Letters from Marcy #38: 25 May 1968
This is the last letter I have from Marcy to her parents, handwritten a few weeks after the previous one.
There are pineapple-juice stains on the paper, but I’m not going to take a photo of those; I’ll leave them to your imagination.
One small interesting note: This is the only letter that starts out “Dear Parents.”
This letter seems to imply that the trip out East they were talking about in the previous letter is still in the works, but I don’t know whether that ever happened.
And more generally, I’m not sure what happened next after this. If you’re looking for closure to various storylines from preceding letters, I’m sorry to say you won't find it here.
And I don’t know whether Marcy wrote later letters that just haven’t survived. She called Ethel once a week when I was a kid, every Sunday, but I don’t remember her writing letters. Jack died in May of 1969, a year after this letter, at age 64; I wonder if that contributed to changing Marcy’s communication with Ethel.
So there’s a lot about this letter sequence that’s tantalizingly incomplete. But I’m nonetheless very pleased to have the letters. I hope you’ve enjoyed them too.
Saturday 5/25/68
Dear Parents
Please forgive the longhand—there’s this baby sleeping in my arms and he’s only 8 2/7 weeks old & I can’t bring myself to disturb him—mainly ’cos he’s a spoiled monster & wakes up every time I put him down. He only catnaps during the day, sleeps 4-5 hours & then in 2-hour shifts at night.
Finally we did hear from Peter’s parents—they are much friendlier now that they have a grandson & Peter is going back to school—and, incidently, you will be glad that Peter has shaved his beard & cut his hair—still long by your standards, but to me he looks terribly shorn, tho still pretty good. He was trying to get a job at a lumber mill (didn’t happen) and anyway it was time to cut off the ends & start anew, being a new season & summer coming & all...
We’re working on ending school (I’m going in for about an hour a day) & plans for next year (it’s going to continue, amazing) & plans for leaving & astrology—do either of you know what time (as exact as possible) you were born?
Glad to hear you’ll be able to see so well, Daddy—is that 20-20 vision in both eyes? Do you have the glasses yet?
Will you see if you can find out where in Philadelphia one can buy stone-ground whole wheat flour, pure foods & grains (not boxed or full of preservatives) & such things—so we can eat as we like, to the extent it’s possible, and bake some really good bread for you, and such like.
Have been invited by Mrs. Henderer (from Tucson, remember?) to visit her in Washington (D of C) when we’re there, and to visit Cynthia in Cape Cod—(she’s married too) (Rhodes is in N.Y.C. vegetating or perhaps writing—Mrs. H. wasn’t too sure. Anyway, want to take a 1-day trip to Washington? It’s not far—Peter would drive—& I really want him to meet Mrs. H.
Jed wants my undivided attention & is making me spill my pineapple juice in retribution for ignoring him for 2 seconds—have to go—
Love
from
Jed
Peter
Marcia
Postmark: Mendocino, CA, May 25, 1968. Handwritten: “Rec’d this 5/28/68” and “Ans this 6/2/68” and “(ck on where to buy flour mentioned in this).”
And Marcy wrote on the outside of the envelope “Can you send some more Filibon vitamins?” and Ethel wrote on it “Sent Filibon on 5/31/68.”