24 May May 24, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
May 24, 1945
Thursday, 9:25 P.M.
Noteworthy: truck driver strike in Chicago.

Hello, honey,

How are you, and have you heard anything promising as far as your coming home
is concerned?  At present I have a beautiful cold, just about like the one I
had the first time you and I went out together.  I have a sore throat, earache,
runny nose and [I’m] feverish.  It came on yesterday, and [I] had just made up
my mind to go to bed early last night when Mrs. Dixon stopped in to borrow some
syrup.  She didn’t leave until 12:30.  By that time I felt so miserable I
didn’t even write to you and I have to feel pretty bad to miss that.

With a cold coming on yesterday I had no business washing clothes and hanging
them out, but neither Ronnie nor I had any clean clothes, so -- !!!  Then
after dinner last night I raked the backyard, where I’d mowed the day before.
Mr. Page mowed the front yard for me, which was nice of him.

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Then, about 7:00 o’clock I baked a chocolate pie, which Mrs. Dixon and I
sampled later, with coffee.

Today, I should have ironed the clothes I washed yesterday, but with my cold, I
did very little, but clean up the house a bit and finish the red jacket I made
last week.  I’m beginning to think my tonsils have grown back again, just as
Elinor’s did - could be!

Does your sinus trouble you anymore?  You haven’t mentioned it lately.

I went over to Dixon’s to get Ronnie tonight and started talking to Mrs. Hahn’s
daughter-in-law and she mentioned her husband had sent her some souvenirs from
Egypt and India.  They were all handmade leather things.  One gorgeous hassock
in diamond shaped pieces of tan and brown leather; a tooled and painted purse;
picture frames in tooled leather; tooled leather pillow tops; and a picture
frame made of bullets.  If these things had been bought here  they’d have cost
a fortune, but

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I understand that even the hassock cost only about $5.00.  What a contrast to
Paris prices!

All the truck drivers in Chicago have been on strike for the past two weeks,
so the stores have practically nothing on their shelves anymore.  They’ve
threatened to have the Army take over, but even that doesn’t even <? phase>
[faze] them.  I stopped at the A&P yesterday and he had no fruit or vegetables
and [was] practically out of everything else.  It isn’t enough that food is
rationed, but we haven’t a chance of even getting our rations.  Why don’t you
go on a strike, too, and come home and sit it out?

All day Ronnie has been just bubbling over with vim, vigor and pep, and here I
feel like a limp dish rag, or something.  I can’t wait until his new wagon is
delivered.  I sure hope he likes it.  It’s due here Sat. or next Monday.  It
will come parcel post because of the truck

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tie-up and I have to assemble it as it’ll come knocked down.

Guess who called me yesterday?  It was Vy, and she’s in Rockford for two weeks
vacation.  She said she and her dad would come in for a day. (next week Friday

from 10:00 until 5:00 P.M.)  I imagine she’ll leave for Los Angeles then.  I’m
anxious to hear whether or not her boyfriend and she are getting married soon,
or not.  He was in Hawaii last I heard.  Gladys (your sister) also called and
asked about you, and said her latest letter from Dick was May 3rd, so she’s
still waiting to hear his reaction to V.E. Day, altho I s’pose there’s little
chance that he’ll be discharged, as he’s young and healthy and has not been in
combat.

I see the Japs are launching balloons, about 33 ft long, which have landed in
Canada and the U.S.  They are supposedly paper and explosive.  I wonder if
these

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are just a forerunner of rocket bombs or something.  To me it seems that
they’re just trying to find out where these balloons, etc. land and whether it
is feasible to try something more dangerous, perhaps.  I hope and pray it won’t
happen here!  It would be terrible if this country were invaded, too, after
sending our boys all over the world to fight.

My sore throat and cold is [are] making me morbid, I better stop writing right
now.

I haven’t had a letter since Monday, so hope I get one soon.

I just saw a centipede cross the floor, but can’t find him now.  I killed one
a while ago, but they go like lightning.  Also got a June bug in here last
night, and it isn’t even June, yet.  How I hate creepy things.  While digging
dandelions I’d scream every once in a while because the lawn was full of snakes.

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Ronnie keeps wanting to pick them up - ugh!  Guess he’s a boy!

He came in yesterday morning saying, "Sandra is my girlfriend," (Sandra Johnson
on Lowe Ave.)  He’s always hugging and kissing her, the little devil.  She’s
four years old, but that doesn’t bother either of them.  Today he was strolling
down 110th between Union and Lowe Ave. with a little girl on each side, and
Mrs. Page called me to the window to see him.  (You’d better not try his
tactics.)

Well, guess I’ll stop rambling on now and go to bed to recuperate from this
cold of mine.

All my Love, always,
Mom and Ronnie

P.S. I’ve got my fingers crossed hoping to see you soon.