Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Sept. 19-1943

Dear Daddy –

Sun. evening & bedtime. Glen, Pauline, the babies & I went to Laf. today. John & Mark stayed home. David was so full of pep he wore us all down. Slept all the way home. He is tucked in now but was so tired from the trip he was a little cross before going to bed. James is a much quieter baby than D. Glen doesn’t know what to do about going back home yet. He hates to leave with Mother so low and feels he should get back to work. Mother looked much thinner today & Fri. and seemed weaker. She wouldn’t eat any supper – Dr. had ordered some new medicine for her and after taking the first dose threw it right up. The nurse brought in another dose at 4 P.M. – There were 4 large brown tablets and I think it was ammonium nitrate. She kept the last dose down but refused to eat at 5 P.M. I looked at her abdomen and she was distended quite a lot. It is full of fluid. Mrs. Zell came over to see about Virginia going to Laf. with us Tues. & when I told her Mother is thinner she said she didn’t think it possible, however she is.

Glen worked on the storm windows Sat. He washed the frames and when he gets the windows washed will hang them. He gets chocked up once in a while but is better than when he first came. He said the window casings should be washed but I told him just to brush the dirt off & wash windows.

[page 2] It was warmer today than usual. Warm enough to be out without wraps & so far since cooler weather wraps were in order. Seems to me we are having an early fall – while driving we can see flocks of birds going mostly south – if that means anything. I told Glen it will probably turn warm after we get the storm windows on. He wanted to know how we got any ventilation after putting all those storm windows on. I told him when these prairie winds blow across here we get ventilation. I told him it was hard to keep that wind out. I suppose they have winds in Nev. but any wind would have to be strong to beat these.

I am sitting on the edge of our bed writing. I came up to get to bed early but it’s past 10:30 and no shut eye yet. I want to get this written. David is sound asleep but a little stopped up – I was a little worried about him having a cold so early in the fall but have decided it is an allergy – here one day & gone the next. He sounds now like he has some mucous in his nose but not enough to wake him up. John is better of his condition. Dr. Van Buskirk gave me a bromide prescription to have filled & I did what you have had patients do – didn’t get it. Dr. Van says John is nervous & needs the sedative for his system but I know John – he is like he has been all his life – his cough is gone and I am not going to give him bromides. Dr. V. doesn’t know our John – just because he squirmed around when he tried to look into his nose & throat he tabbed him as too nervous. Well John is better & no medicine so I guess that is O.K. –

Love Mother

Pauline Foster with James L., circa 1943

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/02/19/these-prairie-winds-gladys/