Sunday afternoon,
March 16, 1947
Hello Everyone:
Wonder how many of you listened to Msgr. Sheen's address. Today especially, on top of recent events abroad, it was most stirring. Grant and I never miss his program if home. He gives so much food for thought.
Well it's just that quiet hour, too early to start dinner, too early for McCarthy but never too early for you.
***Mommy was in and she always makes me feel like I have loads to tell you though actually hers is more in pantomime than words. She is so delightful but in no way can that be convey on paper.
***Then it's certainly like old times to have kid sis here. This time she came without Ted so was most delightful company. Arrived midnight Friday but went to the farm with Red, there to give Mommy and Dad a real happy day. Mom said "Jeanne she say, lie down and rest I will do up the work, I lie down and sleepem and sleepem then I says my prayers, so much work on the farm. No time to go to church (meaning the little church up there) or sleep."
It comes out that Joe's rabbits had more rabbits and conscientious Mom won't just give them any old care she scours around for sweet greens etc., worse yet she got interested in those neglected pigs and decided they needed extra attention.
Sure Pop carries the feed out but she does the cooking of it, oh yes and two calves. We "warmem milk, little water, little salt that like vitamins." Well you can see why there isn't time for sleep or prayer. Oh yes the potatoes are still being peeled for the pigs.
Mommy can't do it any other way. I guess she remembers how the animals bowed in homage to the infant Christ and so they must be treated with respect, even the pigs.(on Christmas Eve.)
Over the dish washing we discussed the present situation and how did the farm get built up, pigs, chickens, calves, rabbits and Mom having to herd the works.
Joey will have to get his rabbits to live in their town house for a change and then we hope the few more days rush by so the veal will be ready for butchering and the pigs will get past that baby stage where we have to mash their potatoes. ***Well Mom is looking forward to Red moving home.
And here is the latest news, Jimmy won't be moving to the farm but more likely to 918 Wheeler in Hoquiam. He announced he and Bernie are getting married Sunday after Easter. I haven't seen him but Red brought us this news today as Jimmy left for Oregon Friday night to visit with Bernie who still is down there with her Mom but who told Jim the Jolly residence in Hoq will be their home if they wish.
Red told us at breakfast. It made us laugh Mom's first comment was "Tha be nice, I not have to washem his clothes no more." Here with all of us gasping over the seriousness of this union and wondering what made Jim change his mind, did Bernie reconsider being a Catholic or at least not being anti. All her family is affiliated with the Masonic lodges and Eastern Star but unlike Grant they take a decided anti Cath. view and this is what brought the break in their engagement.
Well we won't see Jim till he gets around to it anyway Bernie is a nice girl and they probably will work things out satisfactorily. Anyway Mommy welcomed them for her own good reasons.
***Jeanne is just the most radiant little kid and just loads of fun. We were all teasing Mom along and she so pert, chatting and chatting, with Misto Grant asking her to repeat when he didn't understand on account of Red, Jeanne and I would get Mom wound up to talk and she would hurry it along with half English, half Polish, and this trying to eat and talk all at once doesn't go too well. But everyone was so happy on account Jeanne was here.
Kid Sis told of how interesting her training is now. Fr. McGoldrick, a very noted psychologist is giving them lectures now and he is most wonderful. He is going to psychoanalyze each of them, Jeanne can't wait and gee I would like to have it too.
She won't graduate till Sept, I had thought it was to be in June but even at that it won't be long. Jeanne makes me think of you Til, her enthusiasm for her profession her sense of humor to enjoy every incident even the unpleasant ones and hop they are going to have it easier, duty (on the floor) five days only course studying and lectures still interrupt the free days. She has gained some weight and looks pretty and is so sweet. Jeanne is all right.
***Saturday night Red and Jeanne came in, we expected Joey and Mary to come for the evening but due to the swell weather (72) Joey had started to clean out the back yard and his nice fired hadn't died down so he felt it would be a good time to keep feeding it with refuse from the basement etc. and then stay home to make sure the house wasn't next.
Gee we have had wonderful weather last week. Just like sunny California. ***Anyway us four played pinochle all evening and talked of everyone and everything, then those two drove back to the farm so they could help Mom take care of her stock 'fore church.
Today after breakfast Red picked up Margy and they were going to drive up to the water works past Archey's place. What a lovely ride. I 'most wished I could go along.
They will be back about 7 cause Jeanne has to call on the little nuns at St. Joseph's for a brief visit and maybe they will want dinner, I mean Red and Jeanne and maybe Margy so I have steaks and such things as can be easily extended for whom ever we should have. Kid sis leaves on the 8:45 bus.
***Today I am catching up on my various duties that result from the sad state at the shop. My clerk Jean got the flu last Mon. and hasn't been back since plus that it looks like for some complications she may not be back for a while. So I am running the shop and home in the best way I can only today I knew better than to go for a nice ride, best I get a little of this work ahead and live with a quiet conscience.
***Ere I forget to tell you there have been some changes made at home. You see there was a bill up before legislature to make any one who drew a pension (old age) and owned a home or property that after his death such property would belong to the State in remuneration. Gee Dad didn't get enough out of the pension fund to sacrifice that little farm. He and Mom gave the State plenty of remuneration if one considers the family they worked so hard to bring up as good citizens. Well this meant Pop would better dispose of his farm and quick. The bill might not have passed, it is as now it did except it was modified to annex the properties exceeding $4,000 in valuation.
'Course our little farm wouldn't be termed that valuable but anyway Dad sold the farm to Red and it is recorded already. There won't be inheritance taxes etc. and its just fortunate we have a laddie like Red to be the owner. Dad won't have to worry about things. He can go on as usual, doing what he wants to, only Red has the responsibilities of taxes, insurances and all around expenses.
Then as Red said when the folks are gone and he is the only one to consider that he will make it all right with the rest of the kids. Though Dad has always said he would leave the farm to Red so it's OK if he has it to bother with.
The way our lives are, the place would deteriorate, burn down or what have you if it wasn't for Red getting interested in it.
Saturday while Jeanne did Mom's work Red plowed Joe's addition for planting. Dad thought of spuds there but fears Mokos's might steal them so it will be clover and alfalfa and the potatoes nearer our bottomland.
Peg, Red told me he would buy the potato seeds. It was high time he did as he claims. Dad doesn't get enough of a crop from the old seedlings.
Then Mom is waiting for the seeds you girls spoke of sending to her.
She was telling us at table how long ago she bought some spinach seeds, when Jeanne was a baby and Father wouldn't eat the spinach, just the baby and her, but it was good for the stomach, she could "feelem" that. Nice for a change, well the flower seeds aren't the good change for the stomach but she is just as interested to have something different growing up.
***I was wishing Jeanne could have been in Sat. to shop for Mother's dress and hat. I get so little time during store hours to get out and Mom will have to get these before Easter. She wore that orchid number today, the one she has liked the least because it's a little close fitting for her modesty. When I said "we will need a new dress for Easter if that's all you have left: and she said I got two old ones; this to imply she really was reduced to a new one. I will look for something gay; she likes them that way. Remmy has time and she usually scouts for me. I can always take it on approval over the weekend. Maybe next Sun. we will drive up to the farm for a bit since she won't be coming in now till Palm Sun.
***Peggy we all are so thrilled over Pat's photo, especially is that true to his Grandma. Thank you from all of us.
Monday Morn
I wouldn't have time for this but no Mass this morn on account of it will be a funeral mass at nine instead. That's too late for me to make it to the shop so I decided to dash a few lines more.
***Last night Red and Jeanne got back in time for her to see Sister Bea, then over here for a few minutes but not a meal. Seems Mommy fixed them dinner before they left.
Red had taken Margy's Mom along too. When they arrived at the farm they took Mommy in and then left for the dam. Joe and Mary were there so they also went to the water works. When they returned and Mom heard where they were she asked "Why you not takem me?" Gee and as Red said it he would have loved to have taken her anywhere for she just eats up a change. They didn't leave here till one and she (Mother) felt "we havta hurry, Fader he need his dinner etc." So they dumped her home and left. Red is planning on taking her for trips. Maybe to the beach, etc., soon as the weather gets better.
***Saturday Red had wanted to buy a big roast for his sandwiches (he is moving home now) so I found a rump roast that looked good. Thinking it would take a lot of cooking on her range we roasted it here Sunday morn so Mom had her dinner built around that.
Only I guess Red won't be using it for sandwiches for long.
There is a fellow named Hoffman up Wishkah who is building lockers that will be ready very soon now and Red took one 8 foot something. Anyway, it's large so they will put that veal in there instead of selling it or having Mom can it. Then the hogs as they come along for it's certainly high living to buy meat for these loggers and they need it.
I want Red to start saving his money as it is he buys so much stuff for home (and Joey's when he stays there) that he keeps saying "I don't know where all my money goes to but I can't save."
***Mom had been telling how hard it is for her to launder when Red doesn't happen to be there to help. (It seems he does do it most weeks.) So we decided to have Red bring her dirtier clothes and his and send them to rough-dry at the town laundry. Then she won't have to handle all those wet clothes nor reach and lift. She has to take it a little easier and as we were saying with their pension money and Red doing the farm, at least the running of it Mom for one could make it easier on herself, do her sleepem and praying even if kid Sis isn't there to relieve her for that.
***Eddie, we read Mommy your letter, one you wrote with your approval of her good works and your money to help extend that. She was so happy not that she is broke Eddie but over the nice feeling your letter gave her.
Her first comment was "Frency, you time. We packem up some more. Tha' be nice."
It would be nicer if we got some acknowledgements of this stuff getting there. The last 14 boxes had good things in them but have not been received. Still one has to have faith they will get there (to Poland) eventually.
***Jenny Zembal is sick again; they diagnosed it as rheumatic fever.
***Uncle Ted is most worried because since Mary married last Aug. he has not heard one word from her. Thinks she may have even died. The boy she married had not come to see her dad nor would he know much about that. Uncle Ted is most a nervous wreck over this. He was so fond of Mary and she of all the kids did keep in contact with him till her marriage.
***Til, I finally got that prize letter copied off. Mommy's to you. I knew you would want yours back. It's so dear and I wanted to get a copy to send along to the others.
Sunday I told her how much all of you enjoy her letters and how well she writes. She was so pleased, told me she keep learnin' new words all the time. She sits and thinks (about) them and "not hard to rayyou leter."
I think it's remarkable how well she does them though when she uses words like "spostub" and you finally decipher "it's supposed to be" you begin to appreciate her vocabulary and her mode of expression.
***Thank you all for the lovely letters, these are at Mary's and the rest have all read them including Jeanne. They were wonderful Til, Eddie, Anne, Peg, and Rose. Good wishes to Pal whatever is cooking there must be very all absorbing.
Love from all of us always.
Lovingly,
Mommy, Dad, Red and me, Sissie