May 13, 1967 The Ramrod, The Beautiful World, The Busy Week and The Dirty Towels

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"It doesn't seem possible that it is only a week since we saw Bob. It seems like months.  He looked so fine and has filled out quite a bit but his legs still look awfully long. He walks straight as a ramrod & pulls his shoulders back. His roommate (whose father is the general) takes ROTC so maybe he has been responsible. We were after Bob a lot to stand straight. Bob had told us the roommate reminded him of Jerry and he does. He has the same coloring, is about the same size & has some of the same mannerisms. He is real nice and so is the Puerto Rican boy but he didn't talk a lot.

We drove all day last Sunday in hard rain but the sun came out that evening right after we stopped for the night. It was just out of Wheeling, W.Va., & the motel was on top of a mountain so the world was beautiful. Then it was raining when we got up Monday morning & rained off & on all day. It has rained everywhere we went & things were wet from Va. to Illinois. It has been cloudy and rainy all week here & it is beginning to get on my nerves. I planned to clean out the iris bed yesterday but it was, and still is, too cold. The grass is about to take over the bed.

This has been a busy week. I've been to two luncheons and some meetings at school. I hated to plunge into things the minute we got home but didn't have any choice.

We got here about six and the phone rang all evening. B started his week at home with a breakfast the next morning so I didn't have it quite as bad.
Bob had applied for work on a marine biology submarine that works out of Woods Hole, Mass. That's a research place. I don't know how many jobs there were but 1200 applied. He was turned down so he's going to continue to work for his chemistry professor. He will work 40 hrs. a week in the lab doing research. We talked to the professor & he told Bob he could work 8 or 10 weeks if he wanted to. They are working on some sort of formula for the Army but I don't understand it. It is some sort of chemical process.

Thanks for the article about Arlie. We didn't know about it although we knew he'd been real sick--sounded like a stroke.

It seems that I've washed all week. The girls had kept the house pretty straight but I had lots of dirty towels and clothes.

Ann is taking college entrance tests this morning and B is at an all-day meeting at school. Ann has to play before some music judges this afternoon. She has applied for membership in the Bloomington-Normal Amateur Musical Society which sponsors concerts, etc.

I have to stock the refrigerator sometime today. It hasn't much of anything in it.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I hope it is a nice day for both of you and that your package is on time, Mother. I wish we could come home for the day but I guess that's out."

                        Lots of love,

                              Bonnie