November 16, 1942 Supporting the War Effort, the Sewing Machine and the Library

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"This is a lovely day but it's really cold.  We're going to have to go to the garage and get the serial numbers off the tires.  B is going to sell our two extra tires to the government, but we can keep the tube.  We bought another extra tube today.  It's a heavy duty tube and we bought it for .75.  I guess you're fretting about gas rationing.  It doesn't even bother us anymore.  Be sure and have your tank full when you go after your book and it wouldn't hurt any if you had a barrel on hand  They won't ask how much you have, like they did sugar.  We still have one can of ours.

If nothing happens we'll spend Thanksgiving in Boston and we don't know what we'll do Christmas.

I don't know what I want for Christmas except a portable machine and I don't think we can find one.  B went to the Singer store yesterday and they said there wouldn't be a chance of getting one.  They hadn't had one in months.

I haven't been in the Yale Library yet.  We may go this afternoon.  There are 5 million volumes in it and there are 7 floors.

Write soon and we'd like a little note from Daddy once in awhile.  I think he could scribble a line or two."

                         Loads of love to you both,

                               B & Bonnie

Note from Ann:  I especially like the image at the top of the page from the Ladies Home Journal magazine, November, 1942.  I can picture my mom as a young 22 year old, leafing through the magazine, marking things of interest, and dreaming about the things she might like to have or do in the future.  The silverware pictured is the pattern she would eventually choose, save for, and purchase many years later.