164 5/25/1948 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Tuesday, May 25, 1948

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, At last I will get a letter written to you and from now on I will be able to write more often as I quit my job Friday. It feels just wonderful to be through with it. It turned out to be a full time job as I typed about eight hours a day and some times many more. I had to turn everything down and sit up late every night and I couldn't invite anyone over so Friday morning I called the office and told them I was quitting. Frances, the girl I worked for, told me they had been checking our work for quite some time and I was almost a perfect typist, and she said anytime I wanted to start in again they would always be glad to have me back. Now that I don't have the typing to do I feel like I have all the time in the world. I catch myself rushing to get something done around the house and then I remember I don't have to hurry, because I don't have to get back to the typing. The kids are so glad I quit and so is Elmer. Your package came today and everything is just lovely. The doll is so darling that I wanted Mary to let me keep it on my bed so it wouldn't get dirty but she hasn't let go of it all day and has it in bed with her tonight. I love the bath towel and surely can use it as I am so short on towels. The tea towels are so cute and I will save them to use when I have company. Jimmy loves his baseball, as he is quite a ball player now. That is a wonderful ball. We had bought one for him for his birthday but it hasn't held up a bit good but this one you sent is really a good one. Thank you very, very much for everything. You shouldn't have spent so much money, but we certainly like the presents. Friday Mary had a birthday party with six little girls over in the afternoon. Then when Jimmy and the neighborhood kindergarten children came home at three o'clock I gave them some ice cream and cake too. Sunday, in order to celebrate the birthday, we took our picnic lunch out to Excelsior and ate there and then the kids had rides on the amusement park. Then we had a nice ride around the lake and came on home. We all went to bed real early. George was with us too. He took pictures of us with his movie camera. He came home from North Dakota a week ago but has to leave in another week for the Black Hills where he will be for quite a while. Tonight we went out to look at a house that was advertised. It was way, way out in the country, past North East Minneapolis, along the Mississippi River. It was a small one bedroom house in the back yard of the big house and they want 80 a month for it and it is completely unfurnished. Besides that, all the bills are extra. It is a couple of miles from a store and George doesn't have a car so he didn't take it. I don't know where they will find a place to live. He gets a lead now and then and goes to look at the place but it is either already rented or the rent is way too high. You can't rent a place in the city for less than a hundred a month and most of the places advertised are 200 dollars and over for one month. Now that I quit my job I am going to entertain. Next Tuesday I am having five girls over that I went to high school with. They are Eden, Dorothy Cochran, and Eva Olson and then Gerry Carlson but I don't think you know her. They are coming for lunch. Then Thursday I am having two tables of bridge. It is to be a dessert-bridge. The fifth girl I am having over Tuesday is Selma. She will know everyone except Gerry. Last Thursday night Dolores and Bob came over to take showers and get cleaned up as they don't have a private bath in their apartment. Dolores started having labor pains and the way she acted I was sure the baby was all ready to come so we chased them down to the hospital and the baby was born 40 minutes after they got there. She had a boy. They only keep them in the hospital five days now and then they walk out and don't have to go back to bed when they get home. If I had only known that when I had Mary I wouldn't have stayed in bed so long. I had Mary's hair cut today, real short and it looks so cute and will be so much cooler during the hot weather. The mosquitoes and gnats are already coming around and we still don't have our screens. I call up the mill place every Monday and they always tell me they will be out in a few days but so far they haven't arrived. Carlson's house isn't progressing very fast as they only work on it Saturdays and Mr. Carlson hasn't ordered his mill work yet and that takes several months to get. Tomorrow I am going to meet Selma downtown. I have to get a few things for my bridge party and I also have to stop up at the office and return some labels and things. Nellie will take care of Mary and I'll probably be home before Jimmy gets home from school. Thursday of this week is the last day of school. The schools in Minneapolis have to go until June 22nd on account of the strike last winter. Thanks for sending that cute card to Mary and Jimmy last week. They just love to get mail. I sure would love to get out there this summer and may possibly the latter part of the summer but don't know if I'll be able to do it or not. I'm going to find out the price of the day coach, as that is the way I will come. I had a letter from Ruth today telling me she was sending me the picture of Gary. I can't wait until I see it. Well Folks, I guess I will stop for now and get to bed. I guess I typed my labels better than I do letters because I make plenty of mistakes in letters. I hope you are all fine and I'll write more soon and thanks again for the very, very nice presents. With Love, Helen