Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

My Dear Martha and children,

Well Daddy had lots of fun yesterday. We were all marked off so Foster, Jack and I went fishing up the river. We stayed out till almost eleven o’clock the night before catching night crawlers. They are overgrown angleworms that come out of the ground at night and you use a flashlight to find them. We left the house about 6:30 in the morning. Foster was over and had breakfast with us and we all went in his car. Well we sure had fun catching fish. We could wade clear across the river. Now don’t tell how many fish we caught except that we went over the limit which should have been 12 apiece of the bass but we got 55 small mouth bass, 1 walleyed pike and 11 red horse. I caught the pike and the rest was about even so we have fish for supper and fish for dinner and lunch. I wish you folks could have had part of them they were so good.

I am glad the packages came and you probably have the other one by now with the books. I am glad you write about the little things that happen around the place for it’s all news to me and I am interested in what you are all doing. I think it’s fine that you are giving the kiddies a chance to earn a little money. That is the only way to do.

We had a meeting at the station today in regards to the N.R.A [National Recovery Administration] Supt. Bjork was the speaker. Their code according to him is a 48 hour week and they are allowed 6 extra hours to get the runs in. The code is not accepted yet at Washington and I hope it never is for it is N.G. all the way thru. The extra men will starve but I don’t think Mr. Johnson will accept it nohow.

Well I must go to work so by-by with love to all, Daddy

P.S. I got 2 letters from you folks today, one from you and one from Ruth and John.

My Dear Martha,

I have made notes on what I should write so I will just take them in order and then write my letter.

1. It cost 15 cents to send your glasses back the same way you sent them to me.

2. I got the 2nd notice from Gore and will write them and tell them we cannot pay them for a little while but that we expect to have the money soon if we get the raise thru the NRA [National Recovery Administration].

3. I don’t think we can get the paint just yet but think we can get it done this fall.

4. I am awfully glad you are getting as much canning done as you are. And I hope you can put up a nice lot of tomatoes and peaches and such things. Peaches are just beginning to come in but I don’t know the price.

5. My hands are O.K. again but I had the hide off in several places at once.

6. I am glad John tends to the potato digging. About how many do they go per hill? and how big are they?

7. I sure wish we could put a little in the bank each month as you said. Our next check, Aug.26th, will be $36.00 and $4.00 of that will be savings.

8. The show with Tom Mix costs too much so I wont be going but they say that he and his horse, Tony are mighty fine actors and maybe we can all see him some other time.

9. I am just as well satisfied that you took the sign down. If they want one up let then come and ask permission to put it up.

10. (Well that’s that). Now for the letter.

Jack fixed us a good feed yesterday, it was macaroni and ground beef. He fried the hamburger good and then broke it up and he had the macaroni cooked in the regular way. Then he put a layer of macaroni, then meat and so on till he had the dish full and he also had broken crackers mixed in, and afterwards he baked the dish in the oven till it was nice and brown on top. It made us 2 nice meals. Your Pepsodent cream only cost 10 cents more than the kind you have been using so I bought it and the blankets were on sale at a dollar so I bought a pair. Things like that are going up in price and I thought you could use an extra pair. The price tags are on the youngsters’ socks so you can see what I paid.

We are marked off again today with a 2 hour pull-out this afternoon. The talk is that the [NRA – National Recovery Administration] codes must be in by the 18th and they must have them working by Sept.1st so we should hear something soon. McGill [head of Minneapolis Transit Company] has had to make the second trip to Washington but I don’t know if he is back yet or not.

I’ll bet it seems like fall to have the nights and mornings get so cool. It’s the same here but no rain. Tell Johnnie that he can take another drill out of the box of tools in the attic and keep it in place of the one he broke. I think the youngsters will like the 2 books I am sending today for they show how to make lots of things and there are some drawings of rustic furniture in John’s book that he can try out. If they need nails I will send some or you can get them some in town. Don’t forget to send me ropes because I had to use another piece of my clothes line today.

I guess that Carl Bowman is working at the Glen Lake Sanatorium. Well I must close with lots of love for you all.

P.S. Tell Ruth I will write to her soon.

My dear Martha and children,

Well I should be scolded for not writing sooner but I will write a long letter now, and try and make up for it. I am well but disgusted with the work. I was marked off Thur, Fri, and Sat. all in a row but Thurs. I chiseled 9 hr. 14 min. I was 2nd.up that day on the official list. I went to the barn 3 times yesterday but did not get a thing and the regular 4 AM man did not get a thing till noon and then only the last half of a run. Thursday night Fred, Jack and I saw that we were all marked off Friday so Fred took us all out to his brother’s place and we helped them thresh. The grain was pretty poor. I think they had 1400 bushels. But their corn is extra good if the frost doesn’t get it. I drove team and hauled bundles and Jack picked in the field and Fred tended to stacking the straw. It seemed like old times. I wish you folks were here to eat dinner with me for I am alone. Jack has gone down to chisel. I have a night run on Bloomington. The dinner is roast beef, boiled potatoes Biscuits and honey and coffee. They fed us good out at Sewell’s and gave us a bunch of corn and milk to take home.

I sent you a package yesterday with my clothes and the things you ordered and I also had your glasses fixed and sent them back. I Put 5 $1.00 bills in with the glasses.

The check was $38.02 after EMBA [Employee Member Benefits Association] was taken out. I paid New England [furniture] $3.00, rent $6.00,Ted $7.35, insurance $5.00 and your $5.00 and have $10.00 left. I will send you the note book again and some more of the money in the next package.

Gee folks, I wish we could all be together – this being here alone is the bunk especially when there is no work. There are so many things up there to be done. Have they cut the hay yet and about the stack in the yard what is it? Where abouts in the yard is it? and what size is it? There are lots of wild grapes out at Sewell’s so we are going out and gather a bunch of them to make jam out of.

Have you heard any more about school, when it starts etc? and what are the youngsters going to need in the line of clothes. I have both Sunday papers ready for you. Well folks I don’t know of any more news except that I would like to give each of you a big hug and kisses.

We have not heard anything for sure about the New Deal only that they are supposed to start something by Sept.1st. Your slip off the geranium did not make it alive so after a little I will go up to the cemetery and take up the big plant so you can keep it. We have not had but the one little shower for ages so it’s dry here but not very warm just right for comfort. I will need my dish towels next time as we are using Jack’s and I have a clean sheet left. I just figured up Jack’s and my eats bill and Jack came May 5th and his side adds up to $16.27 and mine is $16.16 so they stay pretty close together.

I am glad you take the setting up exercises. I think they are helpful and I want you to keep looking young. I bought a shave yesterday so as to get my neck and mustache trimmed so I would look good and I have a nice tan on my arms now.

Have you been down in the big woods lately? I’m awfully sorry I did not get around to write sooner and I hope you get the packages O.K. By-by with lots of love and kisses from Daddy Jim

I am mailing this at the main P.O. at 5:15 PM and I hope you get it tomorrow morning.

Dear Martha and Ruth,

You girls are sure good about writing to me, and it makes me feel good to get such nice letters for its hard to be separated this way.

I slept late this morning for I have to work so late tonight. I got up this morning and made myself some coffee and toast and had a dish of apple sauce for breakfast, then I washed dishes, there were not many only 2 cups, 2 saucers, 2 spoons and my sauce dish. After that I wiped out the icebox and scrubbed the floor so everything is ship-shape. I moved out both beds and cleaned under them, emptied the waste basket and then I put on hot water and shaved so now there is nothing to do till dinner time so I am writing letters to you.

Say I sure wish I could of got in on that Sunday dinner of yours for the menu sure sounded good. Ours was pretty slim– sauerkraut and wieners, bread and butter and coffee, but we did better yesterday. It’s now 11:15 AM so I am wondering what to get for dinner today and I have to get something to take along for lunch tonight. I believe I’ll get some boiled ham for sandwiches and one of those little pies and with coffee I’ll make out all right.

Jack just told me that the bus drivers here went on the 40 hour week yesterday and also got a raise in pay and the rumor is that we are to get not less than $25.00 a week, I hope it’s true. If I get the raise, I want you and the kiddies to winter here with me. And maybe we can get things going up on the farm next year.

The librarys here are all going to be closed for two weeks so send me the card and I will get some more books to keep till they open again. I had left it in one of the last books.

I am glad you found out where the trouble was on the car. You were lucky to be close to help. Was it one of the cables that was fastened to the battery? Well sweethearts I must ring off for this time. Lots of love from Daddy Jim