Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
July 3 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

I am starting to write again before the mail comes, hoping I’ll get this finished before he gets here so he can pick this up. I got the bank statement and dep. checks, went around and paid bills, came back home and figured everything down so I could give you the bare facts about our financial standing, and it isn’t too high but a lot had to come out this time. As I wrote you I pd off the Ins. loan on your

[page 2] old pol. And it was $246.91 – also paid Link for the bike 35⁰⁰ so that took about all the extra you had sent. The Hancock has to be pd in July so I have already written ck for the three premiums which total $77.28 and that is deducted from the bank acct and I now have a balance of $91.13 – but that includes the last two cks. mother rec’d (52⁰⁰). However half of that amt. I think should be considered outs. There is nothing of any size that has to be paid now until the auto Ins. is due in Aug. & that won’t have to be pd. till Sept. There is a new law that everyone operating a car has to carry $11,000 liability – and if there

[page 3] is an accident and the person hasn’t the correct amt. of Ins. he not only loses privilege to drive but his car is put up for a certain period of time & can’t even be sold. I think it’s high time drastic measures be taken. – Well the mail man beat me again, but I don’t care, your letters of June 24 & 25 came and you had mine of June 8, 9, 10 & 11. – I sent a bunch of pictures on the 12^th Maybe it will reach you next. Also last Sat. I sent you a single picture of David made by a photographer. You don’t need to worry about Mother carrying D. downstairs. She hardly lifts him at all now since she isn’t feeling

[page 4] well. I took her back to Dr. M. yesterday and he told her to keep taking sulfasuxadine two more days then bring in another urine specimen. She doesn’t eat and is so thin. I fix things I think will help her eat but she doesn’t and I don’t know what to do! I think it’s that old bowel trouble. Dr. M. said he thought she had cronic nefritis (I think that is misspelled) but she says she doesn’t have any pain in her kidneys or bladder and she does have pain in her bowels. She is still taking Bepron and says it doesn’t hurt her stomach – He told her to keep taking it. I have been thinking about taking her to the hospital for observation

[page 5] but thought I would give Dr. M. a chance to see what he can do, but if she doesn’t improve soon I will do something else. I don’t want to be unreasonable, I know how you used to get put out with people who expected a miracle cure.

David is in his bed in the nursery – we have it in front of the window so he can “watch the world go by.” He is singing a sleepy song. He certainly can get around. I wrote you about the “cradle Gym” I got for him. It is stretched across the bed and he keeps breaking the springs which are made of plastic. He is so rough he breaks any toy that is breakable.

[page 6] He has such strength in his arms he can pull himself up almost entirely with his hands & arms. His legs are sturdy but he depends on his arms to get up. He now has one shoe and sox off. He is supposed to be able to do that feat when he is a year old but he beat the book by a few months. When he was still wearing bootees, before he got to standing he kept someone busy putting his sox & bootees on. Every time I take him out and someone sees him for the first time, It’s always, “He looks like his daddy.” He still sucks his left thumb but not all the time. The last two mornings he has slept till 7 a.m. – and I want to keep him

[page 7] on that schedule 7-11-3-7 if I can.

I told Mother we would go to Ruth’s for the week-end if she had better sleeping accommodations, but with the boys already there, I think we will wait and go over Mon. and just spend the day. Ruth wants us to come to Bluffton and visit sometime this summer. She is working in a little factory at present so could hardly have company & work. However, I think we will at least try to make it over some week-end – – Just had to stop & give David some attention and a drink of water. I am trying to teach him to drink water out of a cup so he will know how to take milk when it’s time to do without the bottle –

[page 8]  This is a lazy Sat. morn. Mother is lying down – It’s not too hot or cold and I haven’t done anything yet but write and change David. I washed yesterday and with the boys gone there isn’t much that has to be done today – except cook something for Mother & I. I saw Irene take Jimmy with her this morning. Mrs. James left for Ft. Wayne yesterday. Link & Irene are going to Monticello next week – I suppose they will go this evening. It certainly is quiet around the neighborhood now, but John & Mark will pick thinks up a little next week.

I hope I convey everything in
“Love Mother”

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
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