January 9, 1973 (Letter from Mardi)

I'm breaking down to write figuring I"ll get a letter faster this way???  Only I'm sure you've just been taking it easy.  Mom told me Mike is at Akron now, how did his living quarters look.  I hope he likes it and it gets him somewhere this time.  I've been trying to write a letter to Mark and keep finding it quite difficult to get started.  It seems strange because I haven't seen Mark or corresponded with him in so long-- everything I've received has been secondhand information.  I told Barb not to write till after Rick left and I haven't got a letter to date so.....  I'm presuming Rick is still there.  Has Barb decided to try a job or forget it?  I'm not even going to ask her!!!!  Definitely not!

It appears, the January slump has hit the banking business and work has been exceptionally slow.  The only time I can relax is at work.  We finally got our furnace to work properly after 1 week of on and off.  I woke up yesterday morning and it was freezing!  It's been minus something every day here.  This morning a mere -17.  Poopie was sick last week because of the heat.  I took her out Sat and it was sloppy, so she got soaked and the heat went off Sat night and the apt was cold!  So she was coughing and shaking and I was afraid she'd gotten pneumonia..  I gave her aspirin and fed her hamburger and put her by the heater.  She was so stiff she couldn't move and I felt so sorry for her.  It's like my kids or something.  Not spoiled!  So far, Jan hasn't started off too well for a couple of friends.  I've been making trips to Northwestern Hospital to see a girlfriend that Sue and I went to school with.  The doctors are saying it's multiple sclerosis, which I don't know too much about.  She's lost most of the feeling in her left arm now, and it's hard to encourage her to be hopeful when I know I'd be constantly thinking of the same awful possibilities.  Also Bill's Aunt Pauline is in St. Barnabus Hospital and has had a mastectomy.  It's apparently just a matter of time.  She just lost her husband in November.  I pray this is no indication of the entire year, 1972 was bad enough with Grandpa and Mrs. Lucia.

It's the first New Years I've really ever gone out on the town, unless I count Linda Barney's party at whatever that place was.

So, when are you heading up and moving out?  Have you gotten a chance to visit with anyone in particular that we missed at Christmas?  Oh!  I hope you've been down to help Yolanda on the puzzle.  You'd better stop down, I know she'll really miss Mike's constant visits, he really did help keep her company and did so many small errands for her.  Be sure and drop in on her!  OK?

I went to look at the piano I told you about and it's going to cost me a small fortune to fix so I said forget it right now.  The piano is beautiful, but it's been sitting in this lady's damn basement and had to be thoroughly gone over to be properly tuned.  Besides, I have the feeling I'll be moving again this year and who knows where.  So, it probably is a wise decision to just be patient ntill I get things straightened out.  Must go!  Take care and drop me a line!