Anna Larson and Nancy Merriman

‘Ello Anners! 6-5-07
Oi Mee! You were at trading day when you sent your letter! I’m sorry buddy ‘ol pal, I haven’t gotten around to my penny pals for far too long! They’ve been neglectified!! But I can FINALLY get on top o’ things now that Proper School exams are over and I’m first chair still! I don’t know if I could ever show my furry face in public again if Sonja dethroned me!! I’m glad that you like sewing. You’re a very proper lady, Anna! Do you think Rachel is a properer lady than me? Because she got a better score than me at proper school! And she won’t stop gloating about it to me! But she does it in a way that doesn’t get her in trouble with mommy! Aaarghy! How are the piggies? Looooove, Nafy Quack M.

Hoi Nafy! September. 20. 2006
Oh that’s just too bad that you got into trouble. It must be very hard for you to stay out of trouble, but you know, sewing isn’t TOO bad. I am about to start sewing myself warm winter underclothes. They will be very fuzzy and yummy warm! Hooray! Right now Clara’s family is here at our house for the harvest and we’re going to do trading day. W e just made about a dozen ladders and about three hundred candles to trade to them for a lot of new yarn to weave and knit with. AND we really need matches! Does your family use candles, Nafy?
Luvsies, Anna L.

Ahoy Anna! Augustly 31stest 2006
I got into a lot of trouble today because I got into a fist fight with William over who was going to run the shop. It is not fair that boys can fight all they want and girls get into big trouble about it!! ‘Tis not fun to sew a full set of napkins. I had to do it for mother this afternoon as a punishment. Waaaaa!!! I think that after I am done writing letters I will go out and climb up the apple tree. Then I’ll have a little chomp on the red things and come up with a stragedy. No, tragedy. Oh, Strategy! For what? (You ask.) Well, I need to figure out how I am going to keep myself out of trouble so I don’t have to sew lace on those napkins!! Heeheeheehee. I did not know that “Papa” meant “cow.” Now I do! Ya learn something new every day! I like piggies too, but I would get in trouble if I got myself one. Mother banned me from playing piano for the next THREE days! Waaaaa!!!!
Lovesies, Nafy Quack M.

Hoi Nafy! August 18^th, 2006
Don’t cry buddy! I will see you SOMETIME, for sure! Did you hear about the new general store? Well, silly me- of course you have. It’s YOUR store. Heehee!
Did William steal your piano? Oh no! You’d better steal it back! Right now baby Peder is in his backpack on my back, it’s really cute. He learned how to say “Papa” yesterday- it means “cow” I think, hahaha! I like fishing, but I like piggies better. J
Love, Anna L.

Dear Anna! 8.15.06
Buddy ‘ol pal! I have not seen you in a long time! ‘Tis a crying shame! Waaa! I bet Mrs. Wickon just comes down to your food stand and decides that her pitty-pat is set on buying whatever you don’t have. You see, because she acts or sings or whatever she likes to create drama and more drama and drama drama drama wherever she goes. I have never gone fishing because I am not allowed to.
I end up being the person frying the fish. Do you like tea??? We are going to have lots of different kinds of it in Daddy’s store. So far I like the smell of the Double Spice Chai the bestest. Well, I am going to go take my piano back from William now! Fare thee well!
Lovesies, Nafy Quack M.

Dear Nafy, 8.7.06
Goodness Gracious! The Montoyas like to make a fortune selling food to people like you guys and the Parkingtons who can’t find it at the market! It’s rather ridiculous, but it’s also very smart, if you think about it.
Mrs. Wickon also always likes to come to the food stand and demand a lot of everything we don’t have yet. It’s very annoying. Like just now, she came down asking for pancakes. We ALWAYS have pancakes! But it just so happened that we didn’t have them this once. Grrrr…
Right now Mr. Montoya is fishing in the river and all the fish are absolutely swarming towards him, I don’t know how he’s doing it! Do you like fishing? I don’t. Poor fishies!!
Well, I have to go bake a batch of bread. Don’t stamp on too many footsies! Hehee! Love, Anna L.

Dear Anna, June 15^th, 2006
Well I haven’t really stepped on anyone’s feetsies quite yet other than William’s because he is the only person so far to try and take away my purse from me. I never knew that it was polite for men to sneeze together! Lizbit sure is smart. She knows all kinds of things that I don’t know. She even told me once that I should ALWAYS hold snowballs on leashes! Heeheeheheha!!! I never woulda thought to do that! I wonder if the wee babe has any special powers? Can he do anything unusualbible? I have to make dinner tonight because Lissie is feeling ill after tumbling down the stairs and mother is sewing herself a new gown and I did not think up an excuse quick enough so I am stuck with the chore. I would like muchos to come and explore the halls of the mountain kings with you when we both have time… Have you seen any TROLLS hangin’ around yonder mountain? (Other than Koofen, of course, heeheeheehee, only joking J)Heehee I like smiley faces with a quill pen!
Guess what??? My mommy just paid FIFTY DOLLARS for a pumpking from the Montoyas, can you believe it? Highway robbery is what it’s called. I like playing highway robbery with William and the carriage. It is funnn. The treehouse is gone. L My father built a smokehouse there over the barn. Yours ‘till Sonja is normal, Nafy Quack M.

Hi Nafy! May 30^th, 2006
Have you really stamped on someone’s little toesies before? I never knew that was a polite thing to do. But then I never knew it was polite for men to sneeze together until Lizbit told me. Hehe!
Well, the little baby is here now. He’s just staring at me right now and blinking. Isn’t that cute? And he just moved his eyebrow. How cuuuuuuute! I wish I could move MY eyebrow. Hmpph. I am just about to do my chores for the first time in our new house. It is really nice here; I can’t wait to really explore the mountain around here but right now I have to do too much stuff. The food stand is kind of a disastrous disaster right now!
What have YOU been doing, Nafers? Is the treehouse still there?
Love, Anna L.

Deary Anna, Marchth 1^st, 200&6
Cooking and sewing do sound boring usually but not when you are doing it for a wee babe! I like cooking too, but only when it’s liberty biscuits. Do you eat liberty biscuits? I bake them about three times each day. I think the wee babe will be a boy. Sorry!!! But you see, it has to be a boy because then your and my families will be just exactly the same except that they are swizzled around. You just have to make sure the wee thing isn’t influenced by *the operator*!! (If you know who I mean!) Mommy is writing a recipe for fried ham with GRAAAAAAAAVY right now. Yumsies! Did you know that the polite way to tell someone not to steal your purse is to stamp on their footsies? That’s what my mommy told me.
Love, Nafy Quack M.

Dear Nafy! 2.18.06
Oh dear, I almost called you Nancy instead of Nafy! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I wrote! Yes, it’s not very exciting for it to snow here, but it is exciting that it has stopped snowing now and the sun is coming down in a lovely way. I’m watching my potato soup bubble on the fire because we are going to bring it to the Valentine’s party! What have you been doing lately? I have been cooking and sewing, which sounds very boring, but it’s exciting to me because we’re sewing a baby quilt for the baby that my mommy is going to have!! It’s going to be the prettiest little baby you’ve ever seen. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl? What do you think it’ll be? Write back, Nafy! Love, Anna L.

Dear Anna,
No, I’m not bored that often, in fact I’m only ever bored when I’ve run out of things to do! A lemonade stand would be great! We could earn a lot of money that way, I’m sure auntie Celine would buy loads! HoohoohooHoo! Yeah! That would be SOOO cool if the double P went on tour! You know what would also be fun is if just you and me went to

Norway

and stuff like we did way back then, and Clara could come too!! We could picinic by the fee-ords and hike with our own feetsies across the alps! Whaddya think? I can’t believe it’s already April, the months are just boinging by! Pretty soon I’ll have to start making my Christmas presents again! WBASAPEIYDWTILIIYD!! (Write back as soon as possible even if you don’t want to I’d like it if you did!!)
Love, Nafy Quack M.

Dear Anna! 12/1/05
It’s SNOWINGGG!!!!!!! I know that’s probably not very exciting news for you because it snows at your house all the time, but it is fantasteristic for mwa!! We got our Christmas tree all up and ready to go today. Now it’s just waiting for presents to go underneath it. I haven’t even started my presents yet! I hope that we won’t mess up our chocolate dance at any of the performances! What if Mrs. M. switches our dance (cuz we can’t do it yet) to COFFEE?! Yuuuck!! I much rather prefer chocolate, thank you muchos. Well deary dear! Look at the time it is! I must be like tigger and bounce! Ta Ta Darlin’! Love, Nafy Quack M.

Dear Nafy, 8/31/05
I suppose they are pretty insane for not casting us as the stars for the next movie, but at least you have a walk-on role! I must not have been a very good actress because I’m not even in it. Don’t you and Elizabeth get to do Nancy V News? That’ll be cool!
I hope you get out of the hospital in time for ballet today so we can practice our grrrrrreat chocolate dance!! Hooray for us!!
Anna L.

Dear Anna, 7.26.05
Dat’s so kewl that you make your very own icey cream out of your very own razzleberries! But dat is definitely NOT kewl that WE are not the stars of the next movie! It’ll be a flop! A disaster! A disgrace to the legend of film! How will we ever be able to show our furry faces again? I think that Mr. Montoya has actually lost his wobbles this time. He’s going insane, nutso! Crazy! He’s having hallucidations! He’s in historics! It’s all over! Aaaaah!!! Run for your loooiiivvveeesss! MONSTER MONTOYA!!!! Now THAT would be a kewl movie…..
Luv, Nafy Quack M.

Dear Nafy, September 3^rd, 2001
Hiya! You aren’t looking forward to regular school at all? Aaaw. I can’t wait!! My outfit’s all ready, and middle skoo should be koo! Hahahhaa… I’m glad we get to do “chocolate” together in the Nutcracker. Everyone will see we’re a perfect match! Don’t you LOVE ballet? I do. I’m so glad I get to take it. What skoo classes are you in? I hope we’re together!? Well, I have to pack a lunch. Love, Anna L.

Dear Anna,
Hello! I really wish that you would go to proper school, isn’t it aaaaaawful being not in the same school as your bestest buddy??? You need to come over to my house, we’ll have loads of fun and play dolls, play Tarzan, and we can dress up and dance in the living room! It’ll be grrrrreat fun fun fun fun fun!! I’m really working hard for the piano competition coming up. I HAVE to beat PAUL!!! And I WILL beat him, too! Well, bye bye.
Love, Nancy Quack M.

Dear Nafy,
I really like your stationary! It’s so you!! I’m practicing my cursive, how is it? I think everybuggy did the play very well! How is Raggedy Ann? Tiki is doing fine. She’s starting school!
Anna L.

Dear Nan, 10-26-97
You did an egg-celent job on your omelet in cooking class today!! Do you like the stationary? The stickers? You are SUPER!!!! Well, gotta go,
Your friend, Anna L.