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carbon of letter by Edward Wachdorf Sr to son Jerry, marked at bottom, "Dolores, thanks for the pictures and your very welcome letters."
names of the living removed and substituted with relationship (in italics) or initial
People mentioned besides wife Irene, son Larry and daughter Dolores:
little A** = youngest son of Jerry
B** = eldest son of Dolores
Cindy = Jerry's Dalmatian dog
Jerry oldest two daughters and oldest son
Bunk's sons
M** = Bunk's eldest
Nov. 9th 1956
Dear Ones:
Received your one and only letter from you and was surprised that you were trying to kid us into believing we got letter with enclosure of pictures. You probably sent it to Lawndale ILL and it's lying in the dead letter office. And as for Larry, he cannot take any pictures with that present because he did not receive anything tangible. How long ago did you send it and are you sure it is not laying in some forgotten spot, or perhaps you gave it to little A** to mail and he mailed it down the toilet bowl. With children like him one should always reach away down in the bowl before flushing and its surprising what you might find. Probably Dolores could use this admonition also and save B**'s recipe for making a cake. Happily amused to learn of A**'s capers and antics. Does he and Cindy fare out O.K. or does Cindy have to run for cover? Nobody ever writes about the mutt so we must sneak in an inquiry occassionally, oops only one C after looking at the word [NOTE--wrong, it's one S, two Cs].
Also how's the other Cindy, oops, I mean your second daughter? Is she still capable of licking that boy down the street who always gave her a bad time while I was your star boarder? Also how is your eldest and my pal getting along? As for your oldest son, tell him he can rest at ease now as I finally put away his fish poles and lines. They occupied the ping pong table all this while, because I was too ornery to put them away and tell him I waited for him to come back and put them where he found them. Next time I'll know better and so will he. The old slogan is put things back where you found them and in excellent order.
Guess I will have to apologize as I remember Bunky's sons were here last and went to Alondra Pond fishing to catch a fifty dollar bass the park had planted with a tag attached. The one who caught him had to surrender the tag and collect the booty. Even Bunk got into the trap. How far will they go to get something for nothing. That reminds me M** left the tackle lay out on the same table after he left, so it was Gramps again who got the job of replacing and storing for the next culprit.
As for your eldest, tell her I finally found my comb. She had it stashed away in a jig saw puzzle that I just worked, only when she took it there were no creepers in it. I could not use them as they came out in the open and were exposed to sight on my dome. Ask her if she received Mom's picture and a little Novena book about St. Jude. The picture was of St. Jude and not Mom's. It's rather late to thank you for my birthday gift which I greatly appreciated and it sure did go to tires.
Hey, little guy, I used up the last of that sand we went for and Mom and I stopped and got two more bags yesterday to loosen up the ground. Sure funny how people can devise means to bury money. First you drag it home then dig up baked adobe until your back is broken, break it up as small as possible, then mix it with torpedo sand to loosen up the earth so that the tender little shoots can stick their noses up through the ground to please the gullible public.
It's so darn hot that I am confined to the house. That's why I am writing at two o'clock P.M. It's 94 today, was 93 yesterday, and in the 90's all week with the sky crystal clear out here with downtown L.A. eye irritating smog. Mom and I drove to Jim Clinton's yesterday to buy a bargain shirt sale on flannel shirts with long sleeves for winter and we were both crying from running and smarting eyes. Last week we had high winds that drove the smog away, giving us a clear view of the mountains and Palos Verdes hills, also east. In other words we could see the mountains wherever we looked. Here it is November and we are having mid summer weather and so dry that our water bill was double this time from sprinkling mostly.
Tuesday we went to the polls and voted for the first time out here. Guess what, we voted right. That day we were in our shirt sleeves as the polls were just exactly one block west of us at a neighbor's house. Our garden is now sporting the first lily in full bloom with the rest looking on jealously so they will stand that for a few days and get in the running themselves. Also have the yard full of asters and mums, geraniums, fuschias, with camellias budding and getting ready to do their stuff. Won't be long now for poinsettias to get in the swing. Roses are about through blooming but still hanging on at this late date. That reminds me the lady at the polls said to Mom, oh you are the lady that has such lovely roses always in bloom. Close the garden.
Mom has been saving green stamps and so far has managed to get some very attractive and useful premiums for nix. The other day we got a bathroom set of rug and seat covers to match, a blanket, and time ahead of this she got rugs and bath towels. Has me drive out of the way to buy gas where they give green stamps and now has poor little Larry patronizing the same place. The way she beams when he hands her the stamps you would think he was dishing out green backs instead of green stamps.
Now I might of missed something that I could have committed to writing which I will think about and include in the next letter. In the meantime be satisfied with all our love for the time being
From
Mom-- Dad-- Larry
to go to next click here: 1956 Nov 13 Irene