{"id":1365,"date":"1974-03-01T00:01:04","date_gmt":"1974-03-01T07:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/?p=1365"},"modified":"2022-07-10T22:04:29","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T05:04:29","slug":"1974-march-1-letter-from-marcy-to-gh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kith.org\/pmjj\/1974\/03\/01\/1974-march-1-letter-from-marcy-to-gh\/","title":{"rendered":"1974, March 1: Letter from Marcy to G&H"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Nine-page handwritten letter from Marcy. The first eight pages are on both sides of four sheets of three-hole-punched lined notebook paper; the last page is a smaller lined sheet torn out of a top-spiral-bound notebook.<\/p>\r\n

The top of the first page has a set of wobbly lines drawn at the top that were apparently supposed to say \u201cHI\u201d repeatedly, with extra vertical lines (like two or three hash marks) at the beginning and end of each line of text. I\u2019m not gonna try to replicate that here.<\/p>\r\n

Content warning for Marcy expressing concern about her waist size.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

Friday<\/p>\r\n

Wow! I was just standing around wiping the table when<\/strike> and thinking about how David never acknowledged a book we sent him about a month or two ago, and wondering if x<\/strike> he got it, when I realized I never acknowledged your latest box of over two weeks ago - with<\/strike> which was a true marvel. The real true prize - actually prizes - were the brown pants and the incredible pendleton robe. The pants came at an hour of dark despair over my increasing abdomen \u2014 I\u2019d just vowed to get it down to where I could consider buying a pair of pants when these came along and blew my resolution by fitting \u2014 tho I have to wear a long shirt to cover up the part of me that looks pregnant. It\u2019s getting better, though \u2014 aikido and less gobbling \u2014 tho tonight I made lasagna for an alleged special occasion, which did it no good at all.<\/p>\r\n

The pendleton robe is incredible - wherever did you find it? Peter never had a chance \u2014 it\u2019s mine MINE MINE \u2014 besides he already had 3 he never wears. Larry loves the other one you sent at Christmas, Mark never wears any. He prefers to show off his beautiful skin and freeze after a shower (That kid is so healthy it\u2019s terrifying. Can\u2019t get him to brush his teeth or get his feet dry \u2019cos, as he insists, he doesn\u2019t get cavities and never gets too hot or too cold or too wet or sick. But realizing how much more sane & whole he\u2019d be if he stopped x<\/strike> eating garbage is very xxx<\/strike> hard for him to see. Lots of coke and candy bars, gallons of sugar in his cereal (he\u2019d prefer Cap\u2019n Sugar Krispy Baddies if I\u2019d buy that kind of stuff) but he doesn\u2019t have any idea that besides being \u201cnot sick\u201d he could actually be healthy<\/u> (mens<\/u> sana<\/u> & all that) if he\u2019d eat better.)<\/p>\r\n

Anyway, so I was needing a robe and the Pendelton is so<\/u> soft and luxurious. Only trouble is the worn collar & it\u2019s a little short. I have a plan to make it into a long skirt, but I\u2019m too attached to it as a robe already. Oh, indecisnion!<\/strike> indecision!<\/p>\r\n

(Pardon my scribble. I\u2019m ready to fall asleep at the switch. It\u2019s been a long day)<\/p>\r\n

The blue robe is good, too. Peter wears it to wath<\/strike> watch Sherlock Holmes in. (We have a regular weekly date for Sherlock & Watson. x<\/strike> Kids have to get out x<\/strike> or go to bed and we enjoy it immensely!) The rest of the stuff was pretty good, too. Bedspreads and sleeping bag have been well used already - Jed loves the white one, and I\u2019ve been trying to get together to write to Margaret to thank her. It\u2019s interesting to see it on his bed, with a picture Gail sent him on the wall next to it.<\/p>\r\n

The bath mats were truly x<\/strike> welcome, and the purple \u201ctrivets\u201d (?? doilies) and such. The other clothes were by and large not right in size, and x<\/strike> what I\u2019d like to do is trade them with a neighbor who also has foster kids\u2014 of different sizes. oh, except one gold flannel<\/strike> wool shirt, which I\u2019ve xxx<\/strike> worn constantly. It\u2019s not exactly my style in looks, but it sure is my style in warmth & comfort, and never seems to get dirty. Huzzah! Wool actually seems to shed drips and drops and such.<\/p>\r\n

Joaquin had a kind of slow birthday. He got one \u201cbig\u201d present, paid for by my mother, of the fisher-price play xxx<\/strike> garage, which is hardly as good a toy as some of their other ones. (The play village was a real winner) Then he invited two friends from the bay area to his birthday party xxx<\/strike> (tomorrow) and theyx<\/strike> couldn\u2019t come \u2014 one was almost able, and we\u2019d made arrangements and everything\u2014and he has no friends of his own up here as yet ... So a little boy from Jed\u2019s school who we take care of a lot will come, and Jed, and Larry (Mark will be in a basketball tournament) and the other little boy\u2019s cousin, and another friend of Jed\u2019s\u2014<\/p>\r\n

Then I had a substitute job today so he felt pretty left out, with Jed in school and me in school. Looking for a nursery school for him but so far no luck. They\u2019re too yucky or too expensive of time or money or both. Or too far away.<\/p>\r\n

Note in margin:<\/span> He enjoyed your card a lot<\/u>!<\/p>\r\n

xxx<\/strike> Oh, the xxx<\/strike> sox. They were just perfect and very very xxx<\/strike> sorely needed. Tights, too.<\/p>\r\n

The valentine present turned out very strangely. I let Mark open it, as I was cooking, and he xxx<\/strike> just assumed all the stuff was for J & J. So they got all the look<\/strike> loot. The books and puzzle were most popular. Everyone enjoyed the whole thing. When I finally figured out that the little figures were supposed to be for the other boys, it was too late.<\/p>\r\n

Oh, I can\u2019t even read this. I\u2019ll fix it up tomorrow. G\u2019night.<\/p>\r\n

love<\/p>\r\n

Marcy<\/p>\r\n

\u201cHi\u201d on front are x<\/strike> from Jed w\/ help from \u2019Quin<\/p>\r\n

At this point the letter switches from pen to pencil, and apparently skips forward a day or two in time.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

They did it in the morning (Saturday) while I was at aikido - then came home in a hurry so Peter could take Larry to the Juniors\u2019 aikido class\u2014 Baked Joaquin\u2019s cake (by a honey-devils\u2019 food recipe you once sent, Grandma, it was lovely) and a banana cashew spice cake for extras. xxx<\/strike> Then your package came \u2014 it was grand. The clown was just<\/u> in time for the party, the Sesame Street Calendar continues to be a real delight - spent half an hour with it when we were sposed to be getting ready for the party. They liked the MacDonalds height chart, too. The party was a smashing success. Lots x<\/strike> of tiny wee presents, honey ice cream (home made on the spot) and cake & grape juice soda. I made a tent of sheets and chairs in the living room and we staticked a bag of balloons and stuck them to the ceiling. At the end two kids took pins and ended the blast with a big bang. It was a really nice afternoon.<\/p>\r\n

The rest of the story about yesterday was that we\u2019d been expecting Larry\u2019s social worker to bring x<\/strike> Larry\u2019s little brother for the weekend, but she couldn\u2019t make it. Which we didn\u2019t know till Friday afternoon. So we\u2019d spent two days cleaning and getting dinner ready ahead of time as I was planning on a doctors\u2019 appointment (xxx<\/strike>) (check-up) Friday afternoon. Then Peter was left with a lot<\/u> of xxx<\/strike> last-minute stuff when I got a substitute job at the 11th hour \u2014 and then it was all for nothing, fancy dinner and all. But we enjoyed it!<\/p>\r\n

End of letter. let us know how & when you\u2019re coming! love, us.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

The Google Docs OCR system was in fine form for this letter. Here are some of my favorite substitutions that it made:<\/p>\r\n