Madison Wis Jan 25,1919 Dear Circle: I see by the date above that Chas. & Amelia are a year older this month. Best wishes to them for the new year. I dont doubt that Amelia really felt as old as she is now while she was having the flu recently. We are glad to know that the sick are all well again. It has been so warm today that the snow is almost gone and we will now have to cover our strawberry bed with cornstalks in place of the snow it has had. The ice company have had to give up filling their ice houses for a time there is so much water on top of the ice. Grace has gone to the Wis-Ill basketball game and All-Univ. Mixer tonight. The ban has been lifted from dancing for the first time since the flu began so I suppose there'll be a crowd out. Grace cares very little for dancing, tho. Cal is out fixing a tire. I suppose he plans using the car to go to church tomorrow. It is used only occasionally this winter as he lets the water out each time and it is some trouble to get it ready each time. Cal is busy as usual. There is a road school lasting a week in Feb. and the automotive show also in Feb. lasts a week. These he has to attend and he meets once a week with the legislative highway committee also. Cal says to tell you that Billy Prisk has been elected to the Presidency of the Southern Wis. Threshermans Association at Fond Du Lac a short time ago. Fred Humiston and wife left for Cal. to spend the rest of the winter last week. Mrs Lamson is spending the winter in Florida. I begin to wonder if the J. C. Bitterman family will ever be going to some of those balmy places for the winter. But we're well and with weather like this we can't complain. I was told today that Red Cross work will close on Mar. 1st and French Relief on Mar 15 which will be a relief to Americans, I think. Ellen, the white ink I used was some Grace uses to write in her Kodak album. If there's any foolishness going on, you'll be sure to find, in the thick of it, your youngest sister. Annie Elizabeth Hamlin Garland's story is like a page from our own history. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wis Mar 5, 1919 Dear Circle When I cant do much but write letters, I never feel like writing letters. I am feeling better today tho than for the past ten days. My old enemy, rheumatism, took hold of me and wouldn't let go till today. I have been so very listless that I was in bed several days & lying down much of the time when I was dressed. But I think I'm going to be myself again in a few more days. The flu is getting quite a hold on the city and the infirmary at the U. is crowded. We have used six tons of hard coal this winter and Cal thinks we have enough on hand to last thru March. Cal has only kindled the fire about three times since last fall and I never do anything to it all day. He likes a mixture of nut & buckwheat size coal best for our furnace. The auto show has passed into history and I was glad that Cal got thru it without being tired out. He worked from 7:30 AM to 11 PM for that week & on Sat night did not get home till 1:30AM. but it was the best show they have had and now they want a new city building large enough to house all the exhibitors who want to come next year. Grace has gone coasting tonight with a bunch of church young people. One boy hauled the sled to the hill with his motorcycle. They will have an oyster supper afterwards. Ruth is well and likes her work at Eau C. They have just had the midyear graduating exercises for 50 pupils. Grace had a good letter from Rollo last week. He is seeing France as a musician now, he says, which is much better than seeing it as an infantryman. I think Pres. Wilson is a wonder. How he can do all the important things he has on hand without breaking down, is great,and every word reported all over the country makes him speak with such care. It must be nerve-racking. Well, I must rest up again so goodnight. With Love from Annie [The 1918-19 Flu outbreak killed 15 to 25 million people worldwide. Killed 500,000 - half percent - of U.S. population. War helped it spread. It came in 3 waves-this letter speaks of the second wave. More people killed than in any other outbreak ever. Noel Thompson] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wis May 22, 1919 Dear Circle: The letter has been in Madison so long I will send it along at once. Sara brought it to me on her way to school this morning. Cal came home this morning from a week on the farm fixing up a few of the many things needed and the sun came out soon after so we are glad of both things. It rained constantly all day yesterday and has been so cold I've had a furnace fire for several days. I havent been well so was not moving around to keep warm but am better the past two days and think I shall be all right again before long. Cal says it was such bright weather out in Iowa and things looked well. We have to mow the lawn often but the garden does not grow very fast and have only just planted the later things. Grace got her hand in at that, as I was not well enough. Our neighbor across the street has been at work setting out all kinds of flowers of late, so it is going to be a pretty view from our porch when the weather warms up. We are surrounded by members of the faculty at the Univ. in the plant pathology dept. and I think I can supply them all with all the bugs they need from my flowers & garden. One Prof. came over tonight and examined my rose bush & found a certain kind of leaf hopper he'd been looking for since Feb. & he was so pleased! I generously offered him the whole Hopper family but he said it would take too many of the leaves. So he offered to spray the rose bush in exchange for specimens and I shall have to invest in Black 40 and carbon bisulphide etc. etc. "Eternal vigilance" is the price of flowers and fruit at 1717 Chadbourne. Must close and go to bed. With love to you all - Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wis June 29,1919 Dear Circle: While I am waiting for Henry and Ella to call for us to take us for a ride, I will write my sheet. Our car is laid up for repairs since last week Sat. I took my first lesson in automobile driving. Cal told me something about the use of the levers and brakes for ten minutes at the garage, then he said I ought to get out into the street where there was room to go ahead. I protested I didnt know enough about it yet, but he insisted. Well, when we got out on Rowley Ave. he said I must go faster and put it on high. Again I protested but he insisted, so presently there was a decided THUD and pieces of the "internal workings" began to drop on the street and I walked home to get our neighbor to pull the remains home. The repairs we sent for have not yet arrived so we do not know when lesson No. 2 will be taken but I shall take No. 2 when the car is ready again but not perhaps with the same teacher. He is a little too previous for me, I think. We expected Ruth home on the morning train this morning but she did not arrive so we are expecting her on the 5:30 this P.M. She begins work in the Plant Pathology dept of the U. on Tues. [Aha-thats how Grace met Plant Pathologists] Our church had the last services before the summer vacation today. We have a three months vacation now and the wonder is that a thing so cold as the Unitarian faith is to some folks, can revive every autumn. But it does. We are to be supplied with ministers from the U. of Chicago again next year. A Mrs. Potter of Madison has invested in an aeroplane and is to be seen flying over head any old time these days. She does not drive it herself yet, I think, but probably will soon. I am sure I shall only want to be an innocent bystander to that sport, but Cal & Grace plan to ride in one if invited. Love to you all from Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wis. Aug. 17, 1919 Dear Circle: Henry wrote me from Milwaukee that he had the circular letter & forgot to tell me of it so I got it one day when I went over to the hospital where Grace has been the last two days after having her tonsils removed. She is just ready to be brought home now, but will have to eat soup & keep quiet for several days. Henry and Ella & Amelia are having a fine outing. They went a week ago and on Thursday evening were at Iron River, Mich. Fine roads all the way. Drove one day in the rain all day but no delay or mud. Three hours engine trouble one day. They perhaps will be gone a week or more yet. Merle & Ritch have just come back from a 2300 mile trip to Yellowstone Park. Had a wonderful trip but found Montana dried up & cattle being sold to prevent starvation. It seems too bad to have such poor crops when the world is depending on this country for food. The surplus army supplies will be needed in this country before winter is over I think. It has been a showery day but not enough rain to really wet the soil yet. And it needs it badly. The garden is just drying up and the fields are the same. Are you having apples out in Iowa? They are 6 cents a pound here and not many of them. And I actually bought eggs in Aug 1919 for 50 cts a doz.! that was just before the gov't probe began. These probes would be pretty good if they didnt cost as much as the eggs! Our car has come to life again but the repairs are not quite all in place yet so I have not tried to drive it again yet. But I shall. Mary's farmerette suit is the neatest one I've seen. We have several style around here but they are not so cunning as hers. "Verily the world do move." Dr Mary Walker was a few years ahead of her time. Love to all Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wisconsin Sept 8, 1919 Dear Circle: I shall write just a short letter as I haven't been doing anything of late but sitting of lying around. Am having rheumatism or neuritis in my left arm and shoulder and I feel "bum". Grace is well again and is keeping house for me now. What's all this about Chas. driving up? Has he a car now? If he has, the roads in Wis. are said to be the best marked in the country, so he should start in a N.E. direction. Arlyn & Betty are "seeing America first" in their business. That is the way civil engineers have to move from place to place, too. We are glad Florence was not seriously hurt in the accident. I should think the young man would never be able to shake off the horror of killing a friend like that. Dinner time now so I will close. Love from Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wisconsin Oct 19, 1919 Dear Circle: My week is up so I will write my sheet. We were certainly surprised when we read that Charles had invested in a 1920 Maxwell. Now, Charles, you are the PROUDEST one of the bunch, or you would have been contented with a second hand Overland or even a Ford of ancient make instead of having to take time by the forelock and get a NEW, 1920 MODEL. Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and I hope you will bring your family to Madison as soon as you can. The world does surely move. I saw a band of gypsies on the street on Sat. Five Ford cars full of them. And Cal said he saw a band in the summer which had several cars worth $1500 apiece. Fortune telling must have had a boom to enable them to buy those. Grace is sending you one of the pictures of the old house, Charles. She took them on the trip to Monroe a short time ago. These pictures of Amelia and I were taken before we were "posed" while listening to advice from the rest of the family in the porch. We had intended to have a very dignified picture to send around instead of these. Ellens window boxes surely look tropical. I gave up on porch boxes this year but the shrubs have grown so large now that I do not miss them. We are glad Amelia recovered so well from her operation. We are all feeling as usual again now and each one is as busy as can be in our particular works. Will enclose some views of Madison from an airplane taken recently. Love to you all - Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison Wis. Nov 30, 1919 Dear Bros and Sisters: It is cold enough out of doors to make one glad to stay in so I will write my sheet. The walks are so icy and there is about three inches of snow. It is real winter weather now. There was one double seated sleigh on the street today that slipped along very nicely but I am getting to be such a granny, I prefer a warm car to a sleigh. We will have to put our car up for the winter soon for it is too much trouble to put water in each time we use it. We spent a very pleasant Thanksgiving at home with six students who could not go home and two other lady friends as our guests. Then afterwards, nine of us went to the movie and so finished up the day. Henry's [family] went to Milwaukee on the train, & Ray and family drove starting after Henry & Ella did on the train and beating them getting there. Henry & Verlyn came back with Ray at night but the women staid till Fri. night. Yesterday 135 South Dak. farmers were here inspecting the Ag. department of the Univ. for the day and then going on to the International Stock Show. I am hoping to go to hear Forbes Robertson read Hamlet tomorrow night at the High School. He is said to be very good. The Flouzaley Quartette is here tomorrow evening also. Arthurs sons are starting out with different equipment than he had. It will surely be interesting to farm with all that uptodate aid, and youth & health. We are all in our usual health. With best wishes to you all from Anni