216 3/31/1949 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Thursday, March 31, 1949

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks: A nice letter just came from you and I am going to sit right down and get a few lines off to you. Honestly, since the boys have been here I haven't known if I was coming or going. They are wonderful boys and I am crazy about them but I'm not used to the extra work and confusion so I really begin to feel now as though I will be awfully glad when I hear Jan is coming back. She has only written one letter, which was soon after she arrived there, and I haven't heard a thing since. Warnie hasn't called up one single time to ask about the boys. There is just no end to the work. They hand me their overalls to be mended and my washings are terrific, the ironings are bigger, and their socks always have holes in them. I just can't do the mending. I always was pokey about getting our mending done so I'm just piling up their torn things and I'll let it wait for Jan unless the kids run out. Before, I could go around the house once a week with a pail of water and wipe all the finger marks off the wall, but now it is way beyond me. These boys, being bigger, play out more and get dirtier and their hands get so dirty and I can't herd them right into the bathroom like I do my little kids so I've given up trying to be clean, and after they leave I will dig in and try to get things back in shape again. This is the third week the boys have been here now and the second week Jan has been in California so surely next week she will be thinking about coming back. Tuesday noon the school nurse brought Ned home. Ned is the youngest and he said he was sick but I knew just as well as anything it was because he didn't want to collect that night. They had a paper route but since they have been here a substitute has taken over but they were supposed to do the collecting. Last night our bridge club met over at Johnny Hinch's. When we left at twelve thirty there was a terrible blizzard out and the snow was piled real high. We just couldn't believe it. We had just a terrible time getting home and had to get out every block and wipe the snow off the windshield. It snowed hard all night and today we are practically snowbound. I was supposed to take Mary over to Leanne Haemig's birthday party but Elmer called and said not to go any place because the driving was too dangerous and the buses were all tied up and not getting through. It is still snowing so maybe Elmer won't even get home tonight. All the schools in St. Louis Park are closed. The kids were all getting ready this morning and luckily we turned on the radio and heard the announcement and then the phone started ringing and everyone calling to see if we heard school was out and all the noise but I finally made everyone go outside. Last night Elmer worked so I didn't plan much for supper but then Ned and Johnny each brought a boy home from school with them and wanted to know if they could eat with us so I said if they wanted to eat French Toast they could, so they did. I was so glad I was playing bridge last night so I could get out. I sure am glad to hear some news about Gladys. Yes, I did get that letter you wrote last Saturday but hadn't heard anything more about Gladys. Mrs. Dahlstrom, too, has been wondering how everything is. I was sure Gladys was o.k. but am glad to hear it and I know she is glad to be home. I saw Mamie Praull again at the sewing club last Friday night. Mr. Merrill is also living with her and all the girls were laughing about how none of them dared be in the same room with him alone because he always wanted to kiss them. Saturday night I had Eden and Wally over for dinner. Then Mabel and Charlie and Doris and George later. Anyway, I had every dish in the house dirty because with Eden and Wally and their two girls and then the boys plus my family there were a lot of us and I had a big dinner. Anyway, we didn't get the dishes done before the others came. In fact, we didn't even start the dishes. Later, when I went out in the kitchen to make coffee, Mabel came out and when she saw all the dishes she grabbed an apron and started washing them and Eden and Doris wiped them. I sure was glad to have them done. My wonderful vacuum cleaner stopped working but I figure I did get my ten dollars worth out of it. I sent for a repair man and it will cost 20 dollars to have it fixed so I'm kind of thinking of putting that money in on a new one. I really can't afford it at all but I told Elmer I just can't go back to sweeping after having had a vacuum cleaner for a while. A Singer salesman just left. He came to demonstrate the Singer Cleaner. They are very nice but I don't think I will get one as I want the attachments. The Singer just has the hand cleaner and they are the most expensive cleaner too.