Found with a birthday card, a letter from Mom

I used to joke with my mom about her crop and weather reports in her letters.  I'm sorry about that now--they are really very sweet when rereading 30 years later.  I don't have a date on this one (inserted in a birthday card), but she was looking for an out of print book with a copyright date of 1980, and she mentions her plans to go to Hawaii (with my sister Carol) which I think was in the early 90s. Reading the story of the mice reminds me of the stories she would make up while braiding my hair as a child.

"The tag end of the garden and fruit demand attention.  The compost heap is full of seeds, cores and peelings.  The apple crop is so huge, but of course lots of it is rather poor because we can't quite keep ahead of the small creatures.  The one apple tree is especially bad but when an apple is good it is very tasty.  It is a Jon-a-Del, I think.

There is a hole in the trunk where a little family of field mice are staying.  Little Kerby Jasper loves to have Amy show her where Jon and Del live.  One can peer into the hole and see their beady little eyes shine.  They seem to know they are safe.  The cats and dogs stand around and bark, but all is quiet inside where harm can't reach them.  We have now an on going story about Jon and Del's family.

The grapes are more than we can use but so far 2 bushel have been turned into juice.  The mosquitoes are so bad that it is torture to try and pick them while being bombed. . . .

Our trip [to Hawaii?] is drawing near and finding the lists are getting longer.  Probably do a day of shopping for small items Friday. . . We will surely get out to see you and Bob this fall.  We will talk about the time when I get back from Hawaii.