January 13, 1957 Used Encyclopedias, A Plain Brown Dress, The Big Yellow Apples and The Special Days

Kodachrome slide, Jan. 1957, the view from the kitchen

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"This day is gone and I still haven't written my letter.  B wrote to his folks twice this week and didn't write this morning and I guess I'm used to his sitting down to write & it slipped my mind.

B's folks

I tried to clean a little this morning.  Ann went to a party after lunch and we took Bob to town for some shoes.  He was wishing for some Sunday shoes and since he never wants any kind of nice clothes or wants to clean up I thought we should get them.  He'd wear jeans to church if we'd let him.

Bob wants a small party on his birthday and we are trying to find a used set of encyclopedias for him.  B has written to New York about some.  Bob is thrilled with the idea and is willing to wait until we find some.  He really needs them now.  We have to go to the library for any extra information and that gets to be real unhandy sometimes.

I have been trying to make myself a plain brown dress all week but there have been so many other things that it isn't half done.  I had to iron too and that took me three hitches.  Edna & Woody were here one night, I went to a meeting of the Education Wives one night and we all went to a church supper last night.  Besides scouts and music lessons I went to a planning meeting for Sunday School one afternoon so the whole week has been chopped up.

I wish we had some more of those big yellow apples.  We ate them raw and really enjoyed them.

I'm sorry about Charlotte's dog.  Pretzel has been sick for a few days.  He's better tonight and ate a little bit.  I know he ate something outside that made him sick.  He's so pitiful when he feels bad.

We got our new catalogs today.  They have the most beautiful materials in them.  I'm going to wait and make my Xmas material dress in the spring.  If I make it now the new will be worn off by the time we go without coats.

This has been a week of ice and snow.  It has been bitter cold but beautiful and bright.  The trees glistened with ice.

The kids are in bed but Ann keeps talking so I'll have to go settle her, I guess.  She said to tell you we'd like to come see you on Bob's birthday.  Birthdays around here are special days.

Hope you both are fine as can be."

                        Lots of love,

                               Bonnie

"Do you still have my Bible?  Will you send it to me so Bob can use it in S.S.?  He doesn't want to use either of our big ones but my old one will do fine."