Once they took a trip to Lily Pons, Maryland. It is named after the opera star. The Three Springs Fisheries are there, and Mommy and Granddaddy bought lilies and fish. Mommy said it was most beautiful. She described the lilies and the lotus flowers to me, how they were lovely colors and rose up above the pads of leaves, and looked so cool.

When Mommy and I took the trip out to Fork, Maryland, to the Stony Batter Nursery, she bought some holly plants to put at the new house, and we bought jonquils on Falls Road, at the Valley Nursery, to plant in front. They are my Birthday Flower. They were big ones; King Alfred was the name. We bought coral bells and other flowering plants with blue flowers that bloom a long time at a place on York Road. We lived way out York Road when we moved. It's a funny coincidence. When Mommy and Daddy first got married, they lived at the beginning of the York Road in the city for eight months. Then they went to Urbana. I went with Mommy and Daddy to buy the home at 113 and to buy the home at 602.

I sat and watched everybody sign. This house was a stone house. There were lots of stone quarries near us. The house in Urbana was of all white boards.

In our new house, I had the furniture Mommy bought for me and that I had never used. It was grown-up size, and the room was big enough for it there. I had my baby furniture in Urbana.

Mommy bought me curtains and a spread in rose color to match, and the furniture, and put it all away. It fitted perfectly in my new bedroom. She was glad she had it, so I could have a pretty room.

Daddy sent me a little rocking chair when he was in the navy. It plays "Rock-a-bye Baby." He sent it from the Bon Marche store in Seattle. It's next to my bed with a big doll in it Aunt Lorraine won at bingo.

I got lots of presents. Aunt Celeste sent beautiful story book dolls to me that I put on my shelves. One was a Valentine doll with a heart-shaped hat all in red. Aunt Celeste was a Valentine baby, being born on February 14, herself. She gave me books. The best one was Heidi. It's beautiful.

Aunt Lorraine always gave me lots of presents, especially at Christmastime. Once when I was very little and we were at Grandmommy's house, Aunt Lorraine dressed up as Santa Claus, and I was so surprised when I went into the living room to see Santa Claus there. I kept on asking how he got in. They told me through the chimney. He looked very big to have come that way, but I wanted to believe it. So I did.

Aunt Lorraine gave me a cash register and puppets and a puppet theater, a toy milkshake mixer, and eggbeater, and a toy fountain for all kinds of drinks. She bought bowler hats for me and pocket-books and ornaments and dolls. She cooked special dishes for me too. We were always in Grandmommy's kitchen together.

I learned how to make good scrambled eggs. I wrote down the recipe. Mommy found it and said she'd keep it in a cook book scrapbook for me. I had my own size Pyrex baking dishes.

I liked Chinese food too. Egg rolls are good with duck sauce made out of peach jam and garlic and red pepper, and french fried mano clams are wonderful. Howard Johnson's Restaurants have mano-fried clams. We ate them at the one on Cold Spring Lane. I liked their ice-cream cones better than anybody else's. I liked to drink Jasmine and Ming tea and cocoa. These were my favorites.

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