Mrs. J. C. Bitterman Mason City, Iowa January 8, 1946 Dear Circle, I was pleased to find Alice's letter in the group and hope she will put one in each time. She is quite brave to stay all alone. I found it got dreadfully quiet in the evenings, the two weeks Cal was in the hospital in Dec. He is better now but finds he cannot use his leg much, it seems too weak to bear his weight. So he uses his crutches all the time. He has gone down to the basement several times carefully and has fixed a few small things for me again as of yore. It will be some time before he can trust his weight on it alone. I went to the Woman's Club today, the first thing I've gone to since Dec. 1. The street in front of our house is one mass of ice. I couldn't think of driving, so went up town on the bus and I could hardly get across the street to the bus stop without falling. Dale says the country roads are not so icy. We've had more dark, gloomy days so far this winter than usual, I think. Any way, one can scarcely see to sweep or dust till mid day. So that is when I do mine, if at all. I don't seem to accomplish much of anything these days. Haven't made a rug or a dress or a quilt. Just get 3 meals (light ones) for we two people and put the house in order and its night again. It seems as if a woman who is only in her 80th year should be able to accomplish more than that. Rena, Jean & Dale brought a grand Xmas dinner for us all and again the following Sat. eve when Janet was at home. They came up with a splendid waffle supper & all the trimmings, & on New Years Day Imo sent over a fine hot dinner for us! So, you see, I'm getting plain lazy, and the worst aspect of it is, I dont care !! Grace says Noel does not know when he will be sent home. He is still at Manheim, Germany. Ruth and family are well. They have rain, rain, rain, in Seattle. We hope you all keep well in this New Year and happy too. Love to you all from Cal & Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mason City, Iowa Feb. 10, 1946 Dear Circle: I've just been watching our neighbors giving their twin daughters sleighrides on the lake of ice that covers the lot next to us. Cal made a sled for them two years ago and it is still big enough for them. When Cal backed out to go up town yesterday AM his car turned completely around in spite of him for our street is a sheet of ice. I haven't driven at all in this new year because of ice. I, and a few others, will be glad when spring comes. Cal is now walking without crutches and drives the car as usual, but he is rather listless & rests a good deal, but when the weather gets warm, so he can be out of doors in the sun, he may feel stronger. I was at the Cong'l Womens Guild luncheon on Fri. and am the chairman of the next meeting on the 22nd when we serve a light luncheon at 1 PM. Cal says I must not take on any more of those duties at my age and I suppose he is right. We have the City Prog. Club here on Feb 15 and that will be all I shall try to do in a public way this spring. There is some job of housecleaning to do a little later but I can do that a little at a time as I feel able, and the garden will be made by degrees, I imagine. Cal's sister, Jennie and husband have been out in Pasadena since Dec 1. and are due at home March 1. Dale has sent butter out to them & to Trullie several times this winter as none could be had out there. It looks now as if we might not be through with rationing yet, with things like bread being scarce. But we are fortunate to be comfortable & secure in our homes, in a world so topsy-turvy. Best wishes to you all for 1946. from Cal & Annie Mason City, Iowa March 6, 1946 Dear Circle: We have just come in from an Ash Wednesday supper at the Cong'l church. Tomorrow night, the Methodist church at Rock Falls have a chicken supper in the school house and we usually go, for their chicken suppers are very good. Last night Cal was at the Cong'l men's club pancake supper at the church and on Friday, the Woman's Guild have a luncheon at the church before going over to the Baptist church for the Day of Prayer program. So I do not get on very fast with the house cleaning, but have the kitchen & bathroom done. So far, I have used Dreft to wash the painted walls and it has done very well in kitchen & bathroom. I hope it will do all right on the flat painted walls. Ella is fortunate to find a woman at 80 wo can take over the work in a house as large as hers. Five rooms and bath is plenty large for this almost 80 year old. Cal gets about quite well now and has been out on his Ins. work several days lately but should rest a lot each day too. Grace had a letter from Noel in Feb. saying not to write him any more in Germany as he expected to be coming home soon, but he has not appeared yet. Grace Wilkinson's son, Bob, is at home again from the Pacific area. But it surely looks as if it might begin all over again, as the strikes and fighting in different places still goes on. Cal's sister Jennie & husband got home last week from 3 months in Pasadena, Calif. The winter was rather chilly out there and lacked moisture. Our Golden Wedding group meets on April 11th in Mason City, but we heard on Mon. that our Pres. Gus Heinselman, had had a heart attack or a light stroke, so we may go up to see him tomorrow. Cal is Vice Pres. There have been many deaths this winter, not all of them elderly people, either. Here's hoping our circle keeps as well as usual. Good night with love -- Annie & Cal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mason City, Iowa April 15, '46 Dear Circle: I will write my sheet while I rest awhile. Did a 2 weeks washing this AM and have several jobs to keep me busy this PM. In the morning mail was a card fram Grace saying they drove to Camp McCoy near Sparta on Sat. the 13th where Noel was discharged from service at noon. I had written her to come out here for Easter if Noel got home by that time. So she says they plan to come Thurs. after school or Fri. morn & must be back on Sun. Noel is happy to be on the road to normal living again and will look for prospects for work at W.H.A. where he worked part time the year he was drafted. Found two hyacinths in bloom yesterday and tulips are budded. We made a bit of garden on Sat. PM. Put in radishes, peas & lettuce, and we had the first rhubarb pie for dinner Sun. Spring is here in this block in Mason City. Five families had an outdoor supper on a picnic table Cal made for the Snyders, and another family had five families on their lawn on Sat PM. We went to the meeting of the Golden Wedding Club at the Hanford Hotel on Thurs. the 11th of April. There were 119 members there. Some group of old folks. We meet (on invitation) at the small towns around here four times a year. Manly has asked for the July meeting. We enjoy hearing all about the 2nd and 3rd generations of the Pickford Clan and hope it will keep circulating for years yet. Cal doesn't do much now. He tires so easily. He dug a part of the garden Sat. but will have to take some time to finish it. I am about thro' house cleaning for this spring. Haven't taken off the storm windows yet, of course, and have a furnace fire all the time. In my 1945 diary, I see we shed our winter underwear on June 23. Is this what is called a Temperate Climate. Well, we are thankful to be as comfortable as we are. Glad Ethel steps in to fill out the circle. Love to you all. Cal & Annie [There are no letters between April and October in the collection. This was the time that Jean married and moved to Weyburn, to James S Porter, Sept 15 1946.] Mason City, Iowa Oct 13, 1946 Dear Circle: We were much pleased to get the "Robin" last week, and it was a busy week for us. On Tues. PM the first meeting of the Woman's Club for this fall. On Wed. the death of one of our nearest neighbors, a young wife, 42 years old, which was a shock to all of us. She had had an operation the week before but had been improving nicely till a blood clot ended her life. On Thurs. we attended the Golden Wedding Club at Dumont, Iowa. It rained constantly from morning till night but 83 of the old folks got there and had a fine dinner at the United Brethern Church and Cal was elected Pres. for next year. He was Vice P. the past year. Then, on Fri., out Cong'l Woman's Guild met with luncheon & an PM meeting, with Imo as Pres. and she presided very nicely. Then, on Sat. Cal had to attend the board meeting of the Farmer's Ins. Co. of which he is Pres. which determines the amt. of assessment for payment of losses & other expenses. This was held at 1 PM and at 2 PM we attended funeral services for our neighbor Mrs. Alborn. We shall all miss her for she was such a friendly person. Today we went to the M.E. church in Plymouth in the PM where the Men's Brothehood was honoring Mr. J. L. Steven on his 80th birthday. He is a good friend of ours and has been an officer (Sec'y) in the Farmers Ins. Co. for may years. There was singing and tributes from friends and refreshments, all very nice. Then at 5:30, I helped with the supper at the Alborn home, where some of the family relatives were still there, after the funeral. Tomorrow, I shall do a 2 weeks washing and maybe do a bit of fall house cleaning, for there are several meetings this week, also. We are as usual. Cal can do odd jobs, but not hard work, and rests a lot. We hope Ethel will fill in the sheet where Charles used to write, as Imo does for Arthur. Ethel's address is Mrs. W. E. Youtz, 4015 Lower Beaver Road, Des Moines, 10. Bedtime, so Good night, with love from Cal & Annie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mason City, Iowa Nov. 23, 1946 Dear Circle: I was so glad when Rufus brought me the "Robin" today, and it was doubly pleasing when I found Ethel had taken time to put in a sheet. Now she doesn't seem so far away, and I'm glad she has conquered that arthritis. I know how painful that can be from when I had it years ago. Imo, you had better be careful or you will be sick trying to do so much church work. I guess every one who wants to, can be busy these days. Cal was in Des Moines three days the past week attending the Farmers Mutual Ins. meeting of Iowa Mutual companies. He is Pres of our county Mutual since the Pres. died in the spring. I was anxious about him going for he is not so very well and he went alone but on the train, but he stayed right in Hotel Des M. where the meetings were held all the time and rested all he could. I stayed alone and I don't care about that, it gets so very quiet especially in the evening, but I git quite a lot ......two lines missing from torn edge..... all right. We haven't got our fish in from the pool yet, and it freezes over most every night right now. He is waiting for a a nice day to do it, Cal says. Grace sent us the clipping by Betty Cass about Ella's roomers, but we didn't think it would make so much trouble for her and make her lose her roomers. Dale and Rena go to Iowa city to get Janet tomorrow. She has finished her 3 year Nurses training course & is now a Graduate Nurse. She will be at home for awhile to rest. She says Jean wrote her last week that it was 8 below zero in Wayburn, Canada. Well, three of the group living in Mason City doesn't help us to know what the rest are doing here. We had no news of Betty's marriage or that Grace had been away till the Robin came today. Ethel, that grandson is a bonny little man. So glad you sent the picture. Cal has made a "Cal's Colt" and sent it yesterday to a friend of Grace's for her grand-daughters Xmas gift. Can't realize Christmas is so near. I'm not ready for it yet. Bedtime now, so good night and love to you all. Cal and Annie. Mason City, Iowa Dec. 18, 1946 Dear Circle: Rufus brought the "Robin" with him when they came for Christmas dinner on Wed. Jennie & Al, Rufus & Myrta, Dale, Rena & Janet came and we had a joint dinner that was good and was not a burden for any of us to prepare. The day was fine but since then there has been rain and today it is snowing. So Dec. may be wintry enough before it is past. Florence Dean called yesterday to ask us to a family dinner on Jan. 1st at their home, and each family will bring food. She thought there might be about 35 present! Florence is surely full of pep, to be in so many different things. It has been so comfortable as to weather all Dec. one can scarcely realize the new year is so near. Cal has developed a new industry. He has made 6 of those "Cal's Colts" that Pres. Coolidge was said to use for exercise when he was Pres. But the ones Cal has made, are for little folks from 1 to 7 years old, and are these small folks pleased with them !! By the time they are 1 1/2 years old, they can ride them wildly. He sent one to Madison to the Jackson's grand daughter, ordered thro' Grace, and they are all free gifts. Cal and I sent our own children life histories, that I wrote, with a photo included at 80 years of age, that they were much pleased with. Other than that, we did little this Christmas. But we are thankful to be able to be about at our age as well as we are. Cal has to be careful not to get too tired but by resting often, he is able to do small jobs about the home & can drive the car about town, etc. I feel well and do everything as I've always done, about my housework. Dale, Rena and Janet would like to take a trip to Calif. if they could find some responsible couple to take over their farm for a couple of months, but they are hard to find. Sorry Ella has had so much pain with arthritis, but she is fortunate to have a roomer who will look after her and give her her meals. Trullie Bitterman Shculte in Pasadena has been very sick but is better now. Maude, Clint's wife is out there with her and Trullie is planning on coming back to Mason City if she is well enough, in the spring, for a year. With best wishes to you all for the New Year and love to all, we are Cal and Annie P.S. Ethel, This is the last letter we had from Alice, you keep it if you would like it.