Tuesday, March 4, 1952
Dear Andrew and John,
The letter John wrote last Monday, February 25, came in on Saturday -- just five days; and your letter of the 26th, Andrew, arrived yesterday. So the mails this way are fast indeed. Just for the fun of it, I have put in "an extra carbon and will send one copy of this letter to the old APO 660 and see if you get in while you are still in the south. In your letter of the 26th, Andrew, you mention getting and reading a Times. I hope this wasn't the only one received for we have sent the Sunday N. Y. Times movie section each week since the last of January and a few dailies when I pick one up downtown, now that Greyhound has discontinued the Union News stand. I am keeping on file a record of the date anything important or financial comes for you. For example, John's third bond is in; of course we cashed the one, but the other two are in the file and yesterday a small envelope came from Washington - just one - addressed to you, John, with a check for $30. I thought-it was the allotment you spoke of but there is a slip attached--a single piece of paper with a lot of fine print about Veterans Insurance, so this is evidently your insurance premium or rather dividend and no doubt Andrew's will arrive in another day or so. I have put several flash bulbs (#5) in a very strong container and shipped them air mail to 301 because paying all that cash for a few cents worth just about broke my heart. Cousin Claire 'phoned Sunday evening and I talked with her as I answered the 'phone. She is now OK but evidently Cousin Anna was out because she said that Cousin Ann had another severe equilibrium or however you spell it spell and wasn't so good. She wanted to know about sending you two a package and I said sure and gave her the new APO so here's something else to watch for. How about mentioning something that's easy for us to pick up but a little on the rare side there. Milk's no-go but what about canned milk or stationery; don't worry about the cash end on writing supplies or equipment of that type since I can probably get it through the office.
You know Ann doesn't see my letters and I don't read hers or Arlene's. Each of them got off two this past week so I guess we had something going out every day. If Ann hasn't already told you...... about two weeks ago she took the green flower box which I believe John picked up two years ago and filled it with (I counted them) 21 daffodils just as they peeked out of the ground. She put them on the kitchen radiator and you should see them go. I measured them Sunday at almost 9 1/2 inches - all except one which grew 2 in. very fast and then stopped. Each day that the sun is out she has to turn the box completely around because they will lean at a 30° or more angle toward the window. The gray days they remain straight. Last Thursday and Friday the temperature sored into the fifties. As late as 1 a.m. Saturday morning, so the Sun papers printed, the Baltimore Transit called the weather bureau to inquire about the possibility of snow for Saturday, thinking about chains and other equipment. The weather man said not a chance; so we awoke Saturday morning with about five inches on the ground and more falling. The afternoon warmed up and I dug the car out and took it to church Sunday. Saturday morning I walked up and slid down Frederick Avenue with Ted. He had bare tires on the rear and it took us over fifteen minutes to get over that little hump at Melvin Avenue and release the blocked traffic. Sunday night another three inches fell but it rained all day Monday and is still going strong this afternoon so most of it is gone.
I see Molly Goldberg is back on TV. Must be Thursday evening because I haven't seen it. John Crosby devoted one of his daily columns to the fact that what's-his-name who plays Mr. G was on the communist list and banned by the networks--that it wasn't Sanka who wanted to take the show off a year ago; so Molly pulled the whole thing off and tried to fight it out. She finally gave in, so Crosby says, when she realized they had been off almost a year and it meant keeping the others, who specialized in certain parts, out of work. He mentioned the fellow they have for a replacement and the fact that they have made him up to look like the old one as much as possible but as yet haven't given him much to say--will work him in gradually so people won't dislike the idea. You know, Frank Sinatra still doesn't have a sponsor. Last Tuesday, right in the middle of an act, they cut his show in Baltimore and put on something sponsored by General Electric from the Hippodrome stage; or did I tell you this in my short note last Thursday. Anyway, I see he's only scheduled for a half hour tonight.
Mrs. MacDonald was over last Saturday evening for about an hour and seemed real tickled that she had a letter from you, Andrew. She told us Mag had a birthday last week--seventy something; I didn't know she was the older. That old shack of a house and lot next to Sam the Tailor and across from Woolworth's where Gradys live has had an offer of $60,000 which somebody must want awful badly. - Abe's father has put the - apartment house in the hands of Schatz and is serious this time - about getting rid of it. I think Winnie is living with her mother including husband, of course.
Did Ann tell you the silly one about the school children that goes something like this: the teacher found a puddle outside the schoolroom door and suspected one of the kids. She told them she wanted the guilty one to clean it up but so as not to ridicule that party they were to sit at their desks and put their faces down on their folded arms while it was taken care of and that she would do likewise. They hid their faces and could hear someone tiptoe from the room and return in a few minutes. She had them raise their heads and went to check. There by the first puddle was a second puddle and above it, chalked on the wall, were the words "The Phantom Strikes Again". If you haven't read it, I thought it was cute.
Michael and Kathleen played in the snow for over an hour on Sunday. Or rather Michael did a little playing but Kathy would not move off the back cement piece which I cleaned - over the old well. It was quite a record for Mike for I believe I've told you how Ann says he doesn't like the cold. I saw what she meant on Saturday right after the, storm. He went out the side door, walked around the house and came in the back door, looked at me and said, "Well, that's enough of that".
After this soaking snow and with a few good warm days you'll really see the yard sprout. Right now it's the usual mess and there were no signs of anything other than the daffodils before they were covered. We were thinking of putting something on the bathroom floor and getting the you-know what fixed. I could put down some linoleum blocks, I'm sure, and I noticed that the old toilet from the cellar is under the back porch. The first nice day I will crawl back and ask Buzz or someone if it is worthwhile. This should be done before the floor.
The St. Francis novena began this morning so I brought a book home for Mommie. You are one of our intentions so take things easy.
END OF LETTER
Next posting: March 12 1952
Copyright 2012 Stephen A Conner
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