Dear Daddy – The Farm Letters

Dear James,

We are gathered around the family table writing letters. It is now 8:30 PM. We reached home by way of Wadena, and Park Rapids. From Brainerd to Park Rapids the road is wonderful. We stopped at Little Falls for gas and oil, 3 gals gas and a qt. of oil, 77 cents. We bought groceries at Menagha. 1 doz. eggs, 5 lbs. potatoes, l qt vinegar (so I can make bean pickles), 1 loaf bread, 2 pkgs, corn flakes, total $1.11 also 3 ice cream cones. We ate lunch just outside Little Falls. We had packed lunch for you too but forgot to give it to you before we left. What bus did you take to the cities? We met two, one about 8 o’clock and one about 9. The car worked perfectly and the weather was ideal.

The first thing we did was to look at the garden. The potatoes are still blossoming and have grown a lot. Ruth dug 2 hills and found 10 potatoes a little smaller than an egg. The sweet corn is in the milk and the corn is beginning to tassel. The cabbages are forming heads and the onions are ripe. The tomato plants have many, many little tomatoes set on and the plants are 3 times as big as they were.

There must have been a heavy rainfall lately as the garden soil was washed some and both tubs and boiler were full of soft water. The cat came running from the barn as soon as she heard the car. She had moved the kittens again.

I unloaded the car and picked a basin of raspberries, enough for supper. I brushed our coats and picked all the hair off of them and hung them away. I feel pretty tired now and am only waiting my turn at the tub. John is already asleep. The children were both very good all the way up here.

I am sorry I was cross with you but you’ll simply have to be more patient. I’ve been thinking over what we talked about, and if you get more work I think we ought to rent a house and stay with you this winter. We can’t even bear to think of another winter up here alone. And then we can spend the summer months up here and rent out the land as before. If your work gets less you might see about the loan and find out if you can quit it and go to farming and I guess this farm is as good as most of them.

Eddie Rood was cutting the oats on the north half of the field just as hay, on the rest he will use the binder. The millet and sudan grass look nice. The grain isn’t ripe enough to harvest yet. The grass in the yard is green and everything is just as we left it.

Be sure to get your new shoes right away and pay Ted all up if you have enough money.

I’m sorry again for being cross. Bruce had been here twice while we were away, on the 17th and the 22nd of July. He left 2 notes.

(Continued in A.M.)

We’re all feeling great. Had a good sleep. It is cloudy today and as soon as this is in the mail box we are going after the cherries and the garden. Blueberries were 10 cents a lb. in the store. I hope you are rested now and that things will go well with you.

Lots of love. Martha