May 27, 1961 The Hike, The Dress, The Cookies and The Picnic

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"I just finished a letter to Jerry.  I guess he is 15 today.  It just doesn't seem possible.  Of course, it's hard to believe my own kids are so big.  Bob seems to be slimming down.  He's a busy fellow.  His room went on a picnic yesterday and hoped to go swimming but it was much too cold.  The Scouts are taking a 10 mile hike this morning and it's a perfect day for it--cool but sunny.  They have to take five of them and then hike the Lincoln trail for a badge.  That is 20 miles between Springfield and New Salem.  Hundreds of Scouts do this every June.

It sounds like you had a nice day at Fannie's.  I don't supposed I'd even know Roger if I saw him.

Things are slowing down a bit.  I managed to get a dress made for Ann this weekend and I got my ironing done but that's about all.

We are still eating cookies left from our party and the kids finished the punch yesterday.  Now I have to call the dairy to come after the bottles.

Bob and Ann are spending tomorrow with their friends while B & I go to a picnic up near Chicago.  The people giving the picnic are well-to-do and sponsor several girl students at our school every year.  This is a party for the students but they have also invited some of the faculty.  A bus full of girls will go from here so you can see how many girls they help.  The woman used to teach here and then married a man who loves to help other people, too, so they make quite a pair.  One of our new buildings is named after them because they have done so much for our school.

I want to give this to the postman when he comes by so I'd better stop.  Hope you both are fine."

                           Lots of love,

                                  Bonnie

NOTES:  Ads are from The Saturday Evening Post, 5/13/61 and Life, 4/14/61.

This letter reminds me of the metal box on the front porch where milk bottles waited to be picked up by the milkman and replaced with full bottles each week.  Also, the mailman who walked our neighborhood delivered twice a day for many years.  If we happened to be in the yard at the time he came, he would often comment on the mail (i.e. , "Looks like a letter from your grandmother!").  If I was expecting a letter, I could walk to the corner box and wait for him to gather its contents, look through it, and give me my letter before he took the rest of the mail to our house.  I thought that was a real treat.