Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.: June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010 Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021 |
Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, Dr. Pete and Jody Smith.
"Jessica and I stayed in the car at the track until Pete got through work. It was pleasantly cool and we both slept most of the time between feedings."
― Jody Smith
Jody's letter home to Mansfield, Ohio. Backstory: This is Jody's first letter home since the baby's arrival in July; we skip ahead to August 14th. It seems Jody's mother spent three or more weeks in Fort Collins, helping with the new baby.
Route 1
Fort Collins, Colorado
Sunday, August 14, 1960
Dear Mom,
I hope your bus trip home was pleasant - sorry you had such a long wait in Fort Collins (also, thanks for the pretty postcard).
Jessica evidently began missing you the moment you left. She cried nearly steadily all-day Friday but slept well that night (thank heavens!). I fed her at 10:30 p.m., 3 a.m., and 8:30 a.m., so was able to get some rest in spite of all my new duties.
Saturday afternoon we took Susie to Denver to catch a bus to Aspen (which left on Sunday, she planned to spend the night with Pam). Jessica was very good, and we all appreciated her car bed since she slept all the way down and back with barely a whimper. We stopped to see Burr and Lou [Betts]. Lou got furious with Burr for saying that Jessica was prettier than their granddaughter, Lisa Ann (born same day, if you remember). All Lou would say was, "Well, Jessica's rounder and weighs a little more." Lisa Ann weighed 6lbs 4oz when she was born. Jessica and I stayed in the car at the track until Pete got through work. It was pleasantly cool, and we both slept most of the time between feedings. We certainly got lots of use from the two carry-all bags you gave us, which I packed full of diapers, extra shirts, bottles, etc. When we went to Betts', I put the little blue outfit which Gary sent on Jessica, and needless to say she looked darling.
Mrs. Beryl brought the mattress this morning. Jessica is presently sound asleep on it on her tummy even! The crib and mattress are certainly nice. I'm sure it will save me lots of worry to know she's safe in her bed instead of climbing out of a dresser drawer!
It's certainly amazing how quickly she's changing from a helpless little creature into a real personality. Today she fussed and fussed, so I put her in her "Nip and Nap" and sat it on a chair in the kitchen. She watched me steadily for about an hour and a half and seemed quite content to listen to my discourse on cooking, world affairs, Starboy, Pooh, and other such matters which I discussed with her. It'll be even nicer when she can answer my questions!
I fixed meatballs for dinner this evening and got a chance to use the meatball utensil which you sent. It worked well.
I'll try to write again soon with all the latest information concerning your little granddaughter.
I'll also try again to thank you, but it seems like a rather endless attempt considering all you did for us. At any rate, thank you so much, Mom, especially for coming out and being with me as well as for all the things you bought us and all the sewing, cleaning, ironing, cooking, painting, babysitting, formula fixing, diaper changing - you name it, you did it.
Bye for now, thanks again for everything.
Love,
Jody
P.S. Also thank you for drape making. I sure like my little horse herd curtains, both inside and out. And thank you for the paperback book on baby care, it arrived from Parent's magazine. I read it during Jessica's feedings.
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Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.
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