July 17, 1943 Berries, The Dames Picnic, The Food Points and The Tax Deduction

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Here it is Saturday again.  The weeks really roll around fast.  Your letter was a day later than usual and I was beginning to wonder if you were sick again.  I do hope you are both feeling fine, and I don't like that canning business very much, but I guess you don't like to watch the berries go to waste.  Are they nice this year?  We had strawberries once this spring and they were frozen ones.  They stayed at .39 a quart and weren't very nice.  We can buy most any kind of berry but they are from .45 a quart up and that's pretty high so we don't have them.  Watermelons are .98 and $1.98.  Isn't that just awful?

How did the tax deduction make you feel?  I had $3.60 taken out of my pay and B had almost $10.00 from his, but that wasn't all tax.

The Dames had their picnic Wednesday evening and we had the best time.  I was hostess and was afraid it would be a flop but I think everyone had a good time.  We spent most of the time eating and had the usual picnic fare.  Each one of us took something so I didn't have to pay for it.  When we meet at a home we each give the hostess a dime for our refreshments and by doing that no one is out anything and keeps us from trying to out do the others on refreshments.  We're all in the same boat (living on our salary from Yale and trying to save some money) so we have a wonderful time helping each other.

I wish I could have spent my vacation with you, too, but I'll just do most anything to get to come home for a while Christmas.  We miss you all so much.  That little time we had with you last winter meant so much to us.  I guess there was a purpose in that trip, after all.

How do you make out with your red and blue points?  We have plenty of blue points, but really run low on red ones.  Several points have been given to us so that helps.  Last week we had 18 left and wanted a roast for Sunday  The butcher gave us a 28 point piece of ham for the 18 we had.  I thought that was awfully nice of him.  Beef just isn't to be found anywhere.  We give between .45 and .50 for eggs.  Our grocery bill is really high and over twice as big as it was in Springfield.

Write soon and often."

                                                       Worlds of love,

                                                                      B & Bonnie

NOTE from Ann:  Bonnie's question about tax deduction refers to the re-introduction of what we know of today as withholding.  http://www.taxhistory.com/1943.html

For a good explanation of the ration stamps to which Bonnie refers, see this link:
http://www.alumnibhs.com/old%20geezer%20photos/ww2%20ration%20stamps.htm