August 30, 1978
Hello ranch!
Yes, it’s me again from the beautiful lands of dreams come [true]. I’ve been working on the room & teaching steadily so haven’t written in a while. It is really coming along nicely. Pat [Grunnet] had some African material that really looks sharp. Just had a platform about 5 feet high built in one corner so kids who get active & need “time out” can climb up there & relax, also they can play underneath. It is kind of trippy. So our apartment complex is now a regular on visits by guests, reminds me of the old ranch days. How well I remember, especially when they didn’t show up! But I always liked decorating so I’m having fun. We have also made kind of a playground under the apartment with swings, seesaw, sandbox and even some boards with cutout shapes, triangles etc. to throw beanbags through. We’ll continue to add things as we go. Then we’ll do the toddler’s apartment, then the preschool playground. Pat has drawn up some plans & it will be really nice, natural. Then comes the elementary playground. The kids’ll love it. That is what we’re preoccupied with right now.
Everyone here, of course, is great! Daren [Janaro] seems very happy & will be starting high school with Jeff [Wheeler] & Billy [Bush] in a few weeks. He is maturing nicely & continues to speak out in social science classes. He surely lost that little boy shyness. He said he wrote a couple of letters to you, Claire, last week. He enjoyed his stay with Richard [Janaro] in Georgetown. Richard was here about three or four days while he relaxed a bit. He saw the classroom hall in progress. He seems very content with what he’s doing & much more relaxed. He received a package review here with odds & ends of things & was very pleased. Those things do come in handy. Mauri [Janaro] has settled into a routine of working with the animals & is happy, of course. I saw her being pretty friendly with a young guy the other night, so maybe there’s some hope, huh, Claire? I’ll have to check it out & see if our “little Mauri” is growing up. I don’t think she’s in a big hurry though. She’s pretty sharp about guys from the way she talks.
Jeff continues to work in the baby nursery & is seen as a hard, sensitive worker by all. He passed a pulmonary & resuscitation test with the highest marks, maybe we will have a second doctor in the family? Marvin [Sellers], of course, continues to be responsible & learning many medical techniques. Darius [Wheeler] is really very sharp & can really get a grasp on informative movies. He loves learning about world events & grasps a lot. Ole Danny B. [Beck] is in the same building where I teach now so I see him more often. Pat says he is doing well in school or in an individualized basis. He is much happier & seems more enthusiastic about learning. He has a greater awareness of world events. He & Ronald Beikman just dug a huge hole under the apartment & are having a blast doing it. I just wonder how deep they’ll go. They enjoy doing different jobs, hauling dirt, collecting fish & plants for different projects.
Will is so funny about knowing countries in Africa. He knows a lot and answers questions we ask about different countries, real smart guy. He is such a “little lawyer,” that’s what we call him, he is such a stickler for detail! He gets along very well in school & looks forward to seeing you, Sue, & thinks of David often. He’s very happy here.
Kim [Dutra], Preston [Wade] & Bev [Livingston] are doing fine. I am going to give Bev a dollhouse kit to put together. She’ll love it. Preston continues to be a diligent worker & much appreciated by all. Curtis is in his element. He putts around with some older men who build walkways & fences & is very content. He loves to get up & dance with the senior who plays harachies [huaraches]. It is really wild, everyone gets a bang out of it, especially him. I haven’t seen as much of Bippy [Davis] lately. She says she wants to come to my class though. She is happy, does well in school, speaks up more & asked about you, Kim.
Listen, Claire, see if you can send a gob of sewing machine needles. Singer’s ok. There’s very few here. Ruby’s real low. We need some silly young girls can be taught to sew, please send them to me. Scissors are needed & sewing kits are great. I could also use greatly a razor & some blades, soap dish, these little items are really nice to have. The headscarves are just regular one shoe got, blue, red, green outdoor scarves, surplus stores have them. Rob [Tarver] would know. K-mart would have. If you can send these things I’d appreciate it much. All take care and write soon. I understand there’s a letter waiting for me from you. I’ll write again soon. Dad loves all.
Cde [Comrade] Marlene