534 1/25/1944 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 2021-5th, Lake Charles, Louisiana Tuesday, January 25, 1944

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, I had a nice letter from you today and Mom you certainly shouldn’t have sent me that three dollars. I owe you a lot more than that. I realized after I mailed your letter that I had forgotten to give you the address where to send the things. Now I think it would be best not to send anything until I know for sure if we will get the apartment. I would like Jimmie’s bed and mattress though. I answered an ad for a baby bed and they wanted 25 dollars for it and it was a smaller one than Jimmie’s and the mattress was terrible. You can send the bed to this place but I hope we will be in the other place by the time it comes. Send it by express. I’ve been going to the dentist having my teeth fixed up. He sure is a rough one and I think of Dr. Silkinetter every time I go. Today Jimmie and I were walking along downtown and a man came along and bumped into Jimmie and knocked him down and broke his front tooth half off. I’m certainly glad it is his baby tooth. I keep forgetting to tell you that my watch has been at the jeweler’s for about a month now and as soon as I get it I will send you yours, Mom, but be sure and tell me if you want it sooner. I am so glad to have it and the pearls. Jim called me when he got back to camp Sunday night. He said it was posted on the bulletin board that they were being shipped out Thursday. He thought it might be for Florida. I sure will miss seeing him, but I’m glad he was able to get down as often as he did. Frances’s boyfriend Howard finally called her so she had him over for dinner tonight. We ate first and then came in our room and Jimmie and Elmer are sleeping now. Every morning now Jimmie asks me where Elmer is and I tell him he is working and he says, poor Daddy. He certainly talks a lot now. Sunday Elmer had to work so Jimmie and I went down to the bus depot with Jim at 3:30 and then met Jessie. We went to the show and it was the first time for Jimmie. He was real good and sat on my lap and watched the picture and ate popcorn. Toward the last he started to get restless so I took him out in the lobby and let him run around a while and then he wanted to go back so we did and that time he went to sleep. You shouldn’t remember our birthdays by presents at all but of course we will be glad to get them. We celebrated my birthday last night by Elmer drying the dishes for me and then going to the show. Frances was home with Jimmie. This afternoon I took Jimmie down to the lake and he had fun running around and throwing stones in the water. It was so warm out I would have let him go wading if he hadn’t had a cold. I guess I will stop now and read a few sections of the lesson before I go to bed. That smock you sent was the one I wanted. I suppose it was in the trunk. The jumper makes me look too big but I’ll be glad to have it in the fall. I’m glad to have those shoes too. Thanks for everything you do. I wish I could see you. Whenever Jim came down we always spent a lot of time talking about you folks and about the times when we were all still at home. Goodnight for now Folks and I’ll write more later. Love, Helen