June 1, 1957 Sorry About Earl, Spading Missouri Fertilizer, Playing in a Concert and Out of School

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"I'm so sorry about Earl.  It seems like he hasn't had a very good life--one thing right after another.  How old was he?  I'm glad Daddy is out of the store and will be glad when they get someone so he can be entirely out.  I hope he won't try to get all the work around home done in the first few weeks he's home.  He'd better take things slow and easy for awhile.

The rosebushes are lots of work.  They have to be sprayed or dusted every week or ten days to keep off worms, bugs, rust and a dozen other things.  The buds keep growing on mine but none are open yet.  Sorensen's have started to bloom and I've had a bouquet from them.  Another neighbor sent me a huge bunch of peonies.  They are so pretty.  This fall we plan to put a row on the property line north of the house.  That neighbor has enough to do the whole row, we think, and we'll help her move them.  She gave me some Peruvian daffodil bulbs.  They were in the ground a week and are blooming.  I have never seen anything like it.  Look them up in your seed catalog.  They are white and very pretty--like a ragged lily.  My mums came yesterday and I'm very pleased with them.  The plants were real nice.  I spaded some of my Mo. fertilizer into the bed and got them in just before a shower so they should do well.  They sent me 2 extra plants but they weren't labeled so I don't know what color they are.  I wrote about the phlox and the company sent me a new bunch.  I asked for 11 plants and they sent nice ones.  If they all live it will look nice by the drive this winter instead of being muddy.  The petunias are so thick I've been pulling them out by the handful.  I gave Toni some for a planter but she doesn't have much time for puttering now.  They had to go to Springfield yesterday for yellow fever shots.  That has to be given by gov't. authorized hospitals only.  We didn't have that shot but they are going in to the part of the world where it is necessary.

The kids will be out of school next Thurs. and have a week or so before summer school.  Both grades have picnics next week.  Ann has one Monday noon & Bob's room had one last week.  Now all the families have to get together.

Bob plays in a concert tomorrow afternoon and we have to go practice for that this afternoon.  He is awfully tired of music now and so am I.  Next week will be the last of the lessons until fall if he decides to go back.  I'm going to let him decide.  Ann is enrolled to start in August.  I'm going to try to stay off committees next year if I can.  I was asked to be a deaconess next year at the church but the time involved would have made me give up my Sunday School class and I didn't think I should do that.  I'm needed there worse than in the church service and there are lots of others who cannot help in S.S.

You keep the pictures.  We have the negatives and maybe someday B can make some more himself.

Take things easy and enjoy yourselves now that you have more time of your own and don't work yourselves to death catching up on things you think ought to be done.  They will wait."

                           Lots of love,

                                    Bonnie

NOTES:  The Bell Tel. ad from the August, 1957 Woman's Day caught my eye.  The one-minute long distance calls that were .20 a minute for each additional minute beyond the initial cost would be $1.66 per minute today.  It's a good thing it doesn't work that way anymore, or maybe that's the way it should be!

I have no idea who Earl was, or what happened to him.