Letter #473 September 20, 1944

New Guinea
Wednesday
Sept. 20, 1944
Hello beautiful and bewitching;
How's my three "B" girl today?  I hope now, that the letters are coming again, I am all forgiven for not writing for a while.  Even though it was for only fifteen days I know it seemed a long time not to hear from you and I know you felt the same.  It's really bad when we can't at least write to each other.
I have just reread and arranged all your letters that were waiting here for me.  Nice pile of them and all complete up to the one of Sept 7.  That's doing pretty good.  I sure enjoyed them a heap.  I'm still looking at the picture and loving it a lot.  You're beautiful.  Really, you are.  I love you.  I can stand teasing any time for such a nice surprise.  You're sweet.
I guess I didn't quite finish about the boxes last night.  I'm still working on the cookies but they won't last much longer.  You probably think I'm a pig and you may be right, but I excuse myself another way.  The ants are so bad it's very hard to keep anything like that around so I eat it before the ants get to it.  Is that any excuse?  Anyhow it's better than no excuse.  They are all very swell.  Taste like home.  Thanks so much, honey.  I seem to remember you saying that Tib had something to do with it.  Thank her too.
The map is a good one and will do what I want very nicely.  More stationery.  I guess I'll never have the excuse that I'm out of paper again.  Hell, I don't want an excuse anyhow.  I like to write to you.  The little waterproof bag is dandy.  More cigarettes and funnies too.  You sure are taking good care of me, aren't you?  You're sweet and I love you so much.  Beautiful too.
I also had a package from Mom & Hazel.  Candy, tobacco, soap and film.  I'm being taken care of, seems like.
I've got six rolls of film I took on the trip ready to send in.  Hope they are good.  Should be some dandies.  It takes about six weeks for them to come back, so maybe by Christmas you'll get them.  Long time isn't it?  Several of me and my beard and a lot of scenery pictures too.  I haven't yet taken the color roll.  I took it on the trip but most of the time when I wanted to use it, it was slightly hazy and I was afraid to try without plenty of sun.  I'll see about getting some special ones on it yet.
I want to tell you all about the trip but think I'd better catch up on some of your letters.  Lots of nice ones to answer.  I've got the day off to rest up and clean up equipment.  Most of it is going to be spent in writing letters.
I'm relieved to hear that you were able to get a new tire.  Seems like you have plenty of pull, getting a grade one tire.  I think you're being very well taken care of.  What you got, honey?  As if I didn't know.  Now, if you can manage a couple more of some sort, you should be able to get along.
While I;m thinking about the car:  It wouldn't surprise me if it would need a general overhauling to make it run this winter.  I guess you can take care of anything that comes up.  You have been doing swell and no kidding there at all.  That's a score we'll have to settle with Jean.
So you're feeling like a wolf, are you?  Well, just keep it up cause I feel worse than that.  I guess you
are right, if we carry out all our threats and promises, we'll probably both have to stay in bed or else use each other for support to keep us on our feet.  I don't care.  It's going to be fun no matter what the result.  Ain't it?
Yes, honey, the war news from Europe is very encouraging.  Hope it continues and ends as quickly as rumor says it will.  Of course that won't mean very much over here immediately, but it sure will speed things up an awful lot. Let her go.  The quicker it's over, the quicker I'll be seeing my wife again.  That's what I want more than anything in the world.
Gosh, honey, from all the things you've already done, I don't doubt a bit that you would be able to do carpenter work or most anything else on that proposed house of Arts & Margs.  I know you can drive the tractor to dig out the basement.  You did that once before.  Remember?  You could get some practice finishing our upstairs first and then go at theirs.  There, see, it's all fixed up already.  Sound good?  Don't worry.  We'll get a chance to partly even up some day.
That's the stuff, honey.  Keep that "home front" in good shape.  I'm itching to get back to it and see for myself.
Sweetheart, you're too much worried about my so called "bad leg." It had nothing at all to do with my not going on the detail with the other boys.  They wanted me here to finish some of my carpenter work.  I guess you have realized all that since I told you about going to this school.  Surely no one with a crippled leg would ever volunteer for anything like that.  Not even me.  You seem to be under the impression that I'm belittling the truth.  I'm not.  Remember?  We had that all out last fall and I promised to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.  I have been too.  My bad knee hasn't bothered a bit for a long, long time and didn't on all this march I've just been over.  Took it like a veteran all the way.  Was one of the first to reach the end of the trail and still under full steam.  It was no Sunday afternoon walk either.  Your old man may be bald headed but he's still a long way from infirm.  You'll find out one of these days.  Another promise.
I did see plenty of black women and some not too badly built or very well covered either.  They still look black as night though and smell worse.  In fact, I think if, as Mom suggested, you did send me a pig, I'd sooner keep the pig for a bed mate than the black or blacks it would buy.
You can tell Mom I appreciate her interest in my welfare but that she can't marry me off to anyone else as easily as that.  You're stuck, honey.  I won't accept any bait that would give you a chance to get away from me.  Not by a little bit.  I love you too much.
The dreams you are working so hard to finance sure do sound good to me.  However, most of the dreams that I'm dreaming at present don't require much financing.  It only takes you and I to fulfill them.   I mean you and I together.   How about it?  No kidding though.  I am proud of the bank account you are building up.  It's swell and will be plenty handy.  I'll try to add another small contribution from time to time.
I'm glad to hear you have your coal now.  That's another thing taken care of.  I didn't know that Harry had a truck.  Where did he get it?  Southern Ohio?  The price was reasonable enough for these times.  Paid nearly that much the last winter I was home.
Ha! I rather got the laugh on you for not getting any mail for some time.  When I did get it all your teasing about your surprise was lost, cause the surprise was here too.  It was a dandy surprise and no mistake.  You devil!  I love you.
You were very correct in your estimation of Fairhaven.  Happy go lucky and devilish as can be.  The sad part is he was killed in a peep accident the day I left for school.  Tough break.
Earl Hanson and Oke Hanson are no relation whatever.  Never knew the other existed until they met in the army.
Your speaking of our place as being an ideal spot for raising a family reminds me of a story I heard from an Aussie.  An English soldier with a large family of about fourteen got on a train and after much trouble succeeded in finding seats for all but himself.  An American soldier had been watching the
performance and seeing the Englishman had no place to sit began to laugh.  The exasperated Englishman asked what the hell he saw so funny.  American replied it tickled him to think how the Englishman had f_____ himself out of a seat.
Me, for a sensible size family by means of birth control not abstinence.  Right?   You may be having the feeling that it won't be long now but, as for me and the trouble I have with it, it surely must be longer.
So, my wife has come to smiling at strange men, hoping they will be attracted enough to do things like mowing our weeds for her.  That's really getting good, honey.  It seems to work too.  Afraid I made a mistake, telling you so much how irresistible you are.  You have gotten to believe it  and are putting it into practice so you now have proof of it.  I better hurry up and win this war or I'll be loosing me a very perfect wife.  When you can get that much for only a smile ---- gosh, you could be a rich girl.  I'm wondering who the guy with the mower is.  If I find my wife gone I want to know who to haunt.
Well, honey, I haven't gotten very far on your letters yet and this is all I can put in this letter.  Maybe I'll pull one of your stunts and write another one yet today.  That's no promise cause I've some duty ones to get off.  I'll see.
Bye, my darling.  I'm loving you even if you do seduce other men to do things for you.  You're tops in my book no matter what you do, as long as you call me sweetheart.  I love you beautiful.
Your hubby.
Norm.