January 31, 1968: Checking the check

Second letter postmarked January 31, 1968 (written January 31):

The CCZCC extends its winning streak to 22.

Dear Mother and Mike,

Sorry I was so long about getting the last letter mailed to you but I was out of envelopes and stamps and just couldn't find time to get them.

Monday I surprised David Wayne by taking him to a special kiddie show, "The Wacky World of Mother Goose." He had been seeing it advertised on TV, but hadn't said anything about going. (It was only shown for three days.) I did not know, though, that on Monday all schools in Los Angeles were closed so guess what all the kids did - right, went to the show! Boy, was it wild - parking impossible, standing in line to get tickets, problem finding two seats together, no way of reaching concession stand for a box of popcorn, and the noise was unbelievable! I really felt like a martyr when we finally got home. The show was delightful, however, and David Wayne did not mind the inconveniences at all.

[According to IMDB, "The Wacky World of Mother Goose" was an "animated feature film based on Charles Perrault's stories and nursery rhymes. It features Humpty Dumpty, The Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe, and the Crooked Man." It was a Rankin/Bass production.]

I can't remember what all I wrote you in the last letter so I hope I don't repeat myself. I believe I wrote you that we didn't do anything over the weekend so no need to say any more about nothing. On Sunday we did try to find Angels Flight - the world's shortest railroad, 355 feet long. We didn't find it but Barbara told me yesterday that she knows where it is and that children can ride on it. I'm going to try to find it again so David Wayne can take his first train ride.

[Angels Flight is a small funicular railway, meaning it's on an incline and it has two tracks, with the two trains connected such that one goes up when the other goes down. It's in the Bunker Hill district of downtown Los Angeles. When we lived there it connected Hill Street and Olive Street. In 1969 it was removed due to redevelopment in the area, and then it reopened in 1996, connecting Hill Street and California Plaza.]

Well, we had our big luncheon at the famous Brown Derby yesterday. I was not too impressed with it, but David Wayne wanted to go so badly that it was worth it. Before we ordered we had a cocktail and your grandson had a "Roy Rogers" - it was just 7-up with a cherry in it, but it was served in a regular cocktail-type glass. Now, David Wayne thought he was really a big boy - imagine his first cocktail at five years old! I couldn't get a child's plate (they did not have any on the menu) so he got the biggest plate of spaghetti I've ever seen and he ate more than half of it.

Here comes the good part: I think I wrote you that we were letting David Wayne "take" us to lunch, so he was to pay the bill. Well, the bill came and he picked it up off the little tray and got his money out. At this point, you must picture everyone in the place watching "that cute little boy who is acting so grown up." He kept looking at the bill so finally, figuring he didn't know what to do next, I said, "David, you put the money and the bill back on the tray for the waitress to pick up." Loudly and clearly he replied, "But Daddy always checks it over first to see if it's right!" It really broke the silence of the dignified Brown Derby and I can imagine that the story is all over Los Angeles as those businessmen probably had the time of their life repeating it when they went back to work. I've never seen Barbara laugh so hard (she was wiping tears from her eyes) and I bet I was fifteen shades of red! And that husband of mine was so damn proud of David Wayne when we told him about it. He said, "That's right, son, always check over that bill." Never doubt that Dave has a terrific influence over David Wayne! From now on I plan to pay the bills myself.

[This is another one of those memories ingrained in my brain, much like being picked up by the monster at Universal Studios or making that comment about the south pole melting when we drove by the globe fountain near Disneyland. I do recall getting quite the reaction, and Mom always liked to tell that story. As I remember it, my actual quote was, "I'm looking over the check like Daddy does."]

I know it's a big relief for you to get all those folders graded. Thank goodness the weather is better for a change, also. I hope Texas winter will be all over by the first of March. We just haven't had any cold weather this year.

Mike's car experience really scared me so I know he must have been petrified. It is really getting bad everywhere from the standpoint of safety. I wish he didn't have to make so many out of town trips - I trust Mike completely, but all those other fools and maniacs!

I still haven't answered Joan's letter - isn't that terrible? Every time I get started on it, I just bog down, don't know what to say or where to begin. But I will make an effort to finish one today and then I'll send you her letter. I really don't know why I find it difficult to wrote to her.

[I hope we get to see Joan's letter soon. It must have really been something.]

Did you see "Valley of the Dolls?" I hope you can forgive me for taking David Wayne to that show. I know it wasn't a fit show, but I truly wanted to see it. I want to take him to "Dr. Doolittle," but it is shown exclusively at only one theater and the tickets would cost $5 or $6 and you have to make reservations weeks in advance. I've also wanted to take him to "Sound of Music" which is showing at several theaters - all miles away from here! The closest one is in downtown L. A. and the parking problem would be terrific. David Wayne certainly takes after me and you about his love for movies. He enjoys them so much that it is a pleasure to take him. During the "Mother Goose" movie he got most upset with all the children that were misbehaving.

Barbara and Erland Hansen have come to the conclusion that David Wayne is developing "total recall." After explaining it to us, Dave and I agree with them and we're not trying to brag. We go someplace one time and the next time he remembers how to go. (This is on streets he's never seen before - like going to the Sivell's.)

[I'm sure my wife is cracking up after reading that part. I have definitely lost that ability. If I don't have a mental map of the area in my head already, I don't even try to keep track of where I am or what direction I'm going. I'll admit it. GPS navigation has made me lazy. But I can still read (and fold) a map, so I have that going for me.]

I read his "Jungle Book" funny book to him once or twice and he now can read the entire book, almost word for word. On Sunday mornings I read the funny papers to him once and then he sits in the floor and reads them out loud word for word. It's the same on other books and stories I read to him - he doesn't read them word for word, but he retells them exactly as they happened. Really, it's kind of scary and I don't feel qualified to handle this situation. He gets most upset with me if I'm telling a story and don't retell the dialog exact.

[See the story about the Brown Derby above. Now I'm sure I have the dialog correct.]

It also comes in very handy - as when Barbara and I park in a big parking lot, we tell David to note the aisle number and he remembers (she and I sometimes forget). Also, when we are going somewhere and need to know an address, Dave tells David Wayne the address and when we're ready for it, he tells us. (Saves us a lot of writing down addresses.) He is always remembering little, insignificant things that happened two or three years ago. Spooky?

[I think I've always had a pretty good memory, which is part of the reason I did so well in grade school.]

I just came back from the doctor and everything is fine. He had sent a blood sample off to a lab and it came back fine so no more pills, shots, etc. - or excuses to feel bad! He said it would be alright for me to travel in a car going home and to stop and rest if I got tired. He's also sending a medical history along with me so in case of trouble I can just call a hospital, ask to see a doctor that delivers babies, and he'll have any needed information. The medical history is also for Dr. Tatum - he said he trusts me not to open it.

[Dr. Tatum was Mom's doctor in Texas. So now it looks like we may all travel home by car.]

Well, that's all the news for now. I've got to get busy and wash today since Dave wore his last clean shirt today. It's been threatening to rain for several days and there's snow in them thar mountains, but the sun shines on Normandie Avenue - maybe that's because we're all coming home soon together! No actual packing yet, but Dave said he'd help so I'm not worried. Take care and write often.

[Can you tell Mom's getting excited about coming home?]

Love, 

Linda

January 29, 1968: Shasta twins

Letter postmarked January 31, 1968 (Part 2, written January 25 and 26):

We went on another picnic today at Griffith Park. Suzie and I both wore Bermuda shorts - that's how warm it is in L. A. on January 25! David Wayne had fun swinging, climbing, sliding and mostly building a fire to roast marshmallows over. On the way home we stopped to watch the filming of a Shasta Root Beer commercial. It's done in an old-timey setting with antique cars, old costumes, etc. We pointed out to David Wayne an old Keystone Cop outfit (rather I did, Suzie had never heard of Keystone Cops!) We really got a kick out of one part - a pie in the face scene. I couldn't believe all the trouble they went to just to film a commercial. There was a director, several cameramen, make-up man, etc., etc. - just like filming a full-length motion picture. And all these people acted like they were on camera, so aware of an audience I suppose.

[I found two Youtube links to that commercial, neither of which is very good quality. This one has the full commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_cZUzK_dqY. This one cuts off the beginning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adWmJ362Fu4. According to the description of the second one, this commercial "features original Keystone Cop and Walt Disney voice actor Billy Bletcher in one of his last screen credits." I could not find any verification that Billy Bletcher was ever a Keystone Cop, but he did appear in silent movies.]

[Unfortunately I don't remember watching the filming of this commercial at all, but I do remember seeing this commercial on TV. Whenever it would come on Mom would ask me if I remembered seeing it being filmed and I would sadly say no, even way back then.]

[The rest of this letter was written January 26, 1968.]

Today I guess we'll just stay home since I need to wash my hair.

[Good grief, is that an all-day task?]

Next week Barbara and I are taking David Wayne to lunch at the Brown Derby - he has wanted to eat at "the hat" ever since we got here. I'll have to get out and go to post office - we're out of stamps. I can't even mail this letter until I do that.

[I guess I was mistaken when I first started going through these letters when I thought we frequently ate at the Brown Derby.]

Take care of yourself and I hope you got all those folders graded. Oh, I've written you about how big David Wayne has gotten but I neglected to tell you that this ole' girl is pretty big, too. I just know I'm carrying twins - got to be! Everyone says I look like I'll have the baby just any day. And I'm really carrying this baby low - much too low for any comfort. If I stand, I'm too heavy to feel good and if I sit - well, I just can't for very long. It is completely impossible for me to bend over. If I drop anything on the floor either it stays or I have to call David Wayne to come pick it up for me. But I have been really lucky in that I didn't go through the morning sickness or have any leg cramps. (I did have those when I carried David Wayne.)

See y'all soon in good ole' Texas!

Love,

Linda

January 28, 1968: Baby Prep

Letter postmarked January 31, 1968 (part 1, dated January 25):

The CCZCC extends its winning streak to 21.

Dear Mother and Mike,

We got two nice surprises yesterday - a letter from you and the package with Dave's sweater. Dave really likes the sweater and he can wear brown better with his clothes. It fits perfectly and he strutted all over the house in it last night. Sorry you had this extra trouble to go to.

Glad to hear that your heating unit is finally intact - just after the cold weather. Anyway you'll be ready for next year. I'm so glad that you and Mike didn't come down with pneumonia.

Thank goodness Mike couldn't go to New York with the Whitsons. In a previous letter you had mentioned they were going and I was just holding my breath about Mike being invited. Maybe Ann's grades can stand a week's absence from school, but I gather it could prove disastrous for Mike.

[The Whitsons were the parents of Uncle Mike's girlfriend at the time, Ann. It sounds like Mom was concerned about Uncle Mike missing a week of school to go on a trip to New York with them. He did eventually make it to New York, though. In fact, he's in New York City tonight (January 28, 2018) attending the Grammy awards at Madison Square Garden.]

You asked if David Wayne has expressed a preference for a brother or a sister - definitely yes! He wants a baby brother because he said he didn't want to have to kiss a girl. We have tried to "soft-peddle" the sex of the baby and just refer to it as, "when our baby comes . . ." In this way, I feel maybe he won't be disappointed. (What I mean is, if he hasn't said too much about which he wants, it'll be easier on him if it is a girl.) Does that make sense? I just remember how I first felt about Mike - everyone knew I had wanted a sister - and being so stubborn it was hard for me to admit that I could love a little brother.

[Although I don't recall having that preference, it doesn't surprise me that I wanted a little brother. Girls are icky.]

I'm so glad you told me what all Wayne and Linda had bought for their house. Linda hasn't said much about the house in her letters because I guess she thought it would make me more homesick. I am really anxious to see the house but, of course, I'm more anxious to see Steven. David Wayne can't wait to get his paws on that baby - I hope they will let him hold Steven.

[They did, and I have photographic evidence to prove it.]

I can hardly wait to get home and start fixing up the nursery. I haven't even thought about it. I know I want to buy a play pen - one of those fold-up kind with mesh (not the old wooden ones.) Also, I thought it'd be nice to get a stroller so David Wayne can take the baby walking. But I've got to think of curtains, at least cleaning the diaper holder you made for David Wayne, painting the high chair, washing all those baby clothes, and I think I may have to get a new mattress for the baby bed. (I seem to recall it had a split.) Even it it's just a small split, this elephant I'm carrying would soon have it in shreds. (I remember the treatment David Wayne gave that bed - in fact, the mattress probably has several splits!)

Gee, won't it be bedlam at your house when we all get together. I think your best investment for the security of your sanity would be to get a good strong fence around the back yard - then we can just turn them loose and David Wayne can be general overseer. Remembering your living room at Christmas with just David Wayne, I think we better rent the armory next year!

[My grandmother's house did have a rather small living room, especially by today's standards. Thankfully the large family Christmas gatherings shifted to our house after we moved back to Texas.]

It's a good thing I sent you the picture of David Wayne in that outfit you got him - the pants now have a hole in one knee! At what age will he begin to walk on his feet again? He can wear the shirt (it fits perfectly even after washing) with several other pants (all four pairs he has). The pants are now play pants, as he calls them. I guess I better learn to put on a good knee patch.

[Boys will be boys. And yes, Mom learned to put on a knee patch because I did keep wearing holes in the knees of my pants for many years after this.]

Thanks for offering to get the house ready but I don't think there is a thing you could do. Dave says he'll write the gas, water, electric companies to turn things on. Then I suppose Patsy (next door) can get a key from the owners and she'll be right there to let them in. That would be easier as she stays home all day and you couldn't very well take off work and see to it. As for cleaning, I left the house spotless and even sheets on the beds. I know everything will have a layer or two of dust but I doubt that we'll see that as we will be too happy just to be home.

Thank you for inviting the Jennings up for our homecoming. Dave says that more than likely we'll arrive on the weekend so that will be just perfect. I know they appreciate you thinking of them in this way - we certainly do. Dave will be most anxious to see his folks and I doubt seriously that I'll feel like jumping in a car after a trip like that and going to Belton. Nate and Judy also want to come see us after we get home, but I know you don't have enough room for everyone. Hope this won't sound terrible, but we sure won't feel like giving up our own bed to anyone for the first few nights.

[Just to refresh your memory if necessary, the Jennings are my dad's parents, and Nate and Judy are my dad's brother and his wife.]

[We'll end Part 1 of this letter here.]

January 24, 1968: Turtle, Chicken, Byrd

Letter postmarked January 24, 1968 (Part 3):

This is Part 3 of the letter postmarked January 24, 1968.

You asked about the turtle, Snappy. He is just fine and David Wayne plays with him just about every day by taking him into the bathroom and giving him a bath. He also claims he's teaching him to swim. The other big turtle, Mickey, that we bought on Olvera Street died, but it never did much except spit and hiss at us.

[Dead turtles aren't much fun. It sounds like that one wasn't very much fun while he was alive, either. RIP, Mickey. That's a stupid name for a turtle anyway. Everyone knows Mickey is a mouse.]

Oh, about looking up Roy Rogers and Trigger . . . there is a Roy Rogers Museum in Apple Valley and we passed within 10 miles of it on our way to Calico. I said something about going to it but David Wayne showed no interest and neither did Dave after we ran into the heavy traffic. I don't think it would be worth fighting all those cars. The thing David Wayne wants to see is the Batmobile at 20th Century Fox.

[No surprise there. A Batmobile or a horse named Trigger? Hmmm . . .]

I never wrote you the ending to the screen test, did I? Well, Suzie got all dolled up and went over to the studio - located on Fairfax, a very busy street in L. A. She got to wondering what she'd do if they ask her about talent. She said in her East Texas twang, "I can't dance, so I'll have to sing. Now what will I sing?" Sitting in her car on busy Fairfax Street she began practicing on "I Gave My Love a Cherry" from her old Girl Scout camp days. She couldn't remember all the words and none of the right tune, so she gave up, drove home, called the studio and said, "This is Suzie Dirr. Cancel my appointment. I'm chicken!"

[Well that's just too bad. I'm sure Suzie had plenty of talent and would have done fine if she had just practiced a little. If you aren't familiar with that song she was trying to sing, here it is on the Youtubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaBK0dBV47E]

Via the voodoo doll, Mike - oops! Knuckehead - is seeing the sights in California. David Wayne takes it everywhere we go. He surely does enjoy it. He's sitting in the floor playing with the Matchbox cars and the little circus train. The voodoo doll is laying across the tracks and evidently the train is going to run over it. I'm almost glad you were unable to get the service station because he's been making his own - our shoe boxes are all gone as this is what he's been cutting up, printing signs on them, and painting. He fixed up a service station, a farm, and an animal doctor's building. The service station also doubles as a tunnel for his train. I wrote you that we had to teach him how to play cars, but now he can play _all_ day long with them. The TV never is turned on any more. He hasn't watched even one cartoon since Christmas.

David Wayne is really looking forward to coming home. The first thing he did this morning was to draw a picture of a pelican. When he showed it to us and told us what it was, he said, "I'm going to be looking for one of these today and get it to carry me to Texas in his mouth." I can't imagine what he dreamed about last night. And Dave is just as homesick as David Wayne - he won't rest a minute until he can get me home to have the baby and it will be worse now that he's seen the freeway traffic at night (which I've told him is usually the time most babies come).

[The next part was written Tuesday, January 23.]

I had planned on finishing this letter yesterday but I took a nap. After sleeping I drank a cup of hot tea and guess what - it made me sick. I vomited and felt so weak that I went back to bed. Barbara Hansen came over as I was thinking any minute I'd die. She was going to a discount shoe store and wanted us to go along. What did I do but get dressed, go with her, buy a pair of shoes, and had a wonderful afternoon - not bad for a sick gal, eh?

We picked up Dave and Erland from work and then all of us went to the Hansen's. We listened to some stereo tapes and then walked to a really nice restaurant, Bull 'n Bush, and ate. Our food was delicious - prime beef. It was better this time than the first time we ate there. Again we were very proud of the way David Wayne behaved. He has gotten very fond of Barbara and Erland and just loves to be with them - I'm glad because Dave and I certainly enjoy their company.

Of course, Dave should have come home and gone to bed last night, but he enjoyed the evening. He slept a little longer than usual this morning but said he felt good.

I am sending back the clipping of the "store." Thank you for sending it as we both really enjoyed it. Uncle Byrd looked fairly good in the picture - is it a recent one? He didn't look that good the last time I saw him.

[The clipping about the "store" was a neat article from the November 21, 1967 Denton Record-Chronicle about the closing of the College Store, which my grandmother's aunt and uncle had been operating near the TWU campus since 1916. Uncle Byrd was 85 at the time. Here's a scan of the picture and the title of the article.]

[The address of the store was 1219 Oakland Street in Denton, at the corner of Oakland and East Third Street. It now appears to be the TWU Human Resources building according to Google Street View.]

Also, I'm enclosing a picture of David Wayne that we took Christmas morning. This was the very first picture we took and you can tell he's still got sleep in his eyes.

[This was one of the pictures I showed in the post for the letter that covered Christmas morning, but I'll show it here again so you can follow along with Mom's description.]

The balloon is part of the Johnny Astro toy - the red circle is Mars and the blue is the moon. He really enjoyed this toy, but now that he can work it good, it isn't played with much. The gray and white "8 shaped" thing is his Build-A-Road set for the cars - those sticks on the inside are different road signs and street lights (yellow tops). Right in front of the Santa Claus pinata is the circus train and next to it is the Robot (name - Frank). Between Frank and the train is the Batmobile that does all kinds of weird tricks. Directly being our smiling "ham" is a Slap Trap game - the only thing he asked Santa for and the one thing that he doesn't care much for. If his mother could get on the floor to play _with_ him, he would enjoy the game more.

[Yeah, Slap Trap wasn't very fun by yourself, since the object was to remove the things you were holding onto before your opponent slapped the trap closed. And that's kind of sad to hear about Johnny Astro already being pushed aside after being mastered within a month. I'm pretty sure I played with it some in Texas, though.]

Well, must close sometime. I've got to wash clothes and go to grocery store. Take care and write as often as you can. Congratulate Mike on his giving music lessons!

[I think I previously mentioned that Uncle Mike was in his high school band (trombone). Here it looks like his teaching career started early. Later in life he would teach a few college courses related to the music business.]

Love, 

Linda

January 23, 1968: Tanks, trains & automobiles

Letter postmarked January 24, 1968 (Part 2):

This is Part 2 of the letter postmarked January 24, 1968. This part covers Sunday, January 21.

Sunday morning we decided to go to the Calico Ghost Town. This place is owned by the same people that own Knott's Berry Farm and it is not as commercialized - everything there is old and just like it was when it was a mining town. The only trouble with the place is that it's so far away - it took about three hours of driving to get there.

[Calico Ghost Town is in Yermo, CA, which is about two and a half hours northeast of Los Angeles. Calico was a mining town during the California silver rush of the 1880s, then became a ghost town after silver lost its value in the mid-1890s. Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950s.]

[Mom doesn't mention it, but just before we got to Calico we must have stopped in Barstow and taken some pictures at a park. Barstow is home to a Marine Corps Logistics Base and Fort Irwin Army Base. Surplus military equipment must be a common sight in that area because Mom's caption for this first photo indicates that we found this old tank in a park.]

[Note that Mom is six months pregnant in that picture. I don't know what was going on with me at the time, but if you zoom in on my face it looks like I wasn't very happy. Maybe that bare metal tank was burning my butt through my britches.]

[The next photo is me and Mom inside the tank. I look much happier there in the shade.]

We took a picnic lunch. (Dave's really pinching pennies so he can get me that washing machine quickly!) David Wayne wore his guns, holster, and cowboy hat and we got some really cute pictures. He took a donkey ride, all of us took a train ride, went through a museum, and we walked through an old mine. We had a good time and really it didn't cost us much as admission and parking were free and we didn't have to eat out.

[Here are various photos of our day at Calico. Let me begin by saying I didn't include all of the pictures from Calico Ghost Town, not even all the pictures of me.]

[First up is me (with my awesome red cowboy hat) in an antique wagon. The front of the wagon says:

Lanes
General Merchandise
Free Delivery

[Next is me (with my awesome red cowboy hat, holster, and gun) and Dad in front of a sign that says "1881 Calico Lives Again." Behind that sign you can see "CALICO" in gigantic letters near the top of the mountain. You will note that this picture is a little blurry, much like a previous picture of me where the blurriness was blamed on me doing the pee dance. I doubt Dad and I both needed to go while Mom was taking this picture.]

[Next is me riding a donkey. If I don't look like a real cowboy there with my red hat, blue jeans, and tennis shoes, then nobody does.]

[Next is me sitting in a very large cast iron kettle with this lettering on the front:

Chinese bath tub
Back Scrub 5 cents
Full Scrub 10 cents
(Try it for size)

[That's all the pictures I'll be showing from Calico Ghost Town, but it should come as no surprise that Mom saved some items from our visit, much like she did for almost every other place we visited. Since I doubt we'll be back here before we move back to Texas, given how far Calico is from Los Angeles, I won't be able to spread these out over several posts. Therefore, you now get to experience the Calico Ghost Town Ephemera Extravaganza!]

[First up is a nice tri-fold brochure giving the history of Calico and the current layout. Fully unfolded it's 11" x 17" so it required four full-page scans to get it all. You're welcome. If you read closely you'll see two mentions of the Walter Knott connection to the original Calico mining town.]

[Next is a scan that includes each of the different tickets Mom saved from Calico, not including duplicates. These have a similar look to the tickets from Knott's Berry Farm, but they don't have as much clever writing.]

We left Calico at 5 o'clock but we didn't get home until after 9! The traffic was terrible. First, we ran into the cars coming in from Las Vegas and also there was a truck that had lost control and blocked all but one lane. For two hours we just creeped along, stopping and starting a little at a time - it was horrible. Only our sense of humor kept us from going batty. We ate supper in the car on the freeway - I told Dave it was a good thing we had our leftover picnic food with us or we could starve to death on an L. A. freeway. Then Dave really got me tickled by saying, "I'm glad I'm not taking you to the hospital to have the baby." Then we tried to guess how many babies were born on freeways each year in L. A. Poor Dave was so tried when we finally arrived home - he had a headache, his back and neck were stiff and sore, and he just fell in the bed. He wasn't much better this morning and I felt really sorry for him having to go to work.

[We will conclude Part 2 of this letter here.]

January 21, 1968: Woods, blood, and popcorn

Letter postmarked January 24, 1968 (Part 1, dated January 22):

The CCZCC, after the previous letter's adjustment, extends its winning streak to 20. I think Mom's getting the hang of this zip code thing.

Dear Mother and Mike,

Well, I got your letter last Friday and evidently you hadn't gotten the one from me about the "coming home crisis" being over. Again, let me say, it is a big relief to both of us that the job is ending by first of March. As to whether I will fly or ride in the car, we haven't decided for sure - more than likely we'll let my doctor decide that for us. Suzie "spilled the beans" to David Wayne about flying home (I hadn't planned on telling him anything until we knew for sure) so I thought, uh-oh we'll have to fly. But he seems to want to ride home so he can sit in front seat with Daddy and me in the back seat - also he said he needed to keep an eye on toys!

Last Thursday we went on a picnic with Suzie and believe me, the woods is the place for that ole gal. She and David had more fun than any two people I've seen - they followed the horse tracks on the bridal path and made up all kinds of games about them. Suzie found Winnie-the-Pooh's house for David Wayne, climbed trees, did all kinds of tricks on the swings, and they built a campfire (first one David Wayne has seen!) Since we were out in the woods, I could sit back and relax, letting them make all the noise they wanted to - and they did have a screaming contest which sent all the animals in Griffith Park scurrying away!

[Here are a couple of pictures of me and Suzie at Griffith Park, possibly on this day.]

[In the one with the playground equipment you'll see that it's all bare metal. None of that padded plastic crap the kids these days have to play on. Nope. If you hit your head (or any other body part) on playground equipment back in the day it hurt, by golly. It might even draw some blood as a further reminder to be careful and not do that again. And do you think a bare metal slide got hot with the midday sun shining on it? You bet your sweet bare skin it did. How are kids supposed to learn about heat absorption these days?]

[Speaking of blood . . .]

The day was a lot of fun with only one minor accident - David Wayne fell and skinned his elbow, side, and wrist. He didn't cry very much but he was most upset at having to go into the ladies restroom and get the blood washed off! We plan to go on the picnic bit again this week. Oh, I forgot - when we got home, David Wayne fell right to sleep (in the afternoon) and slept for two hours. He probably would have slept longer but I woke him up so he'd be able to sleep that night.

Friday I just felt sorta blah - know what I mean? I called Barbara Hansen and she told me to come over and have a cup of coffee. I bet she won't make that mistake again - I had morning coffee, noon lunch, afternoon beauty shop (we both got our hair fixed), and I was just leaving when Erland came home. I think she enjoyed the day as much as I though.

[Still no mention of that broken feather duster. I might be in the clear.]

Saturday we really had fun - the Sivells had invited us over. We got there about 2 o'clock and didn't leave until 10 o'clock. David Wayne had more fun playing in their back yard with their two dogs. He and Mr. Sivell are great "pals" and Mrs. Sivell said her husband had really been looking forward to our visit. She had fixed a wonderful meal for us. (You should have seen David Wayne eat!) After eating, the men played ball in the back yard and I helped (very little) clean up dishes. Then it was too dark to stay outside so we all watched a basketball game on TV - Houston vs. California. Now, I never watch any kind of sports and Dave watches only football, but you should have seen us pulling for the Texas team! During the game, David Wayne played in the floor all by himself - drew pictures, played with their dominoes, and looked at his "Jungle Book" funny book. He really did behave good all day.

[That basketball game they watched wasn't just any old basketball game. It happened to be the very first time a regular season NCAA college basketball game was televised nationwide during prime time. If that's not enough of a big deal, it was also college basketball's game of the century, between the UCLA Bruins and the University of Houston Cougars. Legendary coaches John Wooden vs. Guy Lewis. Legendary players Lew Alcindor (future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) vs. Elvin Hayes. The game was announced by legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg. #1 ranked UCLA came into the game with a 47-game winning streak (two and a half seasons). #2 ranked Houston was undefeated that season and won this game 71-69.]

[So once again Mom casually mentions a game being watched on TV and it turns out to be a major historical sporting event with its own Wikipedia page.]

Mrs. Sivell really knows how to get along with children - she had gotten some Jiffy Pop popcorn and she let David Wayne fix his own snack. He was delighted. We all three spent a wonderful day and we are going to try and do something very nice for them before we leave L. A. - what? I don't know.

[Jiffy Pop! Jiffy Pop! The magic treat! As much fun to make as it is to eat!]

[Here are links to three low-quality commercials for Jiffy Pop currently on the Youtubes:]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vegPoI0NgdM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVdMA4QHdUU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-An6eaGItk

[Note the Jungle Book connection with that last one.]

[We'll end Part 1 of this letter here.]

January 18, 1968: Giant doctor

Letter postmarked January 18, 1968 (Part 2, dated January 17):

This is the second part of the January 18 letter. This part was written on January 17.

Well, I just got home from doctor.

[At this point I am redacting two sentences that aren't really that big a deal and we're all grownups, after all. But it's some medical stuff people generally don't broadcast and I'd honestly rather hear Mom talk about bras than what she said about this doctor visit. You're welcome.]

He also checked the iron count - says it's better and I took my last shot for that. I told him I'd been getting dizzy - he said it's natural and I might have it more so because of anemia. I go back the 31st of January.

I'm enclosing a couple of pictures - neither one I'm proud of. The one by the "Jolly Green Giant Footprint rug" is where he's wearing the outfit you sent him. He was feeling really silly that night.

[The date on the back of that picture is January 13, 1968.]

[What, me silly? I guess I grew out of that eventually.]

[We have another decent view of my bed in that picture. Also, I had forgotten about this picture when the Jolly Green Giant Rug was mentioned a few letters ago.]

The other one shows the pants and belt that Linda and Wayne got him. It is blurred because he was hopping around - had to go to bathroom. Can't you almost see him doing a little dance?

[We've seen that picture before, in the August 25, 1967 diary entry. Now we know why I had that awesome pose.]

[The pictures included with this letter explain the 10 cent Postage Due stamp on this envelope. Mom must not have had a postal scale. Also, I noticed that the amount of postage on these airmail envelopes went up from 8 cents to 10 cents at the first of the year. I did find confirmation on the internets that first class postage (regular mail, not airmail) when up from 5 cents to 6 cents on January 7, 1968.]

Must go as I'm about ready for a nap. Take care and write often.

Love,

Linda