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bug-eating grandson's name replaced with "your son"

Bunk = son Frank

Frank = Frank Vrzak, neighbor

Jerry = son

Kings = family across the street

Larry = son

Peanuts = Wilbur Schuch, friend of sons

Verna = former landlady?

Sept 19th 1954

Dear Ones

        It's paternal weakness for my women that prompts me to listen to you and get an answer off to your last letter. I'm sacrificing some of your brothers on the altar of waiting as it is by all fairness their turn, but admitted weakness is my folly, so you win and I take my chances of getting censured by one of the bunch, but why should I worry as long as you are gratified, not that I'm favoring you, oh no. Anyway, I'll try to double up and get off another answer today if I don't tire too fast or run out of thoughts.

        It is one gorgeous day with the sun as bright as the blue sky, and I mean blue. Fact of the matter is that it has been thataway for some time. The evenings are quite cool with no sitting out without extra covering. Mom has gone back to her old cry, I've never been so cold as I have been out here when that sun commences to sink and the ocean breezes start to come in.  She is starting to close the windows a little more each night and soon we will be sleeping again with the windows tightly closed. No fooling though it is getting a trifle cool after it reaches about 4:30 PM as I even notice it while I am out and come in and put on a sweater.

        Larry is now a confirmed Hughes man in the office, also taking in a course at school nights. Don't know if I should mention that so keep it on the Q.T. until he makes his own announcements. Mom even might make me strike this out on proofreading this letter, never can tell. I've been admonished not to mention but it just naturally slipped in here as part of the news. Guess he is in earnest to get a little further advanced than through ordinary channels. Got him doing homework now to keep up with his studies. He might tip off Jerry or Peanuts, but remember you had it first, that is the news.

        Just had our previous landlords over here for a short visit after dinner and they are now over at Frank's. She commented on how nice our place looks and even the garden so that makes me feel good to think I'm on the right path and going. Every Tuesday night I have a box full of weeds and crab grass that has been eliminated from my premises all for the best and it's looking much better for its loss. Guess there's no end to pulling weeds. I've even started to fertilize the lawns and shrubs, including the flowers of course. Mom has been taking personal interest coaxing the poinsetta plant to hurry up and start blooming. So Far No Leaves Even. If she don't get that thing to bloom she'll have knipchen fits, as it's just one of her pet peeves that it's taking so much time to condition itself for Christmas.

        Been eating ripe figs off our tree and grapes. They're so plentiful that they have the vines laying down on the ground. The bunches are so heavy that even the trellis would not support them and they caved in. Verna said she never thought they would bear that heavy. I am talking about the grapes and not the figs. The figs are not so boastful and are moderately producing, one at a time, b-but good. Tell Bunk to bring out a packet of Kohlrabi seeds or better still you just remind me to pick some up when we are there. Out here they don't know what they are so if we want any it's up to us to raise our own. Have another couple oranges on our tree about the size of marbles. Hope we can wheedle them into getting big enough to be noticed. That also goes for the guava's and I might mention the avacado's.

        Bet your son would enjoy some of our bugs now. They seem to grow nice and fat besides uglier. I can show him where they hang in bunches, big and babies. Even found some nice angle worms while digging down to the bottom of some of that crab grass. Those roots go so deep that I'm surprised I have not struck oil or perhaps gold. Must admit there's plenty of gooey adobe and it's harder than my dome. Can't see how anything can fight it's way through that firm stuff and still have enough strength to keep on going. Kings across the street had the nerve to dig out all their old lawn and put in some dichondra and clover and it's doing fine, but what a sacrifice to get that kind of lawn. Methinks our crab grass will do for a long time and we will even like it. You remember those berry shrubs we had growing? They are now a show piece with bunches of red berries all over the bushes. The proper name is Pyracanthus.

        Now it's time to finish this sneaker so get off another pleasing reply as I close with

Love from all of us

Mom* Dad* Larry? That means two and stars and what. 

To go to next letter, click here: 1954 Oct 9