thoughts on being a lesbian

I went to Bryn Mawr (a girls' school) and just finished reading Mary McCarthy's The Group. So I'm familiar with what may seem shocking at first: girls liking girls, or at least pretending they do. I hear more young ladies are now tending "that way." But I think this can be chalked up to two reasons:

1. It's fashionable to seem bohemian these days even if you live on a tidy block in the suburbs.

2. Men can be hard to live with, so it's sometimes tempting to throw up your hands and swear off them for good. But where would be the challenge in that? I feel lucky Henry rode into my life just when I needed him, like the shining White Knight in that Ajax commercial.

a good breakfast

A good breakfast is the foundation for a happy day. And fixing a good breakfast is so easy these days. I usually set the table the night before, taking advantage of modern time-savers like ready-to-eat cereals and canned juices. On special days, I fix extra fun treats for Bobby and Sally. Like Cheerios over Pink Applesauce or Dollar Pancakes with bright jelly. Tomorrow, I have to leave very early to fly back to Reno. So I'll leave Fatso and Old Black Joe on the table to wish the children good morning. Won't Carla be amused?

baconettes

Television Party at the Wallaces last tonight. (Which was, honestly, just an excuse for Chet to watch football. I told them Don was tied up at work, which unless things have changed, was probably true!) Leave it to Nancy to serve darling canapes and smart cocktails. Here's her recipe for baconettes which she served on toothpicks stood in an apple! Elegant!

Peanut Butter Baconettes

1. Spread slices of uncooked bacon with creamy peanut butter

2. Roll tight, fastening with toothpick.

3. Toast under broiler flame, until bacon is done.

4. Serve toothpicks by sticking them all around a large apple.

5. Prepare for compliments!

holiday letter

Greetings on the eve of 1964, which I hope will be a better year for all of us than the last one. (We had our annual photo card taken, of course, but I couldn't bring myself to send it in the wake of the national tragedy.) Our family is well and I hope yours is, too. Our new addition is little Gene, named for my father who sadly passed away this summer. Don keeps busy in the ad game and I've gotten involved with local politics. Sally is still talking about the solar eclipse she saw with her teacher and Bobby can't wait to see real rockets at the World's Fair. Sometimes I think we're raising children from Outer Space!

All the best in '64,

Betty

christmas at home

This album has special meaning for me this year. I'm tickled that I'm able to spend Christmas in Ossining after all. Henry splurged for jet tickets to bring us home for the holidays. The best present he could have given me and little Gene.

Greetings from Reno

Dear Sally and Bobby,

The weather is hot here, not like Christmastime at all. Baby Gene and I are buying you lots of souvenirs! I miss you and hope you are behaving yourselves for Carla. On Christmas Day she is taking you to see The Sword and the Stone!

Love,

Mommy

bathinette

To my surprise, I discovered that not everyone knows what a bathinette is! I asked Don to go through his slides to find a picture of one to show you. Here's a photo he took a few years ago at a neighbor's christening. Bathinettes are bathtubs for babies. (I'll have to remind Don to bring ours down from the attic.) Modern mothers prefer them because they're soft and shallow and safer than tubs and also serve as changing tables.

And speaking of modern motherhood, have you heard that Doctor Spock recommends bathing babies with soap and water instead of the old fashioned method of rubbing them down with oil? Too many "oiled" babies slipped right out of their mothers' hands! Could explain why teenagers these days are taking leave of their senses!