231 4/15/1949 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Friday, April 15, 1949

Sadie Erwin Box 44, Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks: I just mailed a letter to you this morning so will just write a note now and then start supper. Your letter came today telling about Hazel. What a funny thing. Frances called a few minutes later and I told her you and Gladys had talked with Hazel and we wondered what was wrong with her as she seemed to talk in circles. Frances said she had heard from Roberta and evidently, as you suspected, Hazel is somewhat off balance. Frances and Hazel had invited Roberta and her husband over for dinner Sunday and they had planned to spend the whole afternoon but they just couldn't stand it so practically ate and ran. Roberta had planned to spend quite a bit of time with Hazel but doesn't want to see her any more now. Frances said a new hospital has gone up near Hazel's place so Hazel had gone practically wild trying to get in the hospital. Hazel and her husband have bought a new Ford and are driving back here soon and want Roberta and her little boy to ride back with them but Roberta said she wouldn't think of being around Hazel all that time. I guess Roberta and her boy would just as soon come back some other way than plane because they had a terrible rough trip out and all the passengers were sick the whole time, but Roberta would rather go through that again rather than ride with Hazel. Frances didn't have many details other than what I have told you as I guess Roberta's letter was written to Mayme but they are all anxious to hear more about it. So Harold is selling cars. I hope he is as successful in that as he was with the brushes. I think Harold makes a very good salesman. Wish we could buy a new Ford from him. You know my old vacuum cleaner only cost me ten dollars with all the attachments and the salesman didn't fool us a bit about it. It wasn't a rebuilt one, it was just a trade in on one of his new ones. He said it was an old cleaner and might work for a long time and again it might not. I did finally get a new one and I sure like it. It is a Llewyt. It is a round tank type with the attachments. I was allowed fifteen dollars on my old one so that brought the price down to 65 dollars. We are buying a wagon for Jimmy for his birthday. Russ Fernstrom has just opened up a beautiful new electric appliance and hardware store here in the Park and we are getting the wagon from him. I would like to have bought the vacuum cleaner from him too but decided on this other one. Jimmy is bringing five boys home from school Monday to celebrate his birthday. It will be a birthday supper and I will start feeding them about 4:30 so they can all get out of here soon after five. I'm just going to serve that macaroni and tuna fish dish and rolls and milk and cake and ice cream. I've got to get Jimmy some little things for his birthday besides the wagon and I don't know what to get. Will have to do a little shopping tomorrow. Ned hasn't gotten dressed all day. Tomorrow I'm going to make everyone go outside and play. It should be a nice day but was a little chilly today and the snow didn't melt. Mary has a funny ailment. Did I tell you about it? She bruises so terribly over the slightest touch and the bruise gets bigger and bigger. Right now both legs are all black and blue and one whole side is black and blue. Elmer is after me to take her to a specialist but at the present I'm making her eat. I think she is probably lacking something in her system as she hasn't eaten a decent meal for about three years. Now I insist that she eat whatever we have and she is finding out that food tastes good. Well I just have to stop and fix us something to eat. Elmer is working again tonight and Johnny went downtown to a show so it is just Mary and Jimmy and Ned and I. I'll probably get a letter from you tomorrow or Monday telling me about the earthquake. Certainly hope everything is o.k. now. Pop, you are right. I think I will be slower in keeping other people's children after this. With Love, Helen