April 18, 1972 (Letter from Mardi)

Glad to get your monthly report yesterday.  It's great to get a letter on a Monday night after working late -- it doesn't take much to make me happy....

My mother called last night too -- she's getting worse than I am with the telephone!  She just called me Wed night to tell me she is going down to Florida alone because Mr. S thinks they'll have too much to do and wouldn't be able to see m that much.  Dont' ask me what they are planning to do.  My mother keeps talking in riddles so I don't bother to ask any questions.  So I'm hoping to go to Boston about that time and go down to see Mr. S late on.  I don't know what Barb will be doing.  Her mother was operated on Monday morning and found more cancer spreading through her stomach and liver, I don't know how ad it is but it probably will only get worse I'm afraid.   I know if it were my mother I'd zip right home because I'm sure she'd need me.  I don't know how Barb feels about the whole thing.  I mean about moving back to Pa or what.  My mother had to tell me all the bad news -- my grandmother fell etc etc but she's fine!  Mr. S had a test for a lump on his nose -- could be skin cancer??  He'll find out Wed, they don't think so though.

What's with all this misery?  Bill has to go in the hospital to get a cyst removed from his cheek.  He'll be known as scar face from then on.  "Oh that beautiful face."

Anyway, all goes well here, excluding the periodical bitching and screaming!  Please be sure and tell us this time "about" when to expect you, OK?  That's all I ask!!!!

The weather has been in the 70's and has now turned shitty again with rain and cold.  Yuck.  Why don't' you take Anderson out to Calif with you?  Isn't that a terrible idea.  He's always screaming about the weather and that he's going to take off and go West -- except who would pick up his unemployment check each week?

Anyways I gots to go to lunch and get busy here!  Going to see Tom Rush Sunday -- at least I hope so -- got to get tickets today!!!???

Take care and write a line now and then.

April 12, 1972 (Letter from Mardi)

Thought since I've got the time, I would drop you a quickie here.  What the hell were you doing home?  Do you want me to show you the letter you wrote telling me you were going to Boston over Easter again?!  Good mind.  Barb was expecting you.

As you may know, we have a new address.  You didn't have to tell my mother Mrs. Olson was a bitch -- I told her we moved because it was less expensive (true! it is!).  The couple in the back of us were even going to take her to conciliation court.  She has got to be a witch in disguise!  We are finally settled though and the place doesn't look bad.  We have to get bedroom furniture like a dresser and a couple big chairs somewhere.

So when are you going to be heading Westward Ho?  Did you find any transportation yet?  Did you talk to Mike while you were home?  I can imagine he's in another state of traumatic panic, since he hasn't heard from the Peace Corps or anything.  My mother said he was even thinking of going to California again.  Maybe he'll get there this year?  All is going as smoothly as it can here.  Bill is going to school at the U at night and may find a parttime job -- so he can keep unemployment!  I'm finished till this fall and our great bowling season? will be over in a couple of more games so I'll have more time to myself?  I'm still waiting to hear from my mother on the plans for Florida.  I'm going if it kills me!  I can use my big return from my income tax -- $52.

I had better close now -- sorry about teh short letter but I'm getting swamped here at work -- my public needs me.  Take care and write.

January 25, 1971 (Letter from Mardi)

How is the sun baked god of the golden Florida sands holding up in drab, dull, snowy, wet Buffalo, New York?  What a bringdown!  At lest you probably have a great tan that can actually remind you that you were really there!  I spoke to my mother and she liked it; only she was just beat when she got back.  They went to the Bahamas and spent a few days there.  (taa-taa)  Her plane trip home though was kind of a mess for her.  I guess there was a terrific ice storm hitting PA and they couldn't land Agony at Jamestown so they went on to Bradford and they had a taxi there to take her home.  Not too comfortable.

My trip back was unreal!  I got to Cleveland and not, not even one NW flight was flying into or out of Cleveland yet, because of the strike.  So I had to go to Allegheny and get my bags because they were checked on NW to Msp!  So this guy got the bags and carried them to United for m3!  HAPPY!  In Chicago I got on stand-by and I actually got in Msp an hour earlier than expected, hungry, tired, and grubby.  Never again.  Amen.  I was started to get "jet crazy".  I was going into this daze -- on a plane, off a plane, on a plane, off a plane, on a plane, etc.  After Chicago I would have gotten on any plane to anywhere!

So that is about the extent of my excitement since I've gotten back.  No, it hasn't been bad for January.  News years was fun and we all got bombed and collapsed into bed.  We've been tobogganing and skiing and Bill has been playing hockey.  So far we've gone through a carton of Ben-Gay and Bufferin!  The first week Bill's knee went out and he got into a fight.  My Bill! -- Certainly not my boy ----. The next week it was his other knee and this week he smashed his elbow!  I caught a really bad cold from skiing all Sunday and I was home Tues and Wed.  As y ou can tell, we are in good shape.

Everyone, everywhere seems to be in that slump.  I talked to Barb last night and she's just hanging in there!  Barely!  I wrote Joan and note and sent it to her home address.  I have no idea what she is doing.  I gold her if things got unbelievably bad she could come out here or go to Boston.  Naturally everything will work out well for Joan, I hope.  I haven't been able to get in the hang of anything lately.  School, work, the whole bit, except fun.  Which there is never enough of at one time like January-February and March.

I must close now and get to work.  Take care.

March 4, 1970 (Letter from Kathy)

Hope you have recovered from your eventful and nightmare weekend.

Everything here is so great.  I have a chance to go to Florida this Friday, so by the time you get this, I may be on my way.  The only thing holding me back is that Gary was supposed to come up Tues or Wed.  I'm waiting for him to call me back now (he gets sworn into the Air Force today) I really don't see any reason why it should bother him to come a few days late.

I'm supposed to be studying for a final now, but I'm just so excited about this Florida deal I could never concentrate.  Six or seven of us are driving down Friday night and Sat -- staying until Thursday and starting back Thurs. night.

If for some unforseen reason I don't go, then I guess I'll have to settle for skiing in Vermont for the weekend.  I consider this trip a chance in a lifetime and I really don't have any intention of letting it pass by.  It'll only cost me about $50 (at the most).  It just doesn't come any cheaper!!

I'm really curious what my parents are going to say when I call them. They'll either be all for it, or all against it.  Regardless, I don't really think they would try to stop me, and although they'll probably worry that something will happen, I think (hope) they'll be for the idea.  Should be interesting.

Sounds like things on campus are a little hectic. Have they quieted down any?

How is Buffalo doing on the snow situation?  I'm really hoping that Boston has had its last snow.

Got tickets for Gary and I to see "Hair".  I'm really glad now that I have them for the 17th, cuz I'll be back from Florida the 14th.  I've never been there!

Damn!  One of my roommates dropped the telephone last night so we couldn't dial it; a man from the telephone came this morning and put in a new telephone.  Just went to use the phone -- it's dead!  They better send a repair man over here pretty quickly.  I guess it would be pretty hard for Gary to call me if the telephone is dead!

Well, while your working hard, I hope to enjoy my break in Florida.  I'll let you know how things turn out.  Take care.  Be careful in cars.

P.W.  Thank you for the article.