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Bud Grossmann’s
Words of the Week
for the Week of
July 3, 2011
Published as Family History in a
Gramma Letter dated January 5, 1999.
© 1999 by Bud Grossmann.
All Rights Reserved.
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Gram, Gramp, White Dog, 1968
© 1968 by Bud Grossmann
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THIS WEEK SAT. THE SHEEP
LOSE THERE WOOL
Tuesday, January 5, 1999
Dear Gramma,
Not long ago I discovered a packet of approximately eighty letters from you and Grampa. My wife and I had read each one when it arrived in the mail in the years 1971 to 1978. We had not looked at them since. Most had been penned in pairs: when you wrote, my grandfather wrote, as well.
As I read the letters now, I can picture you and Grampa side-by-side at your kitchen table, each using a blue or black ballpoint to place the words “Rio Wis.” beside the date at the top of the unlined, lightweight, five-by-eight page. Leaving scarcely any margins at all, and seldom inserting or striking out a word, you each proceeded to produce two pages of prose, with reports of livestock, crops, and weather.
The salutation on most of the letters is Dear Grand children. On a few it’s Hi Kids. On one you wrote Dear Buddy Boy and Frances.
The first sentence was often a “grabber” such as, Well about all I can write about is sheep and cattle and by Monday noon the cattle will be dead and a week from then Phils Bob and we too will be eating good beef. Here are some other opening lines: I was pushed into this one with both feet by your Grand Mother, so here goes. • Was so nice getting your letter and thanks, for sending the buliton with Janie & Bobs wedding in. • Just a few lines to ans. some questions as I always forget most of the things I want to be sure & remember. • Was real nice getting your letter even if you were at it for a long time. • Well your questions first. A drag is like a fine comb to level and smoth the ground. • Have to write a few lines to put you wise to a few things my experience has thought me. • We are so slow I sometimes think we are in reverse. Of course we are traveling full throtel but we dont get any where. Should of wrote a long time ago. • Will try and write a few lines, won’t be too many as the old arm is sort of bad, from writing Easter letters & get well cards. • A note your way today. We are in Fair shape and not the best but neither is the weather.
In the body of the letters were items such as these: Ma just asked me to invite you for supper (Stew everything but the dish rag. She must be short on those). • Always seems good to see the folks, it gets pretty tiresome looking at the 4 walls. About all we go is to Church & to town once in awhile, and when I am able & my arthritis isn’t yelling too hard, we go down to the homes & hospital at Wyocena to visit with those that are worse off than we. • I trudged out after the mail & your pa had a letter from you, but all we got was the paper. I think every one has gone on a writing strike as we haven’t gotten any letters for an age. They should do their striking next week if that’s the case when postage rates go up. • Yesterday morning we had no water. Pump quit and I still don’t know why. But I bought a new one and pulled the dead one out. • I am seven weeks behind on fishing and that is going to be awful hard to catch up on but I have it figured out if I go every morning come home for dinner take a nap and go again I can catch up by November. • Life today is no bed of roses. With politics a mess and the young folks on the rampage and church attendants going down. Things don’t look good at all. • Dorie washed her hair and while she had the dryer on I sat close & we had a little visit while I showted while her hair was drying so she could go to her Ladies Aid. Everybody is just too busy these days. • This week Sat. the sheep lose there wool. • Had to heat the John Deere with the blow torch yesterday to start it and ground corn & oats enough for 2 weeks. • So you had your hair cut, was it enough to notice? If you get it cut nice & short and your beard off, it will be my Buddy boy again.
First week of 1999. In a few days, Granny, a letter will take a penny more in postage when we put it in the mail. I won’t grumble much, if I complain at all. I figure the price is still a bargain to transport ink and paper, which can be worth their weight in gold.
Love,
Buddy
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Thanks! BUD GROSSMANN
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This page was updated Sat, Jul 2, 2011, 3:59PM CDT
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© 2011 by Bud Grossmann
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