Tuesday! Critters, Treasures and Letter # 2

It was the wee hours of the morning before I went to bed last night!

Still and all, I was so excited about all the shuffling and cleaning and purging and organizing that we've been doing lately - I woke up early! Not only did I wake up - I GOT up!!

As the coffee was brewing I opened up the newly repaired kitchen door and waltzed outside to carry the trash to the curb. It is amazingly pleasant in the morning! The air was fresh and not at all hot - yet! The geckos used to hang out in our gazebo but this year they seem to be favoring the front yard.

As I took one load of trash out I spotted a bright green gecko on the den screen window.

When I walked back across the yard, I noticed he had caught himself a rather large breakfast!!

I didn't realize that geckos eat locust! This one waited patiently as I took his picture before taking his meal off to eat in private.

Ruth Ann and I are beginning to think t would be impossible to pack more into our Tuesdays than we already do!! There was simply NO time for a movie today!

We grabbed a quick lunch at Wendy's on our way to the nail salon.

Their Strawberry Fields Salad was every bit as good as the one at La Madeleine!

And their Summer Teas are delicious!

We skipped the movie and hit up all three in our 'regular' round of thrift stores!

I am going to love the long dress and the cute pink pants!

I found THREE nice tops!!

Then there were these assorted things!

The four red plaid plates will be used for a Quad Tea Party tomorrow!

I bought one of ALL of these!!! TWO of the strawberry ones!

The quads LOVE them and they will look pretty on the plates.

I just like looking at this!

THIS was a fun find!!

All in perfect condition and for just $5!

Now for the second letter....

My friend - and yours, too, most likely - EVERYONE loves Vee at A Haven For Vee

did some quick research and found out quite a bit about our Kathryn Krueger!

I'll be sharing some of that as we go along.

This photo was in the envelope with this second letter dated Feb 23 1935 - with the time stamped at 7:30 PM - and postmarked Saint Louis, MO. I am assuming it is of Kathryn but I can't be sure. Still, it is interesting.

Does this look like a 1935 photo?

Vee discovered that Kathryn was born in 1910 so she would be 25 years old here.

She also found out that Leil was Kathryn's mother.

This letter was addressed to: Mrs. L. Krueger  P.O. Box 451   Palestine, Texas

                                                                                                                   Saturday

Dear Leil and Katie:

                            I'll write you together since my letters to both of you are long since past due. I was about ready to write to both of you when Willis got sick last week. He didn't go back to work until Wednesday, came home that afternoon at three o'clock. Went back to work Thursday and had a holiday yesterday, so with the half day today and all day tomorrow, he should be feeling all right by Monday. He is well again now but I'm so glad for him to have this much time to get back to normal again. I always get so uneasy when he gets sick. I'll be glad when October 1st, 1938 comes and he can quit work and be out in the yard digging around, for I think it will be good for him.

                          Your letter came this morning, Kay, and I was so glad to hear how Leila's leg is getting along. You are certainly having a siege with it, aren't you? I'll be glad when it's completely well. Does it hurt to walk on it?

                         Yes, I made Tony's Valentine.I didn't wait for your Campbell kids,  for his mother wanted to leave him with me one morning, while he wanted to go with her, so I asked him if he'd rather help me make his Valentine or whether he'd rather I surprise him. He was very enthusiastic over helping me so we cut out the kids from his mother's magazines and made his and one for his dad. We had already made one for his mother and he had made and brought me mine. I had bought him one as a reward for good behaviour and given it to him the week before. On Valentine's morning, he slipped one under my door, so I went up to the little store and bought him another penny one, so he'd have it on Valentine's day. So, really, we had Valentine's Day for about two weeks! But I certainly do thank you for sending all those kids for I fixed little Willis' birthday book so cute. We gave him "The Wizard of Oz" - first book and were going to buy him socks and candy the Saturday afternoon Willis was sick, so I just sent the book on.

                           And we certainly did like our Valentine you sent us - it was such a pretty one but I just haven't had time to write and say "thank you." Now listen, I dearly love to get your letters, but don't you bother to write until you get things caught up and you aren't so rushed,  for I would rather you get to bed early than to write to me.

                          It is such a gloriously sunshiny day, but the wind is very cold. I think we'll get out in the car for about an hour when Willis gets home and then we'll come in and let him rest. Tony is out on the court in the sunshine. Evelyn is riding her new bicycle and Tony has his elephant tied to the back of it and is having the time of his life riding it. The other day he came under my window and said, "Mrs. Donns, did you know Shirley Temple is a "real" one?" (He meant a real little girl.) I told him yes, that she lived out in California where we went last summer. He said, "Well, when I get to be a real boy, at Easter time, I'm going out there to see her and give her a ride on my bike, (the name he dignifies his tricycle with) and I'll take you with me." Another day he was over here playing with the dominoes and he said he hadn't played with them in a long time, so I told him he might come over just as often as he liked to play with them. He said, "You see, I have so many things at my house to play with that I forget how much fun it is to play with these."

                            I was real smart the week before Willis got sick. I bought silk remnants and made me two pairs of lounging pajamas. My red ones just dropped off me so I made another pair just like them (not quite as pretty a shade) and used the same black coat only putting in new sleeves. The others are green and I made the entire coat of green. Then I finished my gingham house dress I had started. I'll send you samples of the pajamas. The material for the two only cost me six dollars. Of course it isn;t as nice silk as the first red ones were, but they are very pretty.

                          Have you all seen the show "Sequoia?" It is nearly all out door life in California mountains - mostly animals - not much romance to it, but it's splendid. Also David Copperfield. That made me cry but it was very good. I saw another cute one lately, "The Night is Young."

                       Kay, can you tell me when you will be in St. Louis? Would you rather spend the entire time here, or would you like to go for a week with us to Bagnell Dam, over in the middle of teh state? It is about 180 miles from here. We are going to spend one week of our vacation in Texas - about four days in Houston and two in Palestine, and the other day for Willis to rest up before he goes back to work. Then we think we'll go to Bagnell Dam for the other week. The Butlers and the Herringtons say it is beautiful. On the map, in comparison with Lake Tanencomo where we went that summer, it looks about four times as big, so we thought we'd rent a cottage for a week. First, we (and the Doziers) are going over to spend a weekend just as soon as it is warm enough to enjoy it, so we can see if we'd enjoy a week there. If you think you'd like to, we would put that week off until you came. If not, we'd plan to go ahead before that, but you'll have to let me know soon (also when you will be here, so we can take that into consideration in asking for our vacation.  You can find out when school will be at the university and let me know when you would rather come.  For instance, if school is out the middle of July and your school starts the middle of September that would give you two months. You know I would love for you to be here all that time, but I know you won't be. Tell me when you would rather come, and then when you can come, because we can't always get the date we ask for in our vacation. So while you might say you would rather be here the month of August, maybe the first week in August or the last week in August will be offered us, so if you say, while you'd rather come then, you'd nearly as soon come the 2nd week of August and stay up into September. That would give us more leeway in accepting the time they offer us. There are so many in the office that we are almost sure not to get what we ask for first, but last year they offered Willis his choice of two weeks in June, last two weeks of October or the first two weeks in July and you have to say quick which you will take or they will offer the choice to someone else and you take what's left. So you let me know pretty soon when you'd like to come. Leil, I do wish you'd come too, if only for a week. Wouldn't you enjoy the week at Bagnell DAm or would you rather see St. Louis?

                        The orphans are out flying kites and they are having a big time.

                        I had a long letter from Rob Thursday. I was so surprised and delighted. Willis told me to write and try to get them to stop with us on the Rochester trip. I will, but I know they won;t do it.

                       Must quit now. Bushels of love, 

                                                           Polly