Monday, September 15, 1952
Dear Andrew and John
From now on you can send mail to either place; the only thing I will say is that it is delivered one day sooner here to the office. The letter you wrote on the 10th, Andrew, holds the record so far. I'm enclosing the postmark to show it was mailed on the 11th and was delivered here at the office about 8:15 this morning, the 15th. I believe I told you we have a big fat mailbox out there on the Hydes Road side of the other house, that will hold six or seven full Sunday editions of the New, York Times and if something comes that is too large, the man brings it to the front door.
On the TV set, I think an aerial is a must in our location. The Baldwins next door have a contraption with a dozen arms on it waving atop the roof. I'm sorry in a way we didn't bring the set along but there were so many circumstances at the time. Everything we thought we would smash we took with us in our car and with the family it made quite a load. I understand from Geipe, however, that any time we can go out there, sign for and take away anything; that is stored or they will deliver free. Maybe the set would work on the third floor with the indoor aerial which we have with us to prevent the, boys in the warehouse from playing with it.
Our telephone number has been changed. It is now, FORK 3690. We're on the same line; just the last digit to 0 from 4. How come is that we were getting six or eight calls a day for a Mr. Flaccus, of Three Cousins Farm, a big horse place on the other corner of Long Green and Hydes Road. I looked in the Harford directory and sure enough he too was listed as Fork 3694 so I thought he no longer had the number and that it had been given to us when he was disconnected. But on Friday I happened to look in the Baltimore suburban section where we shall also be listed with the new book and there Flaccus was as Fork 2694. I called the C&P in Bel Air and they had made an error in the Harford book so they thought it best to give us the O. This now means that instead of two, short rings we now answer four short rings. You only hear the rings of two of the four parties on the line. But yesterday (Sunday) morning the 'phone gave two shorts and I thought maybe I should try it. It was for us - Frances Seisor wanted to know if we would be home. She and Albert came at 3:00 and stayed till 6:15.
Nobody else from Catonsville has come to visit us so we visited there on Saturday. The kids were down to rags for p.j.'s and underclothing so Ann came in as far as the bargain basements and the rest of us continued on to Bloomsbury Avenue. I dropped in at the bank (it was open Saturday as Friday was a holiday) and put in your latest check, John, and then Kathy and I went to see Abe while Mike, Arlene and Stevie met Jane and Edward in front of the school. Abe walked down to the Bellis' with us and after saying hello to everybody I went over to home and looked in the cellar windows. I was relieved to find no water but they haven't let the people in yet to clean up. Schatz called on Friday again and we made definite arrangements for the settlement tomorrow (Tuesday) down in the Fidelity Building at 1 p.m. I plan to stay home tomorrow morning and bring Ann and the kids in at noontime. Arlene will be at school. About Catonsville, they're digging up the whole schoolyard. They have bulldozers and tractors all over the place and someone said there were complaints of smells from the sewerage system. Someone else said they are planning a road from the other side of the school near the Amoco station across the field to Bishop's Lane. I don't know if it's permanent but they have a road there right now of gravel. They are also making preparations for the fence they always talked about. Arlene said she walked in the Bellis' back yard and Mr. B was up on a ladder as usual painting. She said hello and he gave back a casual "Hello, Lene" and then did a double take as he realized it wasn't just an hour before he had last spoken to her. Same thing with Mrs. B. They couldn't believe we had been away only two weeks and five days.
Ann still can't get adjusted to St. John's after St. Mark's. I went with her to 8 o'clock Mass yesterday and I think it's because they take everything so easy. You never saw so many big fats slumped over pews. Actually, the Masses aren't crowded--there's plenty of room. Yesterday was Holy Name Sunday but everyone sits just where he or she wishes. Kids, parents and several nuns are all mixed up over the church. The organ played and a couple of Mrs. Garveys entertained. At communion time the men crawled over each other and went to the altar rail first, then the others. As soon as Mass was over we got up to go and I was already out in the aisle when the fellow at the end of our bench started the Litany of the Holy Name. If I had known, I would have stayed. He gave out with three or four lines and no response. A dozen or so men had remained in their seats but none had player books. This fellow got up and turned around and yelled, "Come on, let's hear it, cancha?". Eight o'clock Mass began at 8:05 and was over at 9:15 but Arlene went to the 10 and they were out already at 10:50.
Friday night we shopped in Parkville, far the last time I hope. It was worse than, Towson the week before. It took us an hour and forty-five minutes to get out of the A & P and we had to walk three blocks to their parking lot. Our plan beginning next week is to try a place called Jacksonville, about 4 miles up the road where the prices are supposed to be pretty much in keeping with the big places.
We read in the papers that the temperature hit 97° in town on Saturday late in the afternoon but we were back at Hydes at 1:45 and thought it just pleasant. It went to 90° yesterday but we didn't notice it, so if the winters aren't as cold as the summers aren't hot, it will be all right with me.
You probably won't hear from me tomorrow but try to get something out on Wednesday about tomorrow's meeting and anything else I've forgotten from this hurried thing.
END OF LETTER
Next Posting: September 17, 1952
Copyright 2012 Stephen A Conner
No comments:
Post a Comment