Letter # 456 August 19,1944

New Guinea
Sat. eve
Aug 19, 1944
Hello Mom;
We're getting a little bit previous with this Mom and Pop business aren't we, honey?  It's kind of fun to talk about anyhow.  Mom rather fits you.  I always did call you Mummy, but that Pop business just doesn't sound like me.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not backing out unless we both decide together.  It's strange and I can't imagine myself in that role.  Won't I look funny, toting an ornery kid around or working around with it tagging me around.  Oh well, it's all talk yet.  We've still to prove ourselves capable.  I bet we'll try plenty hard.
I got two more letters today.  Aug 7& 8th.  That makes six in two days and all in rotation.  Mine are in order now and yours seem to be jumping around and skipping several days.  That one you got in 7 days is a record.  Best I've heard of here.
I've been on C.Q. again today.  Comes pretty regular when so much of the company is away on detail.  They came back today so things will be normal again next week.  It's nice here with only a few men around.  No lines to sweat out, plenty to eat, not that we ever do starve, but there's always seconds, thirds or more when there is so few men.
The kitchen is done except for building a couple doors and I've been getting a lot of compliments on it.  It is a bout the best looking structure in the camp.  That isn't saying much, however.  I built a frame like a house with only the studding up.  Remember the night it rained so hard when our little house was that far along?  You and I tried to keep dry under a piece of sheathing and didn't do so good.  I was disappointed 'cause I was hoping to get the roof on before it got wet.
I'd like to be building for us now, instead of the army.  Anyhow I'm keeping in practice so I can finish our upstairs and make room for that maybe crib.  Room up there for triplets or more. Think you can produce?  Get it over with all at once that way.  I love you, honey.
I guess I got to rambling, didn't I?  Built this frame out of the produce of Newberger, Brown Lumber Co. Ltd. New Guinea branch and then the mill quit producing so I used bamboo poles for the roof rafters.  Covered the roof with tent canvas and sided up four feet from the ground with canvas.  The rest is fly screen.  It doesn't look bad for a fast job and what we have to work with.  Give me my set of tools I have at home and some time, I'd be able to do a real job.  It doesn't matter at all here.  It's only temporary and only something to keep us busy and out of mischief.
Now I guess I'll answer away at your letters.  You surely are learning a lot about this country.  It wasn't a very often heard of place until the war.  I know I, with my interest in strange places and desire to see the other side of the hill, never learned much about it.  Might be because I always looked north instead of south. You are finding out about it much faster than I, but as I learn, I'll try to remember to tell you all about it.  It is interesting.  I'm aching to get a chance to see the interior.  Back up in the mountains.  Some of the wildest, most primitive country left in the world today.  But I wrote my geography lesson last night and don't have much new to say tonight.  Have to study and question some more.
Mick's telling Louise about the air raids and etc. shouldn't worry her unduly.  Mick is a non-combat man and he has plenty of protection ahead of him.  The only danger is air attack and that isn't very effective against trained men.  A fox hole is protection against anything but a nearly direct bomb hit.  As safe as driving an auto on some of our congested highways.
Honey, if I'm doing a grand job of writing, as you say I am, it's only because you keep me on the ball and I can't do anything else.  You write so regularly and such grand, sweet, long ones that I'd be worse than a piker if I didn't do my best to somewhere near equal you.  Even with my best efforts you out write me a couple pages a day.
Remember when I was leaving you for the first time?  Over at your folks.  Pop was taking me to the bus.  You asked me to write every day and I said nix that, two or three times a week was plenty.  I did that for a while too, until you made me ashamed of myself by writing every day, no matter what. I like your letters so much, and being as we are 50 - 50 partners, you should get as many as I.  Anyhow, I like to write to you.  The only way I can talk to you now.  I love you.
No, sweetheart, you never bossed me very much.  Not as much as you should have, probably.  I know I used to call you teacher whenever you did but I think I usually did what you said.  It was usually nothing more than "Go wash your face, you taste salty" ,or "Don't wear those dirty clothes again", " Come over here by me" , "Kiss me", "Where are you going? I want to know" .  Gosh I'd love to hear those familiar words again.  I'm loving you so much and missing you like hell.  I'm waiting impatiently for that "big oven" you say I'm going to get.  Sounds good to me.  Perfect in fact.  From the way you talk, I'm going to need every bit of my supply of energy to anywhere near keep up with you.  Could be I'll be glad when those bad days come, instead of disgusted, as I used to be.  Need the rest.  Think so? Or are you kidding me a little?  Right now I hope you mean it and still don't know your full capacity for loving.  Cocky aren't I?  Yes, I'm still keeping track and marking my calendar.  For some reason I get a kick out of it.  Guess it's because it's something like taking care of you.  I got that particular habit back in '39.  You know why too.  You finally broke down and quit being so hard on me.  May not have been proper but I'll never regret it.  Will you?  I love you, bubbles.  
This request business again.  I'm trying to remember to request something once a week.  There is so little I need it will probably be the same thing over and over.  I'm not the only one not sending enough requests to satisfy the wife.  Gebby said tonight, his wife was calling him down about it.  She said, " What's the matter, isn't there anything you want?" after that in parenthesis  "I can't send that!"  Apparently we aren't the only ones hurtin and hoping and waiting.  Gebby told me one day, in all seriousness, "I don't like it too often."  "Weekends are the time."  "Then I don't have to get up in the morning."  Must be something wrong with him or else he hasn't wakened up yet.  How does it sound to you?  Don't you dare say good.  If you do I won't believe all you've been telling me and I'll have to think I was dreaming the last few times I saw you.
Night, sweetheart.  Guess I'll hit the hay.  So far my pillow hasn't had any bad affects.  Thinking of you does though.  I love you Mom.
Your "Pop"
Norm.