Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

My Dear Martha,

Well Martha I am getting behind with my letters but will try and catch up. Sundays are sure long ones. I am glad you are putting up jam and things and I hope you can get some blueberries. And say each time you are in town buy yourself a nice roast or some other nice meat for I want you and the children to have plenty to eat.

Potatoes are still awful high. The ones from around here are small and ill-shaped and sell for $1.00 or $1.50 a bu. The shipped in ones like we had while you were here are still about 4 cents a lb.

About the cow I think $40 is pretty much unless she is fair-sized and so far as color and breed is concerned I guess it don’t make so much difference just so the milk is good. If you can find one gentle enough to milk I would buy it right away. Jensens are sure having tough luck with their horses. The arrangement with Rood with the grain is OK. Fred Sewell was out to the farm yesterday and he brought us enough corn for two messes and some beets. Say how do you fix beet pickles?

I sure would of liked to sample the apple pie you made the other day. It made me pie hungry so I went out and bought a few apples but did not get around to make the pie. I think I’ll do that tomorrow. I am on 11 o’clock station call today and I hope I draw a night run.

I hope you like the package I have sent today and don’t forget to put in some of the longest pieces of rope when you send things this way. I had to pay 6 cents on the books and I have sent you more. I think John will like the ones for boys.

I think I told you I had cleaned my pants and they look nice. I have ditched the old coat. Today I have on the clean white shirt and collar and all shaved and I feel good. Say I can have my razor fixed up just like new for 75 cents. I believe I will have it done as the old one does not work good and I have to shave so often.

We have not heard anything about the New Deal in regards to our job but it is sure helping a lot in lots of places and we still have hopes. I knocked a big piece of skin off my knuckle the other day, caught it on a screw head as I was throwing a switch. I had to get another outfit of tape and gauze.

Well I hope this finds you all O.K. so by-by with lots of love from Jim

PS. Tell Johnnie I will write to him next.

Dear Martha, Ruth and John,

I received your nice letters last night and you don’t know how thankful I am that you got home safe and that you found everything in good shape. I would of wrote so you could of got this today If I had been home but Fred asked me to go out to the farm as we were both marked off. We left here at 9:10 Thursday night and came back last night. I milked 3 cows night and morning and stacked hay most of the day besides, besides riding to Lakeville with Fred after groceries and after that Fred took his nephew and 2 other boys to Crystal lake swimming. The lake is 11 miles from the farm. We had lots of fun but the water felt cold. 3 of us only had our shorts on as bathing suits but there were no ladies present.

I had a night run on 34th-North Bryant tonight, 7:03 till 12:53. Today I got my hair cut and took some shoes to be fixed, after I got home from that I made a batch of cookies like you made and a sour cream cake. They all turned out good except the cake I had in the mess kit fell a little.

Oh say if you haven’t all ready found the soap it is in the box with the dishes and the screws for the table are in the tin box of tire patches in the tool bag. Try and keep the car in the shade as much as possible for the hot sun is bad on the tires and top. You might even throw something over the tires that are in the sun most. Don’t be afraid to buy plenty of eats and anything I can get cheaper here I’ll be glad to send it to you

As I was milking the cows yesterday I was wishing you folks could have been here too. They gave me a 2 qt. jar of milk to bring home so we have been drinking heavy today. I am sorry ice is so high but here we have to have it. Its terrible hot today but it looks like rain. I am glad you had rain there and the garden is coming so good.

Well sweethearts I must stop and get ready for work. Lots of love to all from Daddy.

Write often

P.S. Dearest girl I know why you were so upset so just forget it. I love you very much and hope you like me a little.

Better send all the books back right away and I will send you some more.

Dear Martha,

I received another letter from you today. I am always glad to hear from you and it answered a question that was bothering me. That was if you had the car on 4 legs again. I answered your question about what to do only the more I think about it the more I think you should come Thursday so as to be sure to make it and have a little time to shop altho money is scarce but we always get by (don’t we?). Say sweetheart I can’t hardly wait to see you and the kiddos and the Pup. Tell Ruth I have her order filled and I have something nice for John.

Today has been just terrible, the radio said 100 when I got home at 4 this afternoon. I worked a one-piece day run on Bloomington. I am glad you got the rain for it is going to be a life-saver for us to get the garden stuff and some grain. Things look pretty tough for a lot of folks. They are burned out in the Dakotas and some of the other wheat states. Wheat is over $1.00 a bu. now.

Well I think I gave you all the instructions you need for the trip, just be careful, and leave the car in a place in Camden so you can tell me where to get it and leave Mitzi in the car as you can’t take her on the street car unless she is in a box. Be sure to lock things up on the farm and have tools and things like that put away. Bring the car keys to the room here with you.

Well Martha I will try to send you one more letter before you leave. So by-by with lots of love to you and the youngsters from Daddy

Dear Martha, John and Ruth,

I was marked off again today and I have spent the whole day at the house working. Jack left for home last night and won’t be back until Sun. night so I am alone. This morning I slept till about 8 o’clock then got up and had an orange and toast and coffee for breakfast. After I did the dishes I went to the store and got 5 wooden boxes and I took down the big books from the shelf in the closet and packed them all away nice. I took all the mittens, mufflers, wool stockings, underwear, my winter cap and all the overshoes and after brushing the things I packed them in a clean wood box and I sprinkled smoking tobacco thru them so the moths would not bother. Then I went thru the things in the trunk and found them O.K. Next I swept the floor and got myself some dinner which was warmed potatoes, sausage, radishes, coffee, bread and honey. After that I washed up the floor, made up my bed, and washed dishes again. Then my package of clean clothes came so I took out part of them and put the rest away nice in the chiffonier and took a bath and put on all clean clothes and here I am now writing to you folks and its 5 o’clock and about 80 in the shade.

I thought this morning we would get a nice shower but only got a few drops and its cleared up again. Oh say, I also straightened up our things in the basement and gave the gas stove a genuine cleaning so now everything is in order. I needed more towels so I bought 3 yds. of toweling and cut it in the middle but guess you will have to hem them as I don’t know how to work your sewing machine. I sure hope you have rain so we will have a lot of garden things, for my work looks pretty punk but there are lots of others in the same fix.

I found our two big flags so I’ll bring them along for the 4th. My but I can hardly wait till I can see you and the children. Are the children tanned and how’s John’s freckles. Do they show on his nose? Tell him if they do I am gong to kiss every one of them. I have quite a few mosquito bites on my arms and neck from my fishing trip and also some sun burn.

(7:15 o clock)

I have just been to the Station and have a nice 2-piece day run on Selby tomorrow and I have been to the Bus depot. The bus leaves here at 12:10 noon and gets there at 6:30 evening, fare $4.15. I was to the hotel and I am going to see Ed Taig. He was out for supper, and I will try and see him when he gets back. I want to see about riding with him.

Well I don’t know of any more news so night-night to all and lots of love,

From Daddy Jim