Thursday, May 08, 2014

1974 Catherine's Letters -May 7

Two letters, probably included in the same envelope. Certainly gave Mary enough questions to answer in her next letter.

May 7, 1974
Dear Mom, Dad, John, and Mary,

Hi!  It's a rainy day here so we're not hauling rocks at the moment.  Sure hope it doesn't rain too much during the coming months, especially July since we will be camping out then.  Tom came for lunch today.  He flew to Pittsburg [sic] this past weekend and in another three weeks he will be going there for a whole week in which they will sell their house and get their stuff packed up to take off.  He said that Aunt Virginia had a stroke which paralyzed her right (?) side.  I guess they don't know yet if it's permanent.  Had you heard anything?  Their oldest boy is four years old.  He goes to nursery school, I think his name is Mike, and the young one is Jeff.  Tom is staying at a motel in Wells

They finally finished digging the basement.  I guess they dynamited twice to get the larger boulders broken down.  We have been hauling rocks every time we have the chance.  It takes awhile to get the muscles in shape to throw rocks around.

One of the ladies at the library has got some sort of bladder infection so she has been out for a week and a half.  She's supposed to see a specialist on Friday.  I have to work several mornings a week to cover the hours she is normally there.  We got our new Encyclopedia Brittanica [sic] last week.  Did you say that Wilmington is getting it?  The salesman said that if you read it eight hours a day it would take one year to get through it.

We got one of our puppies back.  The landlord wouldn't let them keep it.  She's one of the cutes ones.  It seems strange thought that I didn't have any trouble giving all of them away before and now we can't find anyone who wants a puppy.  Meanwhile she eats more every day.

I went to the doctor to have two warts removed from my fingers.  He put some sort of acid on them and now it looks like I burned them very badly.  They are beginning to scab over.  Fortunately they don't fell [sic] as badly as they look.  I guess they have to heal over before the doctor will be able to tell if he killed the roots of the larger one.

I thought I'd follow Roberta's example and lose some weight.  I was at 130 and in 6 weeks I have not gotten to 119.  I hope to get to 110.  I burn up lots of calories hauling rocks.

Love, Catherine & X

* * * * *

May 7, 1974
Dear Mom, Dad, John, and Mary,

Hi!  Thank you for your last letter.  Is that an orange flare that you wrote it with?  I'm glad to hear that you don't have too much more school.  Do you think you'll pass into the fifth grade?  I had Mrs. King when I was in the fifth grade, is that who you'll have?  Or is she not teaching anymore?

Have you planted anything in the garden yet?  People around here have stuff in their houses (like little tomato plants) but nobody has anything outside yet.  The trees are just beginning to bud.  Have you mowed your grass yet?  Ours is about high enough to be mowed.  Especially where the sun hits it the most.

I got an orange flag on a pole for the back of my bicycle.  Do you know what I mean?  Do you have one on your bicycle?  The day after I put it on I almost got hit by a pick-up truck, so I guess even orange flags don't make bicycles 100% safe.

Have you done any more cooking lately?  We just got a new kids cookbook at the library.  Does Wilmington Library have very many cookbooks?

Speaking of books did you ever finish that book you were reading when you were here?  Are you reading something else now?

It's about time to go to work so I've got to hurry and change my clothes.  Write again soon.

Love, Cathy

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