Dear James,
Well this has been a busy day, even if it was Sunday. When we got up it was snowing a fine snow that looked as though it could keep up all week, so after breakfast Ruth stayed inside to keep the fires going and tidy up and John and I went to work on the wood pile. The children had scattered the wood around a lot when they built their houses, and we filled John’s house with big chunks and John filled Ruth’s with kitchen wood, as we call it. There are a lot that don’t need splitting and a lot that need to be split only once so we have wood for several days, dry and easy to get at. It snowed the same all day, about 3 inches.
The ends of my fingers and nose were frostbitten last week, and I have had a time trying to sew or knit or do anything. I am knitting a little outfit for Ruth’s doll and we can give her the cloth and ribbon and she can make the doll dress herself, and if you want to make a little boy happy give him that ax. Held rather have that than skates or anything else and I don’t believe he’ll get hurt. They can change off using Ruth’s skates if the ice is still good.
We had a baked dinner today, a pork roast baked with sweet potatoes and onions, and mashed potatoes. It was so good I thought you might like to try it. Get a thick pork chop and brown it on both sides, then put it in the baking dish with a 1/2 inch of water and surround it with peeled and quartered sweet potatoes onions and apples, cover and bake slowly until done, about 3/4 of an hour. We used cranberry sauce instead of apples.
(Monday)
It is 20 below and the children are staying home. We need some matches and salt. They will write letters while they are home. I’m baking bread. We are all well and hope you are taking good care of yourself.
Lots of love from us all. ” We’ll be seein’ you “, Martha