1969 Catherine's Letter -Apr.27

4-27-69

Dear Mother, Dad, Roberta, Serena, John and Mary,

Hi!  Here it is less than eight months until Christmas.  Won't be long, eh?  How's the garden coming?  Have you got lots of beans, tomatoes, and broccoli planted?

We've had two beautiful days both of which I had to work unfortunately.  Today it is overcast, we're supposed to have thundershowers later, so I'm sitting here in my pajamas getting caught up on correspondence.

Gerti has gone to see her parents.  They are staying in the Essex Inn which is across the street (coming this way) from the Conrad Hilton.  We thought they were coming late Friday so we took our time coming home from work -- crossed the tracks and walked over through the park on the other side of Columbus Drive.  Now that the trees are getting greener and the flowers are beginning to bloom it is really pretty.  They haven't started Buckingham Fountain yet but I understand when they do it is just for a few hours in the evening.  At least with Daylight time we'll have an extra hour of daylight after we get off work.

We got back here and had just put the leftovers in the oven and the soup on when her parents called.  They were here and why didn't we have dinner with them.  We ate in the Delmonico (Essex Inn's attempt at a dining room).  Only the prices compared with the few other high class places I've been.  Mother, I had lamb chops and mint jelly.  They were pretty good.

Yesterday they all walked me to work.  It was Gerti's day off so she showed them all around Marshall Fields.  They even came in the book dept!  Last night we went to dinner at the Conrad Hilton and it was a great improvement.  Did you say you had eaten there once?  We ate in the Haymarket.  They have these big high back chairs which rise about a foot above your head.  Gives you the real privacy feeling as it is impossible to see anything behind.  Afterwards we went to the Symphony.  Mr. Wanser is a real symphony nut but I'm not quite that hep. 

I like working with the books but I think if I had to do it for the rest of my life I would rather be in a library.  As it is now I work in the paperbacks on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday.  I like that the best.  On Thursday I work in the art and music books.  I have a definite handicap there as I don't know too much about either subject and it is difficult to help.  There are lots and lots of books but they are in absolutely no order and even when a customer asks for a specific book there is no way of knowing whether we have it in stock or where I could find it if we did.  On Friday's I work in the reference books which also includes the financial, science, literature and poetry books.  That isn't much better than art and music.  Another bad thing about those sections is that everybody else who works around in the neighboring sections is on commission and since I'm not I get these looks of hate if I am able to help a customer and don't give them a chance to snatch the sale.  They make 7% of their total sales.  And they're on straight commission -- no salary at all.

Thanks for forwarding the mail.  Mrs. Walker said something about giving you all a Yearbook to send me.  I thanked her for it but I haven't gotten it.  I guess there is no great rush as I can live without it, I was just curious as to what had happened.

I was glad to hear Joe's concert went off well.  My love to you all and to Grandma

Love,

Catherine