Haddock and Dill: January 17, 1969 The Swing of Things, The Intellectuals, The Green Wool Dress, The Indian Affairs and The Best Bread

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"I was sure glad to have your letter today. Ann told me Daddy was sick and I was afraid he had the flu although Rosalynn had written Ann that he was up & down & didn't have the flu. I'm glad Charlotte is getting better too. When does her semester begin? Maybe she and Ann can get together sometimes while she's there.

Ann may not come to Richland after all during the break between semesters. She has more free time than she expected so she is coming home. I told her we could decide later according to the weather. I think she was almost homesick when she went back after Christmas. None of them wanted to go back but I think they are all back in the swing of things now.

Yes, Bob will be 21 on Saturday (tomorrow). He has given us a lot of pleasure in those 21 years. Patty is 21 now & will be 22 on her birthday (June 20). Ann will be 19. It just doesn't seem possible.

Yes, I listened to Johnson's final speech & the comments later. Some of them make me hopping mad. One man on a panel said we'd never have another small town president; that Johnson couldn't deal with intellectuals and city problems because he was brought up in Johnson City. Bill Moyer & Ted Sorensen were both on the panel too and they really cut the man down. They flatly told him that wasn't so & others ( I can't remember who they were) agreed with them. If Nixon does as well as Johnson we'll get along all right. At least, no man ever tried any harder than Johnson.

Yes, I got Patty's dress made while they were here. It was a green wool and she wore it home. She said it was real comfortable and she was real happy with it. I'll make her another one some of these days.

I'm still reading about Indians & I think I'll be doing it for a long time because it's such a big problem in the United States. The more I read, the bigger the problem gets. The U.S. has made a pretty big mess of Indian affairs. If they (Indians) acted like the Negroes are doing we'd really have trouble and they both certainly have as much reason to protest as anyone. One of the books I am reading is a government report on Indian affairs so it ought to be pretty reliable and it doesn't paint a very pretty picture.

I'm going to a luncheon & bridal shower tomorrow and B will probably work in the office most of the day. He's working on next year's school catalog & that takes hours and hours. He brings work home eery night but I think we're going to a movie tonight. We never do that but he says he's tired & needs something different. I think we're going to Camelot.

I made some of the best bread this week & it was so easy. You should try it. I was going to write out the recipe but it calls for dry milk and I forgot that you never use that. I use it all of the time & it is so handy.

I spent last Sunday afternoon making cookies so I could put some in Bob's birthday box. Ann doesn't want me to send her cookies. She wants to lose some weight. They have such good food at William Woods she doesn't need cookies anyway.