670 2/16/1951 Helen Carlson to Sadie Erwin

Helen Carlson 4008 Randall Avenue, St. Louis Park, Minneapolis 16, Minnesota Friday, February 16, 1951

Sadie Erwin 1120 Cole St., Enumclaw, Washington

Dear Folks, I almost decided to call you up this morning because it has been so long since I have written, but then decided since we really don’t have time to say much over the phone I would write instead. Davy really keeps me on the go and now I do try to catch a nap after lunch so that wastes a lot of time. Evenings, Davy is up until ten so I can’t get much done then. He is a good baby, though, and sleeps through the night until about 8 or so in the morning so that seems wonderful. We have had a long and terribly cold winter and everyone is so tired of it and longs for spring. Just think we’ve had four solid months of this and most of the time it has been below zero. The kids have gone to school when it has been 30 below this year. I have gotten out of the house so seldom so that is why I am so slow about getting the valentines from Mary sent and everything. The kids had their pictures taken at school last week and they are so much better than the one I sent you. They look so natural on the school picture. They sent home a whole bunch of the pictures, different sizes but the same pose. We could buy any or none but the whole package full, with folders, is only two dollars so I’m sending you one. Mary’s hair really was fixed nice when she left home but when the picture was taken it was pretty messed and they didn’t retouch the pictures at all but her face looks cute. Jimmy looks perfectly natural on his picture. The Minneapolis schools have just re-opened. They were on strike for three weeks. When we had company a couple of Saturday nights ago Davy slept real good, although there wasn’t any noise to speak of because we played cards. The noise around the house doesn’t bother him now as much as it used to. He will be 4 months old Monday. I sure hope you can come in the spring to see all of us. You must be through with your jury work now, mother. That was quite an interesting experience. I hope I’ll get to do that sometime. No, Elmer didn’t follow through on that job in Seattle and I sure was mad at him but he said save money and when we get a decent amount saved he won’t be afraid to move. What gave us such a slow start is when we started furnishing our house and buying everything but we were just talking last night how we now own sewing machine, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, stove and I just made the last payment on the carpeting so now those things are all cleared up and soon we won’t be paying 30 a month for oil bills so we hope to toss a lot in the bank. Then too Davy cost us over 300 dollars so it just seems like it has been impossible to save money. I haven’t been to Church for so long, nor the kids and the superintendent calls me all the time but I can’t go until it warms up. Surely this weather can’t last much longer. My bridge club met this last Tuesday night and I really enjoy getting out of the house now. Every afternoon I have regular open house here, however, because so many come over. I’m finally getting smart, though, and hide the box of crackers so little kids can’t put crumbs all over the house. Aside from that I look forward to talking to my neighbors in the afternoon. Last week three of us planned to go downtown for lunch. I even had a babysitter coming but I called it all off as it was 21 below so I called a fourth for bridge and had them all over for lunch. Did I ever have to work fast around here, doing that on such short notice. Then I had to order groceries for lunch and they didn’t come until three o’clock so we played some bridge first and then had lunch when the groceries came. Nellie has never offered to take care of Davy so I never will ask her to but I just hope and pray she gets pregnant while I live next to her. Of course, she doesn’t need my services because she has her mother here and then her girls are older now too. I’m sending this 10 dollar check. Davy is waking up so I must stop and fix his lunch. More real soon. Love, Helen I wonder if you have read about the new heart hospital almost completed in Minneapolis. It’s supposed to be the best in the U.S. Anyway, Elmer did every bit of the structural designing. He said if it falls down we will be sure then to leave Minneapolis in a hurry.