Sunday, April 20, 2014

April 17 and 18

                                                                     643 Cedar Street
                                                                     April 17, 1943
Dear Mother,

            I’m slow at writing again, and I shouldn’t be when I am so anxious to hear of you.  The babies are over a month old now.  I hope things are quieting down a little for you.  So Jennette’s boy has red hair.  What are they going to name him?  Are both the girls getting along ok?  Is Burnell going to stay on the farm all summer?  When does Jennette expect to go back.  Has Pearl heard what Royce is going to do yet.  I hope she doesn’t feel bad about his losing out as a pilot.  It may be the best thing for him.  Tell one of them to write & give us the news.  I know they must be busy tho.

            It would be wonderful to come home this summer, but we are not making any plans.  We are still paying off bills, but the end is in sight.  We still owe 50. On our insurance loan, but we are going to forget about it for a while.  Other than that we are down to $19 in Dr. bills.  Harold hasn’t heard from the Navy yet, and may not for some time.

            You should see our garden Mom.  It would do your heart good.  We are eating beets & greens & peas.  Our radishes are all gone, and the beans & carrots aren’t quite ready.  We also planted 12 tomato plants.  We are still getting 3 or 4 eggs every other day, & it helps out.

            Mrs Muegge has 40 baby chicks, and 4 hens. She has turned her back yard into a chicken farm.  She is raising them to eat.  Browns too have built a chicken coop &I have 35 baby chicks.

            I have finally found out that it was red bugs that bit us last year.  You remember they got you so bad, and the only thing that kills them is oil or vaseline.  I’ve really been bitten up this year, but rubbing oil onto the bite kills the bug & the infection stops almost immediately.  We can’t go out in the garden to pull vegetables without getting some.  Alvin too is bothered, but Harold seems to be immune.  Guess what!  I’ve got a sewing machine.  Mrs Muegge gave it to me to use as long as we are here.  She wouldn’t sell it because it was her Mothers.  It works wonderful.  I guess that is why I haven’t found time to write this week.  I made a dress & bonnet for Betty this week out of that green stripe dress I wore last summer.  It is so cool & she looks so sweet in it.  I have another dress & bonnet in the making out of a blue check print.  I’ll enclose a sample to let you see it, & send some pictures of her in them later.  Right now she only has 3 dresses that will fit & it is too much to wash them just to put them right back on.  They are getting worn out.  I’m going to make some simple print dresses for every day.  Betty weighs 22 lbs now, but is getting to be quite a mama’s baby.  She cries if a stranger looks at her.  I believe she is going to cut teeth any day.  Today he[r] chin had a slight rash on it, so I guess it won’t be long.  She isn’t content unless she is on the floor, altho she doesn’t crawl.  She is so heavy I don’t let her stand unless she pulls herself up in her bed.  It is 4 P.M. & both of them Alvin & Betty have been asleep since 2.  The wind is blowing this afternoon & it is nice & cool.  

You should hear Alvin repeat the poem Little Orphan Annie from start to finish.  Harold was saying it one day just for his own amusement & Alvin made him repeat it over & over until he learned it.  He puts all the expressions in it any one could.  It is the same with any other rhyme or poem.  He says so many things now, but all too often he will talk so fast he can’t keep up with his words, so just touches them lightly, and we have one grand time trying to understand him.  The other day he had the phone book on the floor, & as a rule I don’t let him have it, & asked him what he was doing with it.  He was paging thru it and said “going to call gra-ma in Salt Lake.”  Not long ago he found one of those Peacock feathers we got at the zoo & brought to me & said “Pea cock feather, got at zoo when gra ma was here.”  Mr. Scotts 2 boys were here all morning & he played with them till he was worn out.  I guess that is why he is sleeping so well.

            Harold is working regular 8 to 5 now & has been for quite a while.  I guess it will be permanent.  He is working Sundays again for a month.  He has to work on Easter too.  Strawberries are on her, & by next week should be cheap enough to put up.  I’m going to make as much jam as I can.  We can’t remember when we’ve had jam.  We just can’t buy it in the stores any more.  Dewberries will be on within 2 weeks too, so we have a busy time ahead.  The Relief Society sisters are going to get together & bottle beets right after easter.  They are on good now, & they must be when we are getting beets out of our own garden.

            Well, I guess that is all the news here for now.  We watch so eagerly for your letters, and I know I should write more often.  I wrote to Helen last Sun. & this is the first one since.

            May the Lord bless you Mama with health, and strength & those things you need.

                                    Lovingly
                                                Laura

P.S. Mrs Brown’s Mother gave me patterns for Betty’s dresses & bonnets.  I’m trying to get some of Alvin’s clothes packed that he has outgrown.  They are not too good but maybe Merrill or Edna’s children can wear them a time or two.  I haven’t any room to keep them here,.  I may get them off this week.

            April 18 -

I wrote to Jesse this morning

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