Tuesday, November 11, 2008

July 17, 1958 from Carol

I don't know how this letter ended up in Colorado. It was written by my sister Carol July 17, 1958 to my Cousin Dot, who was then in her sixties. Dot lived in Baltimore. Carol was sixteen.

Here's an excerpt talking about me-- I was nine:

"Sally is trying very hard to make the swimming team at the local swim club, the Fish and Game Club.

Every morning she gets up at 7- dresses, eats breakfast, undresses; gets into her swim suit (green) and rushes around the house from 8-8:45 hunting for various things like a crazy ??ot! One morning it's a swim cap- or her sneakers- or her towel or her sock- or her head!!!"




"her hair/incidentally!) is really that long--> she feels as sampson did- nothing can sway her to have even one measly lock shorn!"

And about my brother:

"Cricket is currently up to his chin in his coin collection. He collects pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

In order to persue this hobby every six or seven hours he comes and shakes every $ container I have to look over any new coins I might have acquired. (not just me- Mom, Sal, Dad and Grandma- and he'd probably search the cats if they had a sou to their names.

He always reimburses us for the coins he can use BUT it is disconcerting.

I must say- money is attracted to him like iron to a magnet. Green stuff is attracted to me like hair to a bald man!"

The letter is six pages long, and so charming and exactly Carol at that time.

3 comments:

Linda Davick said...

This is too good to be true. I love the face (on your head under the table). And the part about your brother and money!!!

Did she ever have a writing style.

6 pages long. Lucky Dot.

Namowal (Jennifer Bourne) said...

Funny how an old letter or drawing can take you back in time in a way different than a photo. The cliche "captures the personality" really applies.
By the way, did you make the swimming team? I was on a swimming team at that age but you didn't need to try out. That's a good thing. Guess who usually came in last?

Anonymous said...

What a find! She wrote such a delightful and expressive letter.

Letters are wonderful; it's a shame people don't write them any more. But they write blogs.