13 Nov November 13, 1944

Letter
from: Mrs. A. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
November 13, 1944
Monday, 12:30 P.M.
Noteworthy: Ronnie’s development at 2 years 9 months.

Hello, honey,

I’m starting this letter while Ronnie is busy putting all his toys out on the
back porch, getting ready to have his lunch.  He just came back now, and said,
"I put all my trains and toys on the back porch, and after dinny, I take ’em
out and play after a while, okay, Mommie?"  All this is one breath.  You should
hear his vocabulary now.  In fact, he can even speak a little Swedish and
Bohemian.  When he repeats some of these foreign words, he laughs and laughs!
He thinks it’s a big joke.

Well Ronnie says he wants "dinny" now, and he said that he wants soup, milk,
banana, egg, orange juice etc.  I think he has his meals a little mixed up,
don’t you think so?  We always get a big kick out of asking him what he wants
to eat, because he recites a long,

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long list of everything he’s ever had.  He’s some guy!

I just measured his height, and he’s just 3 feet in his stocking feet, and
getting taller every day.  He weighs 31 pounds.

9:45 P.M.
Well, here I am again!  We’ve had quite a change of weather since I started
this letter.  All day it’s been about 65 degrees and nice and sunshiny.  But
tonight it’s cold and rainy.  I had intended walking over to the Normal Sweet
Shop and to mail this letter, but guess I’ll have to wait and have Elinor mail
it in the morning.

I hope it clears up before morning, as Ronnie and I were leaving for Rockford,
and my windshield wiper is out of commission.

On my way home from the grocery tonight I passed Hayes’ house and Edith called
to me, saying she’d rec’d a letter from you, and let me read it.  It was
written Oct. 21st.  I also rec’d

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one from you today dated Oct. 23rd.  Of course as you were still in England
when you wrote this, and I had received one written Oct. 29th (in France)
last Saturday, I’m still anxious to get one later than that to see where you
are now.  Elinor is forwarding my letters to Rockford while I’m there.

Bobby was here tonight playing with Ronnie and his trains.  Elinor was
refereeing while I prepared dinner.  Sometimes we both had to referee.  Ronnie
goes wild when Bobby even touches his precious trains.  I’ve never seen any
child quite as daffy about trains.  You should see him play trains morning,
night, and noon.  Whether he has blocks, cards, or anything, he still pretends
it’s a train.  (An engineer in the Shonkwiler family!)

I’m getting sleepy, and I still have to take a bath and get some

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sleep so that I’ll be fresh as a daisy for my trip in the morning. (If it
doesn’t rain.)

Good night, Darling, and I hope I’ll dream something nice about my honey, and
it might help keep me going.  But if I do I s’pose I won’t want to wake up and

face reality again.  Just remember, darling, if and when you get lonesome,
remember that I am too, and maybe it’ll help a little.  The song, "I Walk Alone"
is my theme song, and hope it is yours.  If you haven’t heard it, when you do,
note the words, as they express my thoughts perfectly, and think of me,  please!

Bye, honey, and all my love, and wish you were here with us,
Mom and Ronnie