Grandma Ina writes from the Gilbert homeplace on December 21, 1932:Dear Vance,
“Out of the welter of Xmas plans comes this letter and how I wish I were coming to you with it or better still that you were coming home. No use to think of these things though, and I hope and trust you’ll be with friends and be cheered and happy.
"We’re going to have June’s [family with us] and Mr. and Mrs. Boehm have promised faithfully to come. We have some left over candy boxes that we’re going to fill with sugared popcorn, “old hard Xmas candy,” and the Merc’s [the Orofino Mercantile] best assorted nuts. Listen, the hard candy cost 9 cents a pound, cream 15 cents a pint, nuts two pounds for 35 cents. Some change! I had some chickens and eggs to send down [to the Merc] lately and so got supplies and some treats, and Lydia put in an extra pound of the hard candy. June and Bertha felt unable to get treats, so in a way that makes the tree loom larger. We promised to have a regular tree and we’ll all be children and have a lot of fun out of it.”
“I’m putting a pound of Climax [chewing tobacco] on [the tree] for Dad. He doesn’t know I got an extra pound. It is for fun but I know he’ll be glad to see it coming. I got a pair of leather-faced gloves for him, too, and for Shirley a pair of brushed wool gloves which she needs for going out these winter nights. I also got her a box of pretty stationery – also a necessity. Then I’ve got her going on a surprise which is a pretty print apron. She’ll never think of it for it was left over from the stuff I made Pearl’s quilt top with."
“Out of the welter of Xmas plans comes this letter and how I wish I were coming to you with it or better still that you were coming home. No use to think of these things though, and I hope and trust you’ll be with friends and be cheered and happy.
"We’re going to have June’s [family with us] and Mr. and Mrs. Boehm have promised faithfully to come. We have some left over candy boxes that we’re going to fill with sugared popcorn, “old hard Xmas candy,” and the Merc’s [the Orofino Mercantile] best assorted nuts. Listen, the hard candy cost 9 cents a pound, cream 15 cents a pint, nuts two pounds for 35 cents. Some change! I had some chickens and eggs to send down [to the Merc] lately and so got supplies and some treats, and Lydia put in an extra pound of the hard candy. June and Bertha felt unable to get treats, so in a way that makes the tree loom larger. We promised to have a regular tree and we’ll all be children and have a lot of fun out of it.”
“I’m putting a pound of Climax [chewing tobacco] on [the tree] for Dad. He doesn’t know I got an extra pound. It is for fun but I know he’ll be glad to see it coming. I got a pair of leather-faced gloves for him, too, and for Shirley a pair of brushed wool gloves which she needs for going out these winter nights. I also got her a box of pretty stationery – also a necessity. Then I’ve got her going on a surprise which is a pretty print apron. She’ll never think of it for it was left over from the stuff I made Pearl’s quilt top with."
I suppose when she says, "Some change" about the prices, that means that they are high? This would be due to the Depression?
ReplyDeleteIt's been raining REALLY hard the last 2 days. There's standing water on the freeways and it was flooded by the bridge so I haven't been able to get to work. I'm working from home this morning and hopefully things will get better.
Yes, she means the prices are high. Crazy, huh? -- compared to what we're used to today. I have been following the storm on the Weather Channel and thinking of you. They said winds are 120 mph on the Oregon Coast with heavy rain all along the coast. Glad you are working from home. It's dark and drizzly here. Mom
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