Dear Cathy:

HAPPY 17th ANNIVERSARY!

Rose des Maures with 17 Petals
Hybrid Gallica (1947)
Breeder: Sackville-West

In honor of the 17th anniversary
of our meeting at Foothill College
Middlefield Lab on May 8, 2000,
Truman's and your Dad's birthday,
here are 17 red roses gathered for you—

Found a Hawaii cover with May 8, 1896 postmark—
Hawaii #74 1¢ stamp on #U3 4¢ Postal Stationery Cover with Honolulu, Hawaii, May 8, 1896 postmark

U.S. 867 Walt Whitman (issued 2-20-1940)

Walter Teller (Ed.), Walt Whitman's Camden Conversations (1973) Horace Traubel visited Whitman daily for four years (1888-1892), and took notes whatever Whitman said. In 1906, fourteen years after Whitman's death, he published With Walt Whiman in Camden. Four volumes followed, a total of 2600 pages. Teller selected the best of Whitman from Traubel's pages. May 8, 1888 I used to be Walter— started that way: then I became Walt. My father was Walter. He had a right to Walter. I had to be distinguished from him so I was made Walt. My friends kicked: Walter looked and sounded better: and so forth, and so forth. But Walt stuck. (pp. 74-75)

Czechoslovakia 726 (issued 10-27-1955)

May 8, 1888 I was up, it was near midnight: I felt a gnawing something here— a void— so I took some of the cakes [sent by Traubel's sister] and ate them alone, in the dark, in the dead silence. How much (perhaps all) the value of a thing— your joy, satisfaction, with it— consists in having it just at the right time: it may be a trifle but it is opportune. That's the way it was with the cakes. A little something at the right time is better than much and running over at the wrong time. (p. 133)

May you enjoy this page, this day, and every day!

With well wishes,

Peter
5-8-2017