just as good, if not better than the first dead pool……just hysterical….must have weird sense of humor, as usual……

Last night was the usual get together of our friends…..The attendees range from 8 to 12, depending. We sat at two tables and each seemed to have their own topics.
Ours was businesses, companies, non-profits and all the rest bombarding us with money requests. If it is not the phone, it is the TV. If not the TV, the mail. If not the mail, the internet, if not the internet, the store and so on, and so on, and so on.

We may be old but we are not stupid and we all agreed that donations to any cause were now studied first at great length. Ads tugging at heart strings only go so far.
After looking into uses of money, and overall costs of doing business, it is the way the money us used that counts…..Overhead is a cost of doing business, however, it should not BE the business.

We named many organizations who were always sending, calling, or discussing their plight. Many local organizations have a good heart when it comes to helping the cause, but they don’t seem to be thinking through the effect of their fund raising. I am all for helping schools be better equipped, as were the rest of the crowd, however, my TAX dollars should be handling the situation nicely. If it is not….that is the cause that needs to be addressed. Why should I pay tax dollars for school support, for instance, and then have to have or attend fund raisers to raise more for specific items the school can’t afford? In lieu of asking for money…..go to school superintendents and have them make the requests to the city/county/etc. If teachers are not paid enough…we should be backing them, not providing extra for schools districts who choose not to fight for their employees. We were all happy to see teachers walking out for better pay…..and better conditions. Pressure is not being applied to the vulnerable part of the school board and superintendents. It is my lowly opinion that if all donations were ended until the schools paid their teachers a fair wage and supplied them with good products and a facilities, it would probably take no more than one school year for the government to get their eyes and pocketbook put in the right place. So there! but I digress!

Back to donations…..attention companies, organizations, etc who are looking for money.
1. don’t send me a letter once a month…..You think I will forget you….no
2. don’t send me sad animals or crying children pictures…..You think it will help…no
3. don’t send me notepads, pictures, T-shirts, pennies, nickels, or dimes..or Christmas cards, get well, and birthday. Does it impress me…no
4. don’t send me Christmas stamps either….or tiny computers, and on and on and on.

In case you haven’t figured out why……it’s how you spend stupid!!! We will not pay for any of the above, nor will we donate to causes at the grocery store when it is finally donated in the name of the STORE…using the STORE’s product!

We retirees are on the ball….we know what is going on….we didn’t come this far, to live this comfortably without knowing when and where to spend our money.

So there! Free advice….from 9 at two tables on a Thursday night….

4 of us decided to go see this movie….remember, we are all old enough that we lived Chappaquiddick…..but we are hazy because we are…that old.   I digress…

We talked more about we remembered AFTER we saw the movie than the movie itself. It was totally Kennedy…Kennedy family, Kennedy cover up, Kennedy elders,  Politicians, and so on and so on.  It sure brought back ‘politikin’ at its best, and it especially brought back the fact of how clueless  we were.

We couldn’t understand how the windows were down prior to going off the bridge….and even if the two put the windows up….how Kennedy got out without a problem, but she couldn’t.  In the movie, even the police diver said he would have had plenty of time to save her if Kennedy or someone would have notified him.  Mmmmmm

We also remembered that the gossip was that she was pregnant and she was done away with…Just say’in….this is what was discussed a bunch.

As far as acting….it was good, characters were good, attitude was good, accents could have used some work, and who knows about the story because to this day, no one knows the REAL story….

Our advice….watch it on TV and look up history first so you can try to solve the mystery.

There are loads of movies for every taste and whim….however, every once in a while, some come along to touch one’s heart and soul.  It is odd they are not matching movies, story wise, but when it comes to love, devotion, marriage, and choice, these two are identical.

First is THE FOREIGNER.  I waited for it to come to my local theater, but it almost went straight to Red Box without skipping a beat.(or that is how it felt)  I won’t tell you the story except to say it is a reminder of true love and devotion within families, regardless of  the past or present. So few of us realize the depth of our human connection when life choices come in to play. What we think we will do and what we do can be drastically different…..  Jackie Chan is not his usual character, nor is Pierce. Turn the lights down in your TV viewing room …..and don’t say a word.

Next is ONE TRUE THING…..made in 1988.  What was I thinking when I missed this….where was my head and heart. On one side of the coin, I am ashamed not to have seen this movie way back when…..On the other side of the coin, maybe I would not have understood it’s story of life and family, until I lived the years between then and now.  Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger, and William Hurt are entwined in moments we all may choose to remember or forget, not realizing they are all so necessary in the growth of love, dedication, and living at ease in our home, in our neighborhood, and in our town.                So good……So good

am away for a few days…so thought I’d give you some homework…….don’t let letter writing become a lost art in your family or friend network…..If you are one who has gone over the edge when it comes to having legible handwriting….remember the computer is always close by….

Having begun to read letters during a period when that was one of the only forms of steady communication, I see the wonderful closeness this type of writing gives. Sure, it may be about the weather, or that you did the washing, but it is every day life and the sharing makes us laugh, cry, and understand we are all the same in so many way.

writing  saves lives and marriages (not  necessarily are both of those thought of to be combined) Writing brings out emotion, tells stories, relives stories, creates poetry, and best selling novels. Writing brings peace, solves all kinds of problems whether they are math or squabbles. Writing gets the black and white down to read and re-read. Writing gets the love and hate out of your heart and soul onto paper  for proper examination.

Writing is forever…..as we are seeing when we read the communication of the 1930’s. A letter cannot be destroyed without purposely doing it…..the written word on a blank sheet of paper changes nations and strengthens  us all.

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I have been busy all day so this is the first time I have had time to write to you.  I am feeling fine after my trip, which is saying a lot for me. It’s thundering and looks very this eve, but the house has and is still unbearably hot. I will start back to the beginning which was Saturday morning at 4AM. Well Daddy got up and liked it…left here on schedule and made wonderful time on all our trip.  Daddy didn’t drive fast so I enjoyed every mile of it. We ate breakfast in Richmond, Ind at 7AM, killed one hour there, arrived in Columbus, Ohio around 10 AM. We went thru a museum and the state house.  As we wanted to go to the refineries  at Heath we didn’t stay long, in fact we kept on the move at all times never hurried but just kept moving.  We were not able  to go to the refineries  after we got there for it was Saturday afternoon and the help had all quit or gone to the picnic.  We drove thru the place as Daddy had been there at a couple of such places so he explained the different things to us which the men got a big kick out of. (quite a storm is coming up now —-hurrah, it’s raining….lets hope we can get lots of it)

The picnic was at Newark, Ohio about 35 mil out of Columbus, so we arrived out there between 3 and 4 PM as it didn’t start til 2 PM, and it wasn’t very interesting to us as it was such a  big crowd and we know so few.  Mr. Dunham, Red Clayton and family,  and Mr.Mrs. Alspough were all we knew, but we ate all the free food they would let us have and saw everything there was to be seen, then started on our way to Cincinnati.  Of course we stopped and ate good meals all along the way, but I didn’t over eat and I think that is why we all stood the trip so well……We stopped at a service station for gas and up drove another car and we overheard  him say he had been to the Pure Oil Picnic, so naturally he was our friend…so Wilfred hollers….Hi Buddie…and the man looks surprised but came over to the car and introduced himself as Mr. Daws. Imagine our surprise and embarrassment  ha. but Wilfred’s social blunder did us a good turn, for we told him we were headed to Cincinnati and wanted to go to Crosley’s Broadcasting  Co and watch a program.   He said Mr. Crosley was a good friend of his and for us to go to the place and tell them to let us in as he requested it.  So that is the way we got to see  15min of broadcasting which was a thrill for us all and something I never will forget.

I am ahead of my time for we aren’t suppose to be in Cincinnati yet. Ha.  We drove within 60 mi of the city and put up at cottages. They were nice, had lights and shower.  We left at 7:30AM Sunday morning and on our way, we stopped at Crosley’s relay station where the 831 foot high tower is. We got in and were ready to go  through the zoological garden at 12 noon..It was so hot and too many hills to climb that we didn’t stay long.

The city of Cincinnati alone is a sight worth seeing.  I’ll never be happy until we take you and Lew there.  We drove over the city across the suspension bridge to Covington Ky and back again.  Just to say we had been in Ky.

We went to the Netherland Plaza Hotel and of course, they all thought we were staying there.  I’m sure I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful it was. Never saw anything like it and don’t expect to many times.

We then went to the Union Terminal Station which was newly built and supposed to be the finest and largest in the world, I believe.  We agree for it was a wonderful structure. The engines are left out of the city limits and the cars are pulled in by electrical cars. S it’s a very clean city,  We then went out to the broadcasting station and listened and watched the 15min program, left around 5PM and arrived in Indianapolis about 10:30 PM.

I wanted to call you so bad but knew it wasn’t the thing to do, so came on home.  Lew came home about the usual time and talked, bathed, read the news and I slept until 8AM this morning.  We drove over 600 mi and it was one of the red letter days of my life.

Your letter came this afternoon and am so glad you and Bill had a good time.  This is a full week for the Pure Oil Picnic will be this Thursday and then we leave with our nite club crowd for the lakes over the weekend.  If you can come home, its ok for Lew will be here and you two can have your fun.  We will all settle down when winter comes, maybe.

Write me again…you re slowing down on this letter stuff old sock, and I don’t like it.

love from us all    mother daddy and lew

Dear Ber

Well the big dance is over and did I have a swell time I ask you.  I think I had a better time this year than I did last year (only you weren’t here) By the way are you still thinking about having us over there while Betty is here, that would be Wednesday, May 6, if you still want us to come.

You had better be writing your darling brother because the way he talks now he isn’t planning on going (don’t say I wrote you this) Boy is Miss Stinson going to get a cool reception from me when she gets here. She hasn’t answered  that last letter, that’s been three weeks ago. She gets here Friday May 1st and I have to work that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. (I would lay off but the way I feel now I’m not going to)

You said in your last letter that you would get to come down for the Prom. I’ve already asked Betty to go with me but since it’s on Tuesday night maybe she can’t come, so if she can’t would you care to Belly Rub with me for the evening? (If I hadn’t already asked her to go, we would just forget about her, but the damage is done. All we can do is hope, that is if you would care to accompany me)  It  should be an honor to you since I am a dignified Senior!  Say, do I feel important?

And now, the journalism teacher, Julia D. gave me a column in the High Life. I named it “Grin and Bear It”. It’s a ‘column’ and do I know everything about everybody. I ask ya.

Well guess I’ll close now to write soon,  By the way a little bit of advice…..

“The more you know the more you forget

The more you forget the less you know.

The less you know the less you forget.

So, what’s the use of studying…….   (my motto)

I go to work this evening and work until 2AM in the morning then get up at 4 AM, carry my paper route nd then go back to work at 1 PM and work until 2PM Monday morning and then I can sleep until the grind of school begins again.

Yours bill

I’ve been expecting to see you pop in any old-time now, but have sorta given up hope so will write you instead. I looked for you last Saturday and again today but no you.

I’ll break the good news gently.Sit tight now. You say you get home the 24th of Aug and I leave the 31st. Isn’t that too lovely.  Doggone! Heck! You’d better plan to stay home that lst week of possible so I can see you.  Ho-hum these boys. You say Tom tells you he is pining away, but you hear differently. Well, Ralph’s sorta like that too. But then I guess one never knows what goes on down deep in their little hearts.

Ralph and I haven’t been getting along so well. We go for a week or two without dates. He is sorta peeved because I won’t go steady. He’s had dates with several other girls, but they are welcome to him.I seldom have a good time with him, anyway  He wanted me to ago to Crawfordsville with him tomorrow, but I am going to Kokomo and stay for a few days.  He offered to take me there afterwards but I told him no, no. I know he will be delighted when he finds that I am going to the lake in a week or two. The bunch isn’t going but Esther Beil and I are going up and stay at White’s Point for a week and help the women for our board and room.She is some relation to Esther. I sorta think she got the worst end of the bargain. Did I ever tell you that I went to Esther’s for a few days this summer? We went to a band concert at Rossville and had a gay old-time.  Your would have gotten a kick out of it.  Her cousin also took us to a show at Lafayette.  Maybe you remember him. He trailed us one nite and told you what your name was and told you that the cops told him.  Remember?  I don’t think he knew it was me.

In case you don’t know where I am leaving for, it is International Business College in Ft. Wayne. Did you know that Ruth Anna is working at Curry’s Electrical Shop? If you didn’t its time you did.

Well beins its Saturday nite I’ll have to quit and get ready to go to the Inn with the gals. Wish you were here to go with us.  P.S.  I have to put some more glue on the stamp, cause Dick ate what was on it.

with love   mary ellen

We arrived home about 9o”clock, cold and ready for bed. I was so happy after being with you all afternoon, but Daddy is such a busy guy he said some day he was coming over just to spend the afternoon with you alone and not think of business.

Thursday morning we got up and the ground was covered with snow. Those pretty days made me think the winter was over, but I guess even I can be wrong. Such blizzards as we have had all day…not so cold, but just mean.

I went to club this afternoon.  I felt sorry for the poor souls that had to set and look at this sore face of mine all afternoon, but they wouldn’t take no for answer when I wanted to stay at hone so……I won a prize.

I never have ask you but do you girls play bridge? Well, must have been Frankfort day at Indianapolis for I will name all those that were there, and you help me guess how we missed seeing some of them…Don and Gertie Hackett, Mary Britten, Martha Wertz, Carrie and Ray Boyer, Pansy and Joe Anderson, Dr and Mrs. Triece, and of course, Frank, Julia and Walter. that we saw.  Keep your eyes open on Wednesday when you are down town here. for Frankfort folks are buying their spring clothes and give them time they will all be over.

Honey, Martha Werts called me this morning and ask if you would rent or sell your taffeta formal, seems as tho Mary Ellen has three formal dances this spring and her Mother doesn’t want to buy her but one and her last years one I don’t think she can wear. So I told her to write and ask you, but the more I think of it I don’t want you to sell it. You couldn’t get enough out of it to buy another one and the style is still good.

If you care to loan it to her, I think it would be ice, but you do as you like about that. That is your very own dress but if you do loan it to her, she must have it cleaned afterwards. That’s not asking too much. Then it will be ice and fresh for you at anytime. Martha said she had just thought of the idea, but she hadn’t talked with Mary Ellen about it, and didn’t know whether she would want to write you or not.

I explained to Doris about you having so many to write to, so that smoothed down her ruffled feathers, ha.  Harry is coming Sun. I think. I will send your hose over Sunday with Lewis. How did the crackers taste…go slow on the candy my honey girl, you must limit your self on that kind of stuff and buy fruit instead of candy, if you must eat.  But hop on the scales every week and watch your weight. It is easier to keep fat off than to take it off.

I am going back to the doctors tomorrow for another treatment for my face. Honey I try to think it is better but to be honest I don’t see that it is.  I am plain discouraged, but if a dr. can’t heal it…you look for a remedy for it from Dr. Price. ha

I talked to Mary Ellen to see if she had any news but she said they had club last week at Mary Katherines, and a school dance…other than that there was nothing doing, only if Frankfort goes to Indianapolis she will be over but that she would write you about that later.

Lewis and Winnie are at HY tonite. Daddy went to a Kiwanis  meeting. He is on the board or something (You can bet for your Prices to be in the know of everything) he got home about 8PMm so we came down to the office…he is ordering paint for the service station.

He is going to build a new service station in Lebanon this spring. They are talking of buying  the Warren Oil Co. out in Lafayette. Again, if they do, then Daddy is willing to move down, but I guess the new bulk plants at Lafayette and Crawfordsville have fallen thru as too expensive right now…and are we glad.

Well darling there isn’t any news for we are leading a pretty quiet life, until the fish start to nibbling.

Tell me all about this party Wed. nite. Don’t leave anything ouit — get me.

I will keep you posted on improvement of my mug and don’t think about it…..let Dr. Dicushen do that.

Hunt up a cheap but reliable dry cleaner when you are downtown for you will want your suit cleaned soon as it warms up.

Love and kisses from everyone, but woof and he is still over at Dr.  Did you know that Don White was married and went to Florida on their honeymoon. The girl was the one he had over at our house one evening last summer, remember?

bye bye you old so and so     mother

Hello Sweetie

Daddy and I are at the office awhile .  Lewis is at a show (alone) he cleaned the front yard this evening, it looks nice.

My chin looks terrible. I went to the Dr. Monday. It was spreading more, so after trying everybody’s ideas for two weeks, I went to a Dr. He put some dope on that. Has nearly killed me and it’s a dark slate gray, with yellow salve over the top of this gray. I look like I had fallen down and rooted in the mud., but I had to look at your yellow mask, you can look at this and laugh for if Daddy comes over, I am coming with him.

Honey, it looks like this evening we would get over sometime tomorrow perhaps 3 or 4 o’clock, but if we come late we will take you to dinner and as a show, would you like that?

We will call when we get in and if you want to go out before we get there ,you leave word where you will be at and what time we can meet you.

Am sending you a card from Bernard received today. I wrote him a letter this evening, telling him your address your phone, your hours off and to be sure and knock before he entered! ha

Now don’t be too disappointed if Daddy doesn’t make it over tomorrow. Lewis will bring Doris and Helen over Sunday,. Maybe Bernard will bring Tom over as he comes home Friday. What do you think?

No cakes until I am o.k. again  I spent the day in bed. The boys are lucky to get their 3 squares a day and you should see the beds…Ha   they are crying Oh Berniece

Goodby my darling..hope I see you tomorrow     Mother