“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing.”*

by chuckofish

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As Valentine’s Day approaches, I thought I would share some Valentines from days of yore–specifically some I received in 1975 when I was a freshman in college.

You can guess who sent me this one. Isn’t Holly Hobbie great?

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Here’s one from my aunt. So seventies.

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And here’s one I got from my pseudo-love Chucko who went to Cornell. Funnily enough, the postmark was from a women’s college in Norton, MA.

val 4There is even a naughty poem by John Donne transcribed inside!

I found these cards while going through a box of my mail from freshman year. This chore has been a hoot and a half–especially reading the letters from my sister (and dual personality)–alias soror idiocritus–who was a high school sophomore at the time.

The letters from my DP frequently arrived in an envelope like this.

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The return address was always from “Pierre Dumaine’s #1 fan” or “Lumpy Rutherford’s #1 fan” or “Cool Hand Luke’s #1 fan”–or “Old Faithful” or “Guess Who?”

I was kept up to date in minute detail concerning every J.V. hockey game she started in, school gossip, her social life (much fuller than mine), and how her classes were going (badly per usual).

Yes, I am alive. I haven’t broken my hand or even lost my eyesight. No, you’re right those aren’t good excuses–but I do have a good one. I’ve had a nervous breakdown. Ruth [her math teacher] sent me to it. It was the last straw when she made me get up and be a point on a line–I was -A (that’s negative A). Actually, I probably could have stood that, but when she put her arm around me and breathed on me…I thought I would faint!…I’m not going to be able to stand a whole year of her!

As it turned out, it was the teacher who did not make it through the year. The replacement, according to my sister, was even worse. But then, according to her, all her teachers were pretty terrible and all had a very low opinion of her and were always accusing her of never working.

(I’m sure they were all shocked when she got into Smith College and then got a a PhD from Yale. Are nine out of ten high school teachers always clueless?)

Well, these distant days are indeed gone with the wind. But it is fun to visit them via letter and look back, isn’t it? I am reminded of many things that I had totally forgotten. It is also a fascinating window into the world at home and all the Life that went on without me. It did, really.

In conclusion: “You’re all wool and a yard wide!”

Have a great weekend. Find something to laugh about.

*Herman Melville, Moby-Dick