April 11, 1965 The Hatbox, The P.T.A., The Beautiful Days and Why We Can't Wait

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Things are a little quiet around town now that the students are on their Easter vacation.  Bob helped with a Scout exhibit for awhile today and Ann didn't even get up till noon.

B and I went to Peoria for a little while but the kids didn't want to go.  We have been saving plaid stamps to get a train case to match Ann's big suitcase but it wasn't even in the new catalog and I was afraid they would substitute if I ordered it. The redemption stores are in Peoria and Decatur and I thought they might still have one in stock. All they had left was a hatbox which matched so we got that.  It is made so it will be a good overnight case and she'll get a lot of good out of it but we are sorry we couldn't get the other.  The factory has discontinued the pattern and that means we probably won't ever find a match.

We had book club Monday and I brought home several books.  One was Martin Luther King's Why We Can't Wait.  I started it last night and could hardly stop and finished it this morning.  It isn't very big but it's one of the best books I've ever read--a quiet, but factual story of the Negroes fight for equality.  It makes you feel so ashamed for the way the U.S. has treated both the Negro and the American Indian.  I wish you could read it.  I also finished reading the story of Paul called Man On Fire.  It is my book but it is very disappointing and I wish I had my money back.

One day this week I had to help fix food for a family of one of our As You Like It members.  Her husband died of cancer but he was also quite old.  He had been a newspaper man.

Another day I went to a luncheon and we all went to P.T.A. Tuesday night.  They had a tour of the new high school and the kids were guides.  Over 500 people came and they all went right thru as easy as could be.  It is a wonderful building with so much nice equipment.  It wasn't all in place yet but they are working hard at it.  The kids can't come home for lunch and aren't allowed to leave the building at noon.  They have 25 min. to eat and then classes go right on.  It is better that way and I'm glad they can't be running around.

We had two beautiful days when I was real busy and then when I planned to work in the yard it started to rain and we have had rain, rain, rain.  Things are green and getting pretty though, but I would like to get the flower beds cleaned before the plants get too big.

I hope you had a nice birthday, Mother.  We thought about you."

                      Lots of love,

                          Bonnie