Beginning on November 1, which is the date of my mother’s first letter from her Hawaii trip 84 years ago, I am serializing day by day, the book, Cecilia King’s Extraordinary Senior Trip, which you can obtain from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming nine-months in Hawaii 1940-41. You can order the entire book from Amazon in either paperback or Kindle format, click here.

Honolulu, Wednesday, November 27, 1940

November 27—

Wednesday Night

Dear Daddy & Mother,

What a wonderful tide of letters today! Both of yours came – and the check was just like a big lump of sugar after a two week diet of green persimmons.

You certainly seemed to have been lavishly turkeyed Thanksgiving. Do suppose the Florida trip will materialize? I think It’d be wonderful!

I’m glad you enjoyed my letters – but am afraid as the strangeness wears off here I won’t be very “inspired” – or maybe I should say “possessed.”

But to the news of the day – and it was laundry day – After much putting-off and discussing I got up with a planned determination to wash every dirty bit of clothes(accumulated in one of the hang-over makeshift drawers [from the first week] of cardboard boxes). So Aunt Susan and I – after about a 5,000 calorie breakfast – rolled up our sleeves and started to the little laundry room off the kitchen. Me, planning to wash as I usually did by dipping each thing slightly through the suds of half a box of wash powder, and saying “done.” But --- not Mrs. King. We soaped on a wash board (my first acquaintance with the creature) and left to soak in little piles. Everything must be rubbed at least 24 times – that is, the smaller ones. Guess dresses would surely go through the first layer of skin. After much complicated dwiddling, everything is washed again – really washed – not just casually done as before. Water out, and then the final bath of soap, water and air – followed by three severe rinsings – Clorox and bluing. Wrung out and hung in the back yard. But I was very brave through it all – and after the last blue sock had faded on all my clean whit garments in the basket on the road to the clotheslines – I staggered defeated into the house and to bed. Slept until dinner and still feel like a Raggedy Ann dol just up from flu.

Thus – “washerwoman” was added to my professional “musn’ts” along with dentist and undertaker.

About the golf clubs – I don’t know yet whether I’ll need any or not – may can use U. Ed’s – and they’ve decided for me to wait several months before starting.

I wish you would either send or show Grandmother some of my letters because that way she’s know all I’m doing and I won’t have to write it over twice – and I know she’s enjoy knowing about the Col. Kings, etc.

Tonight a Mrs. King called saying that a letter had come there for me and – she was going to town – she’d drop by and give it to me. So I proceed to get all excited over more mail and she brings me – a list of paddle tennis rules from Ruger.
After I get properly “Honoluluized” Aunt S. and I are going to take hula lessons. She the burlesque and I the regular native dancing. Of course, this isn’t to be mentioned with the “Arkansas Methodist.’

I can hear U. Ed & Aunt S. discussing the Army-Navy breakfast to be held at DeRussy club at 7:00 A.M. to listen to the A-N game over special radio. She is wondering how they will be seated and hoping I will be maneuvered next to a bachelor – what to wear – and how to get us all up and awake at that hour.

Am pretty weary so better proceed bedward – and incidentally, slumbering in a slip. Among my other unfortunates of the day I washed all my sleeping garments – and forgot to have one dry for tonight. I believe Bertha Boatner said something about this atmosphere encouraging insanity.