21 Mar March 21, 1945

March 21, 1945, Wednesday, 10.30 p.m.
Alice to G. Wesley Shonkwiler

Hello darling,

Guess I’ll break down and write a real letter instead of V-mail tonight.
I’ve been sending V-mails since you told me to because you might be shipped
soon, but from your letter you evidently aren’t getting any mail at all
since your arrival in France.  I also sent an eight-ounce and five-pound
package last week.  Hope you get them before you move again.

I was in the midst of washing clothes in the basement today when Judy
started to bark furiously. Sure enough it was the mailman. Ronnie came
downstairs carrying two letters from daddy. He gets just as excited as I
do. When we get mail, "Mommy here’s two letters from Daddy", were his
exact words. Of course, all letters are from Daddy as far as he’s concerned,
but this time he happened to ring true. One was a 10-page letter written
March 10th and the other a V-mail written March 12th. That’s only 11 days
for regular airmail and that’s good service. The letter I read last week
with the Paris <? hankies> took only eight days and that was super service.
So you see they evidently are still sending some letters by airmail as yet
altho probably very few from the US go airmail now.

I enjoyed reading your letter so much altho it gave me chills up and down
my spine and my heart was in my throat all the time I was reading it. It
was very interesting and almost too vivid and real to suit me. (Who said
it wasn’t real?) You mentioned sending this letter on to Norma and your
dad and the rest of your family etc. This I intend to do but hope that
they will guard it with their life as I want it back in good shape. I
wouldn’t want to lose it for anything as I’m saving all your letters for
Ronnie to read someday and maybe his "sis" (who knows). That is if they
let you come home while we’re still young.

Ronnie and I had dinner at the Hayes’ tonight. I haven’t seen them for
two weeks. They were over last Sunday and I wasn’t home of course as I
was with Pages in Highland Park. We had a very good dinner for a change.
Round steak, gravy, carrots, green beans, boiled potatoes, peach and
lettuce salad and apple pie and coffee. The reason for the steak was that
the butcher was out of everything else. She paid a $1.02 for steak for
five people and thought it a terrific price. (I can remember paying more
than that for just you and me.) Sometimes I believe you when you say she
is on the miserly side. I had baked cake this afternoon so I brought them
some so I wouldn’t feel so obligated for our dinner. I shouldn’t talk like
that as it was very nice of her to have us over for dinner.  I’m learning
to be pretty "miserly" myself these days but not because I like it. But
guess it good practice in "managing" at that. We may have tough times
after the war too and that’s why I don’t want to dig into savings if I
can help it. I called Mr. De Mink the other day and he asked me to come
in to see him at 6.30 Tuesday morning about going back to work. I rushed
around all over and finally found a nursery that would keep Ronnie all
day for $10.00 a week. When I got home that night I thought and thought
and thought wondering if I was doing the wise thing. I would have to get
up at 5:00 a.m. and dress Ronnie, feed him and myself and bring him to
the nursery every day. As he doesn’t get up until 8:00 or 8:30 usually,
I’d be cheating him 3 hours sleep a day and then I’d worry all day at
work for fear he wasn’t getting enough to eat for lunch and whether he’d
take his nap etc.  Well all in all I decided not to see De Mink Tues.
morning after all so guess my hopes for a job anymore at Pullman are

over as he’s probably plenty mad as he was coming in early to talk to me.
Maybe I’m a fool to stay home when I could be getting good money, but
here I am again. acquiescing to my husband’s wishes as a good wife should.
(oh yeah?) or should she?  Come to think of it I didn’t promise to "love,
honor, and obey", just to "love, honor, and cherish". I guess the "love"

is what changed my mind as I guess I don’t really want to do something
that you don’t sanction. Of course if you change your mind let me know
I do think our fortune could stand replenishing.

It was cold and windy today brrr.  We’re s’posed to have 70 degrees
temperature tomorrow according to the paper. I hope so!  I went over
to Brandt’s today and bought three quarts of milk, eggs etc. When I
got home I found all three quarts of milk sour. I called and Brandt
answered the phone and said he’d bring me three more quarts right away.
While here he told me that two juniper trees at the outer corners of
our house were dead and asked if I wanted him to pull the tree out, so
he did. He said the dirty Chicago air kills that type of tree as it

is native of Tennessee. He also said the trees on either side of the
front door are about to die but will revive if a bushel of manure is
spaded in around the roots. He said he’d send a kid over with the manure
some day soon. He also said the bush evergreens under the front windows
have "red spider" and I may be able to save ’em if I play the hose on
’em thoroughly. All I need is a gardener to take care of our landscaping.

(12:00 midnite)
I baked a devil’s food cake this afternoon, so the Pages just had some
cake and coffee with me. You’ll just have to develop a taste for
chocolate cake as it is my specialty. Just turns out luscious every time.

Edith told me tonight that the Greek priest Mary was working for us is
getting married. So she quit and she will not work for a woman. Seems all
the men get married after she is around for a while.  Is that what made
your mind up? Anyway Edith knew of a woman who is a housekeeper for a
wealthy family and this family has a city home and a home at Lake Geneva
in the summer and had told Edith that the assistant housekeeper was
quitting because of ill health.  Mary applied for the job and got it
tonight and she’ll last long though. Doubt she’ll last long tho as she
is to work with this housekeeper in the city 6 months of the year and
work alone at the Lake Residence.  I’m sure she can’t get along with a
woman as her boss even part of the year but that’s her problem.  Edith
sure is thick with Mary. I can’t quite dope their friendship out except
that Mary always gives her and Joan expensive gifts. Boy am I catty.

Well honey thanks again for the nice long letter and I hope I’ll have
many more long ones. When I get a letter it’s like the sun breaking
through a cloud.  I hope you get lots of mail very soon honey as it must
be awful not to get any.  All my love always and here’s to an early
return of my honey.

Bye Mom and Ronnie.
P.S. I disagree with Norma as to your breaks in this war as you so you’re
so lucky to be alive and all in one piece.