731 3/31/1942 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson Box 582 Newburyport, Massachusetts Tuesday, March 31, 1942

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Plum Island Dear Folks, I’ll write to you before we eat because we are going over to Ducret’s afterwards and I want to give this to George to mail in the morning since Elmer won’t be going in. Today was another nice warm spring day and all the snow we did have is all gone now. I washed out quite a few things and am trying to keep any work from piling up because I don’t want to have to go to the hospital and leave a lot of work waiting for me when I come back. Last week I took some pennies into the bank. I had five dollar’s worth and I cashed them in for the five dollars and then when I got home I noticed several pennies in the bottom of my purse so figured they must have fallen out of the rolls. Today I stopped in the bank and asked the teller if he had noticed any short and he said there were twelve short but that was alright. I told him I had noticed it afterwards and was going to give them to him but he said that was alright, but I made him take the twelve cents anyway. He said I was certainly different from a lot of people and he thanked me so much and I told him I was sorry it had happened and I was so glad I had gone back then. A filling fell out of my back tooth so I went to the dentist today and had it fixed and he also looked at the rest of my teeth but they were all o.k. Some difference from a time back because it used to be every single time I had my teeth looked at there was something wrong with about ten of them, almost every time. Every time I used to go to Vernie I had a bill around twenty dollars. I think my teeth have improved though so I shouldn’t blame Vernie because I know they did used to decay easily. Today George Ducret was to meet the boss from the Boston office in Georgetown and we are anxious to hear what he had to say. I hope it isn’t anything about our moving, but George is pretty certain to have to go to Virginia. Ducret’s are planning on going to her folks this weekend, leaving Thursday and spend Easter with them but now Doris thinks that Louie the baby is coming down with the measles so she doesn’t know if they will be able to go or not. I stopped for a few minutes and we ate supper so I will finish this now. It has been so warm out today that I turned out the kitchen stove and when I finished cooking supper I turned it out again. The kitchen stove burns oil fast so we really save on oil when I turn it off. We have only had to buy oil twice this month and there is still a lot left. I’ve been thinking about Glad and Cully and Ruthie and wondering where they are now. I bet they are having a nice time and I sure wish they could have come to see us. I hope they will get out to Washington soon though. I know Gladys isn’t anxious to stay in Minneapolis any longer than she can help. Is your car being fixed up. I certainly hope so and I hope it won’t give you any trouble after it is fixed. I hope you are feeling alright now, Mother. I sent Jim a few recipes today that may help him a little. His school term is going so fast that he will soon be through for this year. I hope he will be able to go back next year and stay out of the army. It makes me just sick when I think of him having to go. Tomorrow is April Fool’s day and is one of the Ducret boys’ birthdays so I am going over for cake and coffee after they get out of school. I don’t think I will eat any cake though since I don’t want to gain any more weight. I am so glad I got my tooth fixed today because there was a sharp edge on it and it cut my tongue all the time. I’m getting everything lined up to take to the hospital. I bought writing paper and Kleenex and things like that that I will want while I am there. I hope the two weeks will go fast and they probably will. I don’t think I will mind the ward because then I will have someone to talk to during the day. It would be nice if I could have company more often but then Elmer can bring my mail anyway, even if he can’t come up to see me. I don’t see why they make it only twice a week because that certainly isn’t very often. I still have several letters that I want to get answered too before I go. I hope I go early if anything because I am so anxious now to be thin again but I certainly haven’t minded this time at all. I started to mention that we were thinking of all the places we have been since last April first and I have been in Maryland and down south and out to Washington and now way up here so no wonder the time has gone fast for me. Last night Elmer and I played chess again but I was still unlucky. Some nights I can beat him and other nights I am no good. Well Folks, I guess I had better stop and do the dishes because we are going over to Ducret’s early and come home early. I will write more tomorrow and tell you if George heard any news today. With Love, Helens