My dear Mother, It is such a long time since I heard from you, I thought I'd write a few lines this morning before I start work. I have to churn and to clean the bedrooms and help Walt some today so I expect to be busy. I've got lots of sewing to do too, make two wash dresses for myself and dresses, bloomers, petticoats and skirts for Mary. She needs so many clothes. I guess I'll soon have to go on my usual spring shopping tour. It soon will be spring, won't it. Our first sign of spring is the return of the meadow lark. One always comes here and sits on the telephone pole just outside and sings to us. We like to hear him. I expect Mr Hurdle will soon start fixing things up around here. We might have a lawn and I'm hoping to have some flowers. All my house plants froze early in the winter. Now I'm trying to grow a water hyacinth, a tulip, lily of the Valley and a violet in the house. I bought the last three all fixed up in little paper pots at Woolworths, fifteen cents each. Measles is very bad in this town of ours now and I heard of a case of scarlet fever the other day. I'm so afraid the kids will get something or other. They are such healthy children, Mary always has cheeks just like roses, red ones. They both grow like weeds and are full of the dickens all the time. We went to Rose's for the afternoon yesterday. Dorothy was there too and thought I ought to visit her but I told her "no" she never comes near here. Last week Rose and I went to the Ladies Aid. We sewed quilt blocks and then had a lovely lunch. Everybody took some thing to eat and there sure was a spread. The men folks all went to a banquet down Collins one night and reported a fine time. We women all stayed together. You know we sure had a narrow escape one day, did I tell you about it? Walt has a .22 rifle and he told Ed to get it for him one morning. Walt was playing around with it and shot it off two or three times. The next time he pulled the trigger the blamed thing fired and shot a hole in the wall on the other side of the kitchen. Gee! We were sure scared. Well, I've got two hens setting now and my hens are just beginning to lay. Eggs are only 20 cents a dozen so they are cheap enough. Well mother, I seem to about run out of news now and it is nearly mailman's time, so I'll have to put my letter out. Mr Blanchard brings our mail. We are having such a lot of cold weather now, I'll be glad when it changes I hope you are all well give my love to all and write me when you can. With lots of love from "us 4" Your loving daughter XXXXX Dolly XXXXX On the last page is written - For Grandma X X from Topsy (Mary) XXX These are from Edward all his own making. I am reproducing these letter with the kind permission of Lou. Typed as written. Pat

  I'm really enjoying these letters Pat.  It's nice not to get them all at once, too.  Gives me time to digest all the snippets of information.  Does Letter number 6 have a date on it?  I'm saving the letters on a Word document.   Thank you for your time in typing these out.   Pat     ________________________________ From: Pat Cook <paver207@yahoo.co.uk> To: ENG-LINCSGEN@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, 29 January 2012, 13:04 Subject: [LIN] Letters by Dorothy SMITH - No 6 My dear Mother,   It is such a long time since I heard from you, I thought I'd write a few lines this morning before I start work.  I have to churn and to clean the bedrooms and help Walt some today so I expect to be busy.   I've got lots of sewing to do too, make two wash dresses for myself and dresses, bloomers, petticoats and skirts for Mary.  She needs so many clothes.  I guess I'll soon have to go on my usual spring shopping tour.   It soon will be spring, won't it.  Our first sign of spring is the return of the meadow lark.  One always comes here and sits on the telephone pole just outside and sings to us.  We like to hear him.   I expect Mr Hurdle will soon start fixing things up around here.  We might have a lawn and I'm hoping to have some flowers.   All my house plants froze early in the winter.  Now I'm trying to grow a water hyacinth, a tulip, lily of the Valley and a violet in the house. I bought the last three all fixed up in little paper pots at Woolworths, fifteen cents each.   Measles is very bad in this town of ours now and I heard of a case of scarlet fever the other day.  I'm so afraid the kids will get something or other.  They are such healthy children, Mary always has cheeks just like roses, red ones.  They both grow like weeds and are full of the dickens all the time.   We went to Rose's for the afternoon yesterday.  Dorothy was there too and thought I ought to visit her but I told her "no" she never comes near here.   Last week Rose and I went to the Ladies Aid.  We sewed quilt blocks and then had a lovely lunch.  Everybody took some thing to eat and there sure was a spread.   The men folks all went to a banquet down Collins one night and reported a fine time.  We women all stayed together.   You know we sure had a narrow escape one day, did I tell you about it?  Walt has a .22 rifle and he told Ed to get it for him one morning.  Walt was playing around with it and shot it off two or three times.  The next time he pulled the trigger the blamed thing fired and shot a hole in the wall on the other side of the kitchen.  Gee!  We were sure scared.   Well, I've got two hens setting now and my hens are just beginning to lay.  Eggs are only 20 cents a dozen so they are cheap enough.   Well mother, I seem to about run out of news now and it is nearly mailman's time, so I'll have to put my letter out.  Mr Blanchard brings our mail.   We are having such a lot of cold weather now,  I'll be glad when it changes   I hope you are all well give my love to all and write me when you can.   With lots of love from "us 4"       Your loving daughter         XXXXX Dolly XXXXX On the last page is written - For Grandma X X from Topsy (Mary)     XXX These are from Edward all his own making. I am reproducing these letter with the kind permission of Lou. Typed as written. Pat ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG-LINCSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message