November 3, 1977 (Letter from Mardi)

Thought I'd better write now before things get hectic around here.   Can't believe Mom and ( were saying things like "How big of a turkey should we get this year?" & "What do the kids need for Christmas?"  This year as been like a previous life somewhere -------

Glad to hear your spirits are better!  The extra money will also help!!  Refinancing is the 8th wonder of the world -- that word alone brings back memories.  Now, I hope the "roomie" situation works out.  I think guys have less of a hassle living together than us females.

I cannot believe Barb was discharged.  It couldn't have been four years -- no way.  How long is she & Lar going to stay in Germany?  Will they becoming back to the "states"?

The weather has been decent here & I'm really spoiled!  The next sight of rain or snow is going to make me cry!  We are hastily putting up storm windows & getting windows panes fixed & shooting the caulking gun all over!  Can't wait to see the heating bill.

Your relationship with Julia sounds like one of the best things that could have happened to you now. You've got two kids to get all your childish "activities" out with & a great woman to do all that lovin stuff with.  Hope all things stay "up" for you now!  Sounds like you're on your way.  Those "down periods" are great to look back on & make you more appreciative of all the "mellow" times.

Glad you'll be around for Thanksgiving.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that the weather continues to be dry.  No now anyway.  That trip to NYC could be bad enough!  Good luck.

Wrote Renee a while ago after I got a short note from her.  I can just see Renee & Morrey cleaning, painting & papering -- it must be similar to Abbot & Costello!!

Barb should be leaving in about two weeks or less w/ no money & probably a lot of confusion! Things have been happening to Barb I can't believe -- but let me just say she's hit an all time low! I always thought Barb was really on the ball -- boy, was I wrong!  She hopefully will get back on the ball.  I don't know how she's going to do it.  She is going to live w/ Linda & Kinky I think or stay w/ her girlfriend in Boston, then she plans to get a job back at Children's & go to school.  I fear that she might stay in the same rut she was in before.  She's got to put her nose to the grindstone -- period.  So much said----

Everyone here is fine.  The twins went to Dr. B's yesterday & got their booster shots & today they were pure murder!  I don't blame them.  OUCH!  Ryan is crawling all over now.  Jeremy is moving much slower Y is the best of my three sons -- so far!  Matthew is very "trying" lately.  Of course, he's been good but he's been roughing it up w/ Ryan & trying to tell him anything now is like talking to a brick wall!  I understand his feelings but I can only stand so much!  This too shall pass-----

Oh, if Barb does get out of here next week she'll probably want to ride home w/ you @ Thanksgiving but I guess you'll be NYC bound so I will inform her.  Her friend Ann is getting married that weekend.  Why she doesn't just wait is another thing.  Actually at this point, I'd just wait till Jan 1, 1978 & start the year on a new left but w/ no job I guess she'd better get out of Warren now.

Wel;l, take care & I'll beexpecting to see you over Thanksgiving -- give me a call!

July 30, 1977 (Letter from Barb N.)

Hello.  So how goes it back in New England?  Are you enjoying your summer?

Leroy and I broke up for good.  He told me that because I hurt him so bad when I kicked him out of the apartment that he would never go back to me.  He built up a wall that is not going to come down for a long time.  I didn't think that he would react that way to the break up.  I took our split up as a temporary lapse in our relationship but obviously he took it as an insult.  He could not even listen to the way I saw our relationship and he did not even consider to rectify our love in any way. I was very hurt for the first week.  It was a very deep wound that left me very desolate inside.  I had to think over our entire relationship and all the people involved indirectly.  This included talks with friends and with Leroy's mother.  I had come to an understanding of why it ended as it did.  After accepting the fate of our love affair I have decided that it is for the best.  Leroy and I were doomed from the beginning.  We would have destroyed each other eventually.  He was good for me for the few months that we had lived together.  I needed to experience a deeper relationship which I had avoided for 22 years of my life.  Now I am able to make a fresh start in my life in a better direction. I feel free inside again.  I was getting to the point in our relationship where I felt that I was leaning too heavy on Leroy.  I don't want to doubt myself in a relationship with a man.  Lesson learned, chapter 1.

After I knew that it was over I needed a change in my life so I cut my hair short.  I dont' feel that I was doing it for any other reason than I wanted it short.  I don't particularly like the haircut.  It is a bit shaggy, but I will wait until ti stats growing out and find a style that I like that will be easy to take care of.  My hair is as short as it was in 72.  I like it very much even it if is a bit short now.

I went on a shopping spree today and I spent $65.00 on clothes.  Now that I am single again and I have only me to support, I have a big more money in my pocket.  I also got a raise for going over four years in the service.  (I took my first oath for the Navy in July of 73,)  I want to get Christmas presents.  Do you have any idea of what you want?  I am going to buy Dad a painting and Lar a tea set.  I do not know what I will buy Mom, Dale, and you.  So if you have any suggestions please offer them.  I will give you my guitar.  It is not a good guitar but it will be adequate for starting you off.

I am looking for a new guitar.  I am not sure what to buy.  So I am going to get the advice of an expert.  I plan to take some guitar lessons form someone who will teach me what I want to know.  I don't want to get stuck with some old fogey who goes strictly by a lesson plan.  I am also going to buy a halfway decent receiver amp since prices are really cheap over here for members in the service.  I don't want to buy the largest model and have so much power I could blast the neighbors. I am going to see if Dale will make some speakers and later I'll find a turntable later on in the States.

I sent away to a company that deals in kits for down goose feather jackets, sleeping bags, etc.  I ordered a down jacket for $28.00 and a sleeping bag for $45.00.  The bag is not down feathers.  I will have to sew the jacket and the bag together but I feel that is worth the trouble for the price.  I put your name down for a catalog so you should be getting the catalog in the mail shortly.  Doobie made a jacket which is the same one I ordered and I feel it would be ideal for backpacking this winter.  It should keep me very warm.

I have been going to Carney Park pool every chance I can get.  I have been swimming widths of the pool and today I was up to 18 widths nonstop.  I plan to go every chance that I get throughout all of August.  I need to get into shape before I put a backpack on for 30 days.  I am doing yoga sporadically but I attribute my lack of success to the watch hours I stand.  I want to get into a routine when I get back to the States.  I also have cut down on my alcohol consumption 95% and the same with smoking.  I am trying to abstain from any dope until I get back to the States.  I want to clean myself out for a four month period then when I get back to the States I will most likely take a few hits or so.

That's all that has been going on in my life at the moment.  I am fine, trying to stay cool, and looking to the calendar date of 25 October.

I am going to get a European discharge from the Navy instead of going back to Philly and getting discharged there. So I won't be going on leave until the 25th of October.  But once I leave here in Naples I will never have to go back to a military station for duty.  What a relief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See you at Christmas.

December 3, 1976 (Letter from Grayce)

The weather here has been so gorgeous -- (knock, knock).  I keep telling myself it can't last another week but keep hoping that it will.  (The ski resorts outside of town are really hurting, though, so I suppose it's awfully selfish of me not to want this to end for the inevitable winter.)  It get awfully cold at night -0- sometimes slightly below zero -- but during the day, glorious sun!  It has not even drizzled for about 2 months.  (I've gotten some really pretty dried weed bouquets.) Some days it's cold, of course -- (20's or below) but some days it goes up to 55 or 60!!!  And it's just perfect.  I've never experienced such an autumn & probably never will again, so I'm trying to keep a clear picture of it.

We got our wood in for the winter this week.  Wood is awfully expensive here.  I suppose because they have to get it from somewhere else -- there being no trees!!!  (Which I miss.)  Brook & 2 of his friends at work were going to go up to a forested area & cut their own down, but the cost of renting a chain saw & trailer was almost the cost of having someone else doing it & delivery it, and they would have had to make 3 trips, so it wasn't really worth it.

People here must have money trees if not the other kind, I think!!  We are the only people in our neighborhood who have only 1 car (regardless of family size, everyone has at least 2-3 cars!)  Also, everyone has -- either a big camper, a boat, a pick-up, a van or all of the above!!!  They clutter up their driveways with all these things I can't imagine why anyone would want all that stuff.  It would drive me crazy, just to have to take care of it.  Also, it's so wasteful.  Every one has their own car. No car pools are even thought of.  When are people going to wise up?  It just sickens me sometime.

Maybe I am too harsh.  I can understand 2 cars -- especially if people work at different times, but very few of the women around here work.  They are much too busy having seven kids each. They're worse than Catholics!!!  And so many men here just assume that i you are a woman, you are just certainly good for nothing else!!!  Maybe I am too sensitive!!!???

Here is an example of the condescending attitude.  I wanted to buy Brook a jigsaw for our anniversary.  So I went (alone, since I wanted to surprise him) to a tool place & was looking at the different types they had.  Immediately, this guy comes up -- all smiles & says (no kidding) "Why would a sweet little girl like you be looking at these saws!"   I told him I was buying a gift.  He just assumed that I'd know nothing about what I wanted & tried to sell me something I didn't want.  I told him I wanted a 2-speed drill, not a variable speed one because I thought the 2-speed one was more stable, although less expensive.  He was surprised that I'd think of that.  But after my getting what I wanted, he did suggest that I bring my husband in & make sure it was the type he'd use before I actually bought it!  Arrgh!!!  Oh well....I'll stop making your beard grow with this subject.

We found the Pocatello Zoo last weekend.  We didn't even know there was one & came upon it by accident.  It's such a neat little place & we had a good time.  I really like the environments that most of hte animals are in.  Some of the cats are in large "cages" and have all these rocks in the background to climb on.  It's a very pretty setting.  I've heard that the Zoo at Idaho Falls is terrible. They have lions in cages that would be for a few birds & they can hardly walk around.

Did you know about Bev's new job at Wyeth Labs?  It's in Westchester & not far from Villanova. As a matter of act, I know the woman who was the librarian there before, but I'm not sure if she's still there or not.  I'll have to ask Bev the name of the person she's succeeding.  Bev will remain in her present apartment til February (or maybe January)& drive the 25 miles. I guess she wants to look around teh area.  Apartments there are very expensive as she will find out soon, so I hope she can get one that fits in with her budget.  Wyeth has a reputation for paying well, though, so maybe it won't be so bad.  The only thing that she's not too pleased with is 2 weeks vacation instead of the 3 she had at Delaware State, but she feels that the fringe benefits will make up for the extra week.  It's so good that she got this job.  I'm sure she'll like it & it seems like it will be more of a challenge for her than the other was.

Well, I suppose that's all for this time.  Have you heard from Barb yet?  I guess you can't wait to see her.  You'll probably have lots to talk about.  How long will she be home?

Sunday, September 26, 1976 (Letter from Lar)

Dale let me use his stereo set while he's at school.  I listened to "The Royal Scam" for 5 days straight, and I'm not tired of it.

I just wrote a letter to Barb.

I went bowling today.  Got a 181, pretty good for not bowling in quite a while.

Mike & I had supper here tonight.  We had squash from my garden with cheese, sweet corn, Mom's rye bread, and Mike had steak.

Mom, Dad & I are going to Rose's for supper tomorrow.  Mel & Levina will be there too.

On the radio at 10:00 on Sundays nites is our old time radio hour.  They have comedy programs from around the 40's.  Some are good and some aren't so good.

Since I have Dale's stereo, I'm listening to albums a lot more.  The only problem is I don't have much of a record collection.

It's been raining all day.  It hasn't let up at all.

Not much else going on in Warren.