Emma to Joe, 30 March 1919

Maple Lane

30th March 1919

My Dear Joe,

I can't write to anybody else today till I've written to you. Though I can't send this til I hear from you. The North Bay letter was exceeding welcome joy. You see I didn't get the one from "The Depot" at all and I am still wondering what you did to your knee. Anyway I'm glad it is better, but be sure to tell me about what happened when you write. 

I wonder if you are thinking as we are of this day last year? The first day on the farm, you remember. Well! I like the looks of things better now than I did then and expect another year will add to the improvement.

We have 119 maple trees tapped and though there has been only two good "runs' we've more candy syrup put away than we ever owned before (at best 7 gals) and 5 lbs sugar. We got a pan made 5 x 2 x 7 and built a fireplace to fit it of those old bricks back of the house where it boils down quickly so it only needs cleansing and bottling after it comes into the kitchen. We had the Staintons over Wednesday night for warm sugar and what amazed me it was the first they ever tasted!

The Zion dramatic club are to repeat their play down at Maple Grove (on the Kingston road near Bowmanville) Friday night and then at Thornton's Corners west of Oshawa on the 16th. "The Gang" practised there one night last week. 

Hilda L. was here for the afternoon and evening Friday - They've been having a big time chirivareeing Eva Flintoff - she married some fellow named Harwick and you can guess how her mother would welcome a crow of Zion Methodists - But they kept it up till finally the groom came across with the price of a treat and they are all going there (to Flintoffs') to enjoy it tomorrow night.

Wednesday evening

Your Sunday letter reached me this afternoon so I'll finish this at once - We must have been writing to each other at the same time. Well! We can quite believe there is still now in "the bush" for the coldest N. W. wind has been blowing for nearly a week - tonight it has fallen and there's a pretty new moon and it seems very Spring-like. 

Teddy was over to the mill for flour and grist this afternoon.

John Balson came and clipped our horses last week and it's been cold ever since - but my! They look nice. They've had a lazy winter - even "Barney" is ft. 

Miriam is nine months old today - she is coming along nicely now - can sit up alone. We think she looks a lot like "Jackie" - Isn't he the cutey? 

In Douglas's last letter he says the road by Mrs McKie's is awful again  they have or had not taken their car out as there was no place to go but around town.

Wes Cameron is working at Geo Armour's. Russell Robins has just recovered from an attack of congestion of the lungs. 

Mind you, Joe, my old stumps of teeth are in yet. Dr Sleemon has been so busy - he & the dentist & I cannot apparently hit on a convenient day for all.

I hate to think of you getting farther and farther away - my dear boy! Have you used up your C.P.R. passes? I was hoping that between jobs you'd get home. So I was disappointed when you turned West from North Bay. I hope you will get on Rush's gang again next month. Write often wherever you are anyway (I'd have had a letter in Webbwood for you when you got there if I had known but missing yours I didn't know where to write to) so let me hear from you as often as you can and remember I am always thinking of you and loving you

Faithfully

Your Mother

Enveloped addressed to Garden River, French Bay Lbr [lumber] Co. Camp