June 23, 1945 Can't Get a Life, Feedsacks, The Red Checked Dress, A Little Sunburned and Meat Pie

Image courtesy of www.newvintagelady.com

 Dear Mother & Daddy,

"It was awfully nice to have two letters this week.  One came Monday and the other one this morning.

I'm awfully glad Daddy is feeling better but don't let him go back to work until he knows for sure that he's all right.  Did the Dr. think this operation would stop all the trouble?  I hope so.  I'm glad the package finally got there.  We sent the same thing to B's dad.

When was Francis Jr. sworn into the navy?  I hope he likes it.  Did the kids come on the train?

I'll try once more to write this letter.  I started it early this morning but stopped to go to the store before everything got picked over.  I got a big chunk of beef and am going to make a meat pie.  There was lots of meat today--more than I've seen in months.  There was an egg line but I get along very well without eggs.  We have been eating lots of vegetables.  New Haven is surrounded with truck gardens so there are lots of radishes and all the others.

I'm sending you the Ladies Home Journal this afternoon.  I'm all finished with it.  You needn't buy it at all and I'll always send you mine.  I have a two year subscription and just have to throw them away when I've read them.  We can't get the Life anymore so we quit trying and that's why we haven't been sending it.  I meant to tell you last week and forgot it. I just finished Anna & The King of Siam.  If you remember that was printed in the book section of Reader's Digest a long time ago.  It was real good.

I won't have any trouble fitting the red checked dress if I ever get around to it.  It is quite a lot too big but I think I can cut out the arm holes and seam down the sides and it will fit.  Beulah must think I'm pretty good sized.  Ha!  I don't know how I'll make the other one but I'm thinking about a gathered skirt with some white eyelet trimming.  I have the plaid one about half done.  It's going to be real pretty and it's such a nice piece of material.  If you get any more sacks that are real pretty save me one or two dresses. You can't buy anything as nice as they are.

Don't try to send us any eggs.  The radio says the situation is going to improve and we get along all right.  We couldn't have many because our ice box is small and ice doesn't keep anything very well.  Potatoes aren't scarce but they are high.  There seems to be plenty of lard.

We have been having wonderful weather.  It still rains often and people complain about the heat but I like it.  Last Sunday we had the best time at the beach and took our first swim in salt water.  The beach was all white sand and the water was only about waist deep for about 1/4 mile out.  It is on Long Island sound so there are no big waves or undertow.  We're going back again before long.  It was the first time we had really been in the sun since we came here so we both got sunburned--but not like we did on the lake that time.  We know better than to do that.

We don't know whether we'll stay in the apartment or not.  There isn't a chance that we'll find a house but we keep watching for apartments and if we could find a better one closer to Hopkins we would take it.

We'll get you some towels the next time we're in the store.  It won't be any trouble at all.  I've just about run down so write soon."

                                      Lots of love,

                                             B & Bonnie

NOTE from Ann:  A brief review of Anna and the King of Siam follows:

By 

Joanna Daneman 

The history of Anna and the King of Siam is as romantic as the story itself. Author Margaret Landon found what may have been the only copy of Anna' book, The English Governess at the Siamese court while she was a missionary in Thailand. Later, she located the Romance of the Harem in a second-hand bookstore in Chicago. She paid a $1 for the book, which turned out to be a fine investment. Landon combined the two books and added fictional elements to create a skillfully written novel. The exotic setting and romantic story so impressed the wives of both Rogers and Hammerstein that they convinced their husbands to write a musical based on the book. And thus we get the musical The King and I, plus several movies, most recently one with Jodie Foster.
Landon wrote other novels (Never Dies the Dream) based on her missionary experience but never achieved the same greatness as in Anna and the King of Siam. This is a well structured novel, with a lot of drama. The death scene of the Fa-ying is incredibly touching. Anna is believable; sometimes annoyingly persistent, other times selfless and very very brave.
The actual writings of Anna Leonowens are also available. It's fun to read Landon's book and then the source material she used. You may agree with me that Landon's skill as a novelist took Anna's story and made it unforgettable. (www.amazon.com)

Beef Pie

Mix together 2 c. diced, cooked beef, 2 c. gravy made with beef drippings, 1 c. peas, 1 c. cooked carrots, and 1 c. cubed cooked potatoes.  (OK to use canned vegetables.)  Pour into casserole dish and top with biscuit or pie dough.  Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until golden.