March 6, 1977 (Letter from Diane)

At the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts


Now that the winter that my dad says I can tell my grandchildren about is hopefully over, finished, ended, a memory, except for the potholes, you should really come to Philly & see what's left, besides the aforementioned potholes. The weekend before & after Easter are particularly good since I'm determined to see the Easter exhibit & orchid display at Longwood Gardens.  But if you can't come then, name a date.  Bev has a meeting the last Sat in April & we're both going home for Easter.  Otherwise, arrangements are flexible.

Christmas seems so long ago but it was one of the best, surprisingly.  I had thought that since most of my friends weren't going to be home at all or for only a few days, things would be boring.  Not so.  This year the McCrearys were finally able to drag Dad out of his chair for some socializing.  And most of my friends stopped by or called.  The week off really flew by.

Since Christmas, a lot has been going on.  Dad had his first major car accident when someone went through a stop sign and hit his car & kept going.  Luckily he wasn't hurt.  My aunt & uncle were nearly killed in a wreck two weeks later.  They've been in a hospital for six weeks & my uncle will remain for at least nine more.  Since he's nearly 63, he'll never go back to work for the railroad.  My car was broken into and the only things in it -- my insurance papers & maps were taken.  It has obviously been one of those bad times that occasionally happens in life.  All the more reason to look forward to spring.

How would you like to have a nun for a friend?  You may, if certain predictions come true.  Last year, my aide Kathy invited me to dinner.  Her husband's former teacher, Father Kelly, was also there.  (This produced an odd situation later in the evening when the party guests appeared & thought I was his date.)  Father Kelly is a very keen observer whose hobby is handwriting analysis.  He also has some psychic ability.  Anyway, he shocked me by saying that I had once seriously considered entering the convent (I had told no one!) and the chances were 60-40 that I still would.  This has been making me uneasy for a year now.  So Kathy had us both to dinner & a party again and I asked Father if he also knew the reasons why I had decided against the religious life.  He said yes & that he would write them down for me & send them through Kathy.  She also conned me into giving him my signature.  I'm most anxious to get this list and see how accurate it is.  Really, though, it is most disconcerting to have someone probe your personality like that.

Work has had it usual ups & downs.  This week I finally received my microform equipment.  But.  The people in the dept. dealing with office equipment ordered the equipment I had specified but forgot the paper for the reader/printer.  Of all the stupidity.  A lot of excitement is being generated by a million dollar civil suit one of the lawyers has filed against his former boss.  The lawyer has asked several people on the staff, including me, to testify for him.  Rumor has it that papers were served this week on our commanding officer (a colonel) and the Chief of Engineers in Washington.  No wonder our Personnel Chief retired suddenly last month.  And to show you what a bunch of yoyos these people are, our above mentioned CO went in search of our technical writer since answers to Congressmen's letters were going out late, badly prepared, etc.  He found out what everyone already knew.  The writer was demoted in a reduction in force last year & took a $2500/year pay cut.  It was too much & he left.  The Col. had thought that no one had taken any cut in pay.  Now here's the unbelievable part.  That writer has filed a complaint with Civil Service and if he wins (which seems possible) he will recover full back pay from Aug. 1.  And the C.O. doesn't even know he's gone.  I pray this country never goes to war because we'll surely lose.

Enough of work.  After all, I have to go back tomorrow.  But speaking of work, I'll debate the superiority of Spic & Span over Pine-sol when you arrive.  Love house-cleaning, huh?  In my more meditative moments, I have sometimes wondered if my life today would be different if I never had that ferocious hatred of housework.

I must do my homework for my needlepoint class tomorrow.  Hope to hear from you soon.

P.S. if you haven't seen "Rocky" yet, please go!

December 31, 1976 (Note from Connie)

Gee -- I just wrote, didn't I?  So what's this?   Just in the mood, I'spose.

Thought of you this morning when I sat down at the piano.  Went to Seattle (of course) for Christmas and had a frantic, terrific time (of course).  But I didn't have any chance to play a piano there.  Except for my 4-yr-old niece's toy piano -- bleech!  Managed to squeak Chopsticks out of that -- how it hurts the ears.  I tell ya, my out-of-tune piano sound like heaven now!  Got a new piano book for Christmas -- what fun I'm having!  I remember when I first got the piano I really had to struggle to get any "music" out of it at all.  But it goes easier and easier all the time.  I don't' play well, and I can't go fast at all, and I still have trouble counting out the beat -- but other than than Rubenstein move over!

Trust you had a terrific Christmas surrounded by family, as it should be.

Have a really good New Year -- full of good times and dreams come true.  (You eve gonna make it out this way?  -- better hurry -- I'm not gonna be in Cheyenne a whole lot longer!)

Take care --

February 24, 1975 (Letter from Tony)

I shall start this letter out with something that has almost become a trademark of my letters, an apology for the lateness in coming.

Let's see now, last I talked to you I wasn't coming to Deer Lodge because the gas tank on the Ford van was leaking.  My, that was a while ago.  After that I had two more weeks of classes.  I flew to Buffalo and stayed there for Christmas, went on to Boston to see the gang there, flew back out here, had my exams, went to Lake Tahoe to gamble and ply in the snow, started classes again, continued working, got a new apartment for $55, a car for $250 and screwed a round a bit.

I am in the midst of my last semester exhilaration.  Strange how it works, when I'm in a situation I like, the last period of time is one of non-enjoyment as I regret the fact I have to leave, e.g., Buffalo and Walla Walla.  However, when I find myself coming to the end of a less than terrific era, e.g., law school, having the end in sight makes my situation much more enjoyable.

I have classes that are conducive to doing work and I am doing work.  Some of the classes are interdisciplinary in nature, law and economics and law and criminology, and this tends to be more enjoyable.  Straight law can be deadly and stifling too.  Straight law school can be much the same.

With my car I can explore more of the state before I leave.  I hope to go to Death Valley while the spring flowers are still blooming.

Come June I know not what I will be doing.  Possibilities abound but certainties are scarce.  My head is turning more definitely toward the Wast, with Boston as the focus.  It shall be a test of patience and discipline for me not to rush into anything.  My preferences are being worked on now. Come on feet, don't fail me now.

How's life progressing in Deer Lodge?  I've been watching the temperatures in Butte and Helena, they've been over 23 much of the time.  How does that compare to Deer Lodge?

I re-read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I'm just so impressed with that book.  Kesey's description are marvelous.  I'm going to see the play over in S.F. tomorrow.  I doubt that it will top Tom's performance but I thought I'd give it a chance.

Well, I leave off now.  I do apologize for the delay.

December 14, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Greetings.  Am sitting in my room and dug up an old favorite to listen to:  Emerson, Lake, and Palmer -- the first album.  Love the keyboards.

Last Saturday Steppenwolf's 16 Greatest Hits came from RCA -- it is a good selection of songs with some really good dance songs.

Your journal must be becoming an immense size -- I, unfortunately, haven't been writing in mine at all, I get bogged down by the amount of things I want to say and say to myself-- I can't write all that, so I don't' and there are long periods of inaction.  Even so I've written more this year than the previous two years combined.

Last week was a real joy, but if all goes well, after this coming Monday I will be all finished.  On Monday of this week I had to hand in a flow chart that was a real pain to set up.  I enjoyed doing the final drawing, (used 4 colors -- red, blue, brown, black) though and got an OK on it.  If it was possible Burgess would probably put OK on my transcript as a mark for this course -- he's so vague and forgetful that's really annoying.  He always forgets to tell our class things that we would like to know, like when and what of the final.

Ahh -- just put on another old favorite -- side three of Live at Fillmore East.  Back to finals -- on Wednesday I had my final in Lib605 -- the Reference Process -- know some of the things I did wrong but no way I could get less than a B as I went into the final with an A.  Also going back to Monday.  I picked up the takehome part of my final for Information Processing.   Ugh pick one out of 4 to answer and I don't like any of them.  So on this Monday I will hand that part in, take the in class part and probably take Burgess' final and be all finished.

Even though I am going to be in Albany through spring '75 I still check out the job board to see if there's anything interesting.  Nicest job so far was for as asst ref librarian in Boston.  Also have thoughts of becoming a map librarian, but for that I need to greatly improve my German and it would be nice to be able to read French.  Knowing how ambitious I am, will just have to see how things progress.

For plant life, I now have 3 cacti in my room.  One is a golden barrel cactus -- and I have transplanted it into a green pot I threw in high school.  The other two area in a bean pot I found in the attic, also in the pot with them is the little cross-legged man which I also made in high school (my most productive years in sculpture, ceramics, and graphic arts).

Now playing is Hot Rats with Peaches en Regalia on top.  Mmmm.  Did I tell you that my car has improved gas wise?  There were some pieces missing in the carburator.  Now I get almost 18 mpg and hopefully will get a couple more when the timing is readjusted.  I bought a new valve cover gasket and have plans to put that on tomorrow and then maybe the oil consumption will slow down a bit.  Since I haven't heard anything I imagine your Beetle is running okay.

That's it for now -- take care of yourself.

P.S.  My phone number is 518-372-1764 if you need to get in touch with me in a hurry about your plans for this vacation.

December 13, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Hi sweetie.  What to say.  I'm sorry things are going to be the way they are going to be. I love you and am not looking forward to your being so far away.  There is no use discussing this further in this letter - I will wait to talk to you in person, I definitely want to see you over the Christmas vacation.

Over my vacation, from the 17th of Dec (just two finals that week) till the 13th of Jan, I plan to be in Buffalo for awhile and in New York City for while as well as at home.  The dates are not set yet so when you write me again, let me know what your plans are.

Overall things are okay.  Have started doing Christmas shopping and am deciding who to send Christmas cards to.  I haven't sent cards in two years.

This is a shorty because I don't have much time this morning.  I did want to mention some records though -- for my birthday I got Rick Wakeman's Six Wives of Henry the 8th -- wasn't sure I liked it, but now it is beginning to grow on me.  Side one is the best.  Lately I've been playing Get Off in Chicago, Can't Buy a Thrill, and Hot Rats.  Played Grover Washington for Chris and he really bored me -- sounded like he was more show than substance.

Also have started reading The Prime of Life by Simone De Beauvoir.  Am enjoying it.  Will write again as I have other rambles on to mention.

Take care of yourself.  Let me know when you are going home so I know where to write you.

December 11, 1973 (Letter from Tony)

This will be just a short letter.  I just want to let you know I'm still alive and well and will be back East over Christmas.  I'm flying out of here Dec 15 (I hope) and going to NYC.  I shall visit my sister there for a time, then drive her car to Colden and probably stop in Troy or Syracuse on the way to see Jerry.  I would like to see Boston and all the people there (well, some of the people there) but I doubt that I will have the time or money.

I'll be in Colden until Jan 3, fly to NYC and then back here.  (I wouldn't really be terribly surprised if one of these flights were cancelled, what with the fuel shortage, TWA strike, PSA strike, etc.)

What are you doing over vacation?  If you are in N.Y. Dec 15-18, I'll be at my sisters, 339 Beach 92nd St., Rockaway Beach N.Y. 11693.  Phone # 212/634-2396.

After that, I'll be in Colden and area, probably, until I leave and you have my address and phone # there.

I've been studying a lot, working in S.F. as a volunteer of a civil rights group, going to some movies (The Delicate Balance, Klute, etc.) and even the Nutcracker Suite Ballet and the Messiah.  It's been good, and getting better.

It's been a while since I wrote, and telling you all the details would take too long, so I'll just stop here and fill you in when I see you in Warren or Colden or Buffalo or NYC or Pittsburgh of wherever.