{"id":1100,"date":"1974-01-01T00:01:31","date_gmt":"1974-01-01T08:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/?p=1100"},"modified":"2022-07-03T14:21:28","modified_gmt":"2022-07-03T21:21:28","slug":"1974-january-letter-from-marcy-to-gh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/1974\/01\/01\/1974-january-letter-from-marcy-to-gh\/","title":{"rendered":"1974, January: Letter from Marcy to G&H"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

This letter is undated, but at some later point Helen wrote at the top \u201cAbout Nov.   ?  <\/u>,\u201d and internal evidence implies that this was early in the foster-home experience. However, it was also clearly after the gift of the organ, the arrival of which Marcy described in a late-December 1973 letter<\/a>, and before Helen\u2019s birthday in late January. So this must have been sometime in January, 1974.<\/p>\r\n

This letter is six pages long; the first most-of-a-page is typed, but the rest is handwritten.<\/p>\r\n

Sometime around November, the first two foster kids had arrived: Mark and Larry. I don\u2019t really remember them at all. They were mentioned briefly in a couple of previous letters, but there\u2019s a bit more mention of them here.<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019ve redacted their surnames in this letter, after some waffling. In the past, there\u2019ve been some very good results from my mentioning full names in posts (for example, my mentioning Peter\u2019s full name in my Wanderjahr posts<\/a> in 1996\u20131997 is how Gabrielle found us<\/a>); but I\u2019m more concerned with privacy these days than I was then, and I feel like it might be a little inappropriate to give these people\u2019s full names in this context, without their permission. (I did search for these full names online, and they\u2019re common enough names that they get lots of search results; but even so, I decided to leave out the surnames.)<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019ve created a new feature to go with this letter: a table showing the ages of the four of us (P,M,J,&J) and George and Helen and anyone else who\u2019s mentioned in the letter or otherwise seems relevant. I may only include such a table occasionally, but I feel like it\u2019ll sometimes be useful to me and might be useful to some of y\u2018all too.<\/p>\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
Name<\/th>\r\n Age<\/th>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Helen<\/td>\r\n Nearly 66<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
George<\/td>\r\n Nearly 62<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Peter<\/td>\r\n 34<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Marcy<\/td>\r\n 30<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Paul & Linda<\/td>\r\n Both nearly 29<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Dobe (a.k.a. John)<\/td>\r\n 25<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Larry<\/td>\r\n 15<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Mark<\/td>\r\n 12<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Jed<\/td>\r\n Nearly 6<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n
Jay (a.k.a. Joaquin)<\/td>\r\n Nearly 4<\/td>\r\n <\/tr>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

OK, here\u2019s the letter.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

Tieusday (\"Why does Tuesday<\/p>\r\n

have a 'two' in it?\" :'Quin)<\/p>\r\n

What a day this has been. Started off real well, then about 5:30 it really started to get wierd---went to pick up Mark and Larry, had an argument with Mark about taking off to a friend's house after school without letting us know, went into the supermarket and brokea jar of mustard (large size, of course) J & J came within a hair's breadth of tipping out of the basket (first time ever) came home and spilled a whole xxx<\/strike> pound of xxx<\/strike> soybeans all over the kitchen floor, Joaquin knocked over a whole glass of grape juice (what other kind stains so nicely?) but I let him have some more as it was completely by accident, so he did it agiain........please, Mama, please don't eat the daisies.......<\/p>\r\n

Anyway, I was inspired by Peter saying he was going to write to you before he went to bed, so decided to do so simultaneously. Lessee, how many mistakes can I make in it before I fall asleep. Discovered I' m a somewhat better typist if I sit higher than the typewriter, so an doing so....in Jed's former high chair---kind of a painted stool-with-a-back that he used after Joaquin grew into the xxx<\/strike> highchair.<\/p>\r\n

We really enjoyed your letter Gramma--tho you don't write so often as some in your household, sure do make up for it when you do. I'll try to answer it in some more or less order----starting with No Comment on the sneaky compliment--thrying to get me to write more letters, huh? But I'll never write a book, I'm the columnist type... Herb Caen, the SF Chronicle's xxx<\/strike> star gossip columnist, refers to three-dot journalism. WAIT better scratch that \"gossip\"--it's more like patter and clever lines.<\/p>\r\n

On the organ: nope, didn't save the box--or any other you've sent. I can imaginge they're hard to get, but can you imagine what they look like when they get here...!Never so bad any xonrents--what???*** contents are damaged, but never so good as to be re useable.<\/p>\r\n

Yes, we figured the organ was that one....and glad you got a fancier one. Did I tell you we'd been playing with such a one dureing Christmas shopping\/\/?? They had it outside at a huge shopping center, conplete with its own wr rhythm section and about 30 or 40 stops in all colors, colored lights, 2 or 3 keyboards--even just fooling around on it sounded marvelous- I imagine it's rather much the same as yours. What a xxx<\/strike> lovely thing to have (switches to handwriting here, for the rest of the letter)<\/span> right there at home !!!<\/p>\r\n

Switched media as I think I was waking Larry up.<\/p>\r\n

Their full names are Mark (Surname elided by Jed)<\/span> and Larry (Surname elided by Jed)<\/span>. Birthdays are later in the year \u2014 Larry will be 16 in October and Mark 13 in September.<\/p>\r\n

Very interested in your dryer \u2014 (dehydrator?) how in the world<\/u> does it work? Will it get things dried to be reconstituted later, such as for camping? Can it do liquids? like make powdered milk, etc? Parenthetical comment in Peter\u2019s handwriting:<\/span> (John\u2019s making a pyramid for astronomy class; besides dehydrating, it will sharpen razor blades!!?!)<\/p>\r\n

On packages: Towels we have aplenty \u2014 and gorgeous ones, at that. Blankets are always handy; sheets would even be good \u2014 single only, as my sewing machine is temporarily xxx<\/strike> out of sorts and I can\u2019t convert the doubles, \u2014 anyway, there are about 10 of \u2019em, but we have the only double bed, and I have a blue and a green sheet I like to use for it, so when they\u2019re washed they go back on the same day. But we\u2019re short on good top & bottom singles. We weren\u2019t at first, but now that we\u2019ve xxx<\/strike> been having company & keep the spare beds made up there are fewer. Also single bedspreads xxx<\/strike> would come in handy. xxx<\/strike> 1 or 2 more kids comimg any day nowNext phrase inserted by Peter<\/span>, God willing.<\/p>\r\n

Do you know xxx<\/strike> much about bluing? We\u2019ve refused to use bleach, as all the water goes to the septic tank, but I seem to have the impression bluing is okay. Sure does do a fine job \u2014 and it\u2019s so blue<\/u>.<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019ve been very spoiled by Peter these past few months \u2014 he does all<\/u> the laundry \u2014 wash, dry, fold, sort, distribute \u2014 (last step gets help from Jed & Joaquin) and xxx<\/strike> yesterday xxx<\/strike> we had some overnight company coming (two Junior Ministers from the Johrei center in S.F.) xxx<\/strike> and lots to do like shopping for essentials, errands, cooking, cleaning, laundry (Joaquin had had an accident the night before, and Larry had changed his bedding, and I got sick of Mark\u2019s sloppy bed so I changed his<\/u>, plus the guest beds had been slept in by L & M\u2019s company several times \u2014 xxx<\/strike> so I tried doing the laundry. Peter took Joaquin on the errands while I flew around the house, tidied up the garage, and got dinner started. But what I originally intended to say was that that laundry is a big job, and Peter has done every stitch of it since we\u2019ve been here, and I\u2019m truly xxx<\/strike> impressed with him now that I\u2019ve done some.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Morning<\/p>\r\n

Wow! I was about 3\/4 asleep at that last \u00b6. I wonder what I was talking about \u2014 ? Trying to get this finished while Peter is taking Jed to school, as we\u2019d like to get it in the mail, with your birthday present, Grandma, this morning if possible.<\/p>\r\n

There\u2019s a Christmas House-type store here, too. I believe it\u2019s called Christmas Unlimited. They take donations of things & sell \u2019em to buy gifts for needy people to pick out \u2014 I think that\u2019s how they work, but it\u2019s something similar if xxx<\/strike> not exactly that.<\/p>\r\n

Interested to hear of Paul & Linda\u2019s surprise visit. I guess I would never have thought twice about not phoning first if anything like that came up \u2014 but I guess I will now. Peter was amazed that they even considered showing up without calling \u2014 I guess he has more inborn social graces than I do. Led to all sorts of interesting sociological speculations about why people get dressed in costumes, how it is that Halloween is so exciting to kids (I remember being breathless with whatever emotion it was for the whole day, and up to the first few doors, when the novelty wore off. But why? What memory is stirred up, what delight in pretending to be somene else, pretending to surprise (even scare?) other people?<\/p>\r\n

Perhaps akin to this: part of me loves<\/u> to be angry. Adrenalin all stirred up, emotions at a high pitch, real, real<\/u> feelings, alert, senses keyed up \u2014 anger & crisis [and, we read just this week (Supernature<\/u>: xxx<\/strike> Lyall Watson) that telekinesis and other<\/strike> possibly other forms of ESP] are associated with this state. It really feels good<\/u> to be functioning at this level \u2014 all systems go<\/u>, just almost maximum but no overload, and afterwards an almost post-sexual feeling of good will and contentment. I think<\/u> this \u201call-systems-go\u201d feeling is tied up also with the alertness & intensity of the hunter surprising his prey, or the townspeople beset by barbarians, which are perhaps x<\/strike> archetypes of the Halloween excitement \u2014 no, I mean they\u2019re indirectly symbolizedly that holiday\u2019s activities. And I think this is also tied up with surprising people and your reactions at being surprized. To our animal natures, our instinct if you will, there can only be one reason for surprize: threat and attack, and our reaction must be flight-or-fight, hence the adrenalin, which of course is over ruled by the brain who xxx<\/strike> says \u2014 \u201cStop! They\u2019re not only safe, they\u2019re people I love.\u201d So while your brain is going through its changes, wondering if this is really the real world where these people are supposed to be a million miles away, understanding what\u2019s happened, etc, the adrenalin is still flowing through the body and the instinct is xxx<\/strike> still crying out \u201cRun! Fight! Danger! Stranger!\u201d Leaving one understandably a bit weak in the knees and somewhat on the skids emotionally till it all catches up.<\/p>\r\n

Whew! Didn\u2019t really know any of that till I read it as I was writing it! Lifted straight out of books \u2014 I didn\u2019t invent a word, just synthesized.<\/p>\r\n

Glad to hear about Mrs Kalberg. We heard from Gail (sent her a brochure as a card, too) & will probably stop to see her in the not too distant future.<\/p>\r\n

Peter says he said to hang onto the sleeping bags \u2014 while my reaction is to send \u2019em on. After we have all six kids we\u2019ll need \u2019em for company, and the weather will be getting nice enough to sleep out occasionally. So you guys will have to figure it out, whether to send \u2019em or not. Did Peter tell you that Jed has a carom board \u2014 ? Yes, I guess so \u2014 and that the rhythm instruments will<\/u> be useful for sure....<\/p>\r\n

Just a vague<\/u> possibility, but you could find out about camping in the Olympic peninsula & climbing Ranier (slowly) & costs and reservations and such. We\u2019ll have a long summer of it if there are no big activities planned, and our vehicle situation ought to be in hand by xxx<\/strike> then. (I.E. we should have two.)<\/p>\r\n

Peter fortunately found a lovely man who repairs xxx<\/strike> Mercedes for $5\/hour instead of $15, and really cares about the car, xxx<\/strike> taught us all kinds of little things about how to love it better, and get xxx<\/strike> it to love us better, too. Alas, he\u2019s moving to Montana this summer. So we have to get a lot of work done while he\u2019s here \u2014 but we\u2019d have to get it done eventually at 3X the price. (eventually means no more than 6 months later.) So hurrah!<\/p>\r\n

Just in time! Here come Peter & \u2019Quin!<\/p>\r\n

Take good care of yourselfs.<\/p>\r\n

love<\/p>\r\n

PMJ&J<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

Side note: I once again used Google Docs\u2019s handwriting OCR to digitize this letter. It worked pretty well, overall. My favorite OCR mistakes in this one (I\u2019ve corrected both of these):<\/p>\r\n