Mrs. J. C. Bitterman 1717 Chadbourne Avenue Madison, Wisconsin Jan. 6, 1933 Dear Circle: I see I wrote last month on the 15th so the letter hurried right along this time. It would make several trips a month if we all wrote as much as Rufus has this time. He seems more like a Bitterman correspondent than a Pickford. Well, 1933 is fine as to weather so far, water standing on the garden today. We had Grace's family and Henry and one of my roomers (who did not go home to Canada for the vacation) on New Years and had a good time. So far we have escaped the "flu" ourselves but Noel J. was in bed a week just before Christmas and Ellen the week between Christmas and New Years, but the rest have not had it. They were both feverish with very sore throats & could retain nothing in the stomach for several days. Cal has just come in from a neighbors house where he went to look over some remodelling they want him to do in their attic making two small bedrooms and a study room for their two young sons. He thinks it will keep him busy for several weeks. It is handy by and he does not need to rush the work, they say. I think the Smith home looks just fine and it would have been just too bad not to have kept that nice location. It takes a lot of thought to remodel or to build a new house & have it satisfactory all around. Have just bought a bushel of apples $1.35 and a chicken 40 cts from farmers selling door to door. I wonder how much longer these terribly below cost prices are to remain. Dale wrote he "had sold his hogs or rather, gave them away". Something will sorely have to be done about it. Here's hoping 1933 will see a marked improvement all along the line. Much love from Annie. Noel Thompsons mother died from cancer Dec. 18 [1932] at Berkeley, Calif. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. Feb. 5, 1933 Dear Circle: This is a fine evening to stay at home with the temperature at nearly zero. It was 10o below this morning. But I've been staying at home most of the winter anyway, all through the mild weather we've had, hoping the rest would help the arthritis but it got so my hands were so stiff I could not hold a knife to pare a potato, so I went, last week, to the Jackson Clinic here & am taking some therapy treatments, also three medicines, which I hope will take care of this trouble, in time. They do not promise any rapid improvement, but the swelling is going down now, I think. Cal is just finisheing the work on the attic at the neighbors, and they seem very pleased with it. Has made two small rooms with bunks like was shown in the Jan. number of "Better Homes & Gardens" with book shelves above & drawers below & many drawers & closets along the sides of the room in the main part of the attic. Have just finished reading "Only Yesterday" a book dealing with life in the United S. in the 1920's and am now reading "Grandmother Brown's Hundred Years". One could scarcely find a greater contrast than is shown in the ways of living in these two books. Grace has just called up and says Ellen has what appears to be a rash like measles tonight, but where she can have got them, we don't know. We have escaped the Flu so far. David Steven believes in the old saying "If at first you don't succeed, Try, try, again." There are 800 less students the second semester than the first. Some graduated, of course, but many had to leave on account of standings or finances. Lola Heinselman Rodman and family have moved to Madison from Aurora, Ill. the past week. She is John Heinselman's daughter. Her husband is manager of the Western Adjustment and Inspection Co. which adjusts losses for several Insurance Companies, or any one else who desires their help. They have two children, 7 and 4 years. Bedtime now, so goodnight and love from Annnie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. March 18, 1933 Dear Circle: The "Robin" has just arrived and I will try to send the letter on tomorrow. We are glad to hear all are well. I remember when I was young at home I often wondered WHY all the letters Father or Mother received ALWAYS sayd "We are well and trust you are the same" if such was the case. I was always well then but now I realize how much good health means: just as those people did. I had a tonsil operation on Feb. 17 as the Dr. thought it might be beneficial. I got over it all right and I think my hands are a trifle less stiff then they were and hope it may correct the trouble in time. My most important news is the arrival of ELIZABETH ANNE THOMPSON to join our family circle on March 9 [1933]. She is a big little lady. Weighed 10 # 1 1/2 oz. at birth. They are both doing nicely and Grace will be at home again in a few days. She has a good maid who took charge of the two children and the home during her absence. I went out on Thurs. & Sun PM to stay with the children while she had her PM's off. Cal is chief bottle washer & housekeeper here these days. He gets breakfast and I help with the dinner & supper some. This winter has been a perfect blank so far as I'm concerned. Have just been lying around all this year so far. Cal went up to the Forest Products Labratory open house in their new building last eve. It is a wonderful building. Tomorrow Eve the Mozard Club go to Monroe for a concert in the Emanuel Evangelical church. I see there is considerable scarlet fever and measles among the children in Madison but we hope to escape both. I cut this picture of Clear Lake from a paper that came wrapped around some flowers from Rentchlers today that Ruth and Dick had sent us for our 43rd anniversary. We are dining alone tomorrow for about the first time on our anniversary, Grace still being at the hospital & I not able to invite company to dinner myself. But it's all right as long as we have each other. Best wishes to you all and love from Annie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. April 16, 1933 Dear Circle: This has been a pleasant spring Easter-day. The sun shone brightly most of the day and many were out at the different churches, some of which had two services during the fore noon. We were invited to eat dinner at Grace's and later went for a nice ride. The first outing for little Elizabeth Anne, who was a good as she could be all the time. She now weighs 11 1/2 lbs. Cal made a week end trip to the farm last week but I did not attempt it. I am feeling considerably better the past two weeks and am delighted, of course. I had what remaining teeth I had left extracted last Friday and have felt better ever since, so I wonder if they were the pesky things that were making me so stiff. Hope I shall not have to be without long, though, except for eating, it doesn't show much. Jointly, Cal and I have managed to clean the kitchen and bathroom but I think I shall have to get a woman for a week or so to help him finish the rest of the house cleaning. Henry & Ella have a new grandson by marriage since Thursday. Sally Owen and John Marshall were married [April 13, 1933] and went to Chicago for a short trip. I will enclose their picture from the Sunday "Journal". Sally has her courage to marry while the groom has no job, these days. But they will probably find something later. I think it is DISGUSTING to see a whole page in the Sunday paper with just beer ads. today, and about 200 places where beer can be sold in this city already! I don't see how people can afford to drink and smoke. We've always found it kept us busy to get enought to eat and some thing to wear without those extras. Hope you all keep well. Love from your sister Annie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mrs J. C. Bitterman - 1717 Chadbourne Avenue - Madison - Wisconsin May 12, 1933 Dear Circle: I had forgotten I had the letter till Henry brought his sheet over tonight. I will deliver it to Amelia on Sunday when we go thro' Fennimore on our way to the farm. Cal will help Dale put in the corn if the weather is favorable, and make some pasture fence. I will go with him this time for I'm feeling better now and my two students are away for ten days on a geology trip to Lake Superior & vicinity and we may not have to keep the furnace fire up as we have so far this year. This PM the temp rose to 70o and brought on another refreshing (?) shower. It surely seemd nice to be able to be out in the yard without a wrap once more. Today at noon I got my new lower plate and have been chewing gum all afternoon to find where they will need any changing before we leave on Sun. morning for Iowa, a rather short time to have them fitted. However, I ate steak, rasberry sauce, peanut, & lettuce without any discomfort so far today. Our garden has not shown up yet only a row of lettuce that was self sown from last summer. I'm afraid the peas will have rotted if it rains much more. Wendell, Cal levelled up the front porch floor this week and never split a board doing it. It seems much nicer level. Our cistern is over flowing every day now. We appreciate it after using city water for six weeks. Little Elizabeth Anne is growing nicely and is a model little lady. Will enclose one of her pictures. We think she looks most like Grace. Cal laid a cement drive for Mr Ulve next door the past week, also did carpenter work & painting for Henry, has repainted his Chev, cleared up a sewer pipe for another neighbor, etc. etc. or what have you. He says he can do anything but make a living. Betwen jobs he watches the market prices for corn and oats. My hands are much more useable than they have been but I stll get quite lame if on my feet much, but am hoping, if the weather gets warm and bright, I will get back to normal again. I hope this finds you all well. Much love from Annie E. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. Sat. June 10, 1933 Dear Bros. and Sister: Our record-breaking weather still continues. Our thermometer says 80o at 9 PM but we do only what is necessary, so manage to get along. I see in my last sheet I found it warm enough to be outside without a wrap May 12. Well, my plan is to stick to my flannels till they stick to me, which occurred on June 4 this year. My roomers left on Wed. last as they were not finishing their work for their Dr's degree until next year. Mr Hedley went up near Hudson Bay to do geological work for the Canadian Gov't up where there is 10 hours of sun light in a day at some seasons of the year & it gets quite hot. He was very pleased to get the work, for jobs are scarce in Canada as well as in the U.S. Only half a doz. of the geology students in his class had secured work for the summer. I had a man come to look for a room for summer school yesterday. But he remarked that he had a DOG that always lived with him in his room. So we did not come to any agreement. I've had to consent to letting roomers smoke in their rooms, but I'm not yet prepared to keep dogs indoors. Our garden seems late this year. The peas do not grow very fast. Have had only radishes, lettuce, ruubarb and asparagus, so far. A market gardener told Cal the other day that his peas were rotting off just at the ground. What few strawberries have tried to ripen, the robins take the ripe half. We finished house cleaning on Thurs. after the boys were gone. Cal washed the walls, ceiling & floor of the north room upstairs. I managed to do the closet & windows & doors, but were we all in on Fri.! Ellen Grace was three years old of Fri. and Elizabeth Anne three months old the same day. Ruth writes that they may drive thro' Glacier Park on their way to Madison & Geneva in July or Aug. & return by way of the Yellowstone Park, IF they don't get another salary cut. And Trullie Bitterman Schulte & family expect to visit relatives when they come to the Fair this summer. We have an invitation to spend a few days with a friend in Chicago the week of July 9. Can't tell yet if we can accept or not. I'd have to go about in a wheel chair to see things. Hope you all keep well. Love from Annie E. Congratulations to Chas. & Alice on the new grandson, & namesake. [Charles Warren Pickford, b. May 20, 1933, son of Paul & Madelle.] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. July 16, 1933 Dear Circle: I must write a little before we go over to the hospital to see Noel James who last Friday had the misfortune to fall from the second story porch when the railing gave way & suffered a bad break of his left arm a few inches below the shoulder. The Dr has his arm tied to a frame work and weighted to put it in place but not in a case. He says he will probably have to be there a month. He has to lie just so, on his back, all that time, poor little fellow, but the Dr says he will have a good arm if he does that & otherwise he cannot promise it will be good. It seems just too bad it had to happen just when he was counting on so much fun with Ruth's children who will be here on Wed this week if they have good luck on their trip. They are coming the northern route thro' Glacier Park & Montana. They have a month's vacation and must be back Aug. 15th. Noel F. was away in Northern Wis. and did not get home till Sat. noon. Cal was at work on the East side of town when Noel fell. He & Ellen were playing on the porch & Noel was leaning on the railing when the whole thing crashed down taking him with it. He lit on his shoulder on one of the stones in the path to the garden. He might have been killed or had concussion of the brain, but this surely looks bad enough with his arm fastened up high in one position for a month. Ellen is feeling much better now that her throat is not so sore since her tonsils were removed. Little Elizabeth Anne continues to be just the best baby ever. Ruth & Dick plan to stop at Dale's on their way home for a day or two. I must go now. Noel likes to have some of us with him most of the time to while away the time. He does not know that it is to be a month before he comes home. Love from Annie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Madison, Wis. Aug 27, 1933 Dear Circle: I shall stop packing up things long enough to send this letter on its way. We have rented our house for 9 months and are planning to drive west to Pullman and in the cold weather drive on to Southern Calif. Ruth & Dick arrived at their home on Wed. Aug. 23, being six days on the way from Mason City to Pullman. They wanted us to ride back with them, but Cal had the silo to build and the house was not rented then, so we will go by our selves. Dale may go with us; we hope he can arrange to do so & he will come back by train or bus, just to see that country. Rena cannot ride any distance comfortably, so she would not consider going. We would like to see the Fair at Chicago but I do not feel equal to walking around there and Cal thinks he will not take time to go, either. We have bought a new Chev. car, trading in our Essex toward it, so I hope we will be able to climb those mts. more easily on this trip. We want to get the 500 miles driven before we leave so as to be able to drive more than 30 miles per hr. & also to have the check-up by the dealer here. Will get past the 500 mile mark today, I think. I am feeling much better the past three weeks and hope it continues. My hands are not normal yet, but I can use them so much more comfortably than for the past 6 mo's that I am much encouraged. We are glad to report Noel James at home and using his arm quite freely. He went with his father last week on a weeks trip in Northern Wis. to sort of even things for the three weeks he was on his back in the hospital. Arthur's recall by the B. & L. Co. just shows that "you can't keep a good man down". We hope to leave for the west about Sept. 1st so my next letter will be from 204 Columbia St. Pullman, Wash. I suppose. I think Henry had better send it to Amelia & let it come to me from Mason City. Love to you all from Annie. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 204 Columbia St. Pullman, Wash. Oct 27, 1933 Dear Circle: I see my last letter was written Aug. 27 and I had begun to think that these western grades were too much for the "Robin" when lo! it appeared. I am in favor of Wendell's suggestion as to the route of the Robin and suggest this. I will send it on to Charles this time. Then he sends it on to Henry, to Arthur, to Amelia, to Rufus, to me, to Wendell & back to Charles, etc. far, far into the future. We will soon have been away from home two months but the time goes by so quickly. We are enjoying our carefree existance. Cal is whiling away the time doing odd jobs around the home here and I shall be entirely spoiled not having to think of waht to get for three meals daily. He has enlarged the garage here to hold two cars and repainted it. Has refinished and painted a room in the basement and is to refinish the walls & ceiling in another bedroom, but he takes his time to it, so he enjoys it. We were pleased to learn of the trip Henry & Ella & Amelia took to Iowa & of the gathering of the clan at Arthur's. Ruth says we in Wis. & Iowa don't know what it is like to live where there is absolutely no one related to you, and I think she is right. We have been attending the Federated Church here (Cong'l and Christian) and I go to the ladies Aid with Ruth. Have attend the Legion Auxilliary meting and the Grange. The Matron's Club which meets once a month, and some thimble parties. Cal goes with Dick to the Chamber of Commerce luncheons each Tues. noon. I have been taking chiropractic treatments since I came here and I do walk better than I could some months ago but my hands are still rather useless for anything that continues for more than a short time. I brought some of Ella's "snarls" with me hoping to make Ruth an afghan while here but so far have only got them straightened & washed with the help of the family in the evenings. I shall try to crochet a little each day to see if ti seems to do my hands no harm. This city of Pullman is like Rome "that sat on her seven hills and from her throne of beauty, Ruled the world." Only Pullman has but four hills, but Cal says Columbia St. has a steeper grade than any thing we found from Madison to Pullman. The Chev. generally has to go into low to make it, but Dick gets up in 2nd and sometimes in high. So the discussion Chev. vs Ford goes merrily on between the drivers. The streets are just as puzzling as those in Madison and I have no inclination to take the wheel in this town. We have had two real rainy days recently which will bring up the winter wheat in those fields all around. Grace writes that the family in our house like it very well and the neighbors like them, so things are going all right there. We were glad to learn of Merle's and Verne's marriage and wish them much happiness. [Merle Pickford Owen m. Verne S. Hamel on Sept. 29, 1933.] Dale writes that he has done the work of three men since he got back from the west, so if it does as much for Cal and me, we will be back in our prime by the time we get home again. We haven't been homesick a bit, but are always glad when the postman leaves a letter from the East for us. Best wishes to you all and love from Cal & Annie. Charles - I will write you & Alice of our trip. The others have heard of it from Dale & Grace. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 204 Columbia St. Pullman, Wash. Dec 5, 1933 Dear Circle: I was pleased to find the "Robin" at the door yesterday, and will send it on today. With geraniums and petunias still blooming in the window box, I find it hard to believe it is Dec. A light covering of snow came one night last week, but the sun melted it the next day. Ruth says the first year they lived in Pullman, the weather was just so nice until New Years. We spent Thanksgiving here at home with turkey and all the usual trimmings. Thankful that all was as well as it is with all of us. Rufus is fortunate in getting back to the normal schedule so soon. It seems Cerro Gordo Co. is not so prosperous as a whole as Jos. E. & Co. for we had a bill from the Co. Supervisors last week asking a cool $175. of us for "outstanding obligations" on that drainage district that we had paid for years ago. No further explanation of why the added expense and no one can see that there has been any repairs or anything. So with the current prices for farm produce and the present scale of taxes on farm land, a winter in Calif. seems to be getting a little hazy. We are very comfortable here and Ruth and Dick would like us to stay but we would like to take in the Calif. trip if possible. It seems to us that there have been many deaths in Madison of our acquaintences since we left. Of people not must past middle life. Little Ralph sings nicely and learns some of most of the songs he hears. He had heard us sing one that had "Hosannah in the Highest" in it. Singing it as he played around one day, he got it "Macaroni in the Highest!" Grace writes that Elizabeth Anne is walking around in her play pen now, and will probably be running all around by the time we get back next summer. I am busy just at present in making a wardrobe a piece for two dolls before Christmas. Ruth and I went to a Christmas program of the Woman's Club yesterday. They gave a clever little play "400 Green St." Dick has to go to Seattle & vicinity next week for a few days in connection with his extension work. He broadcasts every month from the college station. The population of this city is doubled when the students come. The pop. is 3,000 and the elevation is 2,000 ft. in contrast to Madison's 800 ft. That may account for the clear air and brilliant sunshine. We wish you all a merry Christmas and health and happiness in the year to come. With love from Cal and Annie. Henry WOULD be the first one to go thro' that train, being a young thing. No one out here seems to braid or hook rugs, or make quilts. They play bridge mostly for amusement.