August 27, 1976 The Extra Tomatoes, The Final Exams, The Extra Interest, The Candidates and The Long, Long Time

Dear Mother,

"It is a very hot day but I don't plan to go anywhere so am staying inside. I have washed my hair and made some tomato preserves this morning. They take so long to cook down and have to be watched so closely but we like them and I had extra tomatoes. It is so nice to have more tomatoes than we need. These were real cheap plants but they have paid for themselves over & over. This is the first time we have ever had good luck growing them but won't be able to do it next year because we'll have some lilies & things growing next to the house. We hadn't wanted to put anything permanent next to the house until we saw if the waterproofing worked. It seems fine so by next spring I can set out permanent plants. We will need more dirt this fall to fill in low places. It sure takes a long time to get a yard in shape after it has been torn up.

Bob K. takes his final exams on Sept. 2 so he & Ann will probably be here Labor Day weekend. They will go to Marshall after the movers take their furniture until Bob gets thru with the exams and then come here. I'm glad they got to Richland. They were afraid they weren't going to be able to. It seems as if their plans have to be changed every day but they just have to wait for the University people to do things. Some of them can be awfully slow & it is harder with the new semester starting. There are always so many things for everyone to do.

I'm glad you are going to cash the notes. You don't need to tell anyone why you want to do it but those notes should be making more money for you than they are now. We can easily add the $ to the certificate you bought last. That is no problem at all. It would be good to use the extra interest to fix your porch. I have seen a lot of porches fixed with the carpeting & they look nice but that is an awfully big porch and I haven't any idea how much it would cost. We might talk to Steve about it when we come--probably in September.

The Quilt Show is still going on and will not be over until October 3. I go 2 or 3 times a week & quilt and we have people from all over coming to see it.

Patty was offered another teaching job but she turned it down, too.  They are taking a few days vacation in Sept. and are going to Williamsburg & on to Cape Hatteras. It should be nice because the crowds will not be there as in mid-summer.

I'll be glad when the elections are over. I don't much like Dole and the reporters keep saying he's going to get rough in his campaigning. I hate it when the candidates blast one another all of the time. Let's listen to the debates between Ford & Carter. That will be the best way to learn about them both. Maybe we won't want either one by the time they finish.

I don't know when Mildred is coming or how long she'll stay. She hasn't had time to answer my letter. Our summer has been nothing but work so it hasn't seemed like we have had a summer. Maybe things will quiet down a little after the fall term gets started.




Almost lunchtime so I must stop. Ann said you looked better than she'd seen you in a long, long time. I hope that means that you feel better than you have in a long, long time."


                       Love,

                          Bonnie




NOTE: The posters are a gift from a friend, an avid collector of such things. And if you want to make Tomato Preserves, you can find recipes here:

http://annbkennedy.blogspot.com/2012/05/september-9-1947-vermont-house.html