09 Dec December 9, 1944

Letter
from: Mrs. A Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
Dec. 9, 1944
Sat. nite, 11:00 P.M.

Hello, Honey,

Thanks to Marge you’re getting a letter tonite.  You see I still haven’t found
my fountain pen, and when she stopped in tonite with Martha Tosti she brought
hers along, so I can use it until I buy another.

Much has happened since I wrote last night!  Everything happens to me!  I was
in the midst of house cleaning today when Mrs. Hayes asked Ronnie and me to
come over for lunch.

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I was tired, and couldn’t think of an excuse quick enough, so I told her we’d
come.  She had baked beans (3 lbs. of ’em) for some church affair tomorrow, and
so we had baked beans, baked potato, peaches and cookies for lunch.  Ronnie
wouldn’t eat a thing there, but ate when we got home.  Maybe he didn’t like
beans!

I left there at 3:00 o’clock and after getting Ronnie a bite to eat and getting
him to bed, I wrapped two pkgs. for you.  Neither one

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contains anything edible, however.  One contains a flashlight, extra bulbs, and
batteries.  The other contains 5 pkgs of Luckies, some candles and more
batteries and bulbs.  This is the second flashlight I’ve sent you, as I sent
the first one in August.  The candles I sent are some I had around the house,
as I couldn’t seem to get any others at the store, except Xmas candles.  I
wanted to buy the kind that’s about 2 or 3 inches in diameter and 6 inches high,
but couldn’t

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find any.  Hope these will help a little, anyway.

These pkgs. will make the 17th and 18th pkgs I’ve sent you since you went
overseas.  Mrs. Emil Kuester said she sent you a box when she called [on me]
the other day.  I believe Gladys Hacker sent you one[,] also the Campbell’s
(I think, I’m not sure).  Claude sent you one, also.  Gladys (Evansville, Ind.)
sent a box.  That makes five more.  I s’pose your Dad and Norma must have sent
some, too.  When you get all these, if you do, and if the food is still edible,
you’ll be a pretty

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lucky "G.I."

Guess what happened today.  At 5:30, Judy became the mother of one tan colored
pup.  At 6:30, she became the mom of a black pup.  At 7:15, another black pup.
At 8:30, another black one.  A total of four, three black and one tan.  It’s
11:40 now, so hope she’s all through.  She’s in a big cardboard box in the
bathroom, and I’ve changed her bedding once, so far.  What will I do now with
quadruplets added to my household?  Why if she must

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raise a family, couldn’t she have had it while you were home?  You and your
ideas about her not being able to get that way! ha! ha! ha!  S’pose I should
"get around" and prove you’re wrong there, too?  On second thought, guess I’ll
wait till you get home. S’pect I’d better, don’t you?

Mrs. Page has been down to see Judy a couple times, altho they had company.  A

couple and their soldier son, who was home on furlough.  The kid looked about
18 yrs. old.

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Jim and Martha were spending the evening with Murray and Marge tonite, so
that’s why Marge and Martha came out to see Judy and family.

I got a letter from Elinor yesterday, and also from Oralee.  Imagine?  I’m
sending the letter first to Elinor to read, as it was also addressed to her,
and will ask her to return it to me, so I can send it to you.  They are in
Olympia, Wash., and she has a job for the county and state, as nurse for five
schools.  Sounds like a pretty good job.  She says

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she’s lonesome for Chicago, and her friends, too,  And she says it’s been
raining every day, as it’s the rainy season now.  Oh well, you’ll read her
letter eventually, so I won’t go into detail.

I got a letter from Claude today, or rather it’s from Josephine.  I can’t go
[see them], even if Chuck and Betty don’t come in as I’ll have to be home with
the dogs.  Of course Gladys can’t go as she’s entertaining the Hacker Clan.  I
had planned on going there if my brother doesn’t come in, but don’t s’pose I
can leave our pups to

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travel even that far.

I’m also enclosing Norma’s card, that I rec’d when Fuzzy and Gladys were here.
I got a letter from our Daddy today dated Nov. 27th.

Say, do you mean these German and French people are even dirtier housekeepers
than I am?  That must be awful.  All kidding aside, tho, it must be awful to
live as they do, and I can’t tell you how much I wish you were here in your own
nice home, with us, instead of in some of these places you have to be.  But
guess

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you’re lucky you’re warm and well-fed (I hope!) and not on the firing line.
There’s always something to be thankful for.

You mentioned if the Pages and Elinor are still with me.  As I have written a
couple of weeks ago about Elinor going home, you now know, just the Pages are
still here.  Elinor’s leaving makes ends pretty hard to meet and that’s for
sure.

Well, honey, I’ll close now, as I have a pretty bad headache.  Quadruplets are
too much in one day, I guess!

I hope your diarrhea is gone now, as I know how weak it makes a person

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Well, goodnight and lots of luck and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
or at least a peaceful one.

All our love, always,
Mom and Ronnie

P.S.
Please take good care of yourself.