Pocket Pal 1976

After my Grandmother on my Mother's side suffered her recent stroke forcing her into a long term care facility, my mother and her siblings were left the task of sorting through some of her things. Among them was an item of extreme curiosity to this related blogger, my Grandfather Ray Melvin's Journal. I never met my Mom's Pop, I've never heard his voice and I had never until yesterday even seen his hand writing. I've seen a few pictures, but that's the extent of it. The address listed in the journal is 221 w. 8th Street in Larned, KS. 67550. According to my mother he had just been released from the State Hospital there after a spell of manic frenzy which had been preceded by 4 years of talking to no one. I would like to have read the journal from those 4 years.
Since it feels appropriate I will attempt to transcribe the journal here, I will probably need some assistance from my Mother in this respect so some of the postings may appear rather incomplete until I can get transcription assistance.
The above picture is of Grandpa Ray and my now ailing grandmother Irene. The photo was taken in 1972, somewhere in Kansas, quite possibly Larned.


Here is a photo of the first page, a photo of a photo copy. Tee hee!

The next page says Notes at the top, then
"Memories and Diary of Irene and Melvin
in -1976-

If you can read it ????"

Upside down on the same page is written:
Laura Irene
Ray Melvin

Special note, apparently Grandpa referred to Grandma as Rene.

The third page also has a curios note, the heading of the page reads
"Advance Planning for 1977"
under which one of my grandparents wrote:
"For Rene to Write a Good Book?? and be kind"

The Actual Journal action begins on page 4,

January 1, 1976
Thursday, New Years Day
Here it is 1976 spent by watching Guy Lombardo
Got up to tet Rene off to work and food(?) & thats about all. Sunny outside, we go downtown to eat home about 2:00.

January 2, 1976
Friday
Sunny & Cloudy. Cold. Went down town got medicine refills (word i can't read?), also stopped at store got food for dinner & supper, need nap, will watch TV.
(Buck note: is this where the strange notion in my family that Lunch was referred to as Dinner originated from? Mother? I once asked why we used to call the midday meal dinner and everyone denied that we ever did, though I could clearly recall it was standard practice in our early days on the farm. Looks like I've got the smoking article here before me. best fess up now.)

January 3, 1976
Saturday
Sunny & Cold went downtown had coffee at blue goose cafe on way back had a mishap. watched TV then went to bed for the day.
(Buck note: wonder what the mishap was?)

January 4, 1976
Sunday
Sunny & Cold stayed home fixing dinner for Rene and me. Had nap while ago. Will Watch TV tonight. Spend day at home.

(Buck Note: I'll hopefully continue this until the completion, even though the entries are not overtly startling there is a lot here for me to try and get in mind. I know nothing but pretty terrible behavior from this man, yet here he is at the end of his life documenting his coffee, nap and TV routine, though most likely on Doctor's orders. As a younger person I never really cared to know much more about Grandpa Ray than I did, as far as I was concerned it was good riddance and so forth. I guess I've come around to wonder what used to make up the meat that moved the bones of the skeleton in the closet, and how can we all avoid a similar fate.)