83 9/11/1946 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson Box 281, Sparta Pike, Lebanon, Tennessee Wednesday, September 11, 1946

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, I hate to write with pencil but our pen isn't good enough to write with. Bob and his friend George have been here and gone and I enjoyed every minute of their visit. We wondered how they would find us because all they had was our box address and didn't even know we lived on Sparta Pike. We expected them Thursday or Friday but when they didn't come we thought probably they stayed in Des Moines longer than they planned. However it happened they didn't leave Minneapolis until a couple of days later. Anyway Sunday we decided to go to a park in Nashville for a picnic taking a roundabout way which is supposed to be a pretty drive. We got downtown in Lebanon and I ran in the Post Office to see if we had any mail and the postmaster told me Bob was looking for us but he wasn't sure where we lived either. We found them downtown sitting in their car. They had gotten into Lebanon the night before and checked into the hotel ["The New West Side Hotel"]. They checked out then and we came back here. They hadn't eaten so I fixed them bacon and eggs and we didn't go on the picnic. Monday Elmer stayed home from work. We had planned to go into Nashville to show them around but it rained hard all day. Sunday night after dinner George and Elmer went down to the drugstore and bought a deck of cards and some ice cream. Bob stayed and helped me with the dishes. After the children were in bed we played whist. It was lots of fun and we had iced tea to drink and the ice cream. Oh yes in the afternoon on Sunday we took them through Andrew Jackson's home. Monday we stayed home on account of the rain and went downtown for dinner that night. Tuesday the boys and Jimmie went into Nashville. I cleaned the house up and washed and ironed all the boy's dirty clothes. In Nashville Bob bought Jimmie a lovely pair of corduroys and a nice sweater and he bought Mary the cutest plaid jumper and white blouse. Then Mr. Carlson had given Bob ten dollars for the children. I want to put that on a tricycle but they cost thirty dollars and that really is way too much. Tuesday night we played cards again and they left this morning about nine headed for Washington, D.C. I packed them a lunch to eat along the way. I've always liked Bob and his friend was such a nice boy too. They went all through the War together and now are both going to the University of Minnesota. George learned to speak Italian fluently while in Italy and almost married an Italian girl but didn't because she was Catholic and wouldn't change. Tuesday night George and Bob did the dinner dishes and made me get out of the kitchen. They did a good job too. I had a nice long letter from you today. I'm always so glad to hear about all the business at the store. I bet you're anxious to take your inventory so you can see how you are coming along. Ellises have lost practically all of their business on account of our road being all torn up but Mr. Ellis also sells meat to the wholesaler's and now that another meat shortage is coming he will put his meat in the store to sell instead so people will come from all around here to buy meat. Mom I hope the stockings have arrived by now. I wish they could have been nylons but these looked pretty nice and I was lucky to just walk in the store when they were opened up. I will like getting the pictures of Mt. Rainier. I know they will be wonderful ones. No, Mary doesn't take after me either in liking high things. I can't stand to even swing and don't like the merry-go-round either. I had a letter from Glad the other day telling me how good you folks look. Today a lady clerk in one of the stores said she noticed how many clothes Mary had and asked me if I wouldn't give her some of them as she knew a poor family who had a little girl younger than Mary. I told her how I had given Mrs. Jackson so many of Mary's things last winter but I said whenever I had anything to spare I would put it aside for her. I believe Mary is catching up with Jeannie now because tonight I went through the trunk to take out some warmer clothes and all the cute little overalls that Jeannie was through with after last winter are all way too small for her. But I'm not giving away all those good things. I'd like to help all these poor people but Nellie can use anything I don't save for Glad too. In almost all these poor families around here the men spend their weekly pay check on corn whiskey and then after getting drunk Saturday night they beat their wives up and are taken to jail for the remainder of the night and then have to pay a fine to get out. We've had a dry enough summer so that lately many of the wells have dried up and most every day when going to the store I see women carrying buckets of water which they have had to haul from some place that has water. Glad sent me a picture of her house and it is beautiful. It sure made that $8,000 dollar house I mentioned look sick. With their lake frontage and nice house they must have paid about 50,000 for it. Well Folks I had better get to bed and I'm disappointed in Stella for not remembering your birthday, Mom. Love, Helen