May 3 – 1942
Sunday night
Dear Folks
Is it raining at home? It is here, a nice spring shower. It has been raining an hour or so now. I’m glad I don’t have to be out in it. I won’t have to stand any more Seaman guard watches. The diesel boys just stand the gate sentries & we have little guard houses to stay in. That shouldn’t be bad at all. Some of the seaman guard boys didn’t have their raincoats when it started raining so I expect they got wet.
We started wearing our white hats the first of May. They look very nice, I think.
Monday noon
Its pretty chilly today, guess the rain cooled things off. I am still in bed here in sick bay but I never felt better in my life. My temperature has been normal for several days. Today is my eleventh day so I should be getting out of here soon. I have a pretty fair-sized boil on my neck. You should have seen my nurse dance with joy when she saw it. She says that she just loves to squeeze those things & I believe her. It didn’t take her long to get started on it after I told her that she could squeeze it. Its getting better now & I don’t have any more.
Monday evening.
Well I’ll see if I can finish this letter this evening. I’m afraid it won’t be 18 pages though. A hundred players from Hollywood are putting on a show in Detroit tonight. Seats cost from one dollar to five hundred dollars. Only three & five dollar seats are left & not many of those. The money is to be turned over to army & navy relief societies. It should be a good show with Bob Hope as master of ceremonies.
Tuesday afternoon. I’m going to mail this today even if I have to let it go unfinished. The doctor said I might be up two hours today so I’m hoping to get out before long. The reason this is harder to read than usual is that I’m laying on my side with a hot water bottle on my neck so I can’t get in a very convenient position to write. We have a quiet hour from one until two each afternoon & it is time for it so I will close. I’m feeling fine.
Love
Lester
Wednesday noon
May 6 – 1942
Dear Folks
Well, the mumps are all gone & the doctors have said that I may return to duty this evening. I’m glad of that. I haven’t had any fever for a long time & am feeling fine. They don’t take any chances of us developing any complications. There isn’t any danger now. The swelling has been down about a week, I think. The boil on my neck is practically okay.
I hope you don’t have any floods from the rains you have been having. We have just had a nice little rain & it is still cloudy. This river seems to just stay the same, never rises or falls. It has been quite warm but is a little cooler now. Is the garden up yet? The grass, trees & shrubs are all green up here. I believe it is warmer here than at home because it hasn’t been nearly cold enough to freeze or frost. You certainly must have had a lot of mud to burn out two clutches in the car. You may take the fenders off if you want to make a mud car out of it. You had just about as well do that if you can use it only for the route on account of the tires. I helped rebuild some V-8 engines up here but I didn’t work on any model A’s. I have liked my work fine but haven’t gone to any diesel yet so don’t know what it will be like. The boys tell me that is hasn’t been very interesting but perhaps it will get better. Some of the fellows brought my lessons over so I have just about kept up with them. I won’t be penalized for what I have missed. I was getting a little anxious because if we miss ten school days we are set back with the next class & I want to go ahead & finish with my bunch so that we may get to go to sea together. I have missed eight days now. Don’t worry about the mumps because the doctors won’t release us until they are certain we are safe. They don’t care if we miss two days or twenty.
Teachers are scarce this year, aren’t they? You will be fortunate if you can keep all of them. Will there be only four in high school?
So Caroline still feeds you, does she, dad? Its rather odd but I was just telling my roommate yesterday about the cookies she gave us. Did you tell Wallace & Paul where she gets her water to make that cake? No need to spoil it if the cake was good. Josephine sent me some candy the other day & I still have some of it. It was good. You don’t need to send any cookies or anything that uses sugar because you probably need it & we have all the sweet stuff we need. Of course, the cookies are good.
Mom, I am sending you a little money as a mother’s day gift. I haven’t had a chance to get out & get anything & I want to give you something. Buy whatever you want for yourself but don’t send it back to me. I have all I need. When I get ready to leave here I expect to have a good deal of my pay be put into defense bonds or something. I don’t spend a great deal in here. Some of the boys are always broke but I have saved fifty dollars up til now & we get paid again soon. The check is yours too. Guess I’ll have to get me a date book & put down all the anniversarys & birthdays. I forgot Frances’ wedding. I was thinking it was June 5th.
It is evening now & I have got moved back into the barracks & done some washing. I’m going to bed pretty soon. If ever you want to call me, the number is Oregon 9482. That is different than the old number so don’t get them mixed.
Love to all.
Lester
Wallace, I found the Bulletin you sent me this evening. Some one had put it in my coat. Thanks.
The Bridge 