28 Dec December 28, 1944

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
Dec. 28, 1944
Thursday 6:30 P.M.
Noteworthy: Dad is in the hospital.

Darling,

Ronnie and I are going out to mail this before he goes to bed, so it won’t be
very long.

Not a thing has happened all day anyway, so can’t give you much news.  I’m
sending you two 8 oz. 1st class mail pkgs. tonite, one containing stationery.
Hope you get them while you are still in the hospital.  If I remember all I’ll
enclose some stamps with this letter, but don’t count on it.

Have done practically nothing today, except try to start the car, but no
results.  The battery is probably down, as I’ve driven very little in the past
three weeks because of all the snow and ice.  It no sooner gets so that the
roads are halfway cleared and it starts

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snowing all over again.  We’ve really had a typical "white Christmas."  I want
to take some pictures of Ronnie in the snow, someday, as Gladys got a roll of
620 film for me.  I also have 2 rolls of 120 film, but don’t know if you can
still use it, as this fellow with the camera is evidently in Germany.  If you
run across another camera that takes 120 film, let me know.

Marge called this afternoon asking me if I’d like to go to the show with her
and Murray next Sat. night, and I accepted.  That is, if I can find someone to
stay with Ronnie.  I haven’t been to a show since Elinor left, and that was the
first part of November.  Guess it’s about time I saw one, don’t you think?
Staying home seven nights a week, will either make a "hermit-ess" of me, or
when you return I’ll expect to go out every

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night.  So rest up, honey, ’cause you may have to "tear around" when you get
back.

I suppose it’s a pretty long time since you’ve seen a movie, too, so guess if
you can stand it, I can.  The only thing is I’m apt to bore myself with my own
company.

Ronnie sure eats now-a-days and seems to be gaining weight. (At least around
the waist.)  He has the loveliest rosy cheeks, which I envy very much.  He had
a cold a few weeks ago for a couple days, but certainly has made up for it in
both activity and appetite ever since.

Ronnie has been finishing his dinner just now eating Jell-O and cake and milk
for dessert.  Just now, he came in here and announced, "I knocked the glass
down, Mommie."  So I went in and his milk was all over my clean

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tablecloth.  I asked him why he knocked it down and he said, "Because it was
too cold."  Imagine that?  You see, I hadn’t warmed his second glass of milk,
as the bottle had been out of the refrig. for quite a while.  He is a little
"bad boy" sometimes, but I guess that’s just the boy in him.  Or is it?

Ordinarily he’s very little trouble tho, as he plays continually with his toys,
except that every once in a while he’ll bring a book and tell me to read it to
him.  He just loves to have me read him rhymes and stories.  Maybe he’ll be
literary.  Well, that is if he doesn’t become a railroad engineer first, as he

sure loves his trains.

Tomorrow night Ronnie and I are going over to Mrs. Evers.  It will be pretty
hard to get there unless my car starts tho, as it’s pretty dark

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around 104th and Prairie and I can’t afford Taxi Fare.

I have no plans at all for New Year’s Eve, so probably will stay home by myself.
Marge and Murray are going to her brother’s home, or sisters, I don’t remember
which.

I wonder what you’ll be doing on New Year’s Eve and how did you spend Christmas
Day?  I hope you at least had good food.

Received a letter from you today that was written Thanksgiving Day after your
dinner.  [It] Seems you had a fairly good turkey dinner.  I’m so glad, as I
was thinking of you that day and wondering whether you were eating C or K
rations.  I had turkey at Tasti’s, which was very good, too.  (Excuse please
Ronnie is pulling my hand and wants me to come out in the kitchen to gaze at
the moon.  It is beautiful and a full moon, too.  Seems Ronnie is romantic,
too!)

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His vocabulary is about as big as any adult’s, now, and [he] talks and talks
all the time, either to me, himself, or his trains.  Now he’s crying because
his train toppled over.  I made a cardboard tunnel for him, so he’s having
loads of fun, altho it doesn’t always go where he wants it to, then he gets
mad!

Let me know if you ever get the money I sent.  I enclosed $5.00 in each of two
letters in the past two weeks.

Well, honey, guess I’ll close now if we’re going to mail this and your pkgs
tonight.

Just keep your chin up, Darling, and someday we’ll have all the happiness that
is due us - I hope!

All our Love and a kiss too,
Mommie and Ronnie

P.S.
Judy and Pups are fine.  Last one sale, but still have 2 sold and 3 to go.