Thursday, December 13, 2007

AND NOW -- A WORD FROM GRANDPA JACK, 1934



Dec. 20, 1934
Dear Vance,
Just a line or two to let you know I am busy running to mailbox nowdays and writing letters. I killed a beef a few days ago – dressed 260 pounds. Come and help eat it up. Got a 240 pound hog of Jay Cordell, also made some sausage today. I got my fall grain sowed and all of the plowing done but 5 acres. I have 9 traps set for coyotes but have not got any yet. We have about 6 inches of snow but it has not been very cold – 18 above the coldest. I will have to cut my summer wood after the holidays.

When Ina and I get the old age pension we are going to come and make you a visit. We will have nothing to do. Will have to turn the farm over to someone else. The government won’t allow us to work any more so as to give someone else employment that has not got a job.

There is lots of chinks around here this winter. I counted 20 in one bunch and some got away before I counted them. Merry Christmas. From Dad

(Top photo is Jack Dobson sitting in the dining room. Behind him in the corner is the old treadle sewing machine. Photo above is Jack going about his chores.)

4 comments:

Hallie said...

Don't forget to mention Ol' Shep there in the bottom photo. Good dog!

These letters remind me of an e-mail I got from Dad my freshman year of college, "Dear Hallie, Sure missed you today when I had to mow the lawn." ha ha!

murray.warnock said...

When he talks about the chinks who got away, I really hope he is talking about pheasants! ;-)

Kathy said...

Yes, it's somewhat the same as the "mowing the lawn" concept, but the ramifications were so much greater. When the kids were gone it affected the ability of the old folks to make a living. They were surviving because of their ability to grow their own food. If they needed money, they would demand it of the children, who, as you can see, were struggling themselves.

Kathy said...

LOL, Murray -- What a card! It's obvious from these letters that there were more game birds in those days. We would love to see a return of those. We see quail, dove, and Hungarian partridge. Mike hunts judiciously, especially on the huns.