Monday, 29 December 1969
Up about 9:00; had breakfast, shaved. Spent the morning in my study, filing, straightening up, etc. We got a call from Mom a few minutes before 11:00. They were a few miles east of Sturbridge. When Bonnie got home from grocery shopping, we put the food away, I carved up t[w]o roasts—then we had lunch; just as we were finishing about 1 o’clock, the folks arrived. They had brought a bed for Debbie + a hobby horse. We got those put together. Bonnie went to work. The folks relaxed; then went to get their car washed + to do odds + ends. I studied until they returned. Then we set about preparing for supper; played with Debbie; watched CBS news; had supper when Bonnie got home; in the evening we took a lot of pictures; showed our slides, sat around talking; went to bed, LO about 12:50.
Tuesday, 30 December 1969
Up about 8:30. Had breakfast—then Dad and I got to work on our project for the day—making a “gym” for Debbie—she can crawl into it, climb on it, slide down it. We went to the Building Center, got the wood, came home and got to work. We relaxed for a short while after lunch, I read I.F. Stone, and took two photos of RSY on the couch with the cat! [1] Then we spent the rest of the afternoon on the “gym”—had to make another trip to the Building Center after 4:00. About 6:00 we stopped for supper. I shaved, then went to get Hazle Lord, who baby sat while the 4 of us went to the show: Bob + Carol + Ted and Alice—a rather good satire. Then we got home about 9:00. I took Hazle home, saw Barb for a few minutes. Came home; relaxed, socialized, bathed about 11:30. OBLO, Θ – 12:30.
Wednesday, 31 December 1969
Up about 9:00. Had breakfast—then we got to work on the day’s assignments; first of all Dad Bonnie and I made a trip to Gloucester which took all morning. We went to Mals, Sears, + Gloucester Building Center—gradually we found most of what we had set out to buy. We got back home around noon. After lunch, Dad + I got to work on Debbie’s “gym”, after a trip to Rockport Building Center for “washers”—and fixing kitchen faucets. We spent all afternoon on the gym—keeping an ear open for Debbie (we were in the basement, she in her room) while Bonnie + mom went out shopping; we had supper at 6:30, watched CBS news. In the evening Pop + I returned to working on the gym. As we got close to finishing we brought it upstairs; relaxed, had pop-corn. Watched Johnny Carson show to celebrate the coming of the new year—they telecast the view of Times Square in NYC. Then we all turned in; OBLO, 12:20.
Roscoe, Rockport, 1969
[1] He hated cats.
©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by David Madison and Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/07/19/davids-diary-december-29-1969/
Genealogy Lady 
“..then Dad and I got to work on our project for the day—making a “gym” for Debbie—she can crawl into it, climb on it, slide down it.” I certainly remember the gym, though not so much the building of it.
I had wondered and worried about how my father and the cat would get along. But it turned out to be not such a big deal.
” Watched Johnny Carson show to celebrate the coming of the new year—they telecast the view of Times Square in NYC.” This is a recurring theme in my diaries over the year, i.e., watching the ball drop in Times Square.