Tag Archives: Irene (James) Staton

Mystery Temperature (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland, Ind.
1-21-44

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Jan. 6, 7, 8, & 11 came today. In fact I just finished reading them and thought I would answer while things are fresh in my mind. About that tax $6.60 – that was the first quarter last year gross – I quit paying after that. I talked to Agnes a few days ago and she told me not to file even Federal, so will just let it ride. Our present bank bal. is around $70.oo but all bills are paid. The first of Feb. the income will take care of ins. due (J., M. & D.) and current bills and we should have a good bal. Maybe enough for a bond. David got enough Christmas money to get a new bond. I think J. or M. will get it at school to give their school credit during the present Bond drive.

David flared up with a temp. yesterday but now it is gone. He has had a hang-on cough from the flue he had following our visit to Mutchlers and he coughs more now. He had a temp. all night.

[page 2] I put him in bed with me because I figured he would be restless. He had 101 2/5 rectally about 7 A.M. but now 9:45 he is normal. I have him established on the studio couch with a cover over him and toys around him which he keeps throwing on the floor. He doesn’t feel too bad because he laughs & plays. I put his house slippers on him. He pulled them and his sox off, but his feet & legs are covered with the spread. He ate a pretty good breakfast and had two B.M.’s on the toidey. I called the Dr. and talked to him about D. He told me to give him the same pills I gave him when he had the flu. I was going to ask him to come out but he seems so much better I don’t think it is necessary. However, I will watch his temp. closely and if it starts to rise will talk to the Dr. I can’t understand this. D. seemed perfectly well, I had been taking him out of doors, every day, then yesterday he shoots up a temp. and today it’s gone. I am glad it is but would like to know the cause.

Tell Bud Mulligan his aunt came to see me yesterday. She is staying at Zeva Simmons. Zeva works for Mrs. Knowlton.

[page 3] You remember her, don’t you? Jimmy’s mother. I don’t know where Jimmy is now, but Zeva had been to see his wife and daughter not long ago.

I heard that Link quite the stone quarry and is working at the factory. Irene is in the hospital yet – as I understand is taking a rest cure. I wonder when her mother will get to take a vacation – but guess that is none of my business.

It is warmer out today and the sun is shining. I have washing to do and should hang it out but when the trains over by 24 go past they throw out such a smoke screen the clothes have tattle tale grey when they are dry, so the basement is the safest place after all.

The Newton Co. E. is running pictures of service men and they have Art Kenny’s in this week – He is wearing the sailor uniform he had when he entered the service – you know he is now in the Marines – well to say the least the picture isn’t flattering – I wanted to laugh when I first saw it.

I told you in a v-mail about Tommy Britton’s mother calling me. She said Tommy told them you had called from

[page 4] San F. and was on your way home. I told her he was mistaken. He said Mark had told him. I know Mark doesn’t tell things like that. He was so mad when I told him what Tommy had said. He vowed very strongly he hadn’t told Tommy anything like that. Virginia admitted that Tommy told such tall tales they didn’t know when to believe him. I told her I only wished it were true.

J. & M. got their report cards so they should write you and give you their own reports – I gave them in previous letters but think they should write too.

There was a bulletin from the A.M.A. on socialized medicine. John read it over and is going to take it to school. I don’t know that I ever talked to him on the subject, but he was very strong in his opinion about such a thing. He thinks like the A.M.A. – it shouldn’t be.

I have put D. in his bed with toys to amuse him while I go start the washing and he is throwing things on the floor, and enjoying it.

“Love Mother”

P.S. Saw Irene after writing this so her rest cure must be over.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/20/mystery-temperature-gladys/

John’s Report Card (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland, Ind.
Jan. 18 – 1944

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Jan. 10 came today – Those of 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 will probably come tomorrow or soon. So glad you had rec’d mail. You should have David’s pictures by this time. It is sunny today so will try to get some more pictures today. It was so cloudy yesterday I didn’t try to take any. There was quite a strong wind so didn’t take D. out in his buggy, but took him in the car and went to town for groc. He has been full of pep today and I wanted to get things done so barred the nursery doors and kept him in there most of the morning. He didn’t seem to mind. He is now taking his nap. He is still a problem at feeding time. He won’t let me hold his hand to guide the spoon and can’t get food into his mouth by himself and doesn’t want me to feed him, but I do the feeding just the same. He wants to pick his bowl up and pour the food out. When he is holding his spoon will mess food all over his high chair if I don’t watch him. Yesterday morning he started raising a fuss when I started to give him his breakfast, so I just picked him up and spanked him – That helped. He knows what he is scolded about so I think a little “applied” psychology will help out. It worked on J. & M. so why not use it on David if he needs it?

John brought his report card yesterday. Mark didn’t get his but probably will today.

[page 2] John’s semester average on Gen Science A – English A+, History A+, Arth. A, Ag. B+, Phy.Ed. B – Band A, so totaled and averaged he should be about an A student. But that really isn’t correct because he isn’t A or A+ in subjects he doesn’t care about, such as Ag. I think he likes most of his work but that. However he works on Ag. and got an A the last period but had B+ the first two periods, hence the B+ average. I tell him he should plan to study medicine because he can absorb so much but he says he is only interested in music. He says that is the way with parents & musical children, they are always wanting them to study something else. That isn’t exactly true here. I just made the medical suggestion to see what reaction I would get. Mark says he is going to be a pilot, but John points out to him a pilot has to have math and that seems to be a weak point with Mark. He brings his arithmetic home almost every evening and gets his “homework.” He won’t do anymore than he has to. I often tell him he should work ahead on it but that doesn’t appeal to him in the least and after he finishes said homework is off on something more pleasant. He likes to build model planes if he can finish them in a hurry – but doesn’t care for the tedious kind. He received several for Christmas that require very little work to assemble and that suited him.

Lucile just came out with Jimmy. He and David play together quite well. The only thing David wants to take everything away from Jimmy and so far Jimmy lets him. In time no doubt Jimmy will correct that.

[page 3] Mr. Zell sold off their chickens and cleaned out the brooder house. He put fertilizer around their shrubbery and ours. That should help a lot. What we really need tho is several loads of black dirt around the shrubbery and in the flower beds. The soil in the bed between Statons’ yard and ours is still so full of rocks, etc., from the cement mixer it should be cleaned out and all new soil put in, but I am not planning to do all that myself. I like to work out in the yard but I think that order is too big for me to fill.

Irene is still in the hospital and suppose will be for a week or so – that is what I hear. I don’t like to ask questions. I stopped once and inquired about her and Mrs. James said they didn’t know much. The Dr. couldn’t seem to find anything.

David is getting anxious to go out for a walk so I must get this finished. He wanted to go bye-bye when Jimmy Ed left but I wasn’t ready to go the. It isn’t so windy today and he should have a good airing. It won’t do me any harm either. I think I’ll remind you when you come home about those walks you take now. You know I always did like to walk, so remember that.

Love
Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/16/johns-report-card-gladys/

Just Plain Gossip (Roscoe)

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Letter transcription:

Lieut. R.S. Yegerlener USNR
USN Base Hosp. #4
Navy 133
F.P.O. San Francisco Calif.
Jan. 18, 1944

Dear Mother,

Three v-mails from you and two air mail letters from the folks. Yours were dated Jan. 2-4-7. The air mails from home were dated Dec. 26 and Jan. 3.

The folks seem to be doing OK this winter since Mother got over her cold, flu or whatever it was.

It was a little amusing to me for you to say that you read in the paper Irene was in a hospital in Chicago. In other words, you don’t see much of them. She probably would be better off if she would work at home and skip the job because

[page 2] that type of work is a little too exciting for one of her make up, and I doubt very much if all her medical attention will correct her condition but of course this is more or less a long distant diagnosis and opinion – That darn accordion is going again and I can’t just function at writing like I should. The music wouldn’t be so bad if it was good but my diagnosis of that is correct. (I stopped for a while) and right now it is a little more on the soft order.

I’ve really had lots of fun over that financial statement. As I told you before I still can’t figure what $6.60 tax you paid and the dividends on the Hancock policies is a little out of my

[page 3] line but it’s been a good 18 mo. since I came in contact with the domestic problems. I’ve more or less forgotten because I know you would take care of things as they should be taken care of and there wasn’t much I could have done otherwise.

Just for a change we had some rain today – the first in some time – It really was good to see a little rain to settle the dust but it will take a lot to revive the grass for it is as brown as our lawn gets in the good old summer time.

Last night I did the craziest thing. Several of us sat around

[page 4] here and chewed the fat until nearly 1200 and then a fellow came into my room and we talked until almost 3 AM and the most of it was just plain gossip. I was ready for bed but he just seemed to want to continue to talk. I was a little sleepy at 0700 this AM when it came time to get up. It is nearly always 1200 before I get to bed. Seems as if there is always someone to talk to or something going on in the lounge which is next door to me, but that seems to make the time pass more rapidly.

Well Dear, I’m about reached capacity so solong
Lots of Love
Daddy

New_Zealand_Cities

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/15/just-plain-gossip-roscoe/ ‎

Spreading the News (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Jan. 16-1944

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Jan. 3 & 4 came yesterday. I told Mark he could tell people you are in N.Z. He was more than delighted and said right away he would tell his teacher.

I took a walk to get David out of doors and stopped at the Shandy’s to leave a snow suit she had loaned me. It was too small for David so thought I would take it back to her. Cliff is gone and she had word he had arrived – I think Miami. She showed me thru the house. They have the downstairs pretty well furnished but nothing much up but beds. She is going to stay there with the baby. He is past 2 now and quite a good size boy. She spends a lot of time with him and is training him not to touch their new furniture. They have a coffee table in front of the fireplace with a white wooly rug under it and she says he doesn’t step on the rug. I told her she may be able to train him not to touch their davenport and chairs, but I would hate to try and keep J. & M. off of ours. Of course we had furniture the boys could be raised on. I have got David so he will leave the coffee table alone. He keeps taking the tidies off the chair arms. We make him put them back on but he will repeat the same offense. He is getting better all the time about leaving things alone when we tell him to. He used to get into the lower parts of the corner cupboards but he would be scolded every time

[page 2] he got near them, so suppose he decided it wasn’t worth the effort. He walks very carefully and his left shoe isn’t worn like the right. He seems to favor that foot, but I think when he gets so he can run he will overcome that. His leg never seems to bother him. It really shouldn’t because the bone was only cracked and that not over 1/3 or ½ across. David has gone to bed. J. & M. are at Youth Fellowship. John is leader tonight. He was elected pianist for the Jr. Dept. and assistant for the adult Dept. Harold Reiger is John’s assistant, so if he has to play for the adults, Harold will play for Jr. He plays for youth fellowship too. John has changed more I think since you left than Mark. He seems so much more grown-up – He is almost as tall as I am. There is fuzz on his upper lip – He doesn’t like it – Says he will look like the Remsburg boy who used to live here. His voice is still changing and he gets so mad sometimes when his voice goes up high. Says that doesn’t happen to him at home but if he is somewhere else. However we notice it once in a while. He has almost outgrown the suit I bought for him in Mar. I can still let the pants out but the coat sleeves are beginning to look short. Mark is much the same. Like to get out and play football. He spent the afternoon at the pond skating. I walked over to see about the ice and it is still solid. Mr. Z. was there with their 3 girls, Bobby & Jimmy, pulling them around on sleds. Bob Schurtter was there too. He told me he didn’t get a commission in the Navy due to no vacancies

[page 3] in his line. He is classed as 2-A until July 44, so he will get to finish his year teaching. I suppose Dot will have to work if he has to go in the Army as a private. She had a chance to take the office job with the County Agent (Mr. Z.) but Steve is still so small she could hardly take the job now. Mr. Z. had her do some extra work for him and he said she was the best help he had had in a long time. He had quite a time keeping help for a while, but Evelyn Kudig is working for him now. Office girls seem to be as hard to find or keep as any kind of help. The factory still can get the help because of the good pay. The subject of the factory makes me think of Irene. I suppose she is still in Chi. Trying to find out what the trouble is. Last week her mother said they had not found anything. I still think it’s a lot psycologic, and I am sure you will agree with me. Last year when she went to Mayo Clinic they told her to quit work. After that they had their house for sale and Dr. M. had it bought, that is he was all ready to buy and had a buyer for his place when Statons decided not to sell.

The Funks had their new baby christened today. She will be 3 wks. old Tues. I saw Rosemary when I was coming home with David from Shandy’s and she said she had been one of the sponsors. One of the other Funk men had been the other. Carl was sponsor for either Bobby or Donnie so he couldn’t e with Rosemary for Joy Selene. Carl and Rosemary had been out walking with Tommy. He is eight months old and looks almost as large as David. He isn’t as tall of course but is on the heavy order.

[page 4] I noticed the Foulkes’ car in their driveway. They have been on a business trip east. Their house has been in the redecorating process while they have been away and I noticed they still haven’t their drapes up yet. I cleaned a little but didn’t try to take drapes out. This year’s coal is so dirty. It isn’t treated and certainly makes a difference in the dirt we get in the house. I wish and have wished so many times now we had put oil in, but that is a waste of time, so won’t harp on it any more. Harping doesn’t help things.

I rec’d a long letter from Marie so I must give her an answer – ant to do that yet this evening. She has been busy helping with Isla. I hadn’t heard from Marie for such a long time I was sure there was something wrong. I was glad Isla hasn’t T.B. – tho thyroid trouble isn’t anything to be treated lightly.

Had a letter from Jewell and she sent me a picture of Dot’s baby – Dot’s husband was rejected, so a present he is still home I told you all this before but this is a repeat in case my other letter didn’t get to you.

David broke my glasses and I keep mending them with airplane glue but I am afraid I will have to get new lenses – or one new lense. I keep feeling eye strain – just got new lenses last fall but I thought if I didn’t have the lenses straight it could cause the headaches.

I am about run down so will call this a letter & sign off.
Love Mother

P.S. Saw the enclosed clippings in the paper & thought you would be interested.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/11/spreading-the-news-gladys/ ‎

Full of Pep and Getting Restless (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland, Ind.
1-12-44

Dear Daddy –

Another clear cold winter day. It was 3° above in Chicago this a.m. I have been taking David out for an airing every day but am afraid it’s too cold today – He still has a hang on cough from his cold two weeks ago. He is full of pep and getting restless. He is so used to going out in his buggy he wants to go. John is home today due to exams and his exemptions and has decided David is a full day’s work. I told him David has been more restless today than ordinarily. Mark came home at noon with the report that his exams were going fine. I see the skaters going toward the pond all the time. As they finish their exams, they can leave school and it looks like a large number are in our end of town.

The Hufty’s have a new boy – born day before yesterday. Haven’t heard the name yet. I didn’t stop to see Joy yesterday, but saw her the day before. She is two weeks old now.

I mentioned Irene in a v-mail I wrote yesterday. I knew she had been going to a Dr. in Chicago who told her she had thyroid and was going to treat her with X-Ray. Someone told

[page 2] her the treatments could ruin her throat. She went to another Dr. The new Dr. told her she didn’t have thyroid trouble and didn’t need an operation. She went to the hospital for that purpose. She is still in the hospital having tests made. I stopped at the house one day this week and Mrs. James gave me the above information. From all I could learn about Irene’s trip to Mayo, there wasn’t anything they found wrong. However, I didn’t ask any questions, but from things she said I gathered that much.

Mark is home from school and he & John are in a monopoly game in the kitchen. Mark is very confident about his exams. Hope he is right.

Your mother sent us a box of noodles. She must have made an angel food cake and made noodles with the yolks.

I don’t know whether to take David out or not. He sure is getting in everybody’s hair, but he is used to being out of doors this time of day.

Duff Telby said Tom is back in the States and waiting for a furlough to come home.

Had a letter from Jim and he is still in Camp Peary. Doesn’t know how long he will be there. I am beginning to think for the duration. That is “OK” – I don’t envy them their good fortune but do wish, well you know what I am wishing – and believe it can’t be long now.

I must go to town and get some groc. We have to eat – and since groc. delivery is only on certain days I just go to town and get what we need. Have to go to the P.O. every day anyway.

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcription by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/03/full-of-pep-and-getting-restless-gladys/

The Center of the Household (Gladys)

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1944-01-11 (GRY)Letter transcripton:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
1-11-44

Dear Daddy – No mail today but had three letters yesterday. It remains clear and cold but not too cold to take David out. He is taking his nap now. Gets along fine now without a thumb to go to sleep with. I was washing windows today and he tried to help – splash water. He gets such a thrill when J. & M. come home from school. They always talk to him and make a fuss over him when they come home. John says the household revolves around David – and I suppose that is natural. John says he won’t have to take any exams so won’t have to go to school the rest of this week. The grade school doesn’t have exemptions so Mark will have to go as usual, tho school will be out Fri. for grading papers. David’s picture will be in the Democrat this week. He is the only child in the group whose Daddy is in the service. I’ll send you a clipping so you can see the publicity before the whole paper gets to you. I stopped at Staton’s yesterday to see how the family was. Mrs. J. told me Irene went to another Dr. and he told her she had no thyroid trouble at all – and that they can’t find anything wrong. She is still in a hospital in Chicago having tests made. The last time I saw her she seemed to feel fine. She did have the flu but got over it better than her Mother did.

Love – Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/10/01/the-center-of-the-household-gladys/

Absence of Snow (Gladys)

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1944-01-07 (GRY)Letter transcription:

MRS. R.S. YEGERLEHNER
KENTLAND
INDIANA
1-7-44

Dear Daddy – Another sunny day but cold. It was 5° above this morning in Chicago. Don’t know how much it has risen during the morning but I hope enough to take David out. It doesn’t look cold out of doors – I suppose that is due to the absence of snow. Rec’d a letter from your mother. She must be feeling better – said they had butchered. Said they had a heavy snow down there last week. We didn’t get any here. I saw in the paper that Irene is in a Chicago hospital for treatments. She said she had thyroid trouble and is taking iodine treatments. I haven’t talked to any of them for more than a week. Mrs. James hasn’t been out since she came back from Ft. Wayne. She hasn’t been well this winter either. She didn’t recover very quickly from the flu – John is writing another essay this year for the American Legion. He won second last year. He wouldn’t let me read the one last year and says I can’t read this one. Mark went to Bobbie’s to work on a plane and overstayed so I went to get him. It was the first time I had seen Donnie for a long time. He is such a large child, looks almost as large as Bobby. Arlene is to come home Sunday with the new baby girl. That little girl will have to be a tomboy to hold her own with those two boys. I see the Zells are selling some chickens today. They have had a little trouble selling this time – The market is flooded with chickens.

Love – Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/09/24/absence-of-snow-gladys/ ‎

Christmas Eve (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
12-24-43

Dear Daddy –

Christmas Eve and the usual going round and round. Lucile wanted to go to Sheldon and get their turkey out of the locker. I got several things out too, a chicken, a few steaks and strawberries. I took a package of T-bone to Bud Kruman. I want to give Virginia a box of strawberries. I haven’t been up to Plummers yet but think I’ll take her a steak too. I am still saving back some Porterhouse steaks – I noticed there were still several packages of both sirloin & Porterhouse yet. On the way back we stopped at the greenhouse and got wreaths to take out to the cemetery. I stopped and got Dorothy at the Restaurant and she went with us out there, after we had left Lucile & Jimmy out at home.

Jimmy gave David a nice toy. It has pegs and a mallet – he likes the mallet – I imagine he will find lots of places to hammer with it. We gave Jimmy a toy & waterproof bib. They are going to Monticello tonight, so Jimmy had his gifts this morning. He had several nice things and seemed to like the toy David gave him. It is a small one – a duck with a cart attached – something he can handle easily.

[page 2] Mark is so anxious to open his gifts he is counting the hours – and so is John. Dorothy wants to see David get his gifts so I am going to keep him up until she can come out about 8 o’clock.

The weather having changed for the warmer and no snow in sight we are planning to go to Wilmington tomorrow & stay over Sun. I wish we could go to C.C. but with the furnace to take care of, it’s too far to go for just a day.

Statons went to Ft. Wayne, Foulkes are going to Chicago – Nate being stationed at Great Lakes and on duty 24 hrs. a day. They are going there to be with them. Zells will remain at home without company because of Virginia’s condition. Funks will be home – Arlene may go to the hospital – Dorothy said they would go to her mother’s since we won’t be here to take dinner with them.

Must get this finished so can get it mailed.
“Love Mother”

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/08/27/christmas-eve-gladys/

Mail Came Today (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 9 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Dec. 1 & 2 came today. Thanks for the check. Our bank acc’t is low ($49.00) so that will boost it somewhat. When I can find the time will send you a complete financial statement for 1943. I have the checks listed under their respective distributions (to Dec. 1) but haven’t added the long columns yet. I put a few figures in a letter last week, about Ins., Bonds, etc., but those didn’t take much adding. It doesn’t seem possible I wrote checks to cover all the money I put in the bank in ’43 but I have the checks and they all were essential – with the exceptions of a piano, fur coat, etc. However a goodly amt. went into Ins., the house & bonds.

David is still coughing a little, but hasn’t any temp. I am still giving him sulfadiazine. I haven’t had him anyplace where he could get such a cold but he has one. 37 were out of school today (high). Irene, Mrs. J. & Jimmy are all down with flu. I called Link and talked to him. I told him David was under the weather.

[page 2] and I can’t leave him now but could come over after school if I could do anything to help. He said he had gotten them all fed and they were pretty well taken care of then. They had Dr. M. yesterday and today. I didn’t call the Dr. to come I just asked him about giving sulfa & he told me what dosage to give and how often. David is asleep now. Hope he takes a nice long nap. I try to keep him in his bed but he gets tired of being kept up, so have to turn him loose when he gets to dissatisfied. He takes his stuffed toys and loves then, then throws them down. He pulls the lovey stuff on me too when he wants something very much. He certainly understands things we say to him. I told him he couldn’t crawl around the floor. He got down and began to crawl. I said “do you want me to put you back in your bed,” and he quit crawling. I put him on the toidey seat just as soon as he finishes his breakfast and he usually has his first B.M. I am not always lucky enough to get the next, but if I put him on the toidey after his nap he usually saves a diaper. He tries to feed himself, but to keep from wasting Pablum I give him a spoon to work with and at the same time feed him with another spoon.

[page 3] He won’t allow me to help him guide the spoon he holds and doesn’t seem to notice I am feeding him at the same time he is trying to feed himself. He can hold his cup to drink from but is a little awkward so I usually hold the cup.

John was relating some school happenings yesterday. He sounded so much like you in his tone and mannerism I told him you couldn’t have sounded more like yourself. They had to give reports on certain animals and the Dean Davis boy in John’s class gave a report on monkeys. You recall Davises used to have a pet monkey. John doesn’t care for the D. boy and ended the discussion with this observation, I wonder if the Davises were trying to find a twin for Dwane when they got that monkey. He was so droll about it – Just like his Dad.

I see in the paper that Ira Dixon is going to engage in the practice of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1913, according to the paper. As has been the custom the Dem. comes on Thurs. and the Newton Co. usually tags in on Fri.

I told J. & M. their Christmas money would come in a day or two – I also told them they could buy themselves a fresh supply of cod liver oil out of their own money. I don’t know how they could get more benefit from spending on themselves, do you?

[page 4] Mark has been playing football all fall. He came in at noon with a bad thumb. Thought he couldn’t cut his meat and when I pointed out it was hamburger, got along with his fork. He takes the prize about so many things. I tell him he gold bricks. Sometimes he will say, “Now Mother don’t think I am trying to ‘gold brick.’” He was done all his Christmas shopping and has his gifts wrapped and under the tree. He is so full of anticipation for Christmas. It’s good to have someone in the house like that. John is rather matter-of-fact about things. I told both boys our bank acc’t is low right now, so John said, to cut down on Christmas spending (now who is that like?). Not that I was throwing money around on elaborate gifts. I have a few things I think Mark will enjoy, some toys for D. and want to get a record or two for John. He will probably get himself some records with the money you send.

Dot Salter Huffman sent me a roll of film and Lucile sold me one so now I have two rolls and can get some more snaps of D. and the rest of us. Dot works for Easley and knew I wanted film, hence the roll from her. Katie Fletcher works at the NuJoy and gets film for Lucile – You really have to be on the inside track to get film not.

Love Mother

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/26/mail-came-today-gladys/ ‎

The Finances (Gladys)

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Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind.
Dec. 3 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

No letters for four days but maybe a bunch will come tomorrow or Mon. It is a typical grey wintry day – however not very cold. The checks just came today so must go to the bank and make a dep. I am running low, but will try to give you some idea about the status of our finances when I get thru writing. At least we won’t have to pay int. on Ins. loans this Dec. I paid the balance on the piano today. Had it tuned and that cost $5⁰⁰. I will pay all the groc. bills, etc., while downtown this afternoon. I am keeping all bills paid – that is why I am so short of cash on hand but I would rather not allow bills to accumulate. I am not going to spend much on Christmas gifts this year. There isn’t much use to go shopping – the stores just haven’t the stock for the Christmas trade they had last year. Had a letter from Ruth M. and she wants to either come here or us go there for Christmas. I wasn’t planning to go to C.C. I think it isn’t best to take David away during the cold weather to stay so long. There too would have to get the neighbors to look after the furnace and that is too much trouble to ask of anyone. I think I am going to suggest the Mutchlers coming here, if they can manage their gas situation. I would much rather stay home. Dorothy has asked us to come there for the day, but family comes first and if we can arrange with Ruth will spend the day with them here or there.

[page 2] Leo Sondgerath had a ruptured appendix. He is in St. E. and seems to be getting along, according to the Newton Co. E. Bluford Healy had pneumonia and was quite serious, but is better now. His wife went to Ft. Bliss, Texas, to be with him last week.

David woke up a little grouchy from his nap. It isn’t sunny today so won’t take him out in his buggy. Will go in the car so I can get groceries. I am buying homogenized milk for him at Bair’s now and today is when the fresh supply comes in (Tues. & Fri.). He tries to say some words when we talk. So far we have to guess at most of his words or expressions. Mark is pretty good at interpreting his talk. He is trying to feed himself and I think will soon be able to manipulate spoon from bowl to mouth without too much loss of food on the way. John and Mark played Monopoly last night and had Virginia come over and play with them. I told them no arguments or I wouldn’t allow them to play. They do pretty good.

I saw “Ma” out chasing Jimmy. He wants to stay out and she wants him to go in. He runs and she can’t catch him. She hadn’t been so well, but now that we aren’t out in the yard much I don’t see her much. I think Irene goes to Chi. for thyroid treatment quite often. She isn’t to have an operation but takes iodine. The Factory is building an addition and intend to move the Chi. Plant here. I think the new addition will be almost as large as the original.

I must do some figuring so I can go to town and give you an idea about finances. I hear a plane going over – sounded so low – might have touched the tree tops. Every time I hear one go over I think it might be bringing you home.

Love – Mother

(over)
By the time all current bills are paid there won’t be much balance if any – but maybe next month it won’t be so bad – or will it?

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/10/the-finances-gladys/