In the early minutes of the day, Dot jots off a brief note to Dart before falling into bed. From the scant sentences, we learn that it’s Income Tax Day (I never knew it used to be a month earlier than it is now!), there is no news to relate, and Greenwich is so dead that by 9:00 pm, it looks as though it had been uninhabited for a century. As Dot says, there’s little chance for her to get into any mischief.
Much later in the day, she writes a second letter while she’s babysitting for a new customer. Although the two little boys she’s watching have been asleep since before she got there, she’s seen their pictures and can attest to their cuteness.
Tomorrow evening, on a rare night off, Dot intends to paint and fix up her new bike. Today she spent $8.00 on parts and accessories to jazz up her new wheels, including a bell, light, reflector, basket and a rear view mirror. After she paints it, she hopes to build a little seat for the back fender so she can take Gale for rides. Dot is gleefully looking forward to riding with Janie this summer. If the project looks as good when she’s finished as it looks in her head, she’ll send Dart photos. I’ll have to ask Mom if she used spray paint to fix her bike. Was it available in 1945?
A letter from Helen Peterson today revealed that Dart’s aunt is staying at their house so that Helen can care for her. That explains why she hasn’t been writing as often as Dot would like. Dot was happy to read that Dart’s father is up and about again because he was getting antsy just sitting around.
She’s crossing her fingers that she’ll get a letter from Dart today, even though she got five on Monday. She’d welcome one (or 50) every day, if she could get them.
She’s listening to Fred Waring on the radio and enjoying his arrangements of “Columbia, Gem of the Ocean” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She’s also liked hearing all the Irish tunes airing this week in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day.
Her sitting gig is over, so she wraps up the letter and heads home, affirming on her way out of the letter that she loves him with all her heart.
She encloses some cute greeting cards, which I’ll save for a day coming up soon that she doesn’t write a letter.
