175 7/19/1948 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Monday, July 19, 1948

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks: Your nice letter just came written on the new stationery. It is very, very pretty. I have just a couple of minutes to scribble off a few lines as I have an appointment at the beauty shop and I have to take a shower first. Tonight the office is having their annual party on the boat down the Mississippi so I decided to get my hair fixed at the beauty shop. George will take care of the children. This is his last week with us and I am glad, although he is just a swell fellow. Yesterday he relined our brakes in the front wheels and will do the back wheels one night this week. Elmer painted the woodwork in our bedroom yesterday, a very dark but gaudy green, and then this weekend George is going to wallpaper it. It is going to be a flashy, or rather splashy, flowered green on three walls and one wall a deep green to match the woodwork. It sounds crazy but I think it will look wonderful. Last night Elmer got my Mount Rainier picture up that Stella sent me. It is on the back wall of the dining room. He put the picture of Mirror Lake up in the living room and they both add so much to the rooms. Mother, don't feel sorry for me about this fight. It is the very best thing that could have happened. I always knew his family would show their hand sometime and am glad they finally did. Elmer is as through with them as I am. Bob and Dolores are still talking and talking and telling the worst lies but we don't even care. One day they will go over to Florence's and the next to Nellie's and then to Carlson's. Grandma Carlson stopped in for a few minutes this last Saturday and she said she didn't like people who caused trouble and she has gotten it in for Dolores. Dolores even had to quit her job after she got married as she had so much trouble with the girls she worked with. Elmer says Dolores is poison. Nellie is really trying to show me she is holding nothing against me. She was Elmer's favorite sister but Elmer even says let Nellie alone too because the less I see of her the better. She really is nice although she does charge me for leaving the kids every time but Elmer said when next winter comes and she wants to leave Karen with me that I shouldn't take care of Karen. We're through with the whole bunch. I'm so glad because I hated to think of having to spend Christmas with them. Last Thursday I was supposed to go over and give his mother a Toni and I called her first but Florence had taken her downtown the day before and had her get a permanent at Donaldson's. I don't hold anything against the mother as she just goes along and does what anyone tells her. It is too bad about Bob though as he is really a nice kid and he is having a tough time of things now trying to finish school and hardly any money to live on and Dolores continually filling him up with how terrible we are to his mother and everything else she can think of. Dolores and Florence see each other all the time now but neither one can get along very long with anyone so they will soon have a big fight. I'm glad I am out of all of it. Elmer says he has only one family and that is Jimmy and Mary and I. Well Folks I'll let you know how things turn out and I had better stop now and get ready. I just painted the basement steps so have to get the paint off my feet that I didn't notice when I took the rest off. Hope you are fine and I'll write more later. With Love, Helen I'll call Leila this week and ask about Mrs. Ellsworth.