem, banging into ancient electrical connections.

March 27 Monday

Am finally ready today to start painting the living room. We had a couple of recent detours, mainly sanding the floor there with a huge rented sander (Bob helped with this), then finishing the pocket doors. I used a light maple stain and linseed oil, trying for that old-fashioned look, which is what we got. The floor will get polyurethane after I'm done painting. Actually, I'd always wanted to do all the floors this way, rather than painting them, but the cats would never have permitted it.

April 12 Wednesday

We finished painting the living room about a week ago, and have gone on to finish the dining room too. Used Brod-Dugan ceiling white for the walls and ceilings, and a bluish grey called Parliament for the woodwork. Too blue, really, but it does look nice. With the pocket doors open and the big, arched front window trim freshly painted, the living room almost looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. Until now, this window had always been covered with filthy, old venetian blinds, probably left over from the 1950's.

Something a bit odd to report on the crime front: One night, somebody stole two cobblestones and about six bricks, used for landscaping in the backyard. We're not sure for what purpose--possibly for throwing at the highway. A young woman was recently killed that way on Highway 40; it's a favorite game around here.

We also had a house fire, our first, which happened on the same night as the cobblestone incident, about one A.M. Linseed oil-soaked rags in our bedroom trash can combusted spontaneously, filling up our room with smoke. Luckily, we woke up and got the can outside before there was any real damage.

April 22 Saturday

A rare late-night entry; it's about eleven P.M. I'm usually in bed by now, even on a Saturday, but can't sleep tonight. I wanted to note that the living room and dining room are basically done. The floor's been polyurethaned three times (a lot of work), and Sue bought some new, expensive furniture which arrived today--a beautiful new couch and chair, and a new end table. My mom and Aunt Molly had sent us the money for these nice things, as sort of a second housewarming. Sue was on the verge of tears yesterday, when it looked like Dillard's couldn't deliver them. She had already invited company for dinner. So, the Dillard's store manager made a special exception, God bless him.

The house really does look stunning, just as we had always pictured it in our minds. To top it all off, we got out a beautiful Chinese rug we've had rolled-up on the third floor for twelve years. It was an original housewarming gift from my mother, back in 1983.

April 27, Thursday

Just a few more notes about things I didn't want to mention in the midst of our re-housewarming celebration. Namely, more crime incidents. We had two prostitutes recently, one on Easter Sunday. Also, the Mazda got broken into again. Actually, gotten into--we leave it unlocked now so the windows don't get broken. There's not much left to steal except the battery, which we keep locked down, and the license plates. They did take a tire gauge and the ashtray, which I'd risked leaving in the truck.

A sad note: We sold the VW yesterday to an itinerant tow truck driver, traveling the alleys in search of junk. I hated to see her go, but it was just too much trouble and expense to keep on the road. It hadn't even been drivable for about a year, due to various small ailments. We did have five good years of fun with this volks, plus years more with our other two, starting in 1972. I guess it's the end of an era.

May 8 Monday

Quite a bit more work on the third floor roof. Replaced all the suspect trim yesterday, but water's still coming in as of this morning. I hate to admit it, but we probably need professional help to solve this.

Also the same old story crimewise. I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record on this, so don't even mention most of it. This time it was two Washington U. coeds, abducted in South Saint Louis Friday night, raped and shot by black males, then left for dead in East Saint Louis, Illinois. What really bothers me is that the Post-Dispatch didn't even bother mentioning this in the Sunday paper.

June 4 Sunday

Another late-night entry, late for me anyway. Since joining the leisure class, my hours are becoming quite irregular.

More depressing news. Banner front page headlines in the Sunday Post, trumpeting the city's declining property values, glaringly ignoring the reasons for the decline. I won't bother going into them again.

I'm working in the kitchen now, the last phase of this project. We'd left off there in 1987 when the new appliances arrived. We never finished patching and painting after Keith W dry-walled the ceiling.

This is definitely the home stretch, even though we still may not be truly finished 'til Christmas, for which Sue is planning big doings. She already considers the job done, since we've finally hung an enormous old oil portrait of her great, great grandmother in the dining room. Like the Chinese rug, we've been storing it for all these years, moving it from room to room to avoid damage.

June 5 Monday

Stayed up brooding again until about two A.M., then woke up at five. Over morning coffee, I prepared a note of protest to the Post regarding their front-page story about property values. I only wish I could have said a lot more to set them straight .

June 21 Wednesday

Somewhat surprisingly, the Post printed my letter, with some others along the same lines. I was flabbergasted when the mayor himself, having seen my letter, wrote a nice note to me. I felt that I'd been honored to receive a letter from this well-meaning man, and a little bit guilty. He may be onto the right track, and I may be wrong. His solutions, though, seem to me to be just about identical to the problems. "Neighborhood stabilization efforts," for example: Does that mean more great ideas like Section Eight housing?

If so, we've still got a long way to go.

 

 

AFTERWORDS

-1996-

April 15 Monday

Often, I find myself standing at my living room door, staring at this lovely room. We did the living room and dining room last. I considered the hanging of my great-great-grandmother’s portrait over the dining room fireplace as the final act. This painting was shipped to my grandmother from Scotland. When I was a small child, my grandmother said that someday it would be mine. I had the painting in mind when we chose this house. As the painting is almost five feet tall, we needed the high ceilings.

The beauty of this house is truly a great reward for the near-hell we have lived through to get to this point. We celebrated our thirteenth anniversary here by having the whole family for Christmas. We had twenty-seven people and a nine-foot tree. We went overboard on the decorations, spent too much on gifts for everyone, and had a fabulous brunch. It was great.

Everyone said it was their best Christmas ever. Now we’re alone at our end of the building. Our neighbors, the Cs, moved out the week of Christmas. The anxiety of what’s to come is very stressful.

Things seem to be changing. Our quiet neighborhood is becoming filled with the noise of senseless horn honking day and night. The litter has become almost overwhelming. Instead of cleaning up just in front of our own house, we have to do it now for at least a block or two all around us. We seem to be going from a neighborhood of homeowners to a neighborhood of renters. Most of them think nothing of throwing their trash in the alley or down the storm sewers.

When I think seriously about the neighborhood, I can see this becoming another North Saint Louis, but I pray that it won’t. I love my house, and don’t want to leave. -Sue

AFTERWORDS cont.

-1996-

JUNE 1 Saturday

The Cs having moved out two days before Christmas, their new black tenants moved in one day before Easter.

Neighbors Coleman and Mrs. C. across the street were arrested in a raid by about a dozen undercover police officers on March twenty-second for selling "crack" cocaine. Led away in handcuffs, they were back within two days. Soon afterward, C. was even back to his regular daytime employment as a school bus driver. Most of the neighbors weren’t home during the raid and weren’t even aware that it had happened.

All this finally proved to be too much. We protested strenuously to his landlords, the city and the police, going in person to the Third District headquarters. We also organized two neighborhood meetings here at our house, to inform those who hadn’t known what was going on. Late last night, a big rental van pulled up at their door. Threatened with eviction, the C.'s started moving out. One small victory in what may be a long war.

For now, at least, we're staying and not giving up. I haven’t told this to Sue yet, but I smelled "the perfume" tonight for the first time in years. Maybe this omen will bode well. -Scott

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Burns, John A. Energy Conserving Features Inherent in Older Homes(Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, n.d.)

Census of the United States (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of the Census, 1900, 1910, 1920)

Edlin, Herbert, What Wood Is That? (New York: Viking, 1969)

Gould’s Blue Book for the city of St.Louis(St. Louis: Gould Directory Co., 1883-1916)

Gould’s Red Book for the city of St.Louis (St. Louis: Gould Directory Co., 1909-1916)

Gould’s St. Louis (Missouri) city directory microform (St. Louis:Polk-Gould Directory Co., 1872-c1952)

Gould’s St. Louis red-blue book (St. Louis: Polk-Gould Directory Co., c.1918-c.1929)

Haines Saint Louis city and county criss-cross directoryCanton, Ohio: Haines and Co., Inc., 1988-1994)

Massey, James C. & Maxwell, Shirley; "The Beaux Arts Style"; Old House Journal 19, no.6 (1991)39-43.

Polk’s St. Louis (Missouri) city directory (Taylor, Michigan: R.L. Polk & Co., 1955-1973)

Universal Almanac (Kansas City, MO: Andrews and McMeel, 1997)

 

 

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