Now for a week, all at NAU, that was mostly "fun" (a term I rarely use as I do not identify with it or really understand what it means) but I guess it kind of fits. Several pleasant and enjoyable events occurred and I was not unhappy much if any!
I went back to Clarkdale on the 10th and ended up not writing until I returned on Monday the 13th so I will just go back and reconstruct this week to that point--from February 4 &5 on. I share my comments on the 4th, a rather down day for me.
Feb 4, 1967
Well, the snow sculptures asre melting. Ray and his Forestry Club won sweepstakes. I think the Iwo Jima was theirs Mary and I had gone to the movie the night before and then watched the snow sculpture work. I got $5.00 from Mama Witt (maternal grandma) and spent it on film and food.Today I've read two Zane Grey books and fretted over a deep longing for my distant darling. Sometimes I miss him so much. I spent two and a half hours at the Depot Park and numbered nine trains. It was a busy afternoon on the rails. I just finished my supper--mushroom soup. I've had a cup of coffee, two boxes of Apple Jacks, some cookies and crackers, an orange, two apples and the soup to eat today. I may go get a Coke for desert. I' thirsty and tired. It all seems so unreal. Sometimes I could just go get that $200 'safe fund' and buy a ticket to hell and go and go. I'm in that spell--a bad phase of my monthly cycle when I feel like heck and get the glooms for sure.
Then it was Sunday the 5th,. That day turned out all right. I never know what to expect. I got up late, had box cereal breakfast and tidied the room after Mary left. (she worked in one cafeteria) and then was off to church. Then I set out on a walk, needing to get the prior day's depression out of my system. The miles slid by, five of them out east to "outfit alley" where nothing was then parked, numbered a lot more trains and and got as weary as I needed until my fretful thoughts became just sweet hazy dreams. Finally started back to campus. A little blue VW passed me. I turned and saw the license plate and 700 hit my eyes...I puzzled a moment and then hurried back, got tidied up and waited for the call I hoped would come. It came quicker than I expected, about 4:30. After I identified myself to the operator: "Hello. What are you doing now?" "Talking to you on the phone." "How about going out to dinner?"
In a short while I was out to slip into Bluebird. Dusty was all dressed up and his eyes smiled at me as we pulled away. He's been in Flag most of the weekend--no wonder I was so restless. Turned out that Peggy and her boyfriend just got engaged and the two sets of parents apparently felt a need to meet. I assume Mrs Watt came up there too. I don't know how that went, but okay I guess. Anyway that was why, so we went to the Afton House and enjoyed our first real dinner together. Afterwards there was still plenty of time to go for a drive. We had a fine long time to snuggle and talk, starting to make some tentative plans and believe there could be a future. I was back to the dorm at the proper time and then relived it all, 100 times over--almost as special. He told me it was my Valentine's gift. Funny how Dusty always says I am little --which seems odd as I do not think of myself as small. Slim but not little! Perhaps the semi-ex is stocky or even fat? On the other side, Jim always says how tall I am--but he is 6'2" or so and Dusty about 5'10" Shakes head here!
Monday was the inevitable let-down but I edged back into 'real life' (or was it?) and tried to settle into studies. I told myself I could not afford to fail out now--for me that would be dropping far under my 1.5 goal since I now knew I *could* do that. The rest of the week went on, rather ordinary, not at all bad but nothing worth relating. By Thursday I said I was kind of anxious to go down to the valley. It will be a sort of relief for two days--hopefully not long enough for much conflict. And Friday I had the first tests of the new session on and they seemed to go well enough. The Boss arrived and I went back to Clarkdale.
Pictures: Some of the snow sculptures. They were mostly well done and very cool! I think the 1st was the Foresters. Sorry I did not credit the creators in any notes etc. By the next year I guess I did not take any photos. By then things had already changed quite a lot.
