28 Oct 1958

 

Postmark: 11:30am, Oct 28, 1958 – Albuquerque, N.Mex

Monday

Hi –

Arrived late due to trouble with the airplane in Chicago.  Trip was long and boring but its nice to see Albuquerque again.  Am in the BOQ – nice room but not near anything and with no car won’t do much.

Called Buzz, Simon’s, Hulto’s and will call Walford tomorrow when he comes back.  Going to Buzz’s Thursday and Hulto’s and Simon’s tomorrow and Wed.

Don’t bother to write – looks like I’ll be home this weekend.  Am shooting for Saturday.  Won’t know for sure until Thurs or Friday so don’t be surprised when or if I call you.  If I don’t make it Sat I’ll call Sunday with a definite date otherwise look for me Sat late.

This isn’t what I had expected and therefore I won’t get all I want in the way of info.  By the weekend I should have all useful info and can come home.

Take care of yourself and tell the kids I’ll see what I can find if they are good children.

                                                            All my love

                                                                        Hubby

22 Aug 1947

(handwritten at top) Please answer underlined questions in next letter

Wednesday

Dear Mom,

Yep, I’ve been a real good housekeeper.  Pattie came over Monday afternoon dead on her feet after shopping in the heat for a fur coat.  She finally found one and came over here to rest her weary bones.  Tommy was here, so she and Tommy sat in your room and talked about horses for two hours while I gave the room a thourough going-over… moved all the furniture, dusted the base-boards, straightened up the mess in general and mopped.  What a job.  I’ve never seen a room so dirty in my life!  I also cleaned the floors of the two closets in your room and bombed them.  That stuff stinks, doesn’t it?

Today I’m going to do the library.  Bob Schiedel came over Monday nite.  (Charlie said he was going to bed early that nite and get some rest that he didn’t get over the week end.)  So I talked to Bob for a while and then game him the clue.  He won’t be over anymore.  I went swimming at the Congressional Country club yesterday with Bob Moss.  I also gave him the clue, but I may go swimming with him again.  There’s no harm in that and it doesn’t cost him anything.  Last night Patti had a date with Walt Allen again (Charlie’s frat brother) and we went out Wisconsin and played miniature golf out there.  Charlie and I were high this time.  From there we got sundaes at Gifford’s and then went to the fireman’s carnival in Rockville, thus working our way slowly but surely back to Patti’s.  She had to be home sort of early, but she didn’t get there till eleven.  She had to get up at 4:30am this morning as they are starting on their way to Boston early.  She’ll be back next Monday and we have another double date to go swimming Tuesday night.  Walt is getting interested, I think.  He asked her to go down the Potomac with him tomorrow night, but of course, she’ll be in Boston, so I got him another  blind date.  We’re all going down on the cabin cruiser I told you about.  Guess who I got Walt a date with?  Give up?  Jody Cole.  Remember the girl who hooked Bill Mines from under my nose?  I told you she lived on Newark Street, and the other day I saw her walking the dog, so she came over and talked to me.  When Charlie told me to get Walt a blind date, I thought of her immediately… in fact, I don’t know who else I would have gotten!  So I walked down and asked her and she said she’d love to go.  She’s still going with Bill, but as she put it, “He’s way over in Baltimore”…. Tough on Bill!  We’ll have a fine time!

You know what happened Sunday a week ago that I didn’t go to church, and last Sunday we went to Skyline.  Wed. a week ago I planned to go with the Bailey’s, but they called the last minute and said it was so hot they decided not to go, so I decided the same thing.  It was awfully hot last week, hotter than it’s been all summer.  I may go tonight if it cools off some more and if I can find a ride.  I’ll be darned if I’ll take the bus over on a hot day like this.  I’ll probably go next Sunday, too.

I’ll send you a picture of Charlie when he gets those back he took Sunday.  There’s one of us together that might turn out.  He hates to have his picture taken.  What ever happened to our camera?  Where is it… do you have it up there?  If not, I’d like to take some pictures of the dog (and Charlie)  Please tell me where it is.  I’ve looked everywhere.

A woman and her brother came to the door yesterday and inquired about renting the club three afternoons a week and Saturday mornings so she could give dancing lessons to kids in the neighborhood between the ages of three to eight or ten.  She teaches tap, ballet, acrobatics, and ballroom dancing.  She’d like to start around the beginning of October.  I said I’d write to you and ask you and she’s going to call me next Monday, so please answer this right away.  I didn’t know what to tell her.  Is Mrs Staring going to use the club next fall?  She’s taught in Miami previously, so she doesn’t know anyone in the neighborhood and she was wondering if we thought the neighbors wanted their kids to learn tap or something like that.

Yes, I put the laundry out Friday.  In fact, I met the laundry man in the afternoon and he asked if I wanted to pay him the $1.60 I owed him or wait till next time;  I told him you were in Maine and hadn’t left me a fortune in currency, so I said he’d have to wait till the beginning of September when you got back.  He said it would be alright.  It better be!

Which reminds me… when are you coming back?  I’ve meant to ask you, cause lots of people have asked me, that dancing teacher for one.  A couple of people have called and asked for you and then asked when you were coming home (they didn’t leave their names), so I just told them around Sept 8, but I wasn’t sure.

Boy, prices are really soaring sky-high.  I’m scared to walk in a grocery store anymore for fear they’ll charge me $4.00 for a loaf of bread.  At the rate I’m going, I’ll be out of money and broke before you get home, and I thought the $35.00 would last a long while.  I do buy a lot of cokes, but that’s the only big item that I buy continuously.  I got a half a pound of butter the other day for $.42 and a pound of American cheese for $.89!  What’s the world coming to?  The two lamb chops were $.50 and milk is $.21 (Whether you buy it in a carton or bottle.)

Well, must start on the library now.  It’s rather dirty.  I cleaned Bitsy’s and Mr. Wardlow’s rooms yesterday, too.  The downstairs I did Sat.  The kitchen has been clean ever since you left.  (I cleaned it the afternoon you left and have kept it that way (except for the floor)) ever since.  Charlie promised to scrub the floor for me some night.  He’ll get around to it one of these nights.  He’s got to work over at the frat house tonight.  They’re fixing up a rec room in the basement and the boys are doing it themselves.  Write soon…

(signed)

Love, Sibyl.

16 Aug 1957

From:

Capt. C.R. Beaumont

Box 291, 3084^th ADG

Stonybrook AFS

Chicopee Falls, Mass

To:

Mrs. C.R. Beaumont Jr

The Squires

Sebago Lake

Maine

Letter written on 3084^th Aviation Depot Group letterhead

Postmark: 11am, Aug 16, 1957 – Chicopee Falls, Mass

Thursday

Hi Honey,

            Your letter came today – good to hear from you but – why didn’t you say how your cold was?  How is it?

            Go ahead and get the chest but please don’t spend anymore than is absolutely required – we haven’t closed yet on the house or bought any food.  Right now we have $77 in Fort Saur and $200 in the local hear.  Pay day isn’t until the 31^st.  It will be close.

            The flooring is all down and plumbing fixtures nearly complete.  Painting should start Sat or Mon.  so looks good for next weekend so far.  Keep your fingers crossed.

            Not much news – am real busy this week and weekend with rumors of an operation starting Sun or Mon.  Looks like England all over again but even so has Lowry beat every which way.  For once again I feel like I’m doing something.  It’s a good feeling.

            Must go to bed – can hardly keep my eyes open.  Wish you were here to snuggle up to.  Thank goodness you will be next week – I need you bad – real bad.

                                                            All my love, darling

                                                                        Hubby

This blog, as seen by Wordle....

Wordle  is a fun site where you can paste text, or link to a site, and create a map based on the number of times a word appears.  The map below is made up of 150 words from this blog.

As for the blog itself, I will be back very shortly with a new letter!

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22 Aug 1947 - Charlie pins his college sweetheart

(scroll down for a photograph of the fraternity pin.  The "H" pin and the short chain that connected them are missing.


3149 Newark Street, NW
Washington 8, DC
August 22, 1947

Dear Mom,

Had a fine time cleaning house this week. The closets are now all clean and moth-proof, the third floor, second floor and first floor are all clean (including kitchen, maid’s room, and three bathrooms). ‘Twas a job, but it looks good and I’m real proud of it. I’ve washed and ironed a lot of my own clothes and I’m going to do the towels and things in the washing machine as soon as the rain clears and the sun peeps out for a while. I change Bitsy’s and Mr. Wardlow’s towels twice a week and put the laundry out today. I’ve changed the milk order to three bottles instead of two. Between Prince and me, we consume three quarts every two days. I’m waiting for the milkman this morning. I had to give him his food this morning with water instead of milk and he didn’t like it a bit and said so. I had to coax him to eat it, for a change. I take him for walks pretty often and he’s just as lively as can be… growing more every day. I can hardly carry him down the back steps anymore, he’s so heavy, but he still won’t go down them by himself. They look so steep. He’s still very clumsy and manages to fall up the front steps every time he attempts them, taking two steps at a time and falling down one of them. But I love him. He’s trained to those papers now and doesn’t make half the mess he used to make. I hope we’ll be able to recover the seat so it looks decent. Maybe you ought to look for material up there. It shouldn’t take more than about three yards of 36” material for two seats and the back-rest pillows. I saved the stuffing that he strewed all over the porch.

Remember the way Prince used to make a bee line for the kitchen to finish Jet’s dish? I’ve punished him for it each time and now he’s learned not to go out there till I say so. It’s funny as it can be. I open the door and he bounds out and jumps all over me and then prances out to the dining room door and looks back at me. I say “No, Prince!” and try to look real stern and he scooches down en all fours and looks real sad and then comes prancing back and says he’s sorry. We both go back and remove Jet’s dish from temptation (he won’t touch it unless I give him the word…. Once in a while I let him have Jet’s milk that Jet won’t drink) and he waits till I fix his supper. Jet is usually eating breakfast when I get ready to fix Prince’s dish and carry it (and Prince) down the back stairs. Jet looks up from his dish and watches Prince curiously and Prince stars back, but neither say anything and Jet carries on like nothing had happened. Jet won’t go out the back door when he knows Prince is in the yard, but other than that, he isn’t phased in the least. They’ll get along alright, but they just won’t be bosom companions. However, I’m not worried about them. Jet usually manages to get himself full of little green burrs about once a week, and I patiently comb them out while he sits and purrs and smiles his thank yous. Once Prince was having a big time rolling in his manure (!) and if I didn’t have a time cleaning that stuff off! He let me do it, too! He didn’t like the stuff (after he rolled in it) any more than I did, so he hasn’t done it since.

Wednesday night Charlie and I went to see the Macomber Affair… a murder mystery in deepest Africa. It’s pretty good, I think you would enjoy it. The photography is all done in Africa and they have some excellent shots of real wild animals… water buffalo, giraffe, deer, etc. all in great herds. We got pinned after the movie… decided we wouldn’t wait till fall. It’s a lovely pin. Looks like this…

(See her letter for the drawing. It is quite good!)

Last night we went on Kent Kise’s 40’ cabin cruiser down the Potomac. That was really fun. It was a beautiful night for a boat ride. Jody and Walt got along alright, but he likes Patti better, he says. We have a double date to go swimming next Tuesday with them.

Charlie is going down to Fort Knox, Tenn. next Friday for two weeks training to keep up his rating. He’ll be gone when you get back, but he’s coming home the day I leave for school… the 14th. I have to be at Alpha Xi 2:00 Sat afternoon for rush school… 2 hours. That’s Sept. 13th. Then we have open house teas Sunday 2-5:00 and 8-9:00. We’re supposed to stay in the house unless we day-dodge, but like last year, we can’t live in the dorms during rush week. Then we have an afternoon party 2-4:00 Mon, Tues, and Wed and an evening party 7-9:00 Mon, and Tues. Wed evening is free and so are Thurs and Fri all day and evening because of freshman registration. Sat we have two parties and we stay up all Sat night to decorate the house for Sunday preference tea 3-5:00. We have to have either a white or pink evening gown for preference and a black evening skirt for open house. I have charge of the Minstrel Show Wed afternoon and I have to write a whole new script. Would you ask Daddy where his script for the minstrel show is? I may be able to use parts of it. Should I stay at school that week or use the car? I guess I could stay through Tuesday night and come home Wed after my party. You could bring some of my things to me Monday afternoon. I’ll just move them gradually, cause I have three flights of stairs to climb. By the way, we’re having another Chinese party and I’ll need something to wear for it. Do you suppose I can borrow Eleonore’s Chinese pajamas again, or try something else? Who’s things can I borrow? Is that woman around still from whom we can borrow that gong? I could use that again, too.

I would like a grey sweater if you can find one… size 40 and fitted, if that’s possible. The fitted ones are usually cheaper than sloppy joe’s and they’re more in style.

Guess that’s all for this round. I have some other letters to write, too.

How are Nannie and baby sister getting along? See if you can talk one or both into writing me sometime next week. I like to hear from everybody, you know. I’m knocking myself out writing almost everyday to you all… and much longer letters, too, I might add!

I haven’t heard anybody mention Lora or Leah, just Ruth. What are they doing? Is Willie still pinned? What’s he doing this summer? How about Eddie, Millie Blake and her baby and husband, Eva, Ruth, and Marion Thorn and their respective husbands; Edith and Marrit Thorn; Mary Smith, Fat Smith, and all the other kids I used to know. Doesn’t anyone in that little village spread gossip anymore? I’d like to hear about all of them. Write soon if not sooner…

(signed)

Love,
Sibyl


PS Maybe underlining will help you to remember what parts to answer! How about that recipe for pie crust? Can I make it out of roll dough? SMG

PPS That magazine you said for me to get out of the P.O. was just one of those little newspapers that comes to you about twice a week. I guess it’s P.E.O. I had to pay a penning to get it back (I tried to forward it once) and it would have cost more to send it, so I kept it! Troubles! SMG