September 16, 1966
Dearest Patricia:
When I saw your Mom yesterday, I intended to stay only a few minutes as I went out in the afternoon with a jug of celery juice. However, she wanted me to stay a while as she needed to talk with someone and I was able to getting to feeling better and happier. I judge that she had picked up some intimations in the neighborhood – or she had encountered reactions among people who live more than a half a block away that were unfavorable to persons who have to be on relief. She needed to talk out her ideas and regain perspective. This I am sure was accomplished because she was in good spirits when I left. Part of the problem was, as she may have told you that when the Welfare Service checked over the statements of earnings and the receipts that Connie submitted, the concluded that Connie had contributed some $36 plus to the family’s support and that, therefore, legally this much would have to be subtracted from her next month’s check. But I’ll see to it that she doesn’t run short or get in a bind.
I got her a supply of groceries from the Mayfair Market and left her a twenty. She has had to buy shoes for all four of the little boys this past week and maybe Leon as well and that takes a big chunk out of her income. Anyway, I’m sure that I did her a lot of good just by talking with her and helping her to reestablish her perspective.
I went back again for just a few minutes after dinner – I guess it was because I hadn’t had the twenty on me earlier. Nas was quite disturbed, the, because I wasn’t going to stay. He told your Mom I always stayed and he led me into the living room to “sit down on the little couch and watch T.V.” but I told him I had to go home & get some work done. As I left he raised his head & pointed to his throat to tell me I was to kiss him there on leaving. Morty in the meanwhile had taken me by the hand & led me into Connie’s (?) room (the one on the left as you go to the bathroom) to show me the large toad they had found & have me hold it and admire its good points. The boys are especially impressed by the fact that if you hold a toad by the arm pits, it will always sing for you. It sings by reflex action when held by the armpits!
Nobie is so happy with school that he can’t understand why it closes at 4:00 o’clock and he must come home. He wants to stay for the rest of the day. And he thinks he should be able to go to school by nine in the morning instead of waiting till noon. Day before yesterday he dressed for school in the morning and impatiently sat so as not [page 2] to mess his clothes till midday. But mom told him hereafter he’d dress for play in the yard until just before he had to go to school. He was quite pleased yesterday because he’d been the only one in class who’d taken a shoe box to school in response to the teacher’s request for shoe boxes. And – he’d taken a few scraps (pieces) of cloth in the box and these came in handy for some project. It’s plain to see Nobie is going to profit a great deal from his schooling. He is so eager to learn.
All the boys have had the ailment that gives them stomach cramps & doubles them up. Evidently it’s quite painful though there seems to be no other symptoms. Connie’s forestry friend, Bob, came by the house (not while I was there – I haven’t met him yet) and he had the same problem – said many of the help at Lassen also were doubled up several times a day with cramps – but nothing else, no fever, for example. He said it was going all over the state.
I don’t know to what extent I’m telling you what you know already – but with you “under the weather” also, I can’t stay & tell you verbally, as I had expected or hoped to do. So you’ll have to react in your own way and ask more questions if you wish. Actually though, in the overall, things are pretty good Los Padres Blvd. Your Mom will phone me if she needs anything, but she expects everything to straighten out.
Tonight I’m to have dinner with my friends & former students, the Walkers – Betty who teaches Anatomy & Physiology and I think some bacteriology for us. So I’ll be gone from five o’clock on till ten or so. So if you need anything, let me know before then.
And, darling, I guess that’s all – or as a newspaper man says when closes a program, “That’s 30 for tonight, friends” – where the 30 comes from I don’t know, but it is a well established tradition.
And remember always that I love you very much, so bye-bye for now.
Love – Carl.
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
