January 10, 1944

1/10/44
Dear family,
This letter is a little behind schedule. I got too busy again. You see I had been taking a little time off in the afternoons to write letters and read a little and then I would come over to the shop in the evening and work if there weren’t too many guys around want to make things. Some one had to watch the shop so I do it. Well, they are starting a new tree planting camp up near Portland ( about 40 miles) and it is 160 miles from here and there are no buildings there. They will have to live in tents. Last summer they made 2 or 3 prefabricated messhalls and they didn’t use one of them but they swiped half of the floor and half of the roof to make a house for the foreman at one of the spike camps so when they wanted this kitchen and messhall they didn’t have enough to make one. Well, Wed. morning they told me they wanted the sections made to complete the building in time to load it Sat. They gave me three green men out the drafting room and the sawfiler to help and so I worked like everything to get it done. We got it done in good shape by Fri. night and I had to spend Sat. morning helping them load it. They caught me with only a couple of sharp hand saws which we dulled making the section for the building so I had to sharpen up some for them to take along with them. They will have to build a shower room and floors for the tents. I seem to be the only guy in camp that can sharpen carpentersaws. The guy that sharpens the big cross cuts is just learning and I’m going to teach him to file had saws too so I won’t have to do it all.
So that’s the reason that I didn’t get your letter answered.
I wonder how Harry si doing? I think it will be the best thing he could do. He will be lonesome at first then he will get aquainted and the effort it will take will take his mind off his troubles a little. He will learn a lot too. I suspect that Charles will enjoy himself if he has to work alone and more steady than when he had to work with Harry and then sit around.

I may write a letter to Harry and stick it in with this to be mailed from there as I don’t know his address. He will appreciate a letter more at first that he will after he gets aquainted.
I have been seeing quite a few shows. We have one in camp every other week. The last one was “The Young In Heart” . Real good I thought. Then they have shows twice a week down town in Elkton now. The last good one I saw there was “Holy Matrimony” I sure liked it. It was funny but not like Abbot and Costello or Laurel and Hardy. It was much more refined.

I am just getting over my flu cough now. I never had such a bad one but it would bother me a little in the mornings and I noticed this morning that I didn’t cough nearly as much as usual. I have been trying to get more sleep for the last few weeks to get rid of it and I believe I am. I coughed some when I had the flu but not seriously it hasn’t been bad since but just annoying. I’d advise Mom to get more sleep. That 12:45 doesn’t sound good.
Does Phinney commit himself about pacifism? I have wondered.
It is good that you got the beens raked, they are a mess to plow under.

With love,
Bernard