158 4/16/1948 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

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

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Your nice letter came yesterday. I thought about you going to Portland and I hope you had a nice weekend. I hope you were able to see Hilda and Carl as Aunt Ruth said they were looking forward to seeing you. Thanks, very, very much for the dollar you sent Jimmy. It made him so happy and you certainly shouldn't send him any other present. He thinks the dollar bill is just wonderful. Yes, George Ducret is the fellow Elmer worked with in Plum Island. We were all very good friends and saw each other all the time as their cottage was just a few cottages from ours and we were practically the only ones on the island at that time. George said those cottages are now renting for 200 dollars a month and every cottage on the island is rented all winter during this housing shortage. George is staying with us. I fixed the room upstairs for him. He is no trouble at all. He makes his own bed and even carries his dishes off the table after eating. As soon as he gets home from work every night he changes his clothes and gets the paint brush and starts in. That makes Elmer more ambitious too. George fixes all the little things around here that need fixing and he is going to re-line our brakes for us. He is one of those handy men who are swell to have around. Oh, yes he even helps me with my typing. He hopes to get a cottage out at the lake and has a lead on one now. Minnetonka is about his only hope as there is just nothing to rent in the City. He expects to be here for about two years. Doris will come after school is out if George has found a place. Sunday we are going out to Hamel to see Cousin Agnes. I wrote to her this week and asked her if it was O.K. and today had a card from her saying she would be looking for us. George has a movie camera and the first night he was here he showed the kids cartoons, you know, Mickey Mouse etc. The next night as soon as it started getting dark kids started pouring in here. There were ten in all. Jimmy had gone around the neighborhood inviting all his friends over, unbeknownst to us. George then set up his movie thing and Elmer went out and bought some Cokes so we had quite a party. George showed a lot of pictures so it got around nine o'clock by the time the party was over so Elmer and George walked home with all the kids. Sunday Jimmy is having them all over again for birthday cake at 6:30 and movies afterwards. The stores are all having furniture sales now so yesterday I bought a studio couch, chair, two end tables and two table lamps. It will be delivered the first of the week. Tomorrow Elmer and George are going to sand and varnish in here so it will look pretty nice. I sent silverware to a Marvel Lewis Route 2, "Mt. Rainier Holsteins" in Enumclaw last night. Do you know them. In case you do you can tell them it will be at least four weeks before it arrives. I think the order was for one teaspoon. Did you find a coat mother. I hope so as it has been a long time since you bought a new coat, but you always looked nice anyway. I bought a gray one yesterday at Donaldson's. It is the new long length. I had no intention of buying a coat but these were on sale for fourteen dollars and I needed one so got one. The women were really fighting for them too so I was lucky to grab one my size and a color that was O.K. I saw Fanchon Monday. Aunt Ruth was there too. Her friend, I don't remember her name, stopped for Ruth unexpectedly Sunday and said her husband would drive them to Mankato to the bus so Ruth got ready and they came. Ruth said she didn't like to ask to spend the night with me as long as she hadn't been able to let me know ahead of time. That would not have mattered to me though because I expected Ruth any time. Fanchon looked wonderful. She is a very attractive girl. She is just down on the world and ready to give up. If she isn't cured this time I'm afraid she will. Her nerves were just shot and she was sharp and cross with Ruth. Everything irritated her and she took it out on Ruth. I told Fanchon how Ruth sat up all night with her after the operation and how worried she was. Fanchon has gone through so much that you can't blame her for acting jumpy. This is her last hope as far as doctors are concerned. If she hadn't had one good lung she couldn't have had this operation. This trip to Minneapolis was the second time she had been out of bed in the three years she has been in the sanitarium. Her case was in its final and worst stage when she entered the sanitarium. She will have to be there at least a year longer to recuperate. I have a house plan ready to send to you. I still have those stockings to send I mentioned some time ago Mother. After I washed them out I noticed a small run in the foot of one so mended it. They may not wear very good. I'll send those things with your Mother's Day present and I already have that so it won't be late this time. Pop I think of those bedroom slippers all the time but just don't seem to get the others. I surely will soon though. Elmer is wearing the ones I sent you first as they are his size. I guess that's how I happened to send ones that were too big. You can tell by the length of this letter that I don't have any typing to do this weekend. It seems wonderful. I believe this is the first free weekend I've had since I started this home typing. They are getting caught up now. I don't want to quit but will be glad when I get laid off. We have seen the Recrofts, the ones from Atlanta, several times. George was over there for dinner tonight. Ruth Recroft wants me to drive to Atlanta with her this summer to see her "kinfolks". She is so lonesome for the south and when George showed his moving pictures the night we were over there, of the different jobs we had all been on, she wanted to move right back. This bunch that we all know have all been on the same jobs but not all of us at the same time. George won't be in Minneapolis all the time but will be sent out on different short assignments to different states but this will be his headquarters. That's why Elmer and I moved so much because I was able to go out on all the assignments with him. The Recrofts expect to be here permanently though because Ray is through surveying now and he is the Regional Supervisor. Well Folks it is twelve o'clock so guess I better got to bed. Thanks again both of you for Jimmy's dollar. Love, Helen