The CCZCC now stands at 4.
Dear Mother and Mike,
This is going to be mostly a "be mad at my husband" letter! You know I've been saying that we just had no idea when this job would end - well, I must have had a frog in my pocket, by saying "we." Dave has known a tentative date for weeks - not necessarily a final date, but a tentative one which is almost as good. And to think I've gone through pure hell worrying about what will I do if the baby is born out here, who'll take care of David Wayne, who'll take care of me, etc., etc. I could easily chug him through the floor.
[To set the stage here, Dad was on a temporary assignment in Los Angeles, and we learned in some earlier letters that when this job started they thought it might be done by Christmas. But they learned a month or two ago that the job would not be done by Christmas so we would be spending Christmas in Los Angeles. To further complicate things, Mom is pregnant and due in April, so it's quite possible she could have the baby in Los Angeles, given the unknown end date for Dad's assignment. Well, unknown until today.]
[I think Mom meant "chunk" instead of "chug" in the last sentence of that paragraph.]
It happened this way: Barbara Hansen (her husband works with Dave) and I had lunch together yesterday. I was saying that I wished we had just some idea as to when it would be over. Then she told me that her husband had asked the man in charge because he needs to make arrangements for another job. The boss said it would be the end of February. When Dave came home from work I told him what I had learned. He didn't say much so later (just on a hunch) I asked him if he had known. "Yes," he said, "I was in the room when Erlen asked the boss." I was so mad I could've spit! I asked him why he hadn't told me and he just said he didn't think about it. I hope I have a little girl because one more damn man around the house would drive me batty.
[I can't cut Dad any slack for this one. Bad communication there. Mom was definitely a little hot.]
I just got back from the doctor. Everything's fine and he said that the baby is active enough and he can hear heart beat. I hadn't gained even 1/2 pound since last visit. He is very happy about that. I still hope it's a girl - - - grrrrr!
Gene and Suzie came over last night and we watched their home movies. David Wayne really liked them. We saw Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, the Hoover Dam. For me, it was just like taking that trip with Myrna and Julia all over again.
[Mom apparently did take a trip to the west coast with her cousin Myrna and a good friend of hers named Julia. I didn't know anything about this trip until I was going through some photo albums as we were packing for our move this past summer. (Mom wrote "Judy" in this letter but she wrote "Julia" on the backs of some of these photos. I do remember visiting Julia occasionally while I was growing up.) Based on what Mom wrote on the backs of these photos I believe they took this trip in the summer of 1965, which is the summer Mom turned 24 years old.]
[First is a picture of Mom and Myrna at the Grand Canyon. Myrna was having a bad hair day.]
[Next is Mom standing behind Julia at Hoover Dam.]
[Next is Mom and Julia somewhere out west. Mom's striking quite the pose leaning against that tree.]
[Here we have Mom and Julia at Lake Tahoe. I think Mom looks like a go-go dancer in this picture.]
[The last picture is Mom in San Francisco, all dressed up for a night on the town.]
Gene had one roll of film he was very proud of - it showed Suzie losing on a gambling machine, then a maternity shop, then one of those instant wedding chapels, then a motel. I'm afraid we didn't get as big a thrill from it as Gene, but we were polite and laughed. David Wayne absolutely adores both Gene and Suzie. They're supposed to keep him Friday night (their idea), but so far David just ignores the subject of going out. I guess we won't go out - grrrr! grrr!
I am so happy that Linda had such an easy time. I wish I could see Wayne and I still feel like I'm really missing out on something. Linda sent us two pictures of the baby. I wish you could have seen David Wayne's face lit up like a Christmas tree. That funny child said, "He looks just like Daddy with his round, bald head!" I explained that all babies looked like that so he replied, "How will we tell our baby from their baby then?" Good question. Steven better grow a lot before April, because if I have another baby elephant we won't be able to tell them apart.
[As I mentioned while going over the October 5 letter, I weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces at birth and was affectionately nicknamed "baby elephant" due to my size when I was a year or two old.]
I got the feeding dish at Penney's. I don't know if it is the same as the one in the Green Stamp book or not. Did you get the check alright?
We appreciated the letter from Mike. Did you twist his arm, Mother? David Wayne really liked it and how! Sounds like he isn't grounded at all - right?
[Well, he's a high school senior and he's in the band.]
Guess I'll close for now. I'm going to put arsenic in David's supper tonight, so I better get busy.
[I think she's still upset.]
Love,
Linda
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