Audrey: I’m reading a novel by Max Brand called The Galloping Danger. It is in large print. It’s a library book. As I’ve told you, we need to read a book over three times. The first time we read the book, we only get a bit. It takes three to four readings to really understand the book.

Amber comes over and takes me for a ride and trips to the beach. I’m having a wonderful time. I like riding around! I hope to see Violet (Kettelle). Everything going along. The children are growing up and starting to run around. They are cute, little kids.

Audrey: I just had breakfast. I sit and read and look out the window. Two old ladies walk by every day. I’m reading Huckleberry Finn and The Christmas Carol by Dickens. Nothing stays much in my head.

Audrey: B.J. Chute wrote three books, Weeping Willow and another book with the title of a girl’s name and I can’t remember the third book right now. She writes so beautifully and every sentence you love to read it. I could read it two or three times. She lived in New England and wrote around 1950.

Hope is represented by the perched bird sitting as high as it can get on a person.

“The little bird of hope sings on in the hearts and souls of those with CMT knowing that the cure will soon be captured and domesticated.” I created that logo design when I was around sixty years old.

I’m so glad that you and Doug are doing so much to try and promote all this.

Audrey: I haven’t ever been back, only in my dreams. Now, I never remember from one day to the next. Time is awfully short. Everything happens to you and I no longer have any sense of timing. I never remember after the day. But I don’t worry. Time doesn’t mean anything anymore. It is all happening right now. Time means nothing. Everything is now. “Now” is your world.

Everybody praises me and says I am beautiful now and I always thought I was ugly, with a long face. Here at Alpine, I am never alone, all the residents are so sociable and I have lots of fun. Out in the dining room, men and women sit together. I stand up a lot and get in my chair, which sits by my bed. I ride around everywhere. I push myself with my arms or feet. An old gentleman pushes me everywhere. I have all kinds of friends. Ladies, we talk and get together and do things in workshops, stuffing pillows, making pretty pictures, trays. We are having a great time.

Audrey Mae MacDonald

Audrey: I feel as if my life was floating along with my head out of water. Not deep in trouble but not too graciously happy either. Just floating along with my head just out of water. Of course, the happiest time in life was when I held a baby. I used to tell your father that the children come first.

Audrey: I’m just looking at my book that you made for me.

(Explanation: Book refers to a WilsonJones Catalog Rack used to display 11″ by 8″ copies of Mother’s art, writing, history, etc. There were over a hundred different copies of Audrey Mae’s work.)

Audrey Mae MacDonald reading her books at her daughter Deardra’s home

Audrey: I’m doing fine. I feel good. Everything is going just fine. My feet and legs seem very good. My legs are pretty strong. I go along my simple way. In life, (an analogy) I’m in water with just head out. That’s all I want—just to keep my head above water. In life, I’m walking along. I have everything I want. I have a common sense way of thinking about life. Life is not a sad way. It is not that I want this or I want that. I just go along. If I have sadness, I just keep walking along in life. I seldom felt blue. It (my life) was all right. It wasn’t super. I entertained myself a lot. I kept myself busy with my books. I’ve had so much pleasure in looking up things. I have a magnifying glass the size of the paper and I put this on the paper to read. Why does the name Soloman Levi keep coming into my head? I do not know if that was a book or a song or who he was but the name keeps coming into my head?

*Solomon Levi was a song

Audrey: I’m afraid I will live that long! (Laughter)

Oh, here are the mourning birds! They walk around. They move all the time. They make a mourning noise. I thought it was morning birds at first. Then I read it was mourning birds. They make a sad, mourning sound. There goes a robin hopping along. Oh, the robin is walking too. I guess he does both?