Peter, Marcy, Jed, and Jay

Apparently what happened here is that Marcy wrote a postcard on my behalf on August 2 and mailed it (from South Dakota) to her mother (Ethel). Then when we arrived in Philadelphia a week later, she wrote a brief letter on my behalf to George and Helen, and included the postcard that we had previously mailed to Ethel.

I don’t know whether either of these were dictated in any way by me, or whether Marcy was just writing as if from my perspective.

The letter was folded in thirds; on the back, across the folded-over edge, is a drawing of some kind of creature (perhaps a dog?) and a flower. I’m guessing that Marcy drew that.

Monday 10 pm

(I’ll write

tomoro—

Marcy)

Dear Grandma

We just got to my other Grandma's house. I wanted to send you this picture of the burros, but there was already writing on it, so we have to put it in an envelope to send to you. We xxx saw donkeys and a camel. Do you have our Rum pum pum book? (The Little Drummer Boy)

I love you

and Grandpa too

Jed

I miss you, too! That line was presumably from Marcy.

Here’s the postcard we had sent to Ethel:

xxx Monday morning

Dear Grandma

These are burros. Yesterday we saw some donkeys & a camel. Please keep this postcard for me till I get there. We are coming to see you

Love, Jed

I think I’m missing a joke—I’m not sure why the caption on the picture of burros says “Here’s my Sweetheart.” (The printed text on the card says “Sweethearts of the Desert” and “Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley, Calif. 94710.”) A web search leads me to several other postcards that show two burros and a caption having to do with desert sweethearts, so maybe that was just a common trope.