November 2, 1964

Nov 2, 1964

Dear Mom and Dad,

Received your welcome letter of Oct 30th this morning. It was fun to get it here at home – when Jimmy went out to get the milk he noticed it in the mailbox – the mail comes about 7:30 or 8 in the morning. (They do everything early here.) I also enjoyed the picture and clipping of Daddy – it was very good article, Daddy, and my eyes spotted that line “are planning to visit their children as soon as possible” I hope both of you have made arrangements to have your picture made – That is what we want for Xmas from you. Jim’s folks have already had theirs taken.

I hope Neva finds a change of scenery helpful but as you say it’s quite a problem. It’ll be waiting for her when she gets back.

By the time you get this the election will be over – even from this distance it sure leaves a sick feeling in your stomach. I think it’s been the worst campaign on record. I think Adelino pegged Goldwater right when he said he looked and acted like an old lady gossip – “murmurando, criticiando” Serve him right if his wife ran off with his campaign manager – he acts like he’s running for Savior of the World instead of President.

I’m glad to hear that you will take charge of Miss Edy’s party. I think Miss Edy will like having different ones in charge – if different persons took it every year it would be a little different each time and show that everyone wanted to do something for her. Be sure to include my name in the gift. I will mail you a check.

We have also been hearing from Don quite often. I try to write to him once a week.

I didn’t exactly understand your references to Mrs. Laux but Jim and I took it to mean that he was trying to rent the house to adults only. We did receive a long letter from him last week telling us all the ads he had placed etc and saying that all the calls he had gotten on the house were people with 3 or more children. At that time I thought that meant the people wanted a bigger place with 4 children. Today Jim wrote him a letter and told him we had never said we didn’t want children and who would want a house that big without children. I hope that is the explanation of why it hasn’t been rented as yet.

I don’t think you need to worry about Patricia forgetting you. She talks about you both more than the other children. Today I showed her the bank clipping and she said in a very high excited voice – “Oh, that’s Welo, Mommy” She recognized you Dad immediately.

Today Kenny came home from his 3rd school in as many months and I sure said a prayer that this would work out for him. While he was gone this morning MB and Patricia played so cute – P was her baby and they played the piano and went outside on the patio and had a lovely morning. When he got home he showed me his steamboat and rocket ship he had made. He said it was lots of fun. Jim talked to the teacher and made himself understood in his pitiful French. The teacher speaks no English at all. Imagine my surprise when I saw the form explaining the courses and fees etc. to notice that the school is a Montessori method. All that I have heard about it is very good. Visitation and some private schools are using that method of teaching now. It is more well known in Europe, I believe. Katie Schadell knows a lot about it and can tell you how it works. Jim said there were about 10 or 12 children in the classes and the teacher said Kenny had behaved very well. He said they used clay and made puzzles, did some exercises and their drawings and sang some songs. We’re hoping he can learn enough French to be our interpreter when we go to Brussels. There is one other Am. child in the class – all the rest of them French speaking children. The fee is very reasonable and she takes children as young as 3 yrs old as this is when the Montessori method is most effective. Jim would like to send MB too but she makes such a good baby sitter for P I hate to send her – and she’s got such a long time to go school why start before you have to!

I found out Fri. night that the U.S.A. is the only country with Halloween Trick or Treating – Somehow I thought it was an English custom too. The Sp. maids were asking me about it as some of the children running around the hotel with sheets and skeleton masks gave them quite a scare.

I asked Mrs. Mureck (the Dutch girl) if there was any similar custom in Holland. She said they had one – on a certain Sun. of the year the children would get up very early and go out in the streets making noise and ringing doorbells – It was called “Sleepyheads Day.” However during the war when the Germans would come to get someone they also would ring the doorbell very hard and long and as a result – when the children tried to observe the custom after the war people would get hysterical on hearing the doorbell or try to hide someone – It evoked such painful memories that the custom has just died out – another casualty of the war.

Yesterday afternoon we took a ride around parts of Bern that we hadn’t seen yet. I got a big kick because in the restaurant windows you see signs LOTTO – there through the windows you can see the people eating or drinking their coffee with their Lotto cards by their plate. It’s a very strict Protestant town and you can’t buy a liter of milk on Sun. but you can play all the Lotto you want.

Love
Jim and Dina