Dear Flo,
I've been reading in the paper about your problems with your silly ram.
I still have the original 4-H patterns for making wrist pincushions stuffed with wool that has lanolin in it. These were used back in the 1930s and 1940s, when pins and needles were just steel rather than stainless steel. The lanolin keeps them from rusting.
The wool inside these doesn't have to be smooth or fine or long-fibered. It just has to be there.
If you want a copy of the instructions, just come by the Fabrics and Textile shop one of these days when you're in town. I'll put them on the shelf underneath the cash register and tell all the girls they are there.
Your Friend,
Mary Ellen Shaver
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Dear Mary Ellen,
Thank you very much for your suggestion. I'll be making a trip to town in a day or so and will be very happy to have the use of your pattern.
I imagine you're talking about those silly broadsheets, instead of the Grantville Times or the Daily News. I must say that I do not approve of their content. Suggesting that a silly ram could save the world for democracy, beat up a wolf, and so forth is clearly ludicrous. Brillo is just a sheep, after all. I won't even address the issue of the drawings.
If you should happen to hear anything about who may be writing those outrageous stories, I'd appreciate being informed. I fully intend to take whatever measures necessary to stop this travesty.
Again, thank you for your suggestion. I'm looking forward to seeing the pattern and evaluating its usefulness.
Your friend,
Flo Richards
Dear Flo,
I don't know whether your ram can make the world safe for democracy.
But Veleda Riddle has decided that Grantville needs a chapter of the League of Women Voters. It was that pile of offal down by the slaughterhouse that the garbage guys didn't haul away Friday a week ago that made her decide we need one.
We didn't have one uptime, so she'll sort of be inventing the way she wants it to work instead of just copying the one that used to be. She's put your ram (head only) on the stationery, along with the motto, "Might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb."
When Veleda gets going, smart people get out of her way.
Your friend,
Mary Ellen Shaver
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Dear Mary Ellen,
I'll be writing Veleda to volunteer my services, such as they are. I'll be happy to help with the League of Women Voters. I have to agree, some things need to be fixed around here.
Please let me know if there's anything else I can do.
Your friend,
Flo Richards
Dear Veleda,
Mary Ellen Shaver tells me that you're planning to start a chapter of the League of Women Voters here in Grantville. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be happy to help.
Please let me know if I can assist in any way. I certainly agree that some things need to be fixed around here. I do wonder, though, if the ram's head logo on your stationery is absolutely necessary. Wouldn't an eagle or hawk be more expressive of the organization's goals?
Your friend,
Flo Richards
Dear Flo,
Thanks so much for your offer to help. The next meeting is Thursday the 17th at 1:00 pm at the public library. The topic is horse manure.
I would really like to keep the ram on the stationery. The Air Force already has taken falcons and eagles. It is only the head (I do remember the furor about President Clinton and the bison on the Department of the Interior seal), and he has such a belligerent expression. When my grandmother used to leave the house to give the city council a piece of her mind, she always said as she went out the door, "Might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb."
Think about garbage collection. It will help keep your mind off your troubles.
Your friend,
Veleda Riddle
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Dear Veleda,
I'll be happy to attend the meeting as scheduled.
Regarding the letterhead, well, it's your project, so I'll agree with your plan. I can't say that I really care for this ram motif that seems to have consumed the area. I just don't understand how sheep could have acquired such a reputation. They're fairly stupid animals, after all.
I'm a bit anxious to do something about the horse manure problem, myself. Maybe it should be collected and composted, rather than left lying on the streets. Perhaps we could require the type of collection bags horses wore in New Orleans, back uptime. J.D. and I were there on our second honeymoon, and it really seemed odd to see horses wearing those odd looking bags under their tails. Of course, those horses were pulling those romantic carriages. At any rate, something must be done.
Troubles? I don't have any troubles. Do appreciate the thought, but life's just fine here.
Let me know if you need anything.