Tag Archives: Red Skelton

Radio Interference (Roscoe)

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April 25, 1944 envelope

April 25, 1944, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Apr. 25, 1944

Dear Mother,

Just listening to Fibber & Molly and trying to write but haven’t made much headway. Again the orchestra is playing so I’ll write until they start talking again.

Your letter came today – This afternoon – I suppose you had just as well pay the coal bills and get things cleared up a bit. They have to be paid sooner or later so – .

I’m learning things around here every day – namely – many of the Drs. back from foreign duty have stopped here only a short time and are then transferred to some other duty – in the States. I’d hate to rent a house and pay a month’s rent before moving in and then hav not use it because of being transferred. But I have not rented one yet so I don’t need worry about that, and what you suggested about the weekend – why not just move up period – Let the kids board out or leave school early – but I guess we don’t need to cross that bridge just yet.

You have a few days to wait as yet for D. and the measles as I told you

April 25, 1944, p. 2

[page 2] in last night’s letter.

Bob Hope is now on and I’m not just sure what I’m writing. Vera V. is now on and I can’t concentrate.

Just re-read your letter and I think I’ve answered all the questions – I started this letter about one hour ago but I’ve had too much radio interference.

I hate to think of it but this is a must – a bath in the tub. It’s a little cold in here but I’ve gone long enough now. Just about can’t stand myself anymore but I know of no other solution.

Joe is writing now and Bob Hope is over and I’ve about run down so must get going on that bath. I’ve been thinking – If I don’t have OD duty week after next I’m going to try to get off. It may be only a try but I’ll let you hom know later –

Love Daddy

P.S. Red Skelton is on now.

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/01/30/radio-interference-roscoe/

That Good Old Irish Stuff (Roscoe)

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March 17, 1944 envelope

March 17, 1944, p. 1

Letter transcription:

Hotel Bellevue
Geary at Taylor
San Francisco
Mar. 17, 1944

Dear Mother,

Nothing new to report this A.M. All we are doing now is just waiting and stewing. Jim & I. I mean. We went to see Red Skelton last night and had a beer or two. The food here is terrific. For breakfast I had a serving of Dry cereal and a cup of coffee 35₵. The way we eat you’d think we are on a diet, but it won’t be for long I hope. Today we are going to get around & see if we can get reservations for some sort of transportation but we are behind the eight ball because we don’t know when or whether it will be under orders, etc. We hope it will be under orders so that the price of the ticket won’t be on us but we just have to wait, but and maybe we can do but it is hard after 19 mo. to be this near and then just have to wait.

March 17, 1944, p. 2

[page 2] Jim is writing to Detroit and since his name is Delaney he probably is filling the whole thing with that good old Irish stuff (Mar. 17).

Well, Jim is through so we will be getting along
Love Daddy

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/01/07/that-good-old-irish-stuff-roscoe/

Second Letter (Gladys)

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: December 27, 1943 envelope

: December 27, 1943, p. 1

: December 27, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Kentland, Ind.
Dec. 27 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

I have been working on the financial statement – but having no adding machine I didn’t go into such details as groc. bills, lights, telephone, etc. but here is a list of Ins. – $443.55 – House $508.48 – Piano $300.oo – Loans paid $243.91 & $173.69 – Bike $35.00 – Hospital $128.80 – Bonds – $131.25 – coal $100.00 – The total of the above amounts to $2064.68 – The balance necessary to meet expenses is long & detailed and I’ll try to get the columns added so I can give you a complete report. As you will note I have not paid any Taxes (except $6.60 for the first of the year) but Agnes M. said for me not to. I think I have explained all about the taxes before. Even the gross isn’t paid by people in Service. The $330.00 you sent will take care of Ins. coming due the first of the year and I think I can buy some bonds, too. Our present bal. is $301.81 – and with the Jan. 1 cks. coming I’ll dep. $170.00 – There are bills amounting to $174.00 to be paid in Jan. – that doesn’t include groc. Bills which should amt. to about $30.00 – so I should be able to buy some bonds and still keep a comfortable bal. Does all the above sound complicated and as clear as a woman would make it? Thought I would give you food for thought – let you figure some of it out for yourself – I think you can add and deduct the right figures.

The other evening we were listening to Red Skeltons’ program and Ozzie & Harriet sang a song that sounded like double talk, but it is something like the tobacco auctioneers chant –

[page 2] It is Mares eat oats, Does eat oats, little kids lambs eat ivy, little kids lambs eat ivy – a kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you – Now just say it like this: Marze dotes and dozee doze, liddle lamz edivy, liddle lamz edivy, a kiddle dee divvy too, wouldn’t chew – I wish I could tell you the tune too – We all go around here singing Marze dotes. It’s just one of those silly catchy things. I know if you could have picked it up you would probably be humming it too.

It is getting late and I need some extra sleep to make up for getting a little tired over the holidays. We just listened to Dogwood and it was all about snoring – Imagine anything like that being funny. Sometimes David makes a noise in the night if he doesn’t sleep soundly – I don’t know what makes him do it, but Earl said he heard him all night Sat. when we stayed there. I really believe he heard him just a little while because I heard him, I think, about 4 a.m. but you know people think they hear things all night long, when they don’t – and especially if they aren’t feeling well.

Your Mother’s box came today and there was a picture of her & dad, done by a photographer. I hope she sent you one because it’s a very good picture. Pjs for J. & M. and a dollar for D. With the ten you sent & the 1.00 Mrs. P. gave him I am going to add enough for him a bond.

This is my second letter to you today, but the first one was written early this a.m. We’ll add a line in the morning.

Love Mother

Tues Morn – Yours of Dec. 18 & 19 came today. Also a letter from Glen & Pauline with $20.00 – $5.00 for each of us – They couldn’t find anything to send for gifts so just sent money. I sent them a box about two wks. before Christmas.

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/09/04/second-letter-gladys/

Short Wave Band (Roscoe)

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: August 16, 1943 envelope

: August 16, 1943, p. 1

: August 16, 1943, p. 2

Letter transcription:

Lieut. R. S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F. P. O. San Fran. Calif.
Aug. 16, 1943

Dear Mother,

I’m a little late this A.M. due to just plain conversation, but in plenty of time to catch the outgoing mail because it doesn’t go out until P.M. I think.

Wash day and a fine day if the clothes come back in time. Sometimes the boys get a little lax in taking them to the laundry and in returning them so even if the day is sunny they don’t get dry.

I think we will be paid again today but I’m not going to draw any because it might cut me too low in that reserve but will try to get some off to you at the next pay day. Now As I have it figured with the excess of the 500 and your regular 200 you should be OK for the time being. So I’ll try to help you out with some extra next month.

[page 2] In the last letter I got from Harry Storm he said Christmas packages could be sent without request between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 but my suggestions is to send nothing. Take the money you would ordinarily spend and buy the boys stamps and just write me about it. It’s too uncertain to try to send anything. Seems funny to be talking of Christmas in Aug. but it’s only one month now before that Sept. 15 rools [sic rolls] around. So rather than have you send something or be writing about it I’ll get the order in early –

We had Red Skelton on the radio last night but it wasn’t very clear from that station. If you are ever up until midnight 2:00 A.M. and turn the radio on to 9.7 megacycles, That would be on the short wave band you could get the same programs we get. I’m sure our set would pick them up – because this little old battery set we have here does a very good job of getting K.W.I.D. and also Tokyo at 8:00 PM which would be 4:00 AM. There – don’t stay up to[o] late to listen to them because the[y] over state things – we know.

Lots of Love Mother [yes, he actually signed it Mother!]

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

November 16, 1942 (Gladys) Part V

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: November 16, 1942 Envelope (#2)

: November 16, 1942, p. 1 (#2)

: November 16, 1942, p. 2 (#2)

: November 16, 1942, p. 3 (#2)

: November 16, 1942, p. 4 (#2)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
Nov – 16 – 1942

Dear Daddy –

I wrote one letter today but thought I would start another one this evening. Went to town this afternoon after I wrote to you. I kept watching the sky and decided it wasn’t going to rain. Had a nice walk – went to town and paid the telephone bill and saw several people on the streets. Everyone wanted to look at the baby. He slept thru it all. He was asleep when I took him up to put him in the buggy and slept until after we came home. He is asleep again now – He usually fusses between 6 and 10 – hope he doesn’t get his hours mixed up and want to stay awake after 10. He weighed about 8-14 this morning. He has been gaining more this last week. While he took his last bottle I re-read the two letters that came today. I suppose you do the same thing yourself. While in town I saw the Dyers & Prues – Mrs. D. said Rosemond’s husband was sent to Ireland and they are afraid he is being sent on somewhere – Mrs. Dyer said “into the thick of things.” I saw Marjory Wilson Ryan. I was rather surprised as her baby is hardly 3 weeks old and Dr. Cole tells his OB’s to stay in 3 weeks after leaving the hospital – but she is young and must have gotten along very well. That sounds like I am putting myself in the old lady class but I think you understand. I really feel good now, but I think it is because I did go slow at first.

[page 2] John was coming home from school when I started to town so he walked with me. He was rather amused at the comments – first one would say, “My, what a tiny baby,” then the next would say, “Why he isn’t small.” It is amusing to hear people and the difference of opinion. Arlene was in town too, but she has company and had gone to Club – her sister and a friend. She isn’t able to walk much so they had gone in their car. This was my first trip to town walking and I enjoyed it very much. I stopped at the dress shop and got me a new girdle – I am a little pouchy (I think) and I want to get ironed out again. I wonder if I will wear the garment – also got a new blouce. I didn’t have time to do much shopping because by the time I got to the dress shop it was getting close to bottle time.

John has gone to band practice tonight. He had to get a strap today (1⁰⁰). He said “there goes two week’s allowance.” They had to have this extra practice to get ready for their broadcast Sat. at Purdue.

The Kindig boys – Jack & Calvin are both in hospitals. Jack is in Watseka and Calvin in Michigan somewhere. I don’t know what ails either one but from comments both are very ill.

So many popular radio programs are being sent by short wave to service men overseas. I wonder when I hear the announcers tell that if you are getting the programs. Hope you can get some of your favorites. However

[page 3] you said you couldn’t get Red Skelton. I listen to news reports every day and wonder if you get the same. We get Gregor Z. from Cincinatti at 6:15 and sometimes I get him at 10:15 while giving the baby his bottle.

In one of those letters away back there before I went to the hospital I wrote you about the septic tanks. A man came around wanting to clean them. Link & I decided not to have the tanks cleaned. However Funks & Foulks did. I also wrote to Jim and he wrote back that it shouldn’t be necessary for several years yet. Jim said the only reason would be that if the plumber hooked the sink drain to the tanks which shouldn’t be done – the grease would cause trouble. I think Mr. Monroe knows enough not to have done that.

Now that you are receiving some of those back dated letters maybe they will all get to you, except some few I put regular 3¢ stamps on. I put air mail on most of them and on all after I received your letters telling me to.

In your Christmas box I put in a candy bar – let me know if it gets to you in good shape. We weren’t supposed to put in anything but hard candies. I put in everything you asked for and everything else we could think of which didn’t seem like much after it was all packed – but a shoe box doesn’t hold much and that was the size box we were permitted to use. I would like to get you a good wrist watch. Let me know if you want me to send you one.

In a previous letter I sent you Joe R. address. He would like to hear from you I know as much as you from him. The last time I saw her she was pretty worried about him.

[page 4] Again I will tell you we received the first box you sent and enjoyed it very much. I want to mount the coral & use it for a decoration for the mantle or coffee table.

Jack Byrne and Mr. Healy are now running Art’s drug store. Byrnes are living in the new addition in one of those houses close to Carl Funks.

I think I forgot to mention, I had a card from Jewell that Dot has a baby girl – Jane weighed 6-11 – same as David. Born in Oct. Her husband is in Class 1-A – Jewell said it looked bad so evidently he will have to go soon.

I am jumping around from subject to subject but just had a thought. John had been playing the “Star Spangled Banner” until I thought I would scream – that is he was working on it, then he told me he had written his version of it. Miss Smith told me she was so thrilled over it – and told him it was the best thing he had done yet. He is scoring some onion skin and is going to copy it and send to you and if you have a piano around and someone to play it – or possibly you could – maybe Lentz – you can hear what I have been listening to. You would probably appreciate it more than I did when he was working on it, because it does get a bit tiresome to hear the same thing over & over – that is when he is working out something. I will stop and leave a space for Tues A.M. Just finished the baby’s bath & bottle. He has the hiccoughs – seems to be a habit of his – but doesn’t seem to bother him much. Rec’d two letters this morn – were posted Nov. 8 and 9^th. Will answer those last two when I write tonight. Thought of something else to tell you when I have more time & space so will do that tonite –

Love Mother

Post originally found at: https://genealogylady.net/2013/06/19/november-16-1942-gladys-part-v/