August 2, 1943

My dearest Hal,

I seem to be getting left out on letters this past week. Are you too busy to write or are the letters just late this time? I need your letters to help me get through these lonesome days. I just didn’t believe I could last this long if you couldn’t come home. Do you think there is any chance that you might come home any time soon? I don’t suppose you could tell me even if you were coming but of course I live in hopes that some day the miracle will happen and you will be back again.

Sometimes dreams do come true. One is about to come true for us and I know you will be as delighted as we are over the good news. We are having the house painted. I can scarcely believe it but it seems to be true. Mr. Tom Hodge, maybe you don’t know him, but is an old friend of ours and he is doing the work for us. We have had all the windows puttied and you can best understand how much they needed it when I tell you that we have used 15 lbs. of putty and will need 5 lbs. more to finish up the job.

Daddy thinks it is his patriotic duty to try to save the fuel if possible so he is having the windows and doors weather stripped and some insulation put in the walls.

On top of all this Peggy is having the floors sanded. You know she always does something for the house every year and the floors really do need something done worse than anything else.

I know you are wondering how in the world we are going to pay for such expensive repairs but now comes the sad part. Daddy sold the orchard. It nearly broke my heart because I had always hoped we could build a home of our own out there. It was just a dream of course and Daddy couldn’t find anyone who would take care of it for him so when he was offered a good price for it he decided to sell it.

I don’t suppose I will ever have a place that is really and surly my own to fix up but I know I’ll never be happy until I can grow “my roots” around a home somewhere. And yet I know the only place that can ever be home to me is a place where we can be together. I thought that if I come back here I would fit right in and go on in the same old way. But nothing is or ever will be quite the same. Time doesn’t turn back and now my life is forever linked with yours. What a wonderful and yet somehow awesome thing to feel that someone else can make or mar your whole life and I know that I would never wish it otherwise.

All my love,

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