Previous letters here. Seven children, aged eleven to newborn, with her husband away teaching college. Sick kids, washing machine still causing trouble, rats, mice, wind…and she finds time to read. That’s my mom!
Thursday evening, 10-??-57
Dear John,
Tonight when Danny [3 years old] was going to bed he was sobbing on the bed in the living room – I’ve never heard him sound so broken hearted. I gathered him up and he told me, “I want my Daddy” over and over again. He is feeling so punk and has been my little shadow for a couple of days, but tonight it was just too much. I would have spent the money on phone call if I was sure it would have helped just to let him hear you. With some loving from me and Carol [3 weeks] he settled off to sleep. He is not so sick, but enough to be miserable. […]
Carol has been good but wanting to eat about every three hours and hardly staying awake long enough to eat; on a chance that perhaps she wasn’t getting enough I tried giving her some formula tonight – but she would hardly take any. She may have a light case of the flu now. […]
We have had another rat and two mice die since you left — and by the noises around we still have some more.
A lot of wind last night. I’d forgotten how drafty the house is.
Been reading A. Whyte. Also some of E. Stanley Jones. Must say that I find Whyte much the more stimulating. “Mastery” may be good — but I don’t always get the point. His magazine just came – you’ll enjoy it this month. Article about Ken Pike and two articles about non-professional missionaries that I enjoyed.
Must close for now. I do love you and like Danny I often would like to give up because “I want you”. But because of you I take heart and strive to do a good job here. Take care of yourself and hurry home next week-end.
All my love,
Nellie
A Living Pencil 
Sweet letter. I remember my Dad being away, (I was/am the oldest) and my younger brother having a similar melt down. My Dad worked for Southern Pacific Bell and was often off setting up communication posts during the Santa Anna winds and fires in Southern Calif. Luckily, as he did work for Ma Bell, ‘she’ allowed him to call home a couple of time a week, we all talked for 3 minutes and then we had to be done. Those phone calls were more exciting than birthdays!
Danny sounds like a wonderful young man!!
Heh heh…Danny gets too much press in these letters. Discrimination! It’s a strange tag you have, my brother. People will think (oh do you remember the years–those agonizing years– when every sentence out of my mouth started with “What will people think?”) – uh, people will think we’re Italian!
Precious insight into true family life. Thanks for sharing.
Carol, when Nellie started talking about the books she was reading she sounded just like you. Or is it the other way round? What a sweet compelling letter. Thank you again for sharing this. I can’t tell you the times I have told others about her diary recording the first months of marriage. blessings from here. m
Love these letters. It’s silly, after all the trials your Mom wrote about, it was the dead rat and mice that made me shudder. I never had mice/rat problems until we moved to Indiana 21 years ago and we’ve fought them in every house since. Country living, right? And, yes, it’s unbelievable she found any time to read.Thanks for sharing these with us,Sandy