723 3/17/1942 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson Box 582 Newburyport, Massachusetts Tuesday, March 17, 1942

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Plum Island Dear Folks, Elmer came home for lunch today and has just gone back. He is in the office today because it is raining out. He and George got word this morning that we might have to move. They have been working in Georgetown, a small town about ten miles from here, and of course have been driving the station wagons back and forth. Their boss in the Boston office said that they would just have to stop driving the station wagons any more than was absolutely necessary on account of the tire situation. There is no transportation between here and Georgetown, otherwise they could leave the station wagons there and go back and forth from here every day but as it is there is no other way of getting there. There aren’t any places in Georgetown to live, but Haverhill is right next to Georgetown and that is quite a good-size town so we could probably find something there all right but none of us wants to move at all so are just going to wait and see if we really have to. Elmer said that he thought George would be tempted to quit if they had to move. The Island is a perfect place for them to live because their boys can run all over and then living is cheap here too. I’ll be just sick if we have to leave but it has been too perfect here to last I guess. Haverhill is only about twenty miles from here too, but it has been wonderful living right on the ocean practically and I am crazy about our cottage and would like it here even if we didn’t have electricity. I haven’t minded the outside toilet or the bad weather or anything about it. Speaking about electricity our light bill for last month was only a little over a dollar so that certainly is cheap enough. I had a letter from Eden yesterday and she said Alvin was expecting to leave at any time. I guess he hasn’t taken his physical yet but will have to any day. Eden didn’t know if he was still going to be married or not but said she didn’t think so. Clarence thought he would get home on leave and Eden wanted to go to Minneapolis at the same time and see him because then he is going to be sent someplace but he can’t get any leave now so she doesn’t know when she will get to see him. I have been having an awful time getting sugar. By the time in the afternoon when I get in town to the stores their sugar is all gone. We don’t use much so it hasn’t gotten very serious but now Elmer and George stop in a little store in Byfield to get our groceries. Byfield is on their way to Georgetown. This store man gives Doris and me sugar without our even asking for it and now I have four pounds of it. This war is much tougher on people with big families isn’t it. I can realize now a little what you folks went through during the last war with us three girls to feed. With just Elmer and me we can still buy what food we want and go on about the same but Ducrets with their three boys, the rise in food prices really hits them hard. They were hoping so that they could stay here all summer because when they have to travel with their family, they can’t stop in restaurants along the way or stop in hotels and now tourist camps are about as high as hotel rooms. They will probably have to cut down on their rates though since there won’t be many tourists now. This is the day Doris and I were going into town but it is raining out and was half snow this morning so all the schools are closed again. I can’t understand how they can close every time the weather is bad. I don’t think the kids ever get a full week in. Night 10:00 Dear Folks, we just came back from Ducret’s and Elmer and George beat Doris and me in a rubber of cribbage. I have decided not to feel bad if we have to move because we should be able to sacrifice something since there is a war on and so far it hasn’t hit us very hard. We’re going to listen to Bob Hope and then to bed. Love, Helen.