Dear Mags - 3

Dear Mags.

Thanks for answerin’ my letter. Also, thanks for the picher. I hate ta tell ya but you look like you swallered a good joke and you’re diein’ ta laugh. Either that, or you got a humdinger of a secret and you’re splittin a gut to tell it.  Least you ain’t dead, which I had half a mind to think you was. Glad you’re not.

 I am tickled to death you’re gonna come see us. Yep, two days before Frank’s birthday would be fine. Lemme know about what time you think you’ll get here so I kin get off early if I need to.

Hope you don’t mind keepin me comp’ny at the Stop n’ Go most days. It can be pretty fun if the customers give me time to talk to ‘em a little bit.  And you can sit up on a stool behind the counter with me, and talk to ‘em, too. I can guarantee it’d be more fun than stayin home with Frank. He’s about as entertainin as a tree stump. “I’m glad your Horace is comin. He and Frank can keep each other comp’ny. Course, Frank’s deaf as a post, so they’d prob’ly spend the day sayin’, “What’s that? What’dja say?” to each other.

Fact is, I was kinda hopin you’d take Frank home with you fer a while. Gimme a rest. Now, don’t let that keep you from comin. Maybe you kin tell him some of yor jokes it looks like you got stashed in yor head, jes bustin’ to get out. In fact, I wouldn’ mind hearin’ ‘em myself. I kin tell ‘em at the Stop n Go. They’ll hear my joke as they’re payin their bill at the counter, and walk out the door laughin’. How’s that for good advertisin? Hope you got some gooduns.

I seem ta remember you’re a great cook, right? Me and you will hafta whup up somethin’ special for ole wooden head’s birthday. I can’t believe he’ll be the big 9-0 can you? I asked him what he wanted to eat on his birthday, and he said, meatloaf and mashed taters, and I said, okay, but you gotta have somethin’ green, somethin healthy, and you know what that man said? Olives.  Told him olives don’t count. Think of somethin’ else, and he said, black-eyed peas. And I said, Frank, they ain’t green; how ‘bout a salad, and he looked at me like I suggested brussel sprouts, so I think we’re prob’ly gonna have green beans, lest you can come up with something better.

Oh, and on the cake we’re makin, we’re gonna hafta do something different with the candles ‘cause they’d burn up the cake. I kin jes see candles stickin outa that cake all up and down the sides, ever whichaway, tryin to get ninety on there. I’m jes kiddin. We can do a 90 instead. Phooey, I rilly wanta put 90 candles on something. Hey, what about the meatloaf? ha ha ha

Well, I can’t wait to see ya.

xoxoxo

Ida Mae