Shullsburg
Aug. 6, 1944
Dear Howard,
This is Sunday evening and all is quiet the first time for several days. It seems like, Rena May and Bobby are both better, he was so cross yesterday I hardly had him out of my arms all day and I was just all in, almost as tired as when I came home from Great Lakes. He is so heavy and I am not used to that kind of work any more. I couldn’t have pleased him if I had stood on my head yesterday, made me think of his Dad when he was little, he always was so ornery when he was getting over a sick spell. I don’t know which one has been the worst though. Rena May was as cross as a bear, maybe that goes with the ailment. It has been a hard week, the heat was just terrible but it is much cooler today, very comfortable. I am anxious to know where you are going, I hope it is some place you will like it and is nice that you home boys can stay together. I hope it continues.
I haven’t gotten over to Leadmine this week. I will go the first day that I can and take Beryle a picture. I hope she likes them better than I do, that little one you brought home from Great Lakes, was a so much better picture, if only you had some white on it, I mean stripes on your suit. I would have a large one made off of it, every time I look at these I think it was a shame for you to spend 12 dollars for six of them but Dilly thinks they’re good, maybe Beryle will too. Next time you have your picture taken don’t let them persuade you to smile, although I did like the one you had taken at Darlington. Dilly told you Brownie’s Calf was black as coal but it isn’t, it is that mixed or brownish black like that mixture always turns out, he sure is a peppy one. I had been going over every day to see her because I knew it was close. That morning when we went for the mail I didn’t see her, so went over in the evening and got there just after it arrived. It hadn’t got on its feet yet. I couldn’t bring her home then, so got up early before anyone else was up and of course they were down in the far corner of the pasture just as far away as they could get, but were they anxious to come home? As soon as I got close to them they started right out, the old white faced cow even ran part way and the little calf was so strong he sailed right along with them and when I got home Willie and Doggie were just coming down and he said “my that calf is several days old” and I said “no it just came last night” and he said “it’s the biggest calf I ever saw for that age”.
I guess he didn’t believe me. Brownie is quiet as usual, of course you know she is the hardest cow he ever milked. I can sit down anywhere outside and milk her. I have had a nice vacation from milking and really enjoyed it. It will be hard to get back in the habit, one cow is a nuisance to milk for the Calf and not enough to do anything with but I don’t think the other one will be so long.
Uncle John is coming out of his spell, they think he had a stroke when he fell, he didn’t know anybody at first but does now, he may have thought I wouldn’t be able to get them fixed to come home with. Bobby sure likes to go, he is a regular Mullen, he was growling around here and I said to Dilly, “I am going to take him to town to the Dr. again” and he stopped bawling in a second and said “I do too, Ma I do”. He picked up a box of Ritz crackers in Edwards meat Market said “tanks” and I bought them, he hung right on to them all day. If anyone else touched them he would holler “Mine”. I believe they perked up his appetite because he started eating again and he has been lunching on them all day, sometimes he would give us one but we couldn’t take one. He calls us Ma & Hae just like Jimmy did, he is just crazy about babys, when he sees one on the street he hollers “see da baby” or “dire a baby” and just wiggles and hoises them when he gets the chance. That Robbins girl that married the Sides has a cute little baby. I met her and Vince Peacock’s wife on the street and he ran from one to the other, he didn’t know which baby he liked best. Mrs. Sides told him he could have her baby and he put out his little arms and took it and squeezed it and gave it a kiss, in fact he would have squeezed it pretty hard if she hadn’t watched him. Genevalda will have to watch him or he will be giving his little brother a bear hug.
Your brother will soon have a birthday, I guess he won’t even notice it though. Bennetts couldn’t get gas to move with their own truck, we’re going to hire a truck. I wish I could only get enough gas to take his wife to the hospital and bring her home again. He said the Ration office was open at Dodgeville on Wed. night and he was going in and tell them what he thought about people being able to get gas to run to those dances. He said “I will tell them, there are 500 cars over here to that dance tonight and so on”, had his speech all made up and ready. I thought maybe when that heat wave come, he had caused it. I guess I will close, maybe you will be sent closer to home.
Love
Mom
I got started out wrong on this paper you will have to unwind it like one of those post cards.
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