Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Fearless Females: March 8 "Love, Mother"


My grandmother and my mother wrote to each other at least weekly. The distance that separated them was only 40 miles and we got together often when I was young.  They were quickly written as my father went out the door to the post office, some had rings from coffee cups.  They were of the generation that picking up the phone did not happen too often.

Although those letters are gone, I have a collection of letters that they exchanged when her daughters were first away from home in the early 1940s.  They shared the every day occurrences that are so valuable to hear today, when we can no longer have those conversations.

Postmark October 26, 1943

Dear Margaret,

I spent Monday in bed.  I coughed and had such a pain under my shoulder.  Today I am washing.  It's lots warmer.  Mrs. Parrette asked me to help her with a lunch at the Legion rooms on Thursday, and Saturday I go to Richfield with Mary Callahan to a lunch at the new Park Inn.

You can still smell the effects of the fire.  We put a new pipe upstairs.  The one we took down was open work.   I don't know what saved us.  There wasn't a full stove or else-- Maggie called here yesterday to say Mary & Betty got in at 3.30.

We got a full barrel of cider now.  The men brought the barrel they got Sunday back full.

Sunday night we could not find Duke when we came home.  Daddy went up the road and whistled and we all called.  When the bus stopped he went out with me and I thought he followed it.  Finally we had to leave and as soon as I started the motor he came running all out of wind.

It sure is lonesome here now.   We were wondering what all happened to you yesterday.  I had a call from the hospital to come up and help wash dishes with the electric dishwasher.  I said no.  Mary Betsy gets $10 a week in Newberrys.

Must get dressed and get my clothes out, such a wash.  Tell Herbert his apple pie was good Sunday night and Mamma killed three of her pet chickens.
               
Love,
Mother 


Duke came home 

1 comment:

  1. I assume that Duke is the dog in the photo. Who is the human?

    ReplyDelete