Glad you're not here

Thursday October 14, 1976

Dear Robin

It really was good to get to talk to you. I miss you very much but I don't wish you were here - that sounds funny but I think it's wonderful that you are having the experience of going to college. I often have wished that I had had enough gumption to have made more of an effort to go.

I picked up Ben about 7 o'clock Monday morning. Nora had everything ready to start fishing when we got there. We didn't catch much. Nora did catch a nice big catfish. We had a wonderful day and Ben seemed to enjoy it a lot. We took him home about 6. Nora and I fished almost all day Tuesday. She caught 2 nice bass and I caught 1. She is ahead of me now so I have to go back soon and see if I can beat her.

I've been working in the yard some and I finally started painting that old chest of drawers. As soon as I get the sewing 'chine room fixed up I'm going to sew all the time - well maybe most of the time.

I cut a big bunch of zinnias this morning. I have my green pitcher full and they are so colorful but I guess John Boy and I will fight over them all day.

Well I want to get this out before the mailman comes by.

Love

Mother

Among her many other accomplishments, my mother could grow anything. She loved growing flowers the most, though. I can't match her zinnias. Mine get powdery mildew and the leaves turn brown and shrivel up. I've done pretty well with morning glories this year, though. My daughter took this picture when she was over today. There are tons more buds on the plants.

Mother loved trying any new plant she could find. Once she had a load of dirt delivered by a local plant nursery. She had put some of it in a planter she was going to buy plants for, but she noticed after a few days that something was sprouting in the planter. She later told me that it was such a pretty little plant with the prettiest leaves that she couldn't bear to pull it out and she was curious about what it might be - that is, she was curious until she read in the newspaper about a raid the police had made on a marijuana growing operation - complete with pictures of pretty plants that looked a lot like her little seedling! She was mortified and yanked that seedling up super quick and cut it into a million pieces, she said.