October 24, 1943 The Big Weekend, The Dames Make Rubber Bands, The New Apartment, The Meatballs and The Philadelphia Trip

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"We've had a big weekend.  That's why my letter is late.  Sully and his girl came down late Friday night and we just now got back from taking them to the train.  Sully had to help with the rationing in Norwich so they didn't get here until about 10:30 Friday.  We sat and talked until 2:00 but I didn't have to be at work until 9:30 Saturday so we didn't have to get up early.  For breakfast we had grapefruit juice, cereal with bananas, bacon and eggs, and toast & jelly.  Sully and Bea (his girl) washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen and she made our bed, so I had hardly anything to do.  I took off Sat. afternoon and we all went to the Army-Yale football game.

The Yale Bowl is the largest place of its kind that I ever saw and there were about 30,000 people there, but when they played "The Star Spangled Banner" you could almost have heard a pin drop.  It made me want to cry.  (NOTE:  Yale 7, Army 39)

Last night we had French fries, meat balls, peas, lettuce-tomato salad and Mrs. Sullivan sent me the nicest and biggest apple pie I ever saw, so we had that and coffee for dessert.  I used my goblets for the first time and my table looked beautiful.

Sully and Bea went to a play that we had seen so we stayed home.  We had the same thing for breakfast this morning except sausages.  Sully got up early and went to Mass and we had breakfast after he got back at 10:30.  This afternoon we drove out to a nice eating place on the highway and had a fried chicken dinner about 3:00.  Sully treated us to that and it cost him $7.00.  They are the nicest kids and we had a wonderful time.

I went to the Dames Wednesday night.  We are doing some voluntary work for the hospitals.  We cut rubber bands out of discarded rubber gloves.  Sounds very little, but they appreciate every little thing you do.

Our apartment is almost completely fixed up.  The furniture fills it up more than this looks.  The living room is 10x15-1/2 and the others are about proportional like my picture.  The living room walls are papered in pale turquoise with a cream all-over pattern.  The woodwork is all cream.  The rug is tan with maroon and turquoise in the block pattern.  Our couch and one chair (occasional) are maroon, the big chair is bright turquoise, and the desks and tables are mahogany.  The desk chair has a cream leather seat and the lampshade is cream.  I made my drapes out of a zig-zag pattern monk's cloth and put maroon fringe.  They are very pretty.  The wastebasket is cream and altogether it makes a lovely room.  We are especially proud of our desk.  It cost $30. but it's beautiful.  Our chairs are spring constructed but the couch is victory model with no springs.  It isn't too bad and Bea and I slept on it and slept good.  It has a bedding compartment and holds all my extra quilts.  The built-in china cabinet is nice.  I keep my glassware in the top part and there are three large drawers in the bottom.  The hallway in front is papered in cream and I have a maroon throw rug in there.  There isn't room for any piece of furniture, except a chair or the telephone table which is usually by the chair in the living room.

We can use the phone in both places and our phone number is 7-1897.  The kitchen is painted all cream and I have white curtains with bright trimming--mostly red.  Our breakfast set is solid maple and the table is the refractory kind and will seat 8 people.  The utility cabinet is a victory model too--fiber board.  The bath is cream and blue.  I have a blue bath mat and I've ordered blue curtains like the curtains you have in your bath.  The floor is tile and very easy to keep clean.  We have maple bedroom furniture.  The wallpaper is pale green with pink and white leaves in it.  I have ordered white ruffled curtains.  We thought they would be here before Sully came but they didn't come.  We ordered them from Sears.

Next Saturday we are going to meet Horace in Philadelphia.  It's about 175 miles and we will get to see him all day Sunday.

I hope you are both fine and I hope I get that letter tomorrow that I didn't get last week.  I guess you were waiting for mine that was late.  Write soon."

                                                               Oodles of love,

                                                                          B & Bonnie

NOTE:  Enjoy the Lux Radio Theater, October 17, 1943