730 3/29/1942 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson Box 582 Newburyport, Massachusetts Sunday, March 29, 1942

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Plum Island Dear Folks, It is a wonderful day out today and lots of people are down here fixing up their places. If this nice weather keeps up I know a lot of them will be moving in before long. Mr. Blakey is outside talking to Elmer. He came down to look at his other cottage next door and then his mother has one in back of us and she is going to move down next week. She lives with another son and he is a little cracked and goes around nights looking in people’s windows but he is harmless. Just the same I hope I don’t catch him looking in our windows. I always keep the shades pulled down at night though so he won’t see much. Friday night Esther and Blakey came over and we had a very nice time. We play rekop and they seemed to think it was so much fun and I guess they really meant it because they stayed until after twelve. I served my chili and coffee soon after ten. We listened to Joe Louis win the fight again too. Last night, Saturday night, Elmer and I just stayed home and we played chess for awhile and then cribbage but he beat me just about every time in both games. I guess Cully and Glad have started on their trip today. She said they were leaving today if the Hawks lost the last game and they did. I think they will have a wonderful trip because this is such a nice time of the year to travel. I bet they are anxious to get out to Washington. I bet too that you will see a big change in Ruthie. This time of the year starts me trying to figure how I can get out there again. It won’t cost me any more to travel with a baby because I won’t have to pay for him yet for quite awhile. For a ticket I mean. It is already paid for as far as the doctor is concerned though and I’ll pay the hospital when I get there. Mother sometime would you send me those school pictures? I would like to show them to Elmer and I would send them back to you. Don’t make any special attempt to mail them though because I just thought it would be fun to look at them, but it doesn’t matter at all. After dinner today I walked down to the basin with the garbage and it was so nice down on the beach. I think I will spend most of my time this summer sitting on the beach with the baby. The basin, being right in back of our cottage, I’ll probably spend more time there than on the ocean beach. Esther will be moving down as soon as school is out because she has a little girl who goes to school. Esther’s cottage is right in back of us too. She is crazy about little babies so she will be a help too if there is anything I want to know. Did Bernice Swain have anyone stay with her when she came home from the hospital. Esther knows a practical nurse who will come here for 8.50 a week plus her room and board but Esther thought she could find someone cheaper than that. It would be nice alright to have someone here for a few days who knew something about babies but I don’t know yet what I will do. Just wait and see I guess. I really don’t know a thing about taking care of them but I don’t see how I could do anything to the baby that would be so terribly wrong because I do have a little sense and I can learn how to bathe it just like everyone else does. They will show me that in the hospital too. Eden is going to Minneapolis, in fact she must be there now. I had a letter from her yesterday and she said Clarence got a month’s furlough so she and Joany were going to go and stay for at least a month. I know she must be anxious to get home. I had a letter from Clara Jensen and she said that Addie’s husband had to go into the army. I bet Addie will hate to see him go. Well Folks, we just decided to go to the show so I had better stop. I want to mail this when I go into town now because since Elmer will be working in the office tomorrow he won’t be getting into town in the morning. Goodbye for now and I will write more tomorrow. With Love, Helen