144 1/30/1948 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Friday, January 30, 1948

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Well my address now is finally 4008 Randall Ave, St. Louis Park and it certainly is wonderful to be here. We were gong to move in this Saturday toilet or no toilet but the toilet came Wednesday. I came over Thursday and worked all day and decided I might just as well cook supper here, so then brought over dishes and enough to manage with and bought some groceries and left word at Carlson's to send Elmer over here when he came from work. We had a nice dinner, from the card table and it was lots of fun. We had an army cot over here so when the kids got sleepy we put one at each end and they went to sleep. Elmer varnished both the bedrooms and painted the kitchen cupboards while I scraped plaster off the bathtub and cleaned other things. We worked until midnight and then I put on the coffee. Then Elmer said, instead of taking two sleeping children, still dressed, back to his folks, that he would go over there and get Jimmy's folding bed and throw the bedding in the car and we would sleep here so that is what we did. He also brought back a little food for our breakfast. Then after Elmer left for work this morning I got the children fed and dressed and we left as the carpenters are still putting the inside doors on. I had a million things to do anyway. We stopped over at grandma's because I had to get Jimmy ready for school. Mrs. C. was so nice. She said, "we'll like each other fine now that we each have our own house." Now that I am away from there I realize she put up with an awful lot and it wasn't easy for her to have all the extra work and noise. We had lunch with her and then I took Jimmy to school and got his report card and everything. His teacher wrote a wonderful report about him, except, she did write that he couldn't sing very good. After leaving Jimmy at school, Mary and I went down to Donaldson's and I bought a nice new washing machine and it is to be delivered Tuesday. Then Mary fell asleep on the street car coming home. I had driven half way downtown only and then taken the street car the rest of the way because it is practically impossible to get a parking place, even in a lot. Tonight we had dinner here and then Elmer went over and got the mattress to our bed so we will sleep on that and Mary and Jimmy each have a bed. Tomorrow Elmer will get the trunk and we'll get everything over. I only have a coffee table so far for the living room. The living room is still a mess, with lumber around and saw horses and tools so we aren't going to even start to furnish it until after we get the walls painted, which we plan to do when the workmen are through. The basement is really wonderful and Jimmy and Mary love to play down there. Mrs. Carlson gave me her old living room rug to put down there so they can sit down and play. It is practically spring here now as the temperature went up to 15 above today. It sounded really funny too when everyone you saw said, isn't it nice out today. I finally got my check from General Mills for 65 dollars, which isn't enough, but still I think I'll keep typing for them, although I'm taking a few days off for moving. Well Folks I think I will go to bed as we will be busy tomorrow. I hope you are fine and I'll write more soon. Love, Helen