Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

Dear James,

We had to bring out the winter coats and mittens this morning. The temp was 20 at 6:30 AM. Sat. night the rain water in the boiler froze but I had drained the car radiator in the morning and covered the hood. We went to bed about 9:00 and left a good fire and at 1:30 I got up to let the cat out and put in more wood so it wasn’t quite so cold. We should be able to hold fire all night by getting up twice. Jenson is going to bring us another load of wood this Friday afternoon. On Saturday I finished the south and east walls of the living and we moved the chest of drawers and the bookcase and stand and John’s cot in, and put the round rug in front of the heater and it all looks quite cozy.

Jensons dug their potatoes Sat. and got 20 bushels, they said. They are digging Wrightly’s potatoes on shares.

This morning I shall mend some winter clothes and then bank the north end of the house. I believe you could build a tar-paper lean-to there for the car. I wish you were here. We could get wood in together. It is going to take a lot of it. We didn’t go anywhere on Sunday. I had to iron all morning and the children took turns reading out of “The Little Pioneers.” And we all helped fill the wood boxes in the evening and walked down to get the milk.

If the mice aren’t too bad we can keep some surplus food in the attic. It is cool there and cleaner and easier to get to.

I must stop now and see what I can accomplish. Am glad you found everything O.K. there. Love from us all.

Martha, Ruth, and John

P.S. John has been very good about getting in the wood.

Dear James,

We got home O.K. yesterday. We miss you. On our trip home we followed 34 to Nevis and found the road much better than it had been. I took the children to school this morning, came home and then drove down to Jensons for the milk just see if I could negotiate their yard and the hill and made it just fine. I feel sure that with more trips to Nevis I can drive to Brainerd so if you can get a ride that far come up as soon an you can as we are lonesome without you. I covered the car and tied the canvas on and took the tools in as you said. I looked at both stove pipes and they are all right.

I painted the North and East windows and frames yesterday and then ran out of paint. The old wood just soaks it up. I asked Mr. Jenson to get me another can and the next fair day I will get at it again. This morning I sawed that pine tree that you had brought into the yard, raked up the shavings and carried the boards you had piled on the bench out to the chicken coop.

The temp was 40 this morning at 6:30. When I went out to the little-house [the privy] a bird flew up from behind it and lit on a branch of the tree standing there. It stayed there for about a minute, a perfect target. I think it was a partridge. I’ll send your blanket with the laundry and PLEASE get yourself a raincoat.

I must close. Lots of love and kisses and thanks for fixing the house so good. Write to your folks.

Martha