Narok,
Masai Reserve,
Kenya Colony, East Africa
Mar.
10, 1934
Dear
Bro. & Sisters All:
I
posted your letter at Aba, I believe - just so you’d get some
Congo
stamps. & I thot I wouldn’t get to writing you very soon
after
getting back because there are so many to do; but
tonight
comes the parcel from you Cora. Guess it has been here for a
month
or so & you will wonder why I don’t reply. Sorry, but
that’s
the way it goes on vacation. We had a good time too fast tho
to get
any letters written. I’ve got one started to Raymond. It’s
almost 9 PM so I’ll no more than get this started
tonight.
Mr
Clarke & Mr. Surridge were up for chicken supper and it
was so
good they all complained of eating too much.
We
got back Thur. eve & were hardly in the house when Mr.
Clarke
sent a note up to ask us down to supper. I’ll tell you I was
glad
- in a way. I was so tired. I drove from Kijabe &
it was
so windy & dusty that we just about stopt the car several
times
because we couldn’t see the road for the cloud of dust. Then
there
were spots where the sand was deep & the car would skid -
so I
had to hang onto the wheel pretty hard most of the time but we
didn’t
do so bad. Came from Kijabe in about 4 hrs. it is 72 miles. We
are
mighty glad to be here again. John was quite miserable the day
we
got to Kijabe & as there were a number of things to see to
there
we spent one day there. Claudon’s freight boxes were there
&
as there was some of it mine we repacked & got his sent
off to
him. Yesterday we cleaned up the downstairs & unpacked
&
today baked so we are about in running order again.
Had
such a nice lot of letters at Kijabe. One from each one of the
4 of
you. Thanks so very much. also yours Co. via Raymond. I hope
Claudon writes you sometimes but he will be pretty busy I
guess. My,
we hated to part again. I think Jno will write up our trip
&
then I’ll send you a copy. I hope the pictures will be good.
We’ll get them next week.
Cora,
I’m sure Mrs. Shaffer will be very pleased with the material
for
her dress - it is lovely & we do thank you so much. Don’t
know
just who the dresses will go to as they don’t seem to be
marked. They are lovely & if they will fit Lucile she
better have them. The little one will about fit Mary. Earl was
to land the 8th. Suppose he is at Kijabe tonight.
They were going to meet him. Course he isn’t out as a
missionary but hopes to go someplace later
on & finish his education. Then Erik & Emily will no
doubt
be along by May or June. Then perhaps Raymond & Sara next.
&
if we go with them to the Congo we’ll not be in such a hurry.
‘Twas very interesting and we are glad to have met so many
&
seen so much of the work but ‘twill take us a while to rest
up. More later.
(pg.
2) I’ll not use too much space for I think I’ll need double
postage now. Glad for all the news from Beloit. Our tomatoes
are on
now. Have had lots - so made ketchup and a little jam. Now
that S’s are here there wont be so many. Mr. Clarke has lots
of
lovely mulberries now & I put them thro a sieve & the
juice
of a lemon with them & then they are fine. Then the
locusts were
getting cauliflower & cabbage so much that I boiled up a
lot &
made mustard pickle. So my jars are all full of something or
other.
How
is Mavis’s quilt getting on? I’m going to try to get one
pieced
when I get my rug done. Am crocheting an oblong one of old
dresses
etc. I need rugs & I need single bed quilts too. I do such
things evenings when music is on. & I can’t well write.
The
examination questions for Arithmetic & Swahili came today
&
seem fairly easy. so I’m hoping the boys will pass all right -
at
least some of them.
Chas.
is that estate business ever going to be settled? It
is
annoying to say the least. I hope some one some where is
getting
some good out of all this delay. I’m sure you aren’t.
O
yes, as this goes to Uncle Aaron too we want to say many
thanks for
the funnies he is sending. John is worse than a 10 yr. old
when they
come - and what’s more, so many folks that come here like them
too. This Mr. Edwards has about as much fun as John does.
& he is
English.
Shaffers
said Barnetts sold their car to Mr Wilson & he was driving
one
day & ran into something or something happened & he
& Mr.
B. went thro the wind shield & Mrs. B. had her leg so
badly hurt
that she is still laid up. No chance of them coming out here
as
they’ll have to get on the train near home & stay on til
they
get to Mombasa. We hear they are planning a little trip into
Palestine but I imagine they’ll be home for Xmas. They are
going
now because of Ruth & Willie getting into school. Since
they are
not U.S.A. citizens ‘twould be hard for the children to get in
by
themselves so they are taking them but guess they wont stay
long. Guess the children will stay in Columbia tho they got
permission to
enter the States as students thro John Brown.
S’s
ate supper here & as they brot a new stove & are
setting it
up they will breakfast here too.
Locusts
have been here again. but John is making a bit of garden
again. He
plants & when things are nicely up locusts come along
& eat
all off. Then he waits a bit & plants again. Some day, he
thinks, the locusts will make their last visit then he’ll get
a
crop. John’s going to bed. We hope you’ll all have a Merry
Xmas. S’s family will be here so we’ll have a jolly time. Mr
Edwards Sr. may come too & take the nephew home then. We
like
him much - only he smokes a lot. He is younger than
Claudon.
Very
much love
Flo.
[from
margin] Don’t forget Zellers. Send this general letter to all
the
friends. Jno sent one to Albert etc. See that Hurlburts get it
&
when you’ve finished send to Browns - San Anselms.
[Written
in at top of page: “1934?”]
Tues
eve. Mar. 13.
And
now it’s later - I’ve had to get some other local letters off.
And the boy & I washed both yesterday & today and
Mulungit
got an ox yesterday & butchered today & part was ours
so he
came up this P.M. & we had a lot to talk about. Then John
has
been in bed all day today. He was up yesterday but couldn’t do
much
so just seemed very tired today & staid in. Had a little
temp.
last eve but none today, so guess he will feel better
tomorrow. There’s so much he wants to do that its quite a
trial to be knocked
out so.
It’s
such a satisfaction to be getting things all cleaned up &
in
order again. There were quite a number of things that we
washed
before we left but didn’t iron - then there’s quite a pile of
mending to do; & I have yarn to knit Mr Bell a sweater
& my
wool carders came so I’m crazy to get at making comforters and
there are rags galore for making rugs. come on, some body,
& help
me - I need a grandma, or Aunt or sister or some one to help
me out. But first of all I need a secretary to help me to get
my letters out
of the way. The other things - even the mending must wait a
bit. Then they want to start school too - but that’s what I’m
here for
& these other things are neba sacha. can’t spell
it like
it sounds, but you know what I mean.
[margin] If any of you want more of these,
let me know. The Congo pictures
will be more interesting I think.
Tomorrow
night or next night Mr. Clarke comes up for a waffle supper.
Got an
iron from Wards & we tried it & it goes fine so will
give him
a treat before he leaves for home next Sat.
It
got so dark again tonight back north & west but the wind
gets
cold & that’s all that comes of it and here it is near the
middle of Mar. & rains should begin Feb. 20. ‘Twill be
awful
on the Masai if the rains fail again this year.
Well,
Chas, how’s the goat family by now. Hope all went well, &
that
the chicken business too is in full swing. At Bells where
Claudon
is, they use goats milk as they can’t keep cows in the forest.
The
tsetse fly is too bad there. Course when using goats milk
theres no
cream so they use tinned butter & it is not always so
nice.
I
don’t remember hearing Claudon say anything about your boat
letter
- he got such a lot tho it wouldn’t be surprising if he
mentioned
it & I don’t remember. I’ll write & ask him about it.
I
fear he is not as responsible as Raymond is. I tell him he
either
needs a wife or his Mother with him. How I did wish we could
have
staid with him at least to open his station. We could have if
we’d
have been by ourselves. but Devitt was just “rarin’” to get
back for he was to have only a month off. We didn’t know just
what
Claudon was going to do when we left here or we’d have
arranged
something so we could have staid - ‘twould have made it so
much
better for Bell’s too as they have to leave their work to go
with
him - & they must.
(pg.
4) Yes, I got the shoulder straps for the slip but I’ve not
finished making it up yet. It’s on the sewing pile & will
get
done some time & soon for I’m about all out of petticoats.
Washed the crepe dress today & hung it up to wear. You’ll
see
it in one of the pictures. “Quite a few gray hair!” Well, mine
is getting mostly that way. & Jno too has patches above
his ears.
but not on top. The end of my braid is mostly white.
I’ve
been near Hollywood Bowl. so know how it is - hope you get
there for
Easter services.
Did
I mention that I finished knitting Harry Daniel’s stockings.
Dr.
Beckers at Bells have a lovely phono - portable - & very
pretty
records & we had the outfit at Bells two evenings so I got
some
knitting done then.
Cora,
thanks much for your folder. Self denial week & the Miss.
World
has come & I’ve read your write up & Mary Gams letter
too. I always read it thro - and do enjoy learning about other
fields &
their difficulties. Thanks awfully for the picture of the 5.
Al has
not sent me any so I’ll keep this one, thanks. When I send
pictures, if any of you want more please let me know &
I’ll
send them. I want to put some in this time so this better not
be too
big. And the samples of dresses. They are pretty. I’m awfully
stuck on the brown. You know the yellow sort of voile you
sent. That was such a nice one on this trip. I had made a
cheap pongee but
it wrinkled so I hardly wore it & finally I wore it while
riding
as it was cooler than my dark one.
Course
we got your letter when we got to Kjb. so just gave the
hankies to
Grandma Myers right off. & how she enjoyed them. !!! It’s
raining. hold your breath. How I hope it keeps up all night.
‘Twill
be ever so good for the strawberry plants we brot from Paul
Hurlburts. I never saw so many berries and such nice ones.
Hope
they do well here too.
Wonder
how Gretchen is by this time.
Thanks
Lora for Ams. & Digests & also for the fashion papers.
Those
make me very thankful to see what I am escaping! Also thanks
for the
machine needles. I haven’t tried them yet. I forgot to give
Mulungit those papers today but will when he comes. Sometimes
I send
such to R.V.A. for the children there.
And
now you are back at Burbank. You do keep busy. and it does
feel good
to be really needed.
Too
bad you were all disappointed about the Rose parade - but we
wouldn’t
care much what we missed if it would rain proper.
How
awful those floods were.
How
wise you must be in dealing with those decrepit old ladies.
Good
thing you haven’t any nerves!!!
I
don’t think Claudon brot glasses for Mulungit. I saw none
& he
said nothing about it.
No,
I paid no postage due on Am. Better continue to make the
mistake if
no one has to pay.
Thanks
Cora Beth for your note. Hope you get more rest now when Lora
is
there. So Massa has gone. I hadn’t heard it. & your Mother
still lives on. It is always so hard on Grandma Myers when a
younger
one goes. It just makes her ill usually. She is so ready to
go. “His ways are not our ways” - but some day we’ll
understand.
Now
folks I’ll close. Jno has turned over to go to sleep & I
must
get the light out. Goodnight & God bless you all &
thanks
for all the papers & parcels. Glad for the corn &
callous
med. Mine don’t bother much but just sometimes. Lora, the
shoes
you sent by C. were my good shoes on our trip & were so
comfy &
so neat. Was so glad for them.
Much,
much love to all
Flo.
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