August 31, 1957 The Soapbox Derby, The Piano Lessons, The Wiring Upstairs and The Farewell Supper

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"This is the day for the annual Soap-box Derby and the kids always want to go so this may be short.  The derby has become a pretty big thing and the prizes are big so the kids work on their cars for months.

I think we are all fine, for once.  Bob was sick this week with a sore throat again but is all right now.  This is the first time we've all been well at once since I got sick at home.

We're having hot weather too but cool weather is supposed to be on the way.  The hot days are really hard to take after the nice ones we've had.

Ann is doing real well in piano so far, and I like the teacher a lot.

B has been doing bits of wiring upstairs.  Maybe he can work Monday on it.  We talked about coming home but the trip would be such a hard one we decided not to try it.

Did Helen Dustin have another cancer operation?  We just saw what there was in the Mirror and that didn't say much.  Edna is still in bed and still takes pills to kill the pain.  They got a woman to come in and fix part of the meals so that will help some.  I haven't been up lately but Woody has to be gone next week again so I'll try to go up there.

B and I are going to a farewell supper tonight for some friends who are moving away.

We are beginning to think about school books for the kids.  They still have some vacation--they register Sept. 13.  I'll be glad and so will they.

It's time to go so I'll say bye for now."

                                Lots of love,

                                     Bonnie

NOTES:  The piano teacher was Mrs. Marguerite Nenne, dearly loved, strict, but gracious and kind.   I took lessons from her until I went away to college, wrote to her occasionally after that, but never saw her again.  In 2007, I received a large envelope in the mail from Mrs. Nenne's daughter.  It contained nearly 20 years of newspaper clippings about our family.  After Mrs. Nenne's death, her daughter had sorted through her mother's records and found that she has saved things like this for each of her "piano families" as she called us.  I was very touched by this generous deed.

And just for fun, I couldn't resist sharing the following pages from the August, 1957 Woman's Day.
It reminds me of the time that our mom asked for a copy of the recipe for a layered Torte Primavera she had had in a restaurant while traveling.  She was given the 5-page production recipe for a torte which served 25 people.  After making it, she wisely re-worked the recipe, experimenting along the way until she came up with a torte for 4-6.