My last Tuesday at 20th Street. We're dropping our winter schedules for the summer one, so this is the last time I'll be here for my weekly Bible studies. Ronnie didn't go to school today I guess he didn't get up in time. He and Greg went to see his mother.

I made friends with Ronald St. Clair's snake big ol' black snake shedding its skin. He is now keeping it in a bag upstairs in his room. Barb's going to love that when she comes home. The little kitten loves to play with it. The snake doesn't like that, though. Ronald said it bit the kitten last night. The kitten just can't resist batting at anything that moves. Ronald loves animals I think especially now because he's lonely. He's new, in the house and in the neighborhood, and doesn't have any friends yet. He was living at camp, but was sent back into the city for some reason, and is at 20th Street temporarily, because his mom won't take him in.

The snake really gives him status in the neighborhood. He's always sitting on somebody's steps with it coiled around his hand, and a whole bunch of people staring.

I peeked at Ronnie's album. I'm glad I decided let to the guys put their own pictures in, because his really looks nice he arranged the pictures much more artistically than I would have, plus added some of his own. He's really quite artistic! He painted his room a powder blue and trimmed it with apple green and has Christian posters hanging on the walls.

He told me that Frances moved back to the projects.

“She loves those projects," he said ruefully. Building 2308, Apt. 108. Clara is back with her, and so is James, I guess and she's still with Brother's family. But Brother's living with his aunt in Germantown. He's a quiet, good natured, withdrawn boy who likes to read. Ronnie thinks a lot of him.

That kitten really loves Ronnie. He had flopped down on the sofa and was gently petting the kitten, who was in a little ball on his stomach. The kitten was purring away. He seems to really take care of it, even to the nastier tasks like emptying a nasty food dish and giving him fresh food, in the middle of his supper because kitty acted hungry.

When the guys found out I was there for the day, they immediately wanted me to cook their supper that night, which I did. Made real mashed potatoes, corn muffins, veal parmigiana, and creamed corn. Ronnie and I were there alone at the beginning of the meal. I didn't even ask him to pray, but he did after a few false starts! His prayer was funny very conversational: He said,

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Please bless this food. mmmmm and please bless my dear white mother, wherever she is, and that's at camp, I hope! Mmm--and please bless the rest of these fools. Amen.”

Had a good crowd of girls at Reddy's today. Mrs. Reddy is something else. The introduction of my story was about how hard it would be to see and get to talk to President Nixon but that there was Someone greater than him that we can talk
to anytime.

So right in the middle of my story, she came in and said, "Excuse me but Can Do took a bunch of kids to Washington, D.C. yesterday. Yeah! Did you see the White House?" she asked a little girl.

"Who did you see?" and so on. I get used to things like that at her house.

Was passing out camp forms tonight at 20th Street, and I got to talk in Spanish to a lady from Puerto Rico, who's only been in the States for seven months. She has seven children and no one speaks English. She says she can't get used to it here and wants to go back, because nobody speaks Spanish here and there's much thievery and badness, more than in Puerto Rico. She doesn't go out often and has hardly no friends. She was very friendly and nice to talk to and she's willing to send her thirteen year old daughter, Yolanda, to camp! That's unusual for a Spanish family, because they are very close knit and very protective of their women.

But she'll send her as long as I'll go with her and be responsible for
her all weekend. Yolanda can't speak English. That should be interesting! The lady was very concerned about her daughter wearing a bathing suit if there were going to be "barones" (boys) there too. She didn't like that idea, so I assured her that our camp weekends weren't co ed. The Puerto Rican term for a black person is "un moreno." Never knew that. In Chile moreno always referred to hair color.

Jackie has made friends with Yolanda and is learning Spanish from her. She lives right next door. Yolanda went to Bible School even though she couldn't understand any English this June! Oh, yes, while I was talking to her mother, an American Priest came to visit, and he immediately addressed me in Spanish guess I do look pretty Latin!

He said, "Buenos dias, Senorita O es Senora?"

"I'm American.” I smiled.