Letter postmarked February 14, 1968 (Part 1, written February 12):
[I got a little behind on the letters due to a short illness followed closely by some business travel. Hopefully I'll post something at least daily until we're caught up.]
The CCZCC extends its winning streak to 25. It could . . . go . . . all . . . way.
Dear Mother and Mike,
I got your letter today and I sure enjoyed the part about Steven and how he's growing. I can hardly wait to see him. David Wayne just goes into convulsions whenever and wherever we see a baby so I know he'll have a fit over Steven. Which reminds me - I took David Wayne shopping today (we were just bored) and we looked at baby furniture, toys, clothes, etc. Everything David Wayne saw, he wanted to buy either for Steven or for "our" baby. My reaction to the prices was somewhat different and I told Dave tonight that I'd changed my mind on having this baby - we can't afford it!
Speaking of babies . . . we found out about 30 minutes ago that the Dirrs are expecting in September. Dave informs me that this makes the third time this has happened to a Texas examiner stationed in L. A. - they won't be able to get Texans out here at that rate. The Dirr's puppy was run over on Saturday and it died. I was so sorry to hear that even with all the trouble the little thing caused.
I read to David Wayne the part of your letter about him spending the weekend once in a while with you. He was delighted, to say the least. The parents of David Wayne will be most willing. I wonder if he will be will to leave "our" baby, though. I've brainwashed him into thinking that I need his help so he may not trust me to take adequate care of a baby by myself.
We don't know, as of yet, our exact departure date. Dave says three or four more weeks - which sounded fine until I looked at the calendar. I will be home only three or four weeks before the baby is due. Don't talk to this old fat, pregnant, slow woman about having plenty of time to fix up a nursery. HA! I cannot remember what all I had for David Wayne in the way of clothes. I have done absolutely nothing in preparing for this baby - not even one diaper! I do remember that the handle of the diaper bag needs to be repaired and it is filthy. I wish you could get Mike to get my baby bed for me before I get home. If I could just get it to your house then I would feel better about getting it home. As for a chest, we're going to buy David Wayne a new one to match his bed and use the one in his room for the baby clothes. Paint? I'll do good to get it washed.
Dave says, "Don't worry about fixing up the room. I'll take care of it." But you know men. What would he know about it - he thinks the curtains in the room now will be fine and he says all we'll need is the baby bed in there. I'm not really worrying about the nursery though. I'll just do as much as I have time for and feel like doing and the rest will take care of itself.
I'm not going to attempt to go see "Dr. Doolittle" here. Patsy wrote me that in Dallas it is just as expensive as L. A. and you also have to make reservations weeks in advance. I hope that we (you included) can go after we get home. I have all these plans for "after we get home" but I fear that I won't feel like doing much. You know, I don't even know what to do about going to the hospital - I have plenty of gowns but not one that buttons down the front (also mine are sorta flimsy from hospital wear). Dave said he wants to buy me a new robe and that's fine, but when is he going to buy it? On the way to the hospital? It really hasn't hit him yet that there is only a few weeks left and all he has on his mind is just getting me home safely. I have lots of time now to get ready but I can't buy things here and then haul them back to Texas. Gee, this is going to be a wild next two months.
[I guess it didn't really sink in for me until this letter, but Mom and Dad didn't have much time at all to get ready for a baby after returning from Los Angeles. Like Mom mentions, they didn't want to buy a bunch of stuff in L. A. and then haul it back with all the other stuff we had accumulated. It must have been crazy trying to get everything ready after we got back to Texas.]
[We'll end Part 1 of this letter here.]
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.]
Letter postmarked January 4, 1968 (Part 3):
This part of the January 4 letter covers Sunday, December 31, 1967 and Monday, January 1, 1968. (New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.)
Sunday we went to Knott's Berry Farm. The girls wanted to go to Disneyland, but there just wasn't time - I had to be home by 7 o'clock to get ready for our New Year's party. The girls were supposed to meet us at a certain time and Mary just turned them loose. (Yes! I kept David Wayne with us.) Well, they didn't show up until about 40 minutes after the appointed time which made everything very rushed for me (like I didn't have time to change clothes, comb my hair, or put on lipstick for the party.) But our day at Knott's was a lot of fun and we even had one of those chicken dinners out there - delicious again!
[Yet another trip to Knott's Berry Farm. Here's a fuzzy picture of Dad and Cliff sitting with some women other than their wives.]
[And here is a picture of me standing next to a snowman that probably wasn't made out of real snow. This is one of those rare photos in which my clothes appear to fit and you can't see that growing belly of mine.]
[Before we cover the New Year's Eve party at our apartment, here is a picture of all of the guests except one, I think.]
[The people in the back row are Cliff, Suzie Dirr, Gene Dirr, Hartford (Christmas Eve guest), Barbara Hansen (red dress), and Erland Hansen. The people in the front row are Ginger and Lynn (Cliff's stepdaughters), and Mary (Cliff's wife). I'm pretty sure Hartford's girlfriend was there, too, because in the same area of the photo album there is a picture of him and his girlfriend sitting on our couch, and she isn't mentioned in the letter describing Christmas Eve.]
[In that group photo it looks like Erland may be holding a camera in his left hand. The table is set up for serving a lot of food, so I'm sure everyone had a great time.]
Now for the party, which was a complete bust!
[Well, maybe everyone didn't have a great time.]
Mary allowed her girls to stay up for the whole thing and they were so loud and silly that they were the whole party, much to everyone's disgust (except Gene and Suzie). I've never seen kids behave in such a manner and get by with it. To top that - The Dirrs brought their puppy.
[Oh good, a one-bedroom apartment with 13 people milling about, plus a puppy that isn't housebroken. Let the fun begin!]
We couldn't believe it. After several new puddle circles on our rug and shooing it away from hosiery, I blew! I told (not asked) Gene to take the damn pup home and not bring it back. Dave backed me up all the way, bless his heart. Does that sound like me? Gene took the pup home, but unfortunately, he and Suzie stayed - she in my bathroom crying and he making a general nuisance of himself. As I said before, the girls and the Dirrs were so loud and silly that no one else could talk. That was our party - "The Sandbox Crowd." Everyone stayed until midnight and we ate (food was good - ham, potato salad, black-eyed peas, cornbread) then all left and I didn't blame them one bit.
Monday morning I just said, "To hell with it!" I stayed in bed until 10 o'clock, fixed only coffee for breakfast (except the girls and David Wayne had Toast'Em Pop-Ups), and I wrapped up ham, bread and potato salad for them to eat and just sent them on their merry way. The rest of the day was spent with relaxing and just talking, talking, talking.
[Can you tell Mom was a little upset? That late trip to the airport on Christmas Day made it the best Christmas ever, and now the puppy and the loud young girls made it the best New Year's Eve ever. I bet Mom and Dad breathed a huge sigh of relief when our company left.]
[This concludes Part 3 of the January 4 letter. I'll post the 4th and final part on January 4.]
Letter postmarked December 28, 1967 (dated December 26) (Part 4):
Here's Part 4 of the letter Mom started writing the day after Christmas in 1967. Today we'll cover Tuesday, December 26. Mom indicated in the letter that she wrote this part Wednesday morning.
I got worn out writing about the pup trouble yesterday, so I went back to bed. When I woke up at noon, David Wayne was still asleep and he had spit up in bed. I just let him sleep and guess what - he slept until 2 PM.
[Good grief I must have been exhausted from that late night trip to the airport. Mom apparently was, too.]
Barbara Hansen came by a little while after he woke up and I was so glad to see her. She nearly cried when I told her about the dress. As we were sitting calmly talking and admiring David Wayne's toys, a knock at the door and guess who - Suzie with the puppy! It was just like another child coming to see David Wayne's loot and they played - loudly and rambunctiously. Finally, Barbara and I gave up trying to talk and she left.
[It seems as though Suzie is a bit clueless about certain things, like whether or not Mom really wanted to see the puppy that ruined her dress the day before. I'm sure Mom was thrilled.]
Suzie also announced that it was Gene's birthday and that they were coming over Tuesday night for a party!
[In addition to clueless, let's add insensitive, inconsiderate, and unaware of social norms.]
David Wayne was delighted, I had that sinking feeling, and when Dave came home and heard the party news . . . well, I won't tell you his reaction because, really, Mother, I am married to a nice feller.
[I'm sure after getting home after midnight Monday night and getting up early for work Tuesday morning, Dad was absolutely thrilled to find out he was hosting a birthday party Tuesday night. I can probably guess the first two words out of his mouth and exactly how he said them.]
The bad things yesterday were offset by the arrival of packages from you. We had Christmas all over again! They came in the early afternoon, but David Wayne really surprised me by saying he wanted to wait for his Daddy before opening them up. How about that? Now, Dave just got one foot in the door before David Wayne started tearing paper off, but he did wait.
[Wow, that is surprising for a five-year-old. That must have been a phase I grew out of shortly afterwards.]
Thank you so much for my maternity underwear as it was much needed.
[Between the bras, mini-skirts, and underwear, we're covering Mom's wardrobe pretty well. Yay.]
And the money doll was adorable - I can't bring myself to "undress" it yet because it's so cute. We're going to a buffet at the Hansen's Thursday night, so I'll get a new dress for that. But I won't wear it around that damn puppy, for sure!
Dave was so pleased with his sweater, but when he tried it on it was too large. The sleeves just hung. Do you think Mike could exchange it if I sent it back? He really needs it badly and he just really did like it. Both Davids were pleased with the pajamas. They wanted to put them on last night and have me take a picture of them, but with company (boarders!) coming we decided against it.
And David Wayne - I wish he had given us time to get out the camera when he opened his. That alligator soap holder was the cutest thing I've ever seen and he just had a fit over it. And the stocking with bubble bath is adorable - I told him to use the stocking as a washcloth and he could hardly wait to get into the tub. Avon must have the cutest line of things this year - the gold ornament with bubble bath is just beautiful. Dave said that our bathroom looked so good now, he was going to take visitors in there. Dave fixed up the dunking bird last night and David Wayne just can't get over how it works.
[I don't remember having this dunking bird in Los Angeles, but I know my grandmother had one at some point and I'm pretty sure we had another one a few years later. Here's the link to the Wikipedia article ("Drinking Bird") if you need a reminder of what those toys were or if you're curious how they worked. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_bird]
The beetle bug has crawled all over our house by now and thank goodness it's a wind up toy instead of battery powered - we'll be spending a fortune on batteries this year. Now, he didn't jump up and down for joy over the clothes, but Dave and I thank you. The puzzle, books and mostly the Matchbox cars and carrying case were the big deal in his eyes. We are going to the beauty shop this afternoon and the Matchbox cars and case are going with us.
Thank you so much from all of us!
[This concludes Part 4 of this letter. Tomorrow we'll probably have the fifth and final part of this letter.]
Letter postmarked December 28, 1967 (dated December 26) (Part 3):
Here's Part 3 of the letter Mom started writing the day after Christmas in 1967. Today we'll cover late Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Hartford left early Sunday night so we could put David Wayne to bed and get started on our construction work. We let David Wayne open one gift before going to bed and he chose the Disneyland game. We played it with him and then sent him and the pup to the bedroom - we got no static and he fell asleep quickly. Dave and I leisurely drank coffee, rested, and talked before we began fixing the toys. We got to bed at 3 AM Christmas Eve - talk about tired . . . but neither of us could sleep as we were just too excited. Actually, the toys were not hard to put together, but Dave played with the Johnny Lunar set until I just knew the batteries would go out. We had more fun playing with the toys than David Wayne did the next day.
[Here's a picture of Dad playing with my Johnny Astro Space Control Center very early on Christmas morning.]
[Yes, Dad is smoking a cigar in that picture. Also note that Mom got a picture of the balloon in flight.]
[Also, since I haven't posted it on the blog yet (but I have posted it on Facebook), here is a picture of the Christmas tree ornament that's a picture of me on Santa's lap taken at Santa's Village in October. This is the photo I mentioned in the discussion of the October 17, 1967 letter. It's mounted on a piece of particle board.]
We were all up about 7 o'clock Christmas morning and David Wayne just couldn't have been more thrilled and excited. He opened his stocking first and it was jammed full of little toys. I even had a little net stocking for the puppy with a rubber ball in it. We took as many pictures as we could get David Wayne still for, and we plan on sending some to everyone if we can bear to part with them. It would take me three letters to list all the things he got and I couldn't describe in three letters his happiness (or ours either!)
[Here are some pictures from Christmas Day. First is me and Dad standing with our stockings. I remember helping Mom put our names on those stockings with glue and glitter.]
[Here is me giving Dad the gift I made for him with Suzie Dirr's assistance.]
[That gift was a box for knickknacks made from a cigar box covered with a collage of colored paper and pictures cut out of magazines. Dad kept it in his desk at home until he died, and Mom kept it in that desk until she died. I have it now in a larger box of keepsakes of Dad's. Here's a picture with the lid propped open.]
[Here is me giving Mom the gift I made for her. It was a candle centerpiece. I don't have a great picture of it, although it can be seen in a picture of me and Dad eating leftovers on Christmas Day. Sadly, the candle centerpiece is long gone as far as I know.]
[Finally, here's a picture of me with my Johnny Astro Space Control Center and some other Christmas gifts.]
Christmas morning and early afternoon were just great, but were we tired early that night. All of us needed to get to bed and David Wayne was even willing, but . . . we had to stay up so we could play taxi cab for the Dirrs again. David Wayne was cross and fussy and he just cried from being worn out, and David and I weren't much better. Dave pleaded with me to go on to bed, but I had found a shorter (about half the time) way to the airport that he didn't know. And, of course, I couldn't remember street names so I could explain the way to him. So at 10 o'clock we loaded into the car and fought traffic, drunk drivers (only 1000 DWI tickets in L. A. on Monday night), a fussy little boy, and a wiggly puppy.
[This sounds awesome, leaving for the airport at 10 PM with an exhausted five-year-old kid and a puppy that isn't housebroken. What could go wrong?]
NOW! Here was the real blow . . . Gene had told us not once, but several times that his airplane got in at 10:33 PM. On arriving at the airport, we discovered that the damn nut had told us wrong and it wasn't due until 11:33 PM. We literally sat there and fumed for one _long_ solid hour. We didn't want to take the puppy to the airport, but we wanted to get rid of it (more about that later) and them as quickly as possible. If the airplane had gotten there at the time Gene had said it would, the pup wouldn't have been in the car more than 5 minutes, but as it turned out, well, if that puppy had chewed up or wet on anything, Dave would have gone berserk! David Wayne went to sleep on the way home from the airport, but Dave and I were so mad when we got home, we couldn't go to sleep even as tired as we were.
Now, to fill you in on the puppy trouble. Firstly, the puppy isn't housebroken and we now have little circles all over our rug. Putting paper down didn't help and she didn't even have the courtesy of having a "special" place - just everywhere. Secondly, we did try to take her outside for her big business, but the apartment owners up and down the street are raising cain about all the dogs using their LAWNS. (You remember those 2 x 2 splotches of green that you saw occasionally out here.) So when I did catch her in time and took her outside, I had to carry paper towels with me, pick the mess up, and then deposit it in the trash cans. but that did not happen often as I usually couldn't get her outside in time. Thirdly, we had to let her sleep in bed with David Wayne because she whined and scratched on the bathroom door all night. Then she would wake him up _early_ every morning and he just flat missed a lot of sleep. Fourthly, she is going through the chewing stage - we have one living room chair with the corner chewed, the underneath side of the divan will have to be replaced, and she even enjoyed chewing up pieces of the rug. I can't recall how many messes of chewed up bits and pieces of things I had to clean after.
[When Mom wrote that we'd be keeping this puppy while the Dirrs were gone I was hoping she would give us a full report of how bad it turned out. She did not disappoint. It was even worse than I was expecting. But wait, there's more!]
The poor little pup was nearly killed Christmas night. The Jennings sent me a beautiful dress for Christmas. When I tried it on, it was too long. Dave just loved the dress and I pinned up the hem to show him that I could take it up. As I walked out of the bedroom, the puppy jumped up and one of her toenails caught in the dress - a big hole right in the front of the dress and no way in the world to fix it as it is one of those no-iron jersey dresses. I just cried and Dave just lost control. Thank goodness David Wayne thought Daddy was playing chase with the puppy. You know, Dave and I both are dog lovers, but we had just had too much trouble and a ruined Christmas dress is nothing to laugh about.
[Man, oh, man, I bet Dad did lose control when that happened. It sounds like I almost got to witness some animal cruelty. I bet Mom had to calm him down to keep him from catching and attacking the dog.]
I suppose you're wondering how the Dirrs reacted to all this news - they laughed! I received a not very convincing "I'm sorry" from Suzie and that's all. My calm, easy going, congenial husband has turned into a raving maniac at the mention of their names. By the way, David Wayne was the one who told them about the dress, chair, etc.
[Well, it seems as though recent events have put a bit of a strain on the relationship between these two couples. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward.]
[This concludes Part 3 of this letter.]
Letter postmarked December 21, 1967:
With this letter the CCZCC sets a new record of 12! Mr. Zip is happy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._ZIP
Dear Mother and Mike,
I finally got your letter and I, too, thought it had been too long since you had written, but I know you've been busy. I couldn't believe you had not done much Christmas shopping and I hope you at least have a start by now. Do you reckon you'll ever learn about ordering from Sears? Don't worry about sending us anything, especially David Wayne as he is getting plenty.
[Hey, wait a minute. You can't tell a grandparent not to send a Christmas present to a grandchild. That's not how it works.]
What is Linda Kay doing about the feeding dish? I hope she isn't using the broken one. They have that dish at the Penney's in Irving, so why don't you just give the money to Linda and let her get it. She is getting out now and I know she has more time, car, etc. Does she know about me asking you to get one?
[My cousin Steven did survive his first year, so I guess he was fed somehow.]
I'm so glad to hear that Mike has a job and I think Craven's is a good place. It won't hurt him to miss out on a few parties and such during Christmas. He maybe will learn that making money is not such a "snap" thing. Tell him I'm really proud of him for getting a job and I hope his broken arm (you did have to really twist his arm, didn't you?) is healing fine.
[Uncle Mike did not actually break his arm, as that was another broken arm joke by Mom. Craven's was a family-owned department store on the square in Denton. They announced in 1990 that they were closing due to declining sales, no doubt in part due to the opening of Golden Triangle Mall ten years prior.]
[Uncle Mike said Craven's was probably just a seasonal job for him. Here's a funny story about Craven's: Before he worked there, Uncle Mike was shopping in the store and a lady came up to him to ask if they had something and he walked her over to what she was looking for. Then another lady and a third lady came to him for help. They all THOUGHT he worked there and was helping them.]
I had not heard of any of the violence from Texas - I thought just the weather was bad. And don't worry about me keeping my doors locked - in this city you just don't do otherwise. We have been having a lot of rain too, and even some snow in the mountains around. We've been reading about all the snow storms. If we were coming home now (as we had thought), we'd have to be going through some of the worst parts in New Mexico.
I'm sorry to hear you are having so much worry with Taffy. David Wayne laughs when I read him about what all she's doing, but I know you are having a time with her. If it's just too much trouble and you really get afraid for her, why don't you have Mike ask Daddy to keep her out at the farm? Poor Taffy, I really miss her and when I think about the torture she went though raising David Wayne, I'm afraid she'll run away when she realizes I have another baby.
[Mom got Taffy around the time I was born, and supposedly she helped Mom raise me.]
I know David Wayne will enjoy the cars. He has no idea about the Build-A-Road set and it will be a complete surprise to him. I believe he'll really be happy to see some new cars to go with his road. You are right about presents from people here - the Sivells, Dirrs and Hansens have all gotten him something. For under the tree, I got him a game about Disneyland. This store had six different games - Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantasy Land, Adventure Land, It's a Small World, Monorail, and one other I forgot. I got him the Monorail game - it had the fewest pieces.
[Even after watching this YouTube video of the Monorail game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZLw8zLCrS8) I have zero recollection of ever having it or playing it.]
To celebrate Christmas we are taking David Wayne to the Music Pavilion on Saturday to hear the school children sing Christmas carols. The Sivells were over last night and they told us it was a really good program. When they said it was free, Dave was sold on going. It will be a good chance for us to see the Pavilion also. On Sunday we will attempt to eat my turkey and dressing and if we aren't too sick, we'll open presents Monday morning. Dave gets off Friday at noon and since I won't keep the baby that day, we may do something then.
Speaking of the baby . . . I wish you could see David Wayne with Eric - he just wags him around, watches him, talks to him, plays with him. He does get upset when Eric slobbers on him or tears up his toys, but he might as well get used to that. We had to take Suzie to the airport yesterday (which was bedlam!) and I let David Wayne hold Eric in the lobby while Suzie got checked in. He was so proud and every time another baby appeared, David Wayne would say (and not quietly) "That baby isn't as cute as Eric." Everyone sitting around him just died laughing.
I must be getting very old (being around Suzie makes one feel very old and mature) because David Wayne reminds me of Mike at that age. I can't explain exactly why - it's not that they look alike, and David Wayne certainly isn't as sweet a child as Mike was, but there's something. I've really felt it this week with the baby here. I've had no trouble with David Wayne when the baby has to sleep - he just tiptoes around, turns the TV down, and one day I heard him telling Ginger, the puppy, that he couldn't play with her now because the baby was asleep. He doesn't look like Mike, I said, but he is built like him - tall and thin. No one will recognize David Wayne (except for his brown eyes) when we get home.
[No surprise that Mom said I wasn't a sweet child. I've always heard I was a little hellion.]
The puppy is getting along okay. She has done all her "business" outside so far and only puddles on the floor when company comes (twice with the Sivells). I'm sure I'd enjoy her more if I had offered to keep her instead of being told. Suzie has been most considerate about keeping David Wayne for me, but she has been most inconsiderate in other ways - example: she told me that she had told Gene to come over to our house for supper one night while she was gone. And Gene is one of those people who thinks the world should be proud to have him - example: It's been hard on me this week with a puppy and a baby and it's really hard to drive them to the airport - twice. Dave suggested to Gene that he catch a special bus that takes people out to the airport (it is very cheap). Gene said, "Why? Linda can take us." Also, we have to pick them up about midnight on Christmas day and Dave has to go to work early the next morning. Now again we were just more or less expected to do these things and we never even had a chance to offer! Also, Gene could have taken the 2 o'clock fight so Dave could have driven him (he knew Dave was getting off at noon), but no! He takes off two hours earlier from work and makes reservations for a 12 o'clock flight. If it rains Friday, Dave will have to wait until about 1:30 for me to pick him up. Until this morning I thought I would have the baby on Friday and Gene had told me to pick him up at Eric's nap time and I wouldn't have gotten home until long after his feeding time. I guess they just don't think or care. Please don't think I'm terrible for writing this way.
[No, I don't think you're being terrible. It's pretty obvious they're being a little inconsiderate. Ok, maybe a lot. On the other hand, what's the big deal about a pregnant woman making a quick trip to the airport with a baby, a five-year-old, and a puppy?]
The baby is up from his nap so the chase is on. The puppy licks the baby, the baby loves to pull Ginger's tail, David Wayne goes crazy watching them both, and me - I just laugh. I'm enclosing a couple of pictures, but they don't show the change in David Wayne. We'll be sending more for Christmas.
Love,
Linda
Letter postmarked December 19, 1967 (dated Tuesday):
The CCZCC has now tied the old record of 11. And there was much rejoicing!
Dear Mother,
[You might think Uncle Mike is slighted once again in the salutation, but this envelope was indeed only addressed to my grandmother. You'll see why.]
I am enclosing this little sock and a check for Mike. Would you mind getting this check cashed and then stuffing the money in the sock? Then you can use your imagination on how to present it to him - hang on tree, put in envelope, etc. I hate to ask you to do this, but we are afraid to send money through the mail. Also, please let me know if and when it gets there as I am just hoping it will make it on time. I'm not too happy about giving Mike just money, but under the circumstances we both think this would be more practical. And if he doesn't appreciate the sock, just save it for me - I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.
This is my big week - a baby, a puppy, and a five-year-old that is excited to death. That's not all, either, as I have to make two trips to the airport with all three - once to take Suzie and once to take Gene.
Yesterday was my first day with the baby and it was just too easy - David Wayne did most of the work and I just sat back and watched. He's just wonderful with the baby. I know Linda Kay will want to "borrow" David Wayne so she can get her house cleaned. The little boy, Eric, is a good baby - eats well, goes to sleep with only a minimum of crying, and has a general good disposition.
All hell broke loose last night when they brought the pup over - the pup was excited (just ran around and wet on everything), David Wayne was excited, and Dave and I were just a wee bit peeved with the Dirrs. We had to put the puppy in the bathroom to sleep as he would just love to tear up packages around the Christmas tree. Yes, she whined all night because she's been sleeping in bed with Suzie and Gene.
[Taking care of the Dirr's puppy is getting off to a good start. This should be a good source of drama.]
I've got to close now because Dave has to mail this for me. It's raining so I'll have to take him to work - with a sleepy five-year-old, and a baby (no car seat - that should be fun).
[Car seats? We don't need no stinkin' car seats!]
[Don't worry about us not having a car seat for the baby. We weren't wearing seat belts back then, either.]
[Before the 1960s, the purpose of child seats in cars was to hold the child so an adult (or larger child) didn't have to, and to prop the child up so he or she could see out the window. That was pretty much it. Child safety seats weren't invented until 1962, and the first car seat regulations were implemented in 1971. Those regulations simply required car seats to use a seat belt and a harness, and no crash tests were required until 1981. Children under a certain age weren't even required to ride in a car seat in all 50 states until 1985.]
I have to keep the car because I take Suzie to the airport (I'll be gone during the time Eric is usually taking his nap). I just don't know whether I'll make this week or not. Oh yes, the Sivells are coming over tonight so when I get back from the airport (if I get back) I have refreshments to make, house to clean and deodorize, and all of this while keeping one eye on David Wayne, two eyes on the baby, and I need a dozen eyes to watch the pup!
Love,
Linda
P. S. Did you ever get the other package I sent you - not the broken one?
Letter postmarked December 16, 1967:
The CCZCC now stands at 10. The record is 11. The tension is almost unbearable, isn't it?
Dear Mother and Mike,
Thought I'd drop you a line this calm Sunday morning. All next week may be a bit hectic with an eight month old baby and a puppy invading our household. David Wayne is so excited about "our company" that he's forgotten all about it being close to Christmas. David Wayne entertains the baby so much that I'm not expecting to do much work there, but that pup is another story. The little puppy is just about over her distemper, but I'll still have to give her medicine twice a day. Besides, the cold weather last week meant that Suzie couldn't take it outside (and she was almost housebroken.) Now, we have a thoroughly confused puppy that potties anywhere and everywhere in the house. Oh brother!
[I'm sure Dad's thrilled about having that pooping puppy in the apartment. I hope we get a full report on that.]
Friday afternoon Suzie kept David Wayne for me and they made cookies. I think they both enjoyed their afternoon together and Suzie said David Wayne was wonderful with Eric, the baby. I went to the beauty shop and got my hair cut. My friend Gary isn't working there any more so another one of the "boys" fixed me up - this one sang to me for two hours. I also bought all the little stocking fillers for the stockings. I discovered that they don't make 5 cent toys any more - that was a big blow to my budget. I really had more fun filling up Dave's stocking. Here are a few things I got for him:
- Scotch flavored toothpaste
- Bourbon flavored toothpicks
- Ear plugs
- Pot holder for cooking outside (cute design of a beer mug)
- English Leather lotion
- Lint remover (the travel kind)
He should have a lot of fun - that is if he never finds out how much I spent.
[I sense an alcohol theme among those gifts. Too bad Mom couldn't find ear plugs that were decorated like beer cans.]
Friday night Dave took me out to eat at a place called "The Lion's Tale." We ate our first prime rib dinner - delicious!
[I'm really surprised this is the first time they had prime rib. I remember them talking about prime rib a lot in Los Angeles, so I just assumed it was the whole time we were there. They must have gotten hooked on it in L. A., though, because they continued having prime rib frequently after we moved back to Texas.]
After eating we went over to the Dirr's to collect our son, who was not at all worried about ever coming home. The Dirrs had the home movies back from the tour at Universal Studios. The parts of David Wayne and Suzie "performing" in the antique car, rock pile, and dancing in the elevator were the funniest things I've ever seen. Gene ran them at all three speeds - fast, regular and slow motion. I think we showed that section of the film nearly 30 minutes and just laughed louder and louder each time. Dave and I have about decided to get a movie camera real soon.
[That would be incredible to watch those movies again. Sadly I'm not aware of any contact with the Dirrs after we moved back to Texas.]
Saturday, we went out to Busch Gardens with Gene and Suzie. We took the boat ride and we saw the bird show again. It was pretty cool, but we enjoyed it - also it wasn't crowded at all so we took the monorail tour.
[I guess I knew to stay away from the birds this time.]
That night, of course, was the big event - The Newlywed Game! Did you watch it? What did you think? They really put on a show, especially Suzie with that accent. Before the show, Gene told the studio audience that Suzie was a speech correction teacher and everyone in the place fell out of their seats laughing - you can understand why. They were sillier watching themselves on TV than they were on the show.
[Mom doesn't mention it in this letter, but I'm pretty sure Gene and Suzie won that episode of The Newlywed Game, based on my recollections of Mom talking about it many years later. I vaguely remember it being a big deal when we were watching their episode with them. And now we know that Suzie must have had a pretty thick southern accent which the studio audience really enjoyed.]
Well, I will close for now. We may go down to Olvera Street this afternoon as I understand there is a beautiful life-sized nativity scene at the Plaza. It is supposed to have been carved in Italy. We still need to get a pinata for David Wayne and also we want to buy us a nativity scene down there. Write soon.
Love,
Linda
P. S. I still need instructions on how to make dressing. My sweet husband has offered to suffer indigestion so I can practice on cooking my first Christmas dinner.
