Mary Kauer: April 5, 1926 Rib Lake Wis.

Hello Friends,

I hope this post finds you all well. My weekend was good. A little on the hottish side but not to bad.

Here is the next letter from Mary. It's 5 pages long. For someone who claims to not like writing letters she certainly can write.

For those of you that find it hard to read here is what it says:

                  Rib Lake Wis

                  April 5, 1926

Hello Howard:-

   I got your letter

before dinner and certainly

was surprised as I didn't

expect another one before

I answered. But that's

what I call a real surprise

cause you know I always

like to get letters but

I'm not so fond of writing

them myself.

I'm glad your mother

liked the Easter card I sent.

I didn't know whether I

should send one or not.

So you had to shovel

your road out again?

Well, that's good exercise

but I do feel sorry for you

anyhow Mrs. Hipke said

something about you com-

ing one lazy day and I

told her that you lived

off of the state road and

had to shovel quite a

ways. She said, "Gee he must

have had some hard work."

But then hard work is

good for Swedes, isn't it?

'Specialy  for big husky one

like you.

Joseph was to town with

the car yesterday. They didn't 

get stuck at all coming in

but going home we got stuck

twice and all had to get out

and push. Mary Schneider, went

out home with us so she had

to do her share and she

was all rigged up in summer

clothes.

Anton(my brother) was home from

Merrill for a few days. He

drove over with a team. He

said it took him six hours

to make 27 miles.

  Ella and Walter Schneider

were over yesterday evening and

Rose & her two brothers.

Anton k. and Ella walked home

and Joseph took me to town

with the team and Walter &

Mary went along and then he

took them home. It was 

half past two when I got here.

Still that was an hour

earlier than I usually get

home.

Say I saved the Herald

for you so if you remind

me of it I'll give it to you

unless you changed your

mind about coming.

Tom Enders of Medford

died last Friday. I guess I

told you that they used

to live neighbors to us. He

was about 20 years old. he

was operated on for

appendicitis and I guess

he never came out of the 

ether.

Say is that new family

that moved into your

neighborhood, Catholic?

because if they aren't

there would be a girl

just about the right age

for you. She's not so

old yet but she isn't

too young either.

  Well here's hoping

to see you Sat. or sooner.

I've got to go to work now.

                Love from Mary.

Like I said a long letter. It kind of sounds like there might have been a lot of snow at the time if they had to do shoveling. I wonder exactly how far Grandpa would have had to shovel. It is a distance from the home place to highway 13. It would have had to be an all day task.
Can you imagine taking 6 hours to travel 27 miles by horse and wagon in the snow?
But it sounds like Mary and the people she was with got their own exercise pushing a car.
It was sad to hear about the guy who died when he went into surgery for an appendicitis. Ether was a very hard thing to regulate back then. I hope I spelled his name right and got his age right. It was a little hard to read.

Well here a few random pictures for you to look at.

This is from 1958. I think my dad knows what happened here.

This is the picture of a train I wanted to show you last time. I finally found it. No idea for sure who is in the picture.

This is Kelvin Metzger, a classmate of my dads. I was told this is one of the few times he did not have a cowboy hat on.

Well that's all I have for you today.
Enjoy your week and drop by again for another letter to Dear Howard.
Till next time.
Your friend,
Sandy