11 JANUARY 1944 [probable error - should be 1945]
U S S PRAIRIE
DEAREST MARY,
I SHOULD REALLY FEEL LIKE A HEEL FOR NOT GETTING THIS BIRTHDAY GREETING OFF SOONER IN ORDER TO MAKE A PROPER ARRIVAL ON THE PROPER DATE. IN FACT, I DOO FEEL VERY HEELISH.
WELL, YOUR A REAL LIVE VOTING REPUBLICAN NOW. AFTER ALL THESE YEARS DAD CAN RELAX CONTENT THAT HE HAS SUCCESSFULLY RAISED ANOTHER GOPSTER. NEXT YEAR HE CAN DO IT AGAIN WITH ME, BUT THIS IS THE TIME FOR US TO MAKE MERRY, MARY, BECAUSE THE BEAUTY OF THE FAMILY HAS NOW REACHED THE ANCIENT -AND FROM NOW ON AD INFINITUM- AGE OF TWENTY ONE. YOU HAVE ALSO REACHED THE YEAR THAT MILTON MADE IMMORTAL, THE YEAR THAT SINGLES EVERY HUMAN AS AN ADULT AND MAKES THE BLOOMING TWENTY ONE YEAR OLD LOOK DOWN UPON HIS YOUNGER PEERS AND SAY, 'SCRAM, KIDS, TODAY I AM A MAN(WOMAN)'. IF YOU THINK YOUR GETTING OLD NOW, JUST TRY AND TOUCH YOUR TOES THIRTY TIMES, CHECK UR CONDITION, THEN WHEN YOUR FORTY TRY IT AGAIN, AND THEN DECIDE JUST WHAT THE HELL THEY MEAN BY 'LIFE BEGINS AT FORTY'. THE GUY WHO THOUGHT THAT UP MUST HAVE BEEN AN DESCIPLE OF BENARR MAC FADDEN. ANYWAY, DISREGARDING ALL THIS FORMER TRASH, I WISH YOU THE HAPPIEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE, ONE WITH ALL THE PLEASANTRIES AND SURPRISES AND SUCCESSES A GIRL CAN HOPE FOR. THAT IN ANOTHER YEAR YOU CAN LOOK BACK AND BE SECURE IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF WOMANHOOD WITH HIGH FLYING COLORS, HAVE FIRMLY ESTABLISHED THE BEACHHEAD AND ARE SUCCESSFULLY PUSHING ONWARD INTO THE SECRET FUTURE.
DAD WROTE TODAY TELLING ME ALL ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, THE SNOW AND THE FOUR FEET LONG ICICLES. A REAL BEAUTIFUL BUT COLD WHITE CHRISTMAS. TO HIM AND MOTHER IT WAS A TOUCH OF THE REAL THING- HAVING THE WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN, BUT NOW THEY ARE ALL ALONE WITH DORA SPENDING QUIET EVENINGS INSIDE THE WALLS THAT FAIRLY ECHO OF NOISY EVENINGS, FOOTBALL MATCHES ON THE HALL UPSTAIRS OR PIANO AND RADIO MIXED WITH A SWING BAND REHEARSAL. I GUESS THE EVENINGS ALL OF US MISS THE MOST, THOUGH, ARE THE SUNDAY EVENINGS, POPPING CORN, MUNTCHING APPLES, LISTENING TO CHARLIE MCCARTHY OR EDDIE CANTOR- ALL IN FRONT OF A CRACKLING FIRE BASKING IN THE WARMTH OF IT AND AND THEN FINALLY THE SLEEPY RETREAT TO CLEAN SHEETS- LOTS OF BLANKETS TO CRAWL UNDER. ALL PAST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN- JUST THINGS THAT CAN BE RELIVED BY US WITH OUR KIDS.
I'D BETTER SIGN THIS OFF- HAVE TO WRITE TIDI TOO, YOU KNOW. REMEMBER, HAVE A SWELL HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
LOTS OF LOVE,
[Signature: Bud]
P.S. THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR THAT I ALWAYS BECOME TWO YEARS YOUNGER INSTEAD OF ONE. IT USED TO PAIN ME.