Carolyn Gay Taft Farm Letter - March 23, 1927

Old Mission, Mich. March 23rd 1927

My Dear Miss. Taft: - Will try & answer your last letter while my irons are heating. Our Summer weather cought cold & we have had a snow storm also two days of real cold weather. Bay was frozen over yesterday A.M. but the wind broke it up in a short time. The frogs were singing a week ago but guess they found they came out too soon.

Do you want those stark trees grafted they are so large? Joseph didn't remember what you said about it. And he wanted me to mention that he needs some one to help him line up & set the cherries one person can't do it alone & Roger doesn't understand the work.

Do you still plan on having that fence go into the road? It is going to make trouble if you do as it closes cars off from the road & they would need to build a new one. Joseph thinks as long as you are going to sell not to make any trouble if you can help it. He was told the posts would be cut off if he did it that way.

The engine isn't home yet but will be soon. At the time Joseph drove in with the team to get the oats the roads were so poor he couldn't have brought any thing more home. The new gravel that was put on the roads during the winter is dreadful. A person can hardly get over them now that the roads are so soft. I will try & talk to Mr. Lang again tonight & will let you know what he says.

I haven't ordered my oil stove yet have been waiting to see how things are coming out. It costs so much for every move a person makes that I hardly know what to do. If I buy one I intended to get a good one as a poor stove isn't very satisfactory. The one I had smoked so bad that I sold it for almost nothing to get rid of it. If you try one to use it will help out like every thing. Every thing else is there now excepting the bedding & that can go later on. As to rent I hardly know what to say. As the garrage must be repaired & that is an unlooked for expense. I know that you & Alberta would be careful of the things & that is the reason I will consider your living there it has cost too much hard earned money to let a bunch of people live there & mar every thing up. What would you think reasonable rent? I wouldn't charge you any thing at all if it wasn't for repairing the garrage & it must be done as your car would be as well off out side as the way it is now.

If I was there myself I would keep our chickens there & also keep a pig for if you sell there won't be much of a start for winter. Joseph is going to plant our potatoes there as there isn't any place here for them. Mr. Leighton did some Spring plowing for Mr. Hamilton last year so Joseph will plant them on that little spot. Did I understand you to say that the place out near the barn was for carrots too. Joseph has the fence changed there & ready for the garden. I don't think it would pay to try & raise them on that spot. Maybe I didn't understand you right some times I can't get things straight.

Yes we too are anxious for the time to come & hope we will all be happy & enjoy ourselves. It is difficult at the best the work rushes in so fast when once it starts. I have an idea that property is going to sell good this Summer if the weather is warm so the torists will come in. It was bad last year on account of cold wet weather.

My head has ached all day until I can hardly see straight I hope it stops pretty soon or I will go bugs before night.

Your expenses are like ours never stops and every time we get squared around some thing else pops up & takes some more. Am enclosing a sample of my new living room curtains. Have all the curtains made excepting for the kitchen & that is a short job. I don't intend to paper until time to leave here as it would only fade out & come off when the house is vacant so much of the time.

Thursday A.M. We walked over to Harry Langs last night & he can get good hay nearly all alfalfa for $21.00 a ton so Jos. ordered a ton. The bailed hay has so much water on it & pressed together so firmly that you don't get as much good from it as loose hay. Joseph has been very saving but we had so little hay from the farm last Summer that you have had to buy nearly all. There was 117 bushels of corn saved. Harry Lang lost 400 bu. and a horse in the bargain. Well I must close now & eat my breakfast. Will be glad when you can come back to us.

With love Essie Kitchen.