November 2, 1974 The Slow Mail, The Fall Weather, The Opera, The Trash Man and The Beautiful Turnips

Dear Mother,

"I don't know what happened to our letters last week. We mailed them at the usual time and in Normal. Everyone seems to complain about the mail and it doesn't seem to get better.

We're still having wonderful fall weather. B plans to rake the yard again this afternoon and mow for the last time. There has been enough rain for the grass to be as green as in spring. In fact, the rainy days have been exactly like spring.

We went to school last night for an opera and I didn't even need a coat. It is hard to believe that this is November already.

Ann called last night to ask about some music and she has another cold. I think she has one most of the time. She sounded fine, though. We had a letter from her earlier in the week and she is teaching an extra group of pre-schoolers in music. It is some sort of government funded project. They are normal babies, black, 2 - 3½ years old, cute and funny, she says.

We enjoyed Bob & Pat last weekend. They left about 4:30 so they could get part way home before dark. It gets dark so early now. They are fine and busy. He will have Thanksgiving Day off so they plan to come home for the day. Ann & Bob aren't coming.

I'm sure Richland will find another trash man before long. Would it help you any to have a trash burner or basket so you could burn papers?

I'm glad Charlotte is better. Naturally Beulah is worried about her for it is something that can be bad but on the other hand, Charlotte has been taking care of herself.

Nixon might not be so bad off it he'd listened to his Dr. way back when he visited Russia. The doctor said then that it was a very dangerous thing for him to go with that clot in his leg. Nixon ignored all the warnings. He's really had to pay for that and his poor family has been put through so much agony the past few weeks.

My jewelry making isn't going very fast. There are so many other things to do I haven't finished the rings yet. I'm knitting Ann a cap and Pat wants one, too, so handwork keeps piling up on me.

There have been beautiful turnips in the stores but I haven't bought any. We did get apples and I'm going to have to get busy on them soon. I'm going to make some cinnamon apples for the freezer.

I must stop and write some other letters. We'll try to mail this in Bloomington today so it won't be so late."

                         Love,

                            Bonnie

NOTE:  Speaking of mail, many of the envelopes of the 1974 letters are stamped with commemoratives.  Mom started collecting the mint sets in 1970. Pictured above are those issued in 1974.