October 21, 1956 The Falling Leaves, The Wonderful Vacation and The Busy Week

Woman's Day, October, 1956

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Another beautiful day!  Everyday I wonder how many more we're going to have.  The leaves keep falling and we keep raking.  That big elm in the back really has a lot of leaves.  The mum buds are beginning to open.  We keep watering them so they'll bloom because everything is so terribly dry here, too.  The buds aren't open enough yet for me to tell what color the mums will be.  I really don't care but it's fun watching them open.

We're supposed to get a load of black dirt to fill in on the north this morning.  I finally had to call a man in a little town about 16 miles out.  There wasn't any good dirt in Normal or Bloomington for sale now.

Bob is sick this morning.  Nothing much seems wrong but he lost his supper in the night last night and has a little fever.  He doesn't even have a sore throat so I guess it's just an upset stomach.

Ann is fine and loving school more every day.  She is learning to read and does so well that it always surprises me when she can read a simple story to me.  She seems so little to me.

B is helping Watty waterproof their basement today.  I haven't been out to see the house this week but the plastering is done in two rooms and they are ready to work in the basement bedrooms.

I think you had a wonderful vacation.  I'd like to go to Roaring River sometime.  It seems like we're always too tired of riding once we get to Richland to go anywhere else.

It's been a pretty busy week even if there isn't much news.  I sold another article but won't get paid for it till Feb.  It's to go in that issue.  I set the bricks in under the water faucet & downspout by the back steps one day, waxed the kitchen floor & took the scouts to the park one day.  We all went to a Sunday School picnic last Sunday evening and had a wonderful time.  Tomorrow I have to help in S.S. kindergarten.  They have started a new type of program (like school) so I have to do some reading on it before tomorrow.  Next week is full of things to do.  Hope you both are fine."

                           Lots of love,

                                  Bonnie

NOTES:  To see what was on TV for October '56:

And there are clippings in the letter from the Bloomington Pantagraph, Oct. 19, 1956.  I remember very well when the library received the Lois Lenski drawings.  We made many trips to the ISNU Library to see its extensive and varied collections of children's literature over the years.  Many readers will be familiar with Lenski's easily recognizable illustrations.

Me and friends