February 12, 1944 Still Studying, The Laundry Settlement, Blackberry Cream and Biscuits

From Bonnie's HS Yearbook

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Winter is here again.  It has snowed continuously for two days and nights.  The sun is trying to shine this afternoon but it keeps on snowing.  B has gone to school.  He's having a big test this afternoon and has studied all week for it.  The Dames had a party for their husbands Wednesday night but we didn't go because both of us had too much to do.  We work pretty hard, but not too much.  We let other things go and study most of the time.  The apartment gets cleaned on Saturdays and with both of us in school and bringing library books home you can imagine how the living room looks.  I don't know how many books we have for our library, not too many  but they are good ones which we do have.  I had to buy eight for school.

My supervisor at the grade school is very nice.  She is an old maid, but almost an ideal school teacher.  I had heard all kinds of things about her--how tough she was on student teachers--but from what the other girls say about their supervisors she is almost perfect.  I teach with one other girl and she is Jewish and very nice.  That's all that counts anyway.  There are 30 pupils between the ages of 10 and 13.  It's a typical schoolroom--some real smart and some that don't know anything.  We are going to start teaching next week.  So far, we have helped with reading and spelling.

We finally got paid for our laundry.  Our claim was for $8.55 and we got $6.30.  I'm going to order some lunch cloths from Sears.  We have a new catalog.  You should see the nice laundry bag I made from one of the flowered sacks you sent.  I made it on a hanger so it hangs up and I'm real proud of it.

I haven't got my Reader's Digest yet, but will probably get this month's issue.  It takes a while for those gift subscriptions to get fixed up but I'll get it a year from the first one received.  If I don't get this month's, Sully will go to the office and see about it.  He didn't come today.  I guess the storm was too bad.

I'd like to have a big bowl of your blackberry cobbler with gobs of cream on it.  We've been whipping canned milk.  I make biscuits quite often.  Lately I've been making them with whole wheat flour.

Thanks for the points.

Norman Thomas isn't very young.  He is well past 65 and gray.  I have to go to the store for meat, so I had better get cleaned up."

                                                                      Lots of love,

                                                                               B & Bonnie

NOTE from Ann:  Norman Thomas may have looked "past 65 and gray", but he was born in 1884 so would have been not yet 60 when B and Bonnie heard him speak.

Blackberry Cream Dessert

Soften 1 c. vanilla ice cream.  Whip 1 c. cream.  Mix together with 1/4 c. blackberry brandy.
Put in 6 dishes & freeze.  Serve anytime, topped with sweetened blackberries.

Angel Biscuits

Sift 5 c. flour with 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 3 tsp. baking powder and 3 T sugar.  Cut in 3/4 cu. shortening.  Soften 1 pkg. yeast in 1/2 c. warm water and add with 2 c. buttermilk.  Mix till all flour is moistened.  Cover  bowl and refrigerate till needed.  Remove desired amount.  On floured board pat to 1/2" thickness and cut.  Bake on greased cookie sheet for about 12 min. in 400 oven.  Dough keeps weeks in refrigerator.