Meta: Hearthlight—big changes in 1973
Not a letter, but a description of what was going on in the six-month gap between letters.
Archive for Hearthlight
1973, fall-ish?: Kid art
Five undated notes, mostly involving art by Jed and Jay, with descriptions. “This is a give-away machine. If anybody wants to give away something, you put it in here.”
1973, November 12–December 7: More kidmail
Six more brief letters (some with art) from Jed and Jay to George and Helen. “This is a good machine. It’s a plug-in good machine. It does lots of good things for you when you’re real lazy.”
1973, December 3: Kid art from Jay
Two pieces of art by Jay, with descriptions transcribed by Marcy. “His name is Groinka haffa hoofa pap. Nobody can see what he’s doing because there’s so much paint.”
1973, December 10: Letter from Peter to G&H
Peter explains why he doesn’t write often, and talks about my new school, and talks about his plan to set up an altar in our home with which to pay respect to our ancestors. “I hope you will understand that this is done not in the spirit of lighting candles and paying a priest to pray somebody out of purgatory, but rather in the spirit of putting flowers on someone's grave.”
1973, December 28: Hearthlight flyer and letter from Marcy to G&H
The flyer for Hearthlight (the foster home), plus a thank-you letter for a large number of Christmas presents, including one particularly well-liked one. “I won’t thank you for the Cat In The Hat—you wouldn’t either, after 50 readings or so—but Joaquin does, profusely.”
1974, January: Letter from Marcy to G&H
Marcy has a day of many spilled items, and writes about laundry and about human reactions to surprises and Halloween costumes, among other things. “part of me loves to be angry. Adrenalin all stirred up, emotions at a high pitch, real, real feelings, alert, senses keyed up[…]. It really feels good to be functioning at this level — all systems go, just almost maximum but no overload, and afterwards an almost post-sexual feeling of good will and contentment.”
1974, January 15: Letters from Peter and Marcy to G&H
A couple of thank-you notes and general life updates. “Life goes on here in the usual hurry-up-&-wait fashion, lurching from (minor) crisis to (near) catastrophe.”
1974, January 16: Kid art by Jay
Another piece of kid art. “Somebody was sliding up here, up the hill”
1974, January 22: Letter from Peter to G&H
Peter to George: “I’d very much enjoy listening to a tape of some of your [organ] repertoire; no matter what style you played, to me it would always be ‘pop music.’” …and other assorted notes and thoughts.