Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

Dear James,

We received your package yesterday and were glad to get everything. We are well supplied with paper and envelopes now and groceries except for butter and potatoes. I think we can begin to use ours as the vines are drying up. We need rain badly.

Mr. Rood and Eddie fixed the hay stack yesterday while I was in the garden. They put poles on each side this time to keep it in place. Eddie tried to tell the children that they had jumped on it and knocked it down, but they had kept away from it entirely knowing you would want them to leave it alone. They have hauled all the grain away so the fields are bare except for the grass. I looked at the hazelnuts –they are not quite ready to pick, in a week I guess.

If that is the yellow bath towel it is ours. I have the others here. In making beet pickles you boil the beets with the skins on until tender, pour cold water over them and slip the skins off, cut them up and pour the boiling vinegar and sugar over them. I cup vinegar, 1 cup water and 2 Tbsps. sugar and a dash of cinnamon is a good proportion.

We use your rustic seats a lot and they are very attractive. We had a picnic out in the grove last night. We had potato salad, fresh biscuits and jam, bean pickles, bananas and cookies. I have picked another mess of peas and beans enough for another jar of pickles. The children are planning on having them for school lunches.

John had carved you a real nice horse’s head that he was going to send you in a letter but one of the ears broke off and it discouraged him. He has two cut fingers now – not bad but he’ll learn to be careful. John gave Ruth his printing set as he never uses it. They broke the bit boring holes in some badges. Can you send us another one? The dog has some hair worn off on one side, and the skin is cracked and rough. Is there a salve we can put on? I hope you keep well and get plenty of work. Lots of love from us all and a big hug and kiss apiece, Martha

Dear James,

It is Monday morning. Yesterday was hot and sultry and we spent most of the afternoon reading. I got up early (6:30) and finished some cleaning I hadn’t done on Saturday and the children had their baths and we washed our hair before breakfast. Then I baked an apple pie and some cookies and we had dinner, pot roast and gravy, potatoes, corn, pickles and apple pie. It is so dry the ears of corn are small but they taste good.

We went to town on Sat. morning. There were two truck-loads of CCC boys in town. John got a hair cut and one of the officers in charge of the camp was there getting a hair cut and shave.

Just as we were turning in to get some gas at the Standard Oil station the battery went dead like it did before. There were no cars there so the two attendants got our car into their yard and looked over the starting system and found the cable had worked loose. He tightened them and told me how to fix them if it happened again. The roads are rough and the ends of the wire jiggle loose.

I’m afraid we’re too late for blueberries. I didn’t see any in the stores. Let me know the prices of fruit and I will buy here when the price is right.

There isn’t much news only we all miss you so. We got your letter Sat. but the package didn’t come. John is carving all over the place. He thinks the knife is OK and the chain keeps him from losing it. Ruth made me a little match box and nailed it up and it is really handy.

Some of the paper on the shed roof got loose and I had to climb up and fasten it down yesterday morning. It had been very windy. Mitzi and the cat are better friends but still have to have a round or two to show the other who’s who.

Well this is all. I’m sending my account sheet and it is the last one in the book. Send me a filler so I can use it for the milk. Lots of love from the family, Martha

Dear James,

We were so glad to get your letter. It was real cool again last night, and no rain yet. This morning is cloudless.

I’m glad you are taking pains about the room. You’ll find it pays in more ways than one. I’d like to do your washing for you though.

We had a nice mess of corn yesterday and the onions had all dried so we dug them and I made 2 pts. of pickles that are real good. Ruth made a dandy scarecrow and put it in the corn field. We had found several ears that the crows had spoiled and it is so life like that it scared Mitzi. Ruth stuffed a sugar sack and tied it to the end of a stick and marked a face on it and put John’s old cap and your old uniform coat on it. Mitzi caught her first gopher yesterday. Rood’s little girl came over and played with Ruth yesterday. They had a tea party. Ruth had baked a nice Hoover cake. We have a stack of oat straw out by the barn. They hauled in 2 big loads on Tuesday. All the oats are cut and the south side is shocked and the rest is hauled away. John spent a lot of time in the field. They let him ride one of the horses.

The sudan grass is about 3 1/2 feet tall and the millet a scant 3 ft. Both are headed out. I think you had better air out the blankets and put them in the trunk. They will absorb perspiration and the nap will wear off otherwise.

Send me a note book like yours and some envelopes and yeast cakes and a box of matches. Have you enough money left? I have just the $10 bill.

I must close now. Lots of love from us all, Martha

Dear James,

We were glad to get your letter yesterday and that you could spend the day out of town. We’re having real cool weather. This morning we were glad to stay by the stove.

Yesterday we picked a nice mess of corn for dinner and string beans enough for supper and a qt. of pickles. We’ll have another mess of peas about Sunday. The brown beans are ripe and the children shelled out 2 cups full. I am baking bread today and making some chokecherry jam.

Mr. Rood and Eddie were cutting and raking the poorest oats yesterday. They came here for a drink and Mr. Rood said he thought it best to haul the bundles over to his place and thresh them there and he would sack up our grain. He also said we wouldn’t have to pay for any twine if we didn’t get the straw. He said he had a cow (a 4 yr. old) with a week old calf he would sell for $40.00. It was in Bryan Sells’ pasture. I was going to try to buy potatoes at Sells so in the evening we drove to Roods and Mrs. Rood went with us to Sells. I couldn’t get any potatoes but saw the cow. She is coal black and they said she is part Jersey. She had a pretty little calf, nicely marked but the cow was small and seemed a little wild to me. So there you are.

I bought a book of stamps from the mailman yesterday. There was a sub on for two days. I must get this letter mailed so goodbye and lots of good luck. Be sure to tell me all the news and send us a Sunday paper if you get one. Love from us all, Martha