458 2/15/1943 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 401 Alexander, Monroe, Louisiana Monday, February 15, 1943

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, We have our typewriter back now and it seems like a brand new one. I had a nice letter from you Saturday but before I answer it I have to tell you some more about Mrs. Walter and I think this really proves she is crazy. Tonight I talked to Louise, the Jewish girl who is having all the trouble with her, and she said this afternoon she was hanging out some clothes and Mrs. Walter told her she couldn’t use the clothes line anymore but Louise didn’t pay any attention to her and when she finished hanging the clothes she went in the house. Her husband and a couple others were there for lunch and they happened to look out the window and saw Mrs. Walter coming with a great big ax. Louise’s husband hurried and called the photographers and they got there just in time to take pictures of Mrs. Walter cutting down the clothes line posts and it showed the clothes lying all down on the ground. Mrs. Walter didn’t notice the photographers and Louise was standing outside watching and when Mrs. Walter finished cutting down the posts she came toward Louise with the ax raised and said she would like to cut her up too and they have pictures of that. When Mrs. Walter saw the photographers then she turned around and ran as fast as she could. Louise said that made all of them laugh so hard because Mrs. Walter is just terribly fat. Haikem’s are bound to win that case with pictures like that. Louise expects her baby about the 24th but she said right after all the fuss today she started getting pains and has had them all day so maybe she will have her baby tonight. Saturday I went down to the light company to pay our light bill for this month. As soon as the girl saw my name on the check she recognized it right away since Mrs. Walter has been in there so much so she called the manager over and he told me how she had been acting. He said she comes in there almost every day and stamps her feet and hollers and threatens to sue them and he said he wouldn’t listen to her anymore but always walked away. I told him about the letters she was writing out to work every day and he said if Elmer got into any trouble at all about them to have the superintendent call him up and he would be glad to tell him that we always paid our bills and didn’t owe the light company a thing. Today Jimmie stood up in the middle of the floor for about five minutes and he was just as steady as could be. I didn’t even try to get him to but had been holding him and went to put him down and he wouldn’t sit down so just stood up and then when I tried to get him to walk to me he sat down but I don’t think it will be long before he walks. I’m glad Stella was able to get a school girl to come in and help her while she was sick. I hope she feels good now. Today Sarah talked to Jimmie over the phone and he didn’t know what to make of it but cried when he had to stop listening. Today I took him downtown but forgot his car seat and had an awful time driving because he tried to crawl all over and grabbed the clutch and the wheel. We just had two tires recapped and have to buy one new one. I’m glad Jimmie decided not to go to work the night after his big day. I sure wish I could get out there. I hope he won’t be sent now until March but that still isn’t very far off. Yes we are on the ground floor here and we like our place so much. Trahans are on the second floor or otherwise we would have taken their apartment because it is in better condition. The paper in our hall is bad because a little boy lived here before and tore it. We were going to ask to have it papered and then decided since Jimmie likes to tear paper we better leave it the way it is and then we won’t have to worry so much about it. Today he was standing up along side of the wall trying to get some digs in the paper to start tearing it but I made him stop of course. Tonight while I was getting supper I noticed Jimmie was pretty quiet so went to look for him and he was in the bathroom throwing everything in the toilet he could find. He had thrown lots of diapers in and one of his shoes. Then he would pull the diapers out after they got all wet and throw them around the room so it was really a mess in there and he was too. Tonight he tried again to eat and this time he put the spoon to his mouth instead of mine so I guess he is learning. Isn’t it funny how nature just takes care of those things because I had never thought of teaching him to eat by himself and he just started in wanting to all of a sudden. Jimmie only had to have raw milk for a couple of days but the other plant is fixed now so I get the pasteurized milk. I like the raw milk better because the cream will whip. The picture of Jimmie turned out good. At least the proofs did and I can get the pictures in 18 days. I did a funny thing though. I got the big one for us and then I ordered three others. One for you and one for Glad and one for Stella and I had completely forgotten about one for any of Elmer’s family. So I thought I would have a good Kodak picture of him enlarged to a good size and get a frame for it and send that one instead to either Glad or Stella. Elmer will feel bad if I don’t send one of the regular ones to his folks so do you think that will be all right. You see three was the smallest number I could get but I couldn’t order four but would have to make it six and I didn’t want that many. Would Stella or Glad feel bad if they got one of the others this time. I thought I would send the enlarged one to Glad and it will be a nice one and I don’t think she will care do you? I sure think Stella’s family picture is good and everyone who looks at it knows right away that she is my sister. Bob doesn’t know any Spanish or French but wished he did. I don’t remember much about it but took two years of it. I’m going to crate the bassinette and send it to Ora Dell and she will give it back to me when she is through with it. Her baby isn’t due until April so I still have a little time but want to get it done right away anyway, so she can fix it up with ribbon and stuff if she wants to. I will be glad if the government lets clocks be made again because again this morning we overslept and I woke up at quarter to seven. Elmer just threw his clothes on and his ride came as soon as he got dressed. What is Harold doing at work now. I knew all the lumber mills were in defense work now but did it change their line of work too. I am glad to know how to make coffee in a hurry because I’ll probably have to be doing it plenty if Jimmie isn’t going to wake up at quarter to six every morning. I can still get baby foods here and have decided not to hoard much because I’ll probably be able to get all I want. Jimmie does eat a lot though and I’ve heard the fruits are going to be stopped all together but as you say I can always fix the fruits myself. It would be wonderful if you could come down here this spring, Mom, and I know you would like it here and I sure would love to have you. I would come out there too if conditions were not as they are, so we could probably ride together one of the ways. It would be swell if I could go out with Glad and then you come back with me but then I guess I just can’t do it. Mom, I decided I want the summer clothes even if we aren’t in the South because I could wear them any place we were. Remember that pretty red plaid gingham dress you made for me. It is still good and I would like that one too and anything you have there but I would want Stella to look at everything first and take whatever she wants. What do you think about shoes being rationed. We never buy many shoes except Jimmie has grown out of three pair already but I’ve heard that maybe baby shoes won’t be rationed and I hope they won’t. Well Folks, guess I will stop for now and get another letter written to Bob. Elmer gave me a box of candy for Valentine’s and Jimmie got a hold of it and was just stuffing his mouth full as fast as he could before we noticed him and he was just covered all over with chocolate. Love, Helen