03 Jan January 3, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
Jan. 3, 1944 [1945]
9:45 P.M. Wednesday
Noteworthy: Mom gets $140 per month to run the house.

Hello, darling,

I’ve just been cuddling one of Judy’s pups.  They’re so cute.  Wish you could
see them.  It is too bad they’re not thoroughbreds, tho, as long as they’re
just as much work.  I have to feed them raw hamburger twice a day now.  Next
week I have to start on Carnation milk and Kiro’s syrup formula.  It’s just
about like having [a] quintuplet of babies.  They’ll be four weeks old next
Saturday.  I only have two sold, but hope I sell the rest before the seven
weeks are up.  They have sharp teeth, already, so Judy doesn’t care much to be
around them anymore - Poor Judy!  It’s tough to be a Mommie.

I received a letter from Forest.

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today, which I’m enclosing.  Spent just about all day today ironing and still
have sheets and cases to do, as yet.  Ronnie sure seems to have a lot of
clothes when it comes to ironing them, and yet it takes a very few days for him
to get them all dirty again.

I have a nasty stye in my right eye and the other eye is sore, too.  Guess I’ve
done too much sewing lately.  I’ll just have to let up for a while, I suppose,
altho I did want to make that red jersey blouse, Edith gave me material for.
Guess my eyes are most important, however.

I think Ronnie’s gaining some weight, if not, he should, as he certainly eats
lately.  Today, for example: Breakfast: one large orange,

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dish of oatmeal and cream; one egg, one slice whole wheat toast with butter and
jam; two glasses of milk; Lunch: large bowl of carrots, beans and peas (mixed);
one slice of whole wheat bread and butter; two glasses of milk: two peach
halves and a cookie; Dinner: 1/2 a cube steak; potatoes; creamed asparagus;
slice of bread and butter; two glasses of milk and two cookies.  To tell the
truth he eats more than I do, especially at breakfast, as I never eat cereal,
altho I do eat an egg occasionally.

I packed a box for you today, and hope you’ll get it this time.  The cigarettes
are thru courtesy of the Tosti’s and Gladys (your sis).  The Luckies are from
the Tosti’s and the Camels are from Gladys.  I got a carton of each to send you,
but

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I’m sending only a few packs at a time, as I’ve heard they steal them out of
holiday pkgs once in a while.  I also sent cocoa, the ready mix kind that you
only need to add water, also a few cookies and carmels, and a box of tea bags.
Is there anything you need?  Just write and tell me?

I got my allotment yesterday, and it came just in time, as I was broke, and
owed $15.00 for groceries, %5.67 - telephone, $4.50 for plumber, and $3.00 for
powders.  I paid the firt three named, already.  I’ll have to pay $22.00 for
city and state licenses right away quick, I hear - oh me!  Or is it $18.50?  Now
I’m expecting a big gas bill any day now and electric, too.  Boy, running this
house on $140.00 per month, when gas and electric are doubled, because of
tenants, is no

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small job, I can tell you!  Remember we couldn’t even break even at $260 per
mo. plus your gas mileage money and your overtime, too.  If I manage to do it,
honey, I’m a magician, I can tell you that.  Just remembered, we owe $3.60 for
safety deposit box, too, at Smith’s.

I’ll get by, tho, so don’t worry about it, one little bit.

Wish I could convince Elinor she should come back, but guess that’s out of the
question, as she’s too busy supervising the rebuilding of their home, and as
long as her dad pays her a salary and gets free room and board - I don’t blame
her a bit.

How are you getting along, honey?  Are you all well now?  It’s been 10 days
since I’ve had any news, so I haunt my mailbox from morning until night.

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Every time the mailman comes both Ronnie and I race for the mailbox, and when
we look at the letters, Ronnie says, "No letters from Daddy, Mommie," and I
say, "No, Ronnie," and he says, "Did mailman take Daddy’s letters away? - Poor
Daddy."  He should say, "Poor Mommie," - I think!

A man got stuck in a snowdrift on 110th, today, so I called to him and asked if
he’d like a shovel.  He said, "yes," and dug himself out.  He was so grateful
and said he had been ill and was on his way to a doctor, even then.  He got
stuck because he swerved out of the way because of a boy bicyclist, who wasn’t
looking where he was going.

So - I did my good turn for today.

Goodnight, Sweetheart, I love you,
Mom and Ronnie