2270 South Vine
Come with me as I meet my Mother through this series of letters, she died when I was 6 months old and this is my very first real glimpse into her world, who she was, who she wanted to be and how she loved my Father.
A collection of 36 letters hand written by my Mother Joyce at University of Denver and sent to my Father Earl at University of Colorado Boulder when they were first engaged in 1952. The letters span from September 1952 - January 1953. My Mother died from Breast Cancer in 1971 at the age of 40. The original language of the letters is read intact to maintain the integrity of the authenticity of her words, 1952 is a very different time culturally and economically.
2270 South Vine
Letter 34 01/14/1953 Ballerina Dishes and Bach
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Show Notes:
January 14th, 1953 — Joyce writes in a mood of calm domestic rhythm, the kind that hums between winter lessons, laundry, and longing. She’s just finished a piano lesson — one piece memorized, six pages of Bach still ahead — and is proud, if slightly overwhelmed. Her world feels momentarily steady: she’s eating frugally (“I’ve eaten all week on $3”), walking to class, planning her future kitchenware, and dreaming of better stationery and warmer shoes.
This letter reads like a snapshot of a young woman building her adult life from small, practical choices — dishes, yarn, paper, plans for next Saturday night. She debates patterns of china (“I like a design just around the edge”), still hopes for the elusive organist job, and writes with humor about the frigid Denver weather and her sore throat.
By the end, Joyce is multitasking as always — listening to roommates talk, eating crackers and peanut butter, writing to Earl on cheap notebook paper she vows to replace. What starts as an ordinary night turns into something quietly beautiful: a portrait of 1950s college life where art, love, and homemaking dreams coexist on the same page.
Topics Include:
- Piano lessons and memorizing Bach
- College dining on a $3 weekly budget
- 1950s kitchenware and dishware styles (Ballerina, Ridge Ivy)
- Friendship and weekend plans
- Stationery, scrapbooks, and small pleasures
- Managing health, colds, and daily chores
- Long-distance love and letter-writing
- Homemaking dreams and postwar domestic ideals
January 14th, 1953. Dear sweetheart, my lesson was today. I got through the piece I was to have memorized, but in two weeks I have to have that piece thoroughly memorized and six pages of Bach memorized, Egads and Little Fishes. By thoroughly, she means, will let me tell you what happened when I played it today. Most of it I just
I've sure been in gay spirits these few days. I haven't been working. One of these days my ride will be over and I'll have to start pushing again. But it's fun while it lasts.
Right now I don't have a thing to do. I haven't got a book for extra reading in history yet, so I've read four chapters in our text. He goes slower than heck. One of these days we'll be taking two or more chapters a day. I haven't bought the supplementary reading book for history. I don't think...
I will either. Do you know I've eaten all week on $3 and the stuff will last through till Friday? I've been eating eggs, bacon, cottage cheese, soup, beans, and spaghetti. Yes, milk and rolls too. The things I should have eaten, I guess, are vegetables and fruit juices. I hope I remembered to call Barb tonight. George said he had seen her once.
One of the girls stopped in to invite us to the Friday night mixer school dances. Every Friday night they have a free school dance, which is sort of a mixer and is also stag. She said they have been having around 200. They dance to records and have about 20 minutes for a program. Quincy is singing this Friday. It's probably mostly foreign students and fly boys, but maybe they have a nice time.
Today after my lesson, I walked downtown and went to Will's for music and then down to Carson's China shop. Honestly, I didn't see much I really liked. Their special relish dishes and glassware and stuff were real pretty, but their dinner china wasn't too pretty, I didn't think.
I like a design which is just around the outside of the plate like this. She draws two circles and then there's like X's all around the outside of the plate like a border. I don't mind a small design on the bottom of the plate and if the colors aren't too bright or as a single large design on one side would be nice too. They tell me that ballerina doesn't make yellow dishes anymore. I guess for everyday dishes I'll get the ones from Montgomery Wards.
At least they're in the Chicago catalog, so if the store out here can't get them, mama could order them for me. It's the ridge ivy pattern and is a cluster of ivy leaves on one side of the dish. They looked pretty in the catalog anyway. My scrapbooks are getting filled up. One of these days I'll have to try to get a couple refills.
I have two music scrapbooks filled up, so I put the programs from Symphony last night in my activities scrapbook. The one where my dance programs and corsages and stuff are pasted. I'm still waiting to see about the organ job till I go on and try to get a job. I feel like a loafer. Just...
sitting around. Some afternoon I'm going to the department stores and look at China. They may have prettier patterns. I can't get the same brand of yarn to finish your sock with, so I'll take a sample and try to match colors in another brand. My composition assignment isn't done for tomorrow. That is the most boring class. I like Mr. Williamson ever so much, but he just can't teach for nothing.
I hope you had your ear muffs on today. I nearly froze walking uptown. I thought about you all the way. Don't worry. I think of you day and night, every day and night, my darling. But I wondered if you were warm all day today. Excuse me, please, dear. I want to read the paper. I intend to go to the Albany and get the tickets for Fred wearing, but I didn't think of it while I was there.
town that is. This is going to be a week for laundry I guess which reminds me I have lingerie to wash out tonight. Okay everybody and their brother is on
the phone tonight. I'll call Barb later. My throat has been a little more sore today. I've taken several of those little pills. Excuse me while pour in some more nose drops. They always make me sneeze. You know, last summer when
I bought two pair of shoes. Well, this week I started wearing them and I had almost forgotten I had them and I sure do like them. They have such a cute little bow in the front. I'll show them to you this week and I'll show them to you this weekend. I just called Barb. She's sure a sweetie. They just had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve, they had all kinds of things to drink. She said Cecil was quite happy.
and toasted everybody and everything he could think of. Their kitchen sink backed up and flooded, and their kitchen and really messed up the place. They told their landlord and they promised to fix the sink and repair the linoleum, et cetera, over the vacation, but so far they haven't done a thing. So Barb and Cecil haven't paid the rent yet. Tonight Cecil was, excuse please, tacking up some modern decorations, string.
or something, I guess. She said he was stringing it along the stairway. They asked us to come over this weekend, Saturday night, if possible. I told her you would have to work Friday night, but if you were not too tired, we would be over Saturday night. I told her I'd call her later and let her know for sure. I sure like them. They're just wonderful people.
The radio played because tonight I have a tender spot for that song. It has always struck me as being very sweet and tender in its sentiments. It's a good thing I don't sing or I'd be singing it to you all the time. Someday I'll learn to...
holes without being burned? Maybe I should try hot pads, but every pad this apartment owns has been lost. All we have are dirty or wet or both dish towels. This time I burned my finger.
My mother still hasn't written me and sent the engagement announcement. Did I tell you Cleons and Mai were in the K3 journal? Come to think of it, I did tell you. I guess I'll need another sheet of...
Okay, I'll need another sheet of... please? I've sure got my mind in Boulder. I don't know, I think this is right. Of paper. I sure got my mind in Boulder, not on my business paper. Besides that, I'm listening to some tales my roommates are telling. Obviously, I'm out of that other stuff. Maybe I'll get some more, it's cheap.
On second thought, maybe I'll splurge and get some nicer paper. This is on notebook paper. That other stuff is rather an insult to you. I'm thirsty, excuse me again. I'm hungry too. I'll eat your candy bar and a stack of crackers and peanut butter. If I had a phonograph and the records I'd sit and listen to because I have you.
Trudy, truly, and always, and through the years. I don't like you very much. I just adore you, that's all. My laundry isn't done yet, so, sorry pet, and this isn't getting it done. All my love and thoughts are with you always. All my love, always, Joyce.
