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Dear Miss Blue,

Your letter this morning was just filled with news of all kinds and I must first of all ask about Melba's cough.  Sitting there in the theater with you, sharing the music and beautiful voices while she coughed surely was irritating for everyone in the theater. I imagine the ushers were called to bring a supply of handkerchiefs and a paper bag to hold the used ones in. Well, that is too bad, Miss Blue. Turandot is so dramatic, with suspense and winning love and sadness; that is how opera is.  I listen to the Saturday afternoon opera broadcasts on the radio and just listening and imagining the story is exciting for me.  So you remembered that my singing roommate always wore her pajamas under her costume!  The pajamas always were of the same color and usually carried out the motif of the opera so they were very elegant although sometimes rather scary - with dragons and giants or whatever the opera was about.  (Once I visited the opera's costume room with rows of sewing machines and everyone bent over the material as the needles moved in and out stitching the designs needed for the costumes.  You would have loved it all, Miss Blue, with your beautiful singing voice that was made for the stage; and the many lovely quilts you have made. I am thinking of making a quilt .  I am sure you are surprised to hear this. So am I!  Just a thought!)

Love, Pearl