References to Mother's love for Hawaii, John in Law School, Roberta driving the "Bubble" and managing a restaurant in Florida, MV counting the days of school until graduation, baking pies, and planting trees and flowers and much more. Transcription follows.
Monday - April 12, 1982
Dearest Family -
We missed having you all here for Easter yesterday - it was especially quiet - we were happy to have John and X and Grandma but didn't invite anyone else. Mrs. Matthews
[Blanche Miller Matthews Feb 1886-May 1982, her husband W.T. Matthews was NV physician prior to Dr. Fullerton] is still recovering from her fall - she is able to go out to the dining room to eat at Extended Care but hated to ask her to come over after the hard time we had getting her in and out of the car last Thanksgiving. It was good talking to you all at various times on the phone lately.
We were happy that John has been accepted at Capitol University Law School and is planning to try the night courses in the beginning at least - starting the summe program May 24th. X has started needlepointing chair covers for dining room chairs. It will be a real pretty Wedgwood blue background - she has one almost completed. They plan to refinish some old dining room chairs that we have had in the basement. Do hope they will meet their expectations for they will require quite a bit of work on them. Piper is a real good dog - maybe he could help train Toby or rather Charlie. We got a big kick out of Roberta's comment on the extra training that Charlie was receiving.
We did invite Serena to come - but she didn't think she could make it - she has been working for a mortgage firm as well as a law firm learning to do all kinds of work. Glad to hear that she is still keeping up with her swimming. She has such a beautiful stroke and does it so effortlessly. At least she is planning to come in June for Grandma's
[90th] birthday.
Was really surprised by Catherine's call and to hear about Wendy and all - wish we could see her practice her dancing lessons. They have really been working on the Elks business [Catherine did the bookkeeping, Gerry was secretary of Madras OR Elks Lodge] - hope that they enjoy the out of town meeting coming up. Would have loved to see Gerry in his tuxedo - how about a picture - we would like to have one of the three of you - (I got a new billfold and need some recent ones of all the family. How about it - none of our family pictures are recent except for Mary Virginia's senior pictures. By the way did you all get her small senior picture if not let us know for we didn't want to miss anyone.
Roberta as well as Catherine and Wendy and possibly Gerry are making plans to come this June. She (Roberta) plans to drive the "Bubble" - white checkered cab back to Ohio with Marion minus the dogs. Guess some friends in the Phoenix-Mesa area will be looking after them while they are gone. There are now 22 people living in the Senior Village so plenty to keep Roberta busy - she really makes use of the message phone she has as she has to be out of the house so much. Hope they get to make use of the cabin near Payson this year - have ben up already to get things in shape for spring.
Aunt Virginia told me on the phone Saturday that she is making plans to go to Hawaii for a week with Tom Dailey and his wife as well as Mary Ellen and possibly Maureen next September. She would really enjoy it there and such a nice place for a family to get together. Bill Dailey hasn't heard yet from the Maryland Bar but do hope that he passed the exam and will be able to go into private practice there.
Talked to the Hortons while they were visiting Cris last weekend - Cris had a lot of cleanup work to do after the storm to his area - the Kintners were there too and looking forward to seeing all of them in June. We remember how beautiful the Statesville area was last year with the azaleas, and magnolias in blossom.
Mary Virginia planted five rose buses on the side of the garage toward the garden so looking forward to enjoying them too this summer. She will really have a big project when all the trees come and added to the ones she already has planted plus the flower display - it will be quite a display - it will be quite a project.
There's a possibility that Mie Young's parents and brother and sister may get to come for her graduation (May 23) at least she has written them a special invitation that the country requires to leave Korea. She also may go home this summer. Just today she received a package from Korea that had been mailed for her birthday last January 25th, but it had been sent by sea mail rather than air mail. The girls are counting the days until graduation and right now are getting their announcement ready to go.
While we think of it, yesterday we ran across some pictures taken of Grandma and MV on G's 75th birthday
[1967] - you can guess who has changed the most. Hope we can remember to dig them out when June 20th comes. Also came across a tape that Roberta made in1976 when she was the manager of the Ranch House Restaurant in Florida.
We have been having a lot of church services this past week, Thursday, Friday and then on Easter Sunday started off with the Sunrise Service at 6:30, which the youth had, followed by breakfast, then Sunday School and A BIG crowd at church. Some who were there we had not seen for years - like Eddy Eaton. M.Y. and M.V. had a duet at Church Service, "The Holy City," and it sounded very beautiful.
Saturday afternoon we went to a farm auction where Wallens used to live. They sold the farm in two parts and then put the two tracts together to get the highest bid, in the end the 187 acres went for $227,000, though we wonder if it really sold. Time will tell. Anyway farm land around here is down some 25% from two years ago.
Dad got rid of his desk at the office, i.e. it went to the secretary, whose desk in turn became the base of our new copying machine. He now has a round table to talk "with people" and a back table to hold the dictating unit, the phone and the concentration area of hopefully making more right than wrong decisions. Maybe we told you about the new copy machine - but do love it - hard to tell which are the originals as it uses plain paper and copies on both sides.
Grandma is well settled in ... seems as young as ever, though her hearing is not the sharpest, but then MV says that about her parents also. She is doing the jack letters again and keeps track when they come from a new town. M.Y. gave her a dress from Korea for a gift.
Homer Thompson (the pastor) was over Saturday at MV's request to get our garden tractor running for it needed more things done to it than adding gas. Thanks to Homer we had the Spring overhaul. MV "rewarded" them by baking a pecan pie for them. In fact she has gone overboard on baking things for friends and neighbors. She baked five pies last Saturday.
The girls have been out of school since last Thursday for Spring break - the family minus father went shopping last Thursday, then they did painting in the bathroom on Friday - looks very nice with white ceiling and pink walls. The girls have number of "thoughts" for summer employment, so it will be interesting to see what jells in that area when the time actually arrives.
[Love, etc.]
