Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
1-27-44

Dear Daddy –

Rec’d yours of Jan. 16, 17 & 19 today. David is taking a nap just now, I have lunch cooking and thought I would write the daily line while I have time to sit and think. That is quite a job when David is awake and going. It seems to me he is much more restless than either J. or M. Before this last cold I could pen him up in the nursery and get something done in the mornings, but last week when he had a temp I kept him on the couch and was with him constantly, consequently he doesn’t want to be alone now. This morning I finally put him in his bed and he went to sleep. I was getting along fine on the thumb business until last week and not wanting him to cry when it caused him to cough, let down on the breaking business and the past two days he has been keeping a thumb in his mouth almost constantly. I pin his sleeves shut at night so he can’t get to them at night but the first thing he does when I take his sleepers off if to stick either one or both thumbs in his mouth. I have one thumb guard on today so he is using the other thumb. I took him out for a long walk yesterday. It was so warm out I knew it wouldn’t hurt him. He still coughs but so many people do. There must be a cough bug around this year.

[page 2] John is coughing now. He told David he got a cough from him. I think John’s cough may be an allergy. He had one such last fall. When I took him to Dr. V. he said it was hay fever. John went back to school this a.m. after taking yesterday p.m. off. He had a terrible headache but it was due to reading a book & writing a review – working too constantly on it. He reads all the time but not quite as steadily on this book. The way he like to read it, is too bad his eyes bother him. However, I wish sometimes he would get out a little more. I think he would be happy just to study all the time without any activity and that isn’t normal. I am glad he has to take physical ed. in school. Mark on the other hand studies just as little as possible and is always ready to play something out of doors. He gets out in the yard and kicks his football around if he doesn’t have anyone to play with.

It has been so warm the past week, yesterday was just like a spring day. It is too dry for the good of crops in the spring. The government is already predicting crop shortages next summer, or if not shortages, the crops won’t come up to last years. We haven’t had much snow or rain either this winter. Of course this is easy on the present coal supply but that isn’t all to think about. I do hope they get in more of the better coal but am afraid they won’t. I think we have enough yet to run us thru the coldest part of the winter, providing we don’t have an unusually cold March, which we may have since it is so warm now.

[page 3] The Democrat had the acc’t of Mrs. Kindall’s death. I didn’t know she was ill but the paper says she had been down two weeks. She used to stop and visit with me once in a while, and had been here not so long ago. I suppose it was her diabetes.

Bun Walkup hauled the clinkers yesterday. I had been trying to get him to get them for weeks. We had quite a pile, due to that Ind. coal we used in Nov. He says he will have to go in Feb. for his physical. He thinks he won’t pass. I told him he probably would. He seems to think he has enough wrong with him to keep him out but apparently he is enjoying good health.

Had a letter from Juanita. Ralph is in the Navy now. He was due to go in the Army but joined the Navy instead. She also told me Aunt Minerva had passed away – I don’t know when – the family didn’t let me know. I sent Aunt M. a birthday card (Nov. 14) and I had a letter from her after that but that was the last I heard from her.

– – It is afternoon now. David is awake, has been fed and in and out of everything he can find. I finally penned him up in the nursery and he is now dragging his bath towel around to amuse himself. His favorite place to play is the downstairs bathroom. He had his nap this morning so is full of pep for the afternoon.

[page 4] It is raining now. I hope we have more and tho I don’t care for cold weather, would rather have it now than later in the spring.

While walking yesterday met Mrs. Krull. She had been with Louise, but Father Krull died and after attending the funeral in Ohio, Mrs. Krull decided to remain home. I told her D. had a cough – She said “Are you greasing him?” I said “What good would that do?” She said “You young mothers.” – She related some experiences at Louise’s about using some home remedies on the new baby – of course on her own – Louise doesn’t share her mother’s belief in the curative powers of goose grease, etc. She said I should use goose grease on David.

Margaret Kruman is taking her yearly vacation in Fla. I see in the paper that Mrs. Shandy & son have gone to Miami to join Cliff. I imagine Marg. went with Mrs. S. – They both left Monday. Also Mrs. Dixon & Nettie have gone and I saw in last week’s paper that Mrs. Dye, son Ross & Gladys Webber had gone to Fla. together.

Lucile just called and while we talked D. went from one thing to another, the last thing he did to get me to stop talking was get some bread out and scatter it over the floor. Lucile was having similar trouble with J.E. David is being unusually – whatever you want to call it today.

“Love Mother”

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
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