Haddock and Dill: June 7 and 15, 1952 The Arm, The Calf, The Only Thing Wrong and The Alabama Trip

Map image courtesy of eBay

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"This has been a real hot day but we just hope it will soon be a little cooler again. Eve says it is terribly hot in Alabama but I guess we can stand it a few days. We plan to leave about 4:00 Sunday morning and come back Friday or Saturday. If the trip is too hard going down we'll take two days to come back.

Ann's arm is about well but the scab hasn't come off so I have to watch her closely. So far she hasn't bothered it. She is sleeping better again but another tooth has just barely pierced the gum so she'll probably be off again. That will leave only one more tooth.

Bobby is fine. He loves the warm weather and plays so hard that he is really worn out by night.

My painting is finished in the dining and living rooms at last. Now I need to wash the windows.

I'm sorry about the calf. Was it the one that wouldn't eat?

We'll try to get your Dad's day gift off tomorrow, Daddy. It will be early but we don't want it to be late.

Don't worry if our letter is late next week. We may be on our way home and might not have a chance to write. Jim's address is James E. Wheeler, 72 Springbrook, Tuscaloosa, Alabama if you should need us for any reason.

I must go to bed for there are dozens of little things to do tomorrow."

                   Lots of love,

                            Bonnie

June 15, 1952

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"We got home last night about 6:00. It was terribly hot until we were about 50 miles from home and it began to get cooler. It was 100 in the shade in Centralia. It was cool here but Toni said it had been awfully hot. About 8:00 it started to rain and really poured.

Alabama was as hot as you might expect. It stayed around 100 and that sun is really hot and glaring. It didn't bother the kids one bit and Bobby tanned quite a lot. He was so white beside all the other children. Jim had made an attic fan for the house and that helped a lot. Why don't you do that or a window fan and pull out the hot air at night. It's amazing how much it helps. We got one some time ago and it's wonderful. Jim used a washing machine motor.

Bobby had such a good time that he didn't want to come home and wanted to go back when we were half way home. We didn't do anything special for Jim had to go to school every day. They have a big yard and all the children played hard all day. Both children were very good on the trip and we enjoyed it so much. It took 13 hrs. to go. We had to go clear to the tip of Illinois, across the corner of Kentucky, across Tenn., the corner of Miss. and then into Alabama. We were only 28 miles from Paducah, Kentucky but felt we couldn't take time to make side trips. Illinois and Kentucky are lovely and hilly but the other states are desolate spots full of shantys. It is hard to see how these people can make enough to keep alive. The soil is grey or red clay and nothing like this black dirt here. Alabama soil is mostly sand and Jim says the people raise cattle or trees for wood pulp. The paper mills are everywhere and smell to high heavens. The University there is much, much larger than Normal but after seeing it all I would rather be here.

The only thing wrong with our trip is that Eve called this morning to say that the kids have the measles. They had been exposed but had shots and it had been so long that we didn't think they would have them. There is little chance that Bob and Ann won't take them and Eve's Dr. thought we should give them a shot now so she called. The shot should lighten the case in both and maybe prevent Ann from taking them. Our Dr. thought she was too small to have them if we could keep her from it. It will be almost a month before we know. They can't give it to anyone until they really begin to take it so we don't have to keep them in or anything.

Hope you have a nice Dad's day. If the shirt doesn't fit send it back to us and we'll change it."

                 Lots of love,

                       Bonnie