27 Mar March 27, 1945

from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Private George W. Shonkwiler.
March 27th, 1945, Tuesday, 8.45 p.m.
Noteworthy: Trouble getting meat.

Hello, honey.

 I’ll try to make up tonight for the sort of nasty V-MAILs I wrote last
night. I guess I just was in a pretty bad mood. I suppose being in the
midst of spring house cleaning, washing walls, woodwork, cleaning closets,
etc, it just got me down, thinking of you out with a Wac.. I’m sorry, as
far be it from me to begrudge you of a good meal no matter how you get it.
It’s just about as bad here in the meal line anyway as I have to wait in
line in three or four meat stores and still don’t always get a decent
piece of meat. Today I was lucky in getting a few slices baked ham. The
butcher (at Johns Market on 111th and Wentworth) said he was giving me

a pound of the piece of ham  he was saving for his own Easter dinner.
(Come to think of it, I should have married a butcher.)

I had intended on going to Rockford for Easter, but just had a letter
from Betty telling me not to come in as they’re invited out. She also
said the whole family had

page two.
new Easter outfits and therefore didn’t want to change her plans. Oh well,
as far as I’m concerned, it can rain all day on Easter as I don’t have a
thing now to wear. As long as you’re not here to see how I look, I care
very little. So new clothes are my smallest worries these days.  Marge
was showing me her new outfit last Saturday, but then Murray probably
won’t take her out anyway.  At least I have the consolation of knowing
that if my husband were here and I had a new outfit, he would take me
out somewhere.  Guess if he were here, I wouldn’t even mind staying at
home when I came to think of it.

I got the real estate tax statement today, $161.40 total, or $80.70 for
each installment.  Have you any idea as to where I can get that much money?
You don’t want it left until after the war, do you?  Should I withdraw
from Smith or do we have any money there?  You never did reply to my
previous queries about our accounts and whether or not they’re all joint
accounts

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or  not.  Also whether or which I should draw on, if necessary.  We also
have some at Chesterfield, don’t we?  Straighten me ou. on all this, will
you, honey?   Do we have any bonds in the deposit box?  Also, where is the
key? Or is it on my key ring?  Boy, am I a question box tonight.

I washed all of the kitchen walls and cabinets today, but don’t know what
to do about the ceilings as my back gets too sore stretching to wash them.
I did last year, but decided the suffering I had as the aftermath isn’t
worth it.  You know how sick I was when you had your ten day leave in July.
I can’t get anyone to do just the ceiling, either.  And besides, they want
a fortune for it.  The whole place needs painting as it’s worn off,
getting washed all the time.  Whoever said gas heat is clean is crazy,
because to me it seems dirtier than coal heat.  Our next home will be
heated by electricity, or is there such a thing?  For our new home, we’ll
have electric stove and refrigerator, too.  In fact, right now I’d like
very much to,

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live in an apartment building with maid service. For instance, all Marge
and Murray have to do this year is relax as their apartment is being
cleaned and painted by the owner. Pretty soft. I’ll bet the Pages wish

they lived in an apartment building, too, as I can’t do a thing for them.

Ben Campbell had a tree in his backyard cut down a couple of weeks ago.
The stump (about five feet) is still there, and they also took all the
wood along with them.  Guess what he had to pay? $42.00. Isn’t that
something?  So you see, all we people at home do is pay and pay and pay.
I’ve noticed ads in the paper where colored gals want $1.00 per hour
and carfare to do cleaning work. In days gone by, they were lucky to get
$2.00 per week and pay their own carfair. I often wonder how much the
Dixon’s pay their colored gal to clean every week.  Mr. Dixon is taking
his tests at DePaul for his Master’s degree now.  A couple have been
returned with grades of A and B, so he’s not

Page five.
Doing so badly.

Ronnie and I were up on the avenue this morning and as you see, I bought
some stationary plus groceries.  They had some baby chicks 4 for 45 cents,
and as these were the first chicks Ronnie has seen, (or did he see some in
Florida?) he went wild and insisted I should buy some. I almost considered
it, as since all chickens were sent out for the Army and Navy one can’t
buy them here anymore. I haven’t been able to get any chicken since
November. They’re frozen in most states, which caused Ray Mufries to
close their store a week after New Year’s.  Brandts haven’t had any
chickens either. Anyway, I decided I had enough troubles without raising
chickens too, so Ronnie has to come home without his chickens, much
against his wishes.

The temperature today was 75 degrees or more, but pretty windy. Tonight
it is very windy, so perhaps we’ll have snow in the

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morning could be. Everyone was going around in shirt sleeves and dresses
today.

By the way, did you get your Christmas Valentine and Easter cards? I think
you mentioned getting a Christmas card from Ronnie, but that’s all.

I got a March 12th Stars and Stripes today,  but no letters. Oh, well,
maybe tomorrow.

Looks like I’ll spend a lonely Easter this year, as I can’t have guests
without meat, and besides, I have told everyone I’d be going to Rockford.
I’ll take Ronnie to Sunday School, and after that, guess I’ll just stay
home and rest.  Probably do me good. Maybe I can take Ronnie to a show to
celebrate. I wonder what you’ll be doing?  Going to church, I hope.

 I saw "Frenchman’s Creek".  Is that the one you saw? I saw it last week
at the State. I always miss holding your hand in a show, so that I get
more lonely than ever.  Ah, well, someday! You be a good boy, and I’ll
be a good girl and maybe we will be rewarded by an early reunion.

 Always thinking of you and loving you, Mom and Ronnie.