Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Jan 22-1943

Dear Daddy –

Have been writing V-mail this week but thought I would try this again. As far as my letters going by air in the past I am sure most of them didn’t the way you haven’t rec’d them. I wish I could do something to speed the delivery at your end of the line. I have gotten 7 letters this week – The last dated Jan 12 so that makes mine pretty well up to date.

It is sunny this morning and the boys are back in school after being out due to blizzard Tues & snow drifts making travel uncertain. Three days this week school was out. I suppose they will have to make that time up somehow, but school was started early last fall so they could get out earlier in the spring. We still have snow. I started to run the car in the garage and got stuck in the snow – Had to

[page 2] shovel the snow away from the tires. The first sow we had was Sept 25 while I was in the hospital. Clara M. said we would have 25 snows this winter and I am beginning to believe it. Last night the moon was full and it made the snow look beautiful. I wish I had taken a picture of the front yard Wed. after the wind Tues. The snow was blown in drifts and it looked like rock formation. Then the mail man came along and walked across it and spoiled the scenic effect. There are tracks over it in every direction now and it isn’t very pretty. It has been so cold and so much firing there is a lot of soot on it now.

Bill brought us a load of wood on his wheelbarrow. He said he would keep us supplied. He called me Tues night and said he was writing you a letter. They were so glad to hear from you. Arlene is going to review the article in

[page 3] Nat’l Geographic for Literary Club and has asked me to help her out some. I am going to loan her the shells & necklace for display. I gave your Mother some of the shells you sent and gave Betty & Buddy a few. We still have a dish full that we show off when anyone comes who hasn’t seen them. I haven’t mounted the coral yet but have been trying to get an idea how to do it.

In your letter rec’d today you wondered what rationing is like. So far it hasn’t bothered us because I get all the coffee I need and 4 gal gas a week in winter is more than I have used – due to so much snow haven’t traveled much. The meat situation hasn’t bothered us due to the locker and Parttens have promised us another quarter from one they are fattening now. Zells got 300 baby chicks and they are getting almost heavy enough to fry so think I’ll buy a few and put in the locker – if they aren’t too high. I don’t believe

[page 4] the price will be any lower in the spring. I told you before they have a chicken house directly north of their house. He is more like a farmer than any Agent we have had here in the last three. I said something about them living on a farm and Mrs. Z. said the farmers in this county don’t want their agent living on a farm for competitive reasons. Mr. Z. says he is going to have the entire back part of their lot in garden this summer – I think he is inclined to be a little “hot headed” but they have been good neighbors and have gone out of their way to help us. They aren’t the card playing, drinking kind. In fact they don’t even play cards. They have 3 girls and the Mr. wanted a boy so bad he was almost reduced to tears when the last girl was born. Hope I haven’t bored you talking about the Zells but I got started and kept on rambling.

Irene was over Sat. afternoon. She is still talking like she did before you left about working. She seems to be developing a nervous

[page 5] complex and can’t stand to be in crowds. She went to see Dr. Cole and he told her if she didn’t get better she would have to rest in the hospital. She said she wrote you a letter – Maybe she told you about her symptoms. She doesn’t look sick but that doesn’t always mean anything. We took some pictures in the den and the one enclosed shows the baby pretty good. He will be 4 mo old tomorrow and if the weather permits we are going to Hubertz and have some pictures made – of all of us. The pictures I took with our camera do very good for indoors but aren’t as good as in the sunlight. If I had a speed Kodak I could do better, but it will be warm enough before long and we can go out in the yard for pictures.

As yet the uniform money hasn’t come. I am going to see Agnes and get the taxes figured out. Have the figure you sent. She says we should file separate returns but I don’t know all about that – Have only talked to her on the phone so far. Will

[page 6] go to her office and get it all straightened out next week.

Florence Puetz called me yesterday. Their baby boy born Dec 13 is growing too. He weighed 6-9 at birth and now is over 8 lbs. She said he is growing faster than Rita did. She goes to Dr. Cole. Said Ray had the flu and both children had had colds. There seems to be a lot of sickness around but that is to be expected this time of year with the weather as it has been.

Going back to rationing subject – what seems queer around here now is the filing stations closed at night – most of them – and John Krull’s restaurant closed. Also Boonies little place by Standard is closed temporarily. Dorothy says they have all the noon trade they can take care of. I suppose they would get some increase from the other two places.

The papers came today but I haven’t read them yet. David is taking a little nap before his 2 P.M. bottle – then he will be awake most of the afternoon – Will be glad when I can take him out again.

Love
Mother

©2013 copyright owned and written by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2013/11/13/pretty-well-up-to-date-gladys/