December 1, 1945 The Snow Day, 102 Laundry Street, Grateful for the Mumps and The Naughty Little Things

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"I guess you read in the paper about our storm.  It rained all day Thursday and there was lots of wind.  There was just a little bit of snow flurries late in the afternoon and it would stop.  When I started to school at 6:45 we had to drive real slow.  The streets were covered with snow and they were awfully slick.  The snow was just flying.  It was so slippery that we couldn't get the car in the garage and it stood out all night.  There were lots of accidents.  It snowed just a bit yesterday but the roads were so bad and it is so cold that schools were all closed.  So we have had a little vacation.  We searched all over town for me some rubber boots.  Every store was sold out and people were asking for boots in every store.

It's really cold.  I've been hanging some clothes out and my hands are as red as fire.  The woman next door was hanging out clothes too and she said she had used a bottle of Jergen's lotion the last few days.  It is no wonder, though, because she washes everyday.  This is the worst street for washing that I ever saw.  Any day you look out the back you can see at least three or four lines of clothes.  We thought that was awfully funny when we first moved here.

I'm awfully glad my letter gave your morale a boost and I hope this one does the same if you need it.  The picture of me wasn't much good and I didn't want B to take it.  I had my hair in pin curls and was sewing a button on his coat.  The other picture is part of our dining room.

Your new couch sounds awfully nice.  The blue is just right for your wine rugs.  Where did you put the couch?  What color did you paint the wall?

I know your shoes are nice because Rhythm Steps are good shoes.

Mrs. Hill's tea was lovely.  I've never seen so many goodies on one tea table and she had made them all.  They were so good and so pretty to look at.  She used an autumn theme.  Some of the cookies were cut like leaves and she had made candy acorns.  Bea wouldn't go with me.  She said she didn't want to meet anyone so I went on.  When I got home about 6:00 she had supper almost ready.  I had planned my menus before she and Sully came.  She didn't know how to bread pork chops but looked it up in my cook book and they came out fine.  We had lots of fun just visiting.  Sunday was a gloomy day so we didn't go anywhere.  They left about 5:30.

I have just one more week of practice teaching.  I will really be glad when it is over too, because there is so much work to it.  I have to do so much planning every night that I can't do anything else.  I even had to stay home from Dames this week.  Altogether there are 35 children which are 7 and 8 years old.  There have been about 15 absent everyday.  The mumps are going around and I never thought I could appreciate the mumps but they have helped me out by keeping kids at home.  That sounds mean but these kids are naughty little things and can certainly keep you on the run.

Self-portrait by Mabel

As much as we would like to come home for Xmas we just can't.  B's vacation starts a week before mine and he starts back a week before I do so there isn't enough time when we both would be off.  Most of the time would be spent on the road and if we should run into a snow storm it would be terrible.  It won't be long till summer is here again then we can celebrate right.  B hasn't had very much time to work on his dissertation and plans to use most of the Xmas vacation for that.  Horace and Mabel will be home for Xmas I suppose.  They are taking a little trip through the far south now.

We still have several eggs but I guess you had better start a case as soon as you get one saved up.  It would be better for them to be mailed before the Xmas mail gets too heavy.

I hope you won't be too disappointed about us not coming home for Xmas but I don't see how we possibly could.  Let's hope that next Xmas we can come.  I probably won't be in school (I hope I'm through before then) and it won't matter when our vacation comes.

Take care of yourselves and write soon."

                                    Lots of love,

                                          B & Bonnie