485 4/30/1943 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 401 Alexander, Monroe, Louisiana Friday, April 30, 1943

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, Summer is really here. Jimmie has heat rash all over him and is running around in just his training pants. I hope Florence hurries and sends our fan because we can use it any time now. Jimmie has been walking a lot today but sits down when he happens to notice he is. I think in even a couple of days though he will really be walking all over. He is healing up just fine and I’m glad all that is over with. It didn’t seem to bother him at all and he doesn’t wet any more than he did before either. I was afraid I would have to start all over in training him. I had a nice letter from Jimmie today and he certainly seems to like Los Angeles. He said a town couldn’t possibly have more beautiful girls than there are there. Last night a man from work took us out to dinner. He is from Atlanta, Georgia and was sent here to check some certain parts of the plant and he has been here for quite a while without his family. He invited Facklers and us out for dinner and we went to the Frances Hotel and really had a good one. I ordered crab and it sure was good. It was the whole crab in a shell. I’ll have to have him out some night now but hate to think of it when it is so hot. Today Annie came and brought me a bunch of turnips and greens. She cooked them for me and flavored them so good that I am just crazy about them. Jimmie likes them too. I gave her a bunch of stuff that I wanted to get rid of and she was awfully glad to get it. When she left she got half way home and then she remembered she had forgotten to get the things so walked all the way back in this hot sun after it. She said she was afraid I might throw everything away, thinking she didn’t want it. I have fixed up most of the dresses you sent. I like the blue one and don’t know why I didn’t always like it because it is pretty. Annie is going to help me fix the linen skirts by changing them around the waistline instead of just hemming them up more. I bet our old garage apartment is plenty hot right now. It got almost unbearable in the late afternoons and this one is quite comfortable now so I don’t think it will be so bad later on when the weather gets hotter yet. Everyone here eats a lot of greens like turnip greens and mustard greens and every kind there is. I don’t especially like them but Annie cooked the turnip greens too and flavored them so much that they are pretty good. She has a big garden and the next time she comes she is going to bring me some green onions. Jimmie is out in the kitchen playing with all the pans. I’m trying to get him to play by himself more and he is doing pretty good today. He usually follows me all over and hangs on me so much but I think as soon as he starts walking he will go around by himself better. I hear him hurrying out here on the porch now though so he didn’t like being all alone in the kitchen by himself very long. I am glad Cully likes his work. I just finished the dishes and we are going to bed pretty soon. It is a regular hot summer night out tonight without any breeze at all. It is nice out here on the porch though because there is a great big fan on the ceiling and it feels real good. Well Folks, I want to write to Jimmie so will stop but I will write a better letter tomorrow. With Love, Helen