Sunday, October 22, 1972

October 22, 1972

13119 Hermitage, Houston

Dear Family,

It’s a rainy Sunday here in Houston — tho it isn’t raining at the moment — and while I’m watching the Dallas Cowboys play the Washington Redskins I’ll get started on my weekly letter. I’ve used the afternoon so far in sorting thru the contents of my desk in the family room (started the job last evening) and have progressed about halfway, but still have the most difficult drawers yet to sort out. A lot of stuff got thrown out which was pertinent only to Calif (and which additionally wouldn’t be pertinent to any future move westward).

Shortly after lunch the Shell man with whom I’ve been riding to work with till he left for a 4 week vacation in his native Germany came bu and picked up his car which we’ve stored for him the weeks he was gone. During his absence the ride group has grown by 2 members so it’s the same size as the old ride group in El Cerrito, but with the difference of course that I don’t have to drive (except when everyone else is off on a trip, as happened a couple of days this past week). He said they’d had a good vacation; he had his wife & little daughters along whom I hadn’t met before. The little girl is 4 and during the trip started speaking German (she knows it because they speak it at home, but here in Texas has heretofore replied in English). Must be kind of hard living all that distance from all the rest of the family and only seeing them every other couple of years.

The rain has been threatening all weekend and has been predicted for several days but didn’t start in, in earnest, until after we left for church this morning. I did awake during the night to hear rain on the roof but it was hardly enough to wet the sidewalks etc. We got to church quite dry but shortly afterward it really let loose with considerable thunder & lightning and a lot of rain. Then it let up to let us get home in good shape, tho it did start in again a little after we got home. Early in the week we had some pretty warm days (one day a record warm fay for this time of the year) but since then it has cooled off and we had some light rain even before today.

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day in various jobs out in the yard, raking up some of the oak leaves which are now falling quite rapidly, transplanting a plant that I brought from Calif (which seems to have acclimated fairly well to the Texas climate, as my fuchsias haven’t), cleaning out the eaves troughs again, sweeping up the leaves & pine needles off the driveway for use as mulch around the bushes along the front of the house, doing a little selective pruning etc. All in all a pleasant activity tho the day was warm enough so that I worked up a “sweat” at times and certainly a welcome change from the usual workday routine.

Toward evening I made a trip to the library and took out some books — doubt I’ll read them but it’s good to have something on hand should the mood strike me, seems like I often return books without having finished them nowadays. Work at Shell has continued pretty busy; as I mentioned before I had to drive myself several days as the other members of the ride group were all off on trips.

Jean continues in picking up her activities, tho still doesn’t feel back to her usual self. This week she attended a Shell wives luncheon at the Warwick hotel, an interesting redecorated place, toward the middle of the week; but she was quite tired Friday after a shopping trip with Palma after school. We are planning on being with Verner’s at Thanksgiving and hope the rest of the family can make it also. Jean had a call from Jeannie Milton yesterday, an invitation to a coffee; I’m glad in a way contact has been made tho I really didn’t feel like doing it myself. Had a letter from Muriel so she’s well back at school.

With love, Carl