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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Monday, October 19
• Historical Vandalia, Inc. Board, 6:30 p.m., Fayette County Museum, Vandalia.
• St. Elmo Board of Education, 7:30 p.m., Unit Office.
Extension Information
The impact of COVID-19 continues to create uncertainty and concern both globally and here in our community. Following centers for disease control and prevention guidelines, campus leadership has implemented social distance protocols that impact all university events.
Illinois Extension, as the outreach program of the University, aligns with all policies related to public health and safety. University of Illinois Extension has suspended normal office hours at all the offices, while the staff will still be working, they will largely be doing so remotely in most cases from their homes.
While the Vandalia U of I Extension office is closed, you are still able to mail documents to the University of Illinois extension at 118 N. Sixth St, Vandalia.
Sarah Luce, 4-H program coordinator, can be reached by phone 217-300-4897.
Lunch Bunch
Only two were able to attend the Oct. 8 noon meeting of the Lunch Bunch at Mary Ann’s Restaurant – Pat Porter of Farina and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo.
District Library Board
The St. Elmo Public Library District Board met at 6 p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Brownstown Branch Library, and present were board members President Koeberlein, Arnold, Crawford Denton, Hord, Hough and Kamnick, and Director Karnes. No guests were present.
Bills were approved and paid, and the treasurer and librarian reports were presented.
The St. Elmo Public Library, Beecher City Branch Library and Brownstown Branch Library will be closed on Nov. 3, election day.
The new library logo contest information will be posted in the newspapers.
Karnes will advertise in the newspapers for bids for snow removal for the St. Elmo Public Library and Beecher City Branch Library.
A flag ceremony was held at the Beecher City Branch Library on Monday at 2 p.m.
The November district board meeting was to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the St. Elmo Public Library.
Special Board of Education Meeting
The St. Elmo Board of Education met in special session at 7 p.m. on Oct. 8, and the board approved the following:
• To return to in-person instruction at the JH/SH for four days a week, with the fifth day being for remote learning, beginning Nov. 2.
• To return to in-person instruction at the elementary school for five days a week, keeping the previously scheduled remote learning days (Oct. 30-Nov. 20).
• To allow students choosing the remote option to return in person instruction on the first and 15th of each month.
• Employed Jessica Mathis as pre-K teacher.
• Employed Lucas Watson as a full-time, temporary remote learning teacher.
Rhodes-Side Gleanings –1958 Continues
Cooking schools were given way back then. On April 24, 1958, the Marchmans came out for supper, then Billye Jo and I went to a cooking school at Effingham.
In May, Phil went to Marchmans to get a maple bedroom set they wanted us to have, and a few days later I refinished it. It has always been in Steve’s room.
Mom called from Vandalia on May 14 and said she got fired from the hospital. The next day, I went to Vandalia to take her to see about a job. I think this was when she started working at the Evans Remnant Shop.
At the FFA Banquet, we went to the evening of May 27, Phil was taken in as an honorary member.
On May 31, Phil and I went to the Alumni Banquet, then Bill and Virginia Carpenter of Indiana and Zona came out to spend the night. Virginia was a cousin to Phil and Zona.
My Sunday, June 1, diary entry says, “Company took off about 10 a.m. a.m.; we went to Duffords awhile to see Janie and Leon Gibbons, then went to Marchmans. They came out for a chili supper and so did Vera Wagoner (BJ’s mother). Strauchs (neighbors) also came tonight, and also Charles, Doris, Clifford and Gertrude Harper. Good thing I had a lot of chili.”
The morning of July 9, I canned 16 quarts of beans and the next morning I canned another 16 quarts of green beans. At noon, Phil came in for lunch and I was at the stove fixing the lunch, then I turned around to get in the refrigerator. It was the first time I ever fainted. Guess Phil saw me, grabbed me and I woke up on the couch in the bedroom. Didn’t know why I fainted.
On July 22, I went to Dr. Phillips. On Aug. 4, my diary says, I didn’t do much because I didn’t feel good. I went back to Dr. Phillips on Aug. 8. Guess I found out why I had fainted and occasionally didn’t feel good – was pregnant. Very few times I was nauseated and never lost a meal.
On Sept. 1, went to the peach orchard and got two bushels of peaches; canned 21 quarts and made two pies. The next morning I canned 14 more quarts, then in the afternoon went back to the orchard for two more bushels. I canned 21 quarts on the third and late that afternoon Steve and I took some to Mom at Vandalia. I canned another seven quarts on the fourth and another seven quarts on the fifth.
Bob and Jeanne Cox and young son Keith moved to St. Elmo either this summer or fall. I took Jeanne to the Edmar Circle meeting the evening of Sept. 8.The next day, I went back to Dr. Phillips and had to have a shot and some medicine. Probably I had been doing too much work.
All I mentioned doing in the day of Sept. 17 was rock-a-bye, because Steve was cutting teeth and had a fever.
It was September 27 when I told Mom I was expecting. We told Phil’s folks the next evening.
I had made an A-line dress, the current style for everyone, not just pregnant women, so I could wear it without anyone thinking I was pregnant.
I think it was early in September I brought home, from a store in St. Elmo, a book with patterns in it.
I found patterns for pregnant women, but didn’t want to get the patterns at the store. BJ knew I was pregnant and didn’t want the public to know yet, so she volunteered to go to the store and get the patterns I wanted. Guess what happened – the one who waited on her spread a rumor that she was pregnant.
I cut out a jumper, blouse and denim outfit on Oct. 7. The jumper didn’t look like a pregnant outfit, because it had a deep pleat in the back that was belted.
So I was about four months pregnant before the public knew. On Oct. 20, my diary says “Tonight Phil and I went to Star – Past Matrons and Patrons Night. I wore maternity outfit so everyone knows now.”
During the year, in addition to making clothes for Mom, Phil and me, I made clothes for Steve. In October, I made him an overcoat. On Oct. 27, Earl started working in the downstairs bedroom to install knotty pine closets.
The Potter kids, Adre Ann, Darrell Lee and Donna Mae, babysat with Steven many times throughout the year.
In November, I was elected associate conductress and Phil was elected worthy patron in the Eastern Star, and we were installed the evening of November 15.
My Cloverines 4-H Club won the Club of the Year award at the 4-H county Achievement Night on Nov. 8. Also, that was the day Dr. Art Whitefort died.
The “Fluff & Puff” pillow man came on Nov. 18 to take all of our feather pillows and clean them for us and fluff them back as new.
On Dec. 8, I had two front teeth filled and on the 12th I had seven more teeth filled. Did pregnancy have anything to do with this?
Phil had to be Santa in St. Elmo on the 20th. I took Steve to the store, and when Santa came into the store from the back room, Steve took one look and said “Hi, Daddy.”
On the 21st, Steve had to practice for the Sunday school Christmas program that was that night. At the program, Steven just wandered around looking cute and everyone laughed.
In December, Phil worked many hours in the oilfield.
 

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