July 13, 1975 (Letter from Bev)

I certainly hope that summer has reached your part of the country by now.  The weather has been excellent here until this past week.  We've had rain every day for a week now and the sun hasn't even peeped through the clouds once.  I had been enjoying the nice weekends by going to Rehoboth Beach and even though I was only getting sun on the weekends, I had a fairly nice tan. Rehoboth is a really nice place -- a very clean beach and not too crowded.   This coming weekend I'm going to Wildwood and Cape May, N.J. to see what the Jersey beaches are like.  The distance is the same for me from New Castle to either Rehoboth or Wildwood.  If gasoline prices keep going up, I'll have to cut down on my travelling.  I'm paying about 58.9 for a gallon now.  The prices went up 5 cents just before the 4th of July.  If Pres Ford lifts the price control on oil, the price of a gallon of gas will surely sire. It's disgusting!

Did you get your car repaired?  I just had to get a new muffler and tail pipe put on my car and soon I'll need two new tires.  If I absolutely didn't need a car, I wouldn't have one.  But it's impossible to live without one around here.

I think I did tell you that I was playing on a softball team at the hospital.  Well, our season ended the last Wednesday in June.  The team that I was on only won 1 game and lost 8.  Not too great a record, but I really didn't care that much about winning.  I miss playing and especially I miss the exercise.  On July 25th the league is having a banquet for us.  I do play tennis about 2 or 3 times a week. My tennis has improved greatly, but I'm still not able to serve as I would like to.

Now that the fiscal year for 1976 has begun, I was able to hold a library committee meeting and order some new materials.  The committee was very agreeable and I've ordered lots of new books and cassette tapes.  I've decided to spend our budget by December, hoping that by spending it all before January we will not get cut like we did last year in February.  I can't wait to start getting some new materials in so I'll have some cataloging to do again.  (I'm afraid I've forgotten how to catalog!)  The amount of people using the library has picked up just recently and that makes me feel better.  The hospital just got 3 new doctors who are starting their residency training here. They're all foreigners -- 1 is from India, 1 is from Korea, and 1 is from Ceylon.  They're in the library daily studying.  I've never seen such diligent people.

In September, after I've been employed at the hospital for a year, I'll be getting a new job classification -- from Librarian I to Librarian II.  This doesn't mean a change in any of my duties, but it will give me an increase in salary.  It brings me up to the pay grades and that is a substantial raise.  On top of this I'll be getting a 12% cost of living raise.  The State passed a bill giving all state employees a raise effective Sept 1.  All this extra money is greatly appreciated, but I'm still looking for a new job.  The VA hospital in Wilmington has an opening, but I don't know what is holding up the process for filling it.  The librarian told me that he was definitely leaving the position and if I was interested I should apply.  I spoke to the personnel dept and they assured me that if I were qualified I'd be called for an interview. I had also written to have my federal eligibility extended for another year.  They told me that I would appear on the job list when the VA requested such a list, but the VA hadn't requested the list yet.  I really don't  know what's going on there.  The librarian has gone -- he's in the psychiatric unit of Wilmington Med Ct as a patient!  He had a nervous breakdown.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I get an interview for that job.  It would be a much better position and I'd really like to get on the federal payroll.

Well, I guess I should write some more letters.  I've fallen behind in my correspondence.  I would also like to start reading The Moneychangers by Arthur Hailey.  It's sitting on my coffee table staring at me and being the lazy person that I am, the book may win out over the letters.

Enjoy your summer and write when you can. Take care.

P.S. Diane's birthday is 8-6.

May 18, 1975 (Letter from Grayce)

Diane and Bev just left.  It was a very nice weekend.  We wished you have been here, also.  Aren't I awfully greedy?

First, may I say I'm really sorry about Dale.  He must be going through hell.  Have you spoken to him?  I think it would really be good for him to have someone speak to him without recrimination just now.  His guilt must be a vast thing to bear and more of a punishment than any other person could inflict from without.  I think you could do it very well -- being a gentle person.  Ultimately, it would make more of an impression than anything else he'll possibly hear now.

Paul, I hope I don't sound fatuous but "are you tired of writing to me?"  I really enjoy hearing from you but maybe you would need a rest?  If you'd like I will still write to you and you don't necessarily have to answer each time.  I don't know.  this sounds weird and not what I intend to say.  (Really I hope you don't agree to this because I'd really miss your letters), but let me know and we'll see what we can do, ok?

The weather here hasn't been so great, either.  It's been raining constantly.  I want to plan a small garden -- just some tomatoes, onions, peppers, and squash, but we haven't been able to dig up the ground cause it's always sopping wet.

I refuse to dig the ground because I did only a tiny piece by the side of the house and planted some bachelor buttons (which have probably drowned by now!) and I got an enormous blister on my palm.  Women's Lib can have this part of the fight as far as I'm concerned.  Pulling out your own chair is one thing; digging ditches is something else!

My cactus is not doing too well.  I can't figure it out.  I am convinced that cacti are not meant to flourish in this climate.  If they were, we would have some, wouldn't we?  It's entirely too humid. I hardly ever water the thing and I keep it in the sunniest place possible, but it feels like it's getting mushy and that means death is nigh.  Oh well, ---

No, I didn't attend Pitt's graduation.  It just would have been so meaningless.  Besides, Brook's sister graduated from Duquesne the week after that and Seton Hill's was the week after Pat's and I really didn't think I could take 3 Sundays of platitudes all in a row like that.  I mean, I don't go to church for exactly that reason, so why place myself in that position voluntarily?  It's bad enough that I had to go to those 2 others.  I did go get my diploma, though, since I had to go into Oakland to the doctor's anyway, $5 for that piece of paper.

Brook is out playing softball right now.  He joined a league that a bunch of his friends started. They all keep this bar (The Flame!) in business (or they did when they were younger, anyway) so the manager sponsors their team.  They're not too bad, considering they just got together this season.  They even have three flashy red nylon tee-shirts!  I liked them, but am not exceedingly thrilled about them right now since I've learned that they have to be handwashed separately.  Myeer!  Next year-- I will have something to say about the materials of the shirt, methinks!

Paul -- you had better come see us soon!  This is an order and not a request!  I really think that you are not happy there and should not stay any longer than necessary.  I hope I don't seem too audacious in saying this.  I worry about you, though.  I think you need more "civilization" around you.  And you sound said and I don't like to see you that way!  I apologize in advance if I shouldn't be so bold, but I can't help it.  Please consider this seriously.

Take care.