Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

Dear James,

We wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope you are well. We sent you some presents this morning, we each picked out our own and hope you like them. We got your letter with your mother’s letter in it and the package. The berries tasted good but were pretty soft so you had better not send any more.

It has been terribly hot today and yesterday, 101 degrees this afternoon. We went to the Ladies’ Aid yesterday afternoon and then thought we’d drive to town and get your presents and some groceries. Mavis Rood went with us, On the Dorset hill we had a slight accident. You remember that once before the top floor-board slipped down and jammed the brake and low gear. I tried to change to low near the top of the hill and the car started to slip backward and the brake was jammed so I slid slowly into the ditch to avoid going down hill and the car very gently turned over on its side. Ruth and John got out before the car turned and Mavis and I climbed out the window. Nobody said a word or got nervous or excited. We left John with the car and walked over to that same farmer for help and he came and another car stopped with a man and woman in it and the minister and his wife from the Ladies’ Aid came along and between all of us we got the car turned right side up and onto the road and it wasn’t even scratched. No glass broken nor anything damaged except about 3 gals. leaked out of the tank and some of the battery water. We drove on to town and did our shopping and home again and the car worked fine. I told Roods of course and showed them how it happened and he nailed 2 light strips of wood across the boards to keep them in place. I hope you won’t be nervous about my driving as I drive very carefully when the roads are poor or sandy and the same thing will probably never happen again. The children weren’t a bit frightened and I didn’t get nervous altho I couldn’t sleep much last night thinking of what might have happened.

I’m glad your folks are well and I believe your father will feel better now that he is working out of doors. The early peas are in blossom and the lettuce is fine. We need rain badly or the vines will dry up.

We’re going to get cleaned up now and go to bed early as none of us slept well last night.

Lots of love and hugs and kisses from us all, Martha

Dear James,

We have a busy day ahead but I shall get a letter mailed to you first. We are having a hot dry spell and we need a good soaking rain or the crops will dry up. All the tomato plants are coming fine except a few small ones that got stepped on, and the cabbage plants that survived the first hot spell look good. The vines are up. We carried water to the cabbage and part of the tomatoes this morning. That is a big job, I guess we’ll just pray for rain.

We got your letter with all the news yesterday. I should like to have seen the fire but am glad it didn’t burn any of the houses. And how thankful I am you have not had any accidents. Every day I realize more that prayer and right living count, and keep on working with a humble spirit and you’ll be all right. We are over our colds. I am thin as a rail but strong and will probably fatten up a little when there isn’t so much to do.

It will be fine if you can come up for 2 weeks. Get things for the Fourth early. The children want the Colt guns, not the square repeaters, and sparklers. We are going to town this morning to get hair cuts and do our week’s trading. This afternoon we go to the Ladies’ Aid and this evening we’ll have to haul a lot more water. We’ve worked the upper half of the garden good. Yesterday I cultivated peas, beans, corn and potatoes and got a nice sun-burn on my shoulders as a reward.

The kittens are growing good. The old cat carried them up to the attic last evening. The children had changed her box and she didn’t like it, so they fixed it the way it was before and now she is satisfied to leave them there. She caught a mouse in the attic last night and I believe she will clean them all out for us now that she stays in the house all the time.

Mitzi amused us last night. She wanted to come in but the cat was inside the screen door. Finally she made a rush and got inside and when the cat got after her she turned her back on the cat and the cat walked away disgusted. She has drawn blood from Mitzi’s nose several times and the dog has learned to protect it.

The hollyhocks are from seed I planted this spring. The Sweet William are ready to blossom and there are roses everywhere. The north end of the field is plowed and planted but I don’t know to what as I haven’t talked to anyone.

I think you should get one meal a day at the restaurant when it is so warm, and thanks for visiting the graves. Well I guess this is all. Love from the family. Send some stamps please.

Martha

Dear James,

Thanks for the letter and the $5.00. You can’t have much left for yourself. Don’t send the things I asked for, we can get along with what we have. I’ll get a new inner tube the next time we go to town.

Saturday we cleaned house and planted more stuff in the garden. Sunday we washed the car and cleaned the seats and floor and I put on the license plates. One screw in back wouldn’t loosen so we broke off the old plate and put the new one on over it. We had been invited to Roods for a picnic Sunday afternoon but we didn’t go. It was late when we got the car ready so instead we drove to Andersons for a while. Their baby is growing good but the little boy has a cold. We bought a hen and will have chicken for dinner today.

I got up at 6 and mowed the lawn before breakfast, Ruth is finishing that and John is cultivating corn. I am going to wash after I get this letter mailed. It is real warm again today. You will get a nice check on the 10th. The other news isn’t so good but we’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out. I think James, that you had better see if you can trade this place for one that has bldgs and some equipment and inquire about a Federal loan too. But do it very quietly. We won’t get a better deal in school here than we got last year no matter who the teacher is. They expect to pay the teacher only $40.00 and already there are 3 different groups fighting for their candidate not trying to get a good teacher but someone who will favor their children. If it is possible I think we had better plan on going to school in the city if you are still working.

Mr. Rood is going to plow today. You will have to send me chicks if we get any. If you get a cow I think I can fix a fence good enough to keep her in the pasture. Well James, I hope we see you soon and we will do whatever you say about driving down. Take good care of yourself. I have quite a bad cold but I guess it won’t last long in this warm weather. Write as often as you can.

Love from us all, Martha

(Tuesday evening)

Dear James,

Your nice long letter and package came today. We got the letter with the $5.00 bill. The license plates are on. Mr. Avenson took out the screw that we couldn’t get out but we can’t find another burr. I wish you could finish the job of painting, you did the rest of it so nice but I’ll do the best I can.

The garden looks just fine, as good as any I have seen and better than many. Everything is up but the 2 last rows of carrots and the vines. The “cukes” are just breaking thru. The corn is about 10 ins. high, John cultivated it all the other day. He struck a tough job today. We haven’t touched the potato ground yet so today he agreed to cultivate and I was to hoe while Ruth weeded the corn. The ground was hard and he gave up after the 8th row, or rather I told him held better finish tomorrow. He was so hot and had gotten sun-burned the day before and his back and shoulders are pretty sore. I gave Ruth my bathing suit and John can wear Ruth’s. They wore them yesterday and played in a tub of water. The thermometer registered 96 degrees. Today there was a breeze that helped out. We had a shower last night and lots of heat lightning and some thunder. I expected a bad storm but we didn’t get it.

Felt badly yesterday. I had a bad cold but the heat has helped to break it up and I feel pretty good tonight. I have felt much better the last 2 weeks. I feel rested and get quite a little accomplished each day and wake up rested in the morning. Ruth is all right again.

Mitzi and the cat had a battle last night. Tho dog fought back for the first time and we had to come to the rescue.

Going back to the garden, the radishes are ready, the lettuce soon will be. the beans you planted have buds on, the peas look good and are 8 ins. high, the corn is 10 ins. high and the potatoes are nearly all up -some plants are quite large. The ground is very hard and will be until after a good rain but there still seems to be plenty of moisture in the ground. We have cultivated the small stuff several times and weeded it and are going over it all with the hoe next. The tomato plants are a nice size.

Tell me how the shirt I bought compares with yours, I’ll shorten the sleeves if you tell me how much to cut off. I haven’t seen any birds nests around but there are a lot of different kinds of birds and the squirrel still lives under the well platform. John found a gopher hole in the potato field. His sunburn bothers him so he has trouble getting to sleep.

Well I guess this answers your questions pretty well and the children will do the rest soon. Lots of love from the Family.

(Wed. morning)

We are all ready for breakfast, just waiting for John to come with the milk It is cool and cloudy and has rained some. We’re setting out the rest of the tomatoes today. If there is any ground left we shall put in early potatoes. I bought a gallon can of plums and one of pineapple and am making plum jam and jelly this morning for immediate use. How are strawberries? Please send me some ant poison as the ants are digging around the floor in the kitchen and bedroom