May 3, 1944

My dearest Hal,

Sam and I were delighted to get your nice letters today. Sam is always so pleased when he gets a letter from you. Needless to say the days your letters come are always my brightest days.

You mentioned the fact that Elizabeth had applied to the Red Cross to try to get you on emergency leave. I think I know how you feel. There must be many, many men who feel that their presence at home is greatly needed, yet cannot make the trip. I can see just how it will be for you to have to decide and I hope the decision will not be left with you. It is a terrible thing to be torn between love and duty. Of course I know it is a comfort to you to know that Sara and Elizabeth are doing everything for Nana that anyone could do. It would undoubtedly mean a great deal to Nana to have you come. It would mean more to me than anything in the world if I could see you but I have accepted the fact that it may be months before I do and I try not to worry about it. I have plenty to do to keep my mind off my troubles.

I am working as hard as I can try to make us a garden. Daddy has been out in the garden these last two days and covered so seeds and helped me mark off some rows. We make a grand team, his brains and my brawn? We manage to get quite a lot done in spite of his being sick and my not being very good at it. We have most everything planted that should be in the ground now and I am so relieved to get it done.

We had a strawberry bed in the garden that Bob set out the spring before he went into the army. It had never had any berries because it was too low and wet. So I decided I would move the plants down to the patch where the ground is higher and has better drainage. Of course the plants had to be moved with lots of earth on the roots, so they wouldn’t be set back too much. I moved 180 plants and believe me it was some task. Now they may all die and I’ll have had my trouble for nothing but I’ll have to learn the hard way I guess. I dare say the birds will not leave me any berries even if the plants live.

Sam brought home his report card yesterday and it said his progress was very satisfactory. He does not want school to be out at all. Can you imagine your child or mine hating for vacation time to come? He will miss the children and he dearly loves school. I will be glad when I do not have to go thru the struggle of getting him ready, packing his lunch, etc. He declines to eat in the school lunchroom because the children in his room play games or Miss Campbell reads them a story and Sam is afraid he would miss something.

I believe you will remember Mr. Henderson Mc Comb from your Farm Bureau Days. He runs a dairy farm and lives in a big house on the highway. He was getting out of a car in front of his house and he stopped directly in front of another car as he attempted to cross the road. He was seriously injured, his skull was fractured, his pelvis was fractured, both legs were fractured, one very badly so. Today the doctors gave him a transfusion but he was still suffering from shock and his recovery is doubtful. He was in such bad condition that he could not have casts put on and Dr. Forst said he would have to have more ex-rays to determine if there were other injuries. We are no safer in our own front yards than if we were miles away from home.

Darling, I hope you are safe and well. I worry about you in this terribly hot weather you are having and I hope you can stay well. I imagine by the time you get this letter you will be having a birthday. I hope you will have a nice one, even if we can’t celebrate it together this time, next year we’ll do it. I shall be looking forward to next year; so many wonderful things are surely going to happen for us “next year.” Do try to make “next year” as soon as possible because I love you so.

All my love,

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