Sometimes I Wonder ...

As a daughter, I am sure I knew my dad in ways my grandfather didn't. However, since I was not born yet in 1943, the year the letters I am transcribing were written, there is a side to my dad I had no inkling of.  The following letter is an example:

                                      Tuesday

                                      Aug 17, 1943

My dear Johnny:-

          Haven't much news to write today, except that we are having some very cool weather. In fact it is almost too cool to be real comfortable, can you imagine such weather?

          I keep expecting an induction notice for Frank, but none has come as yet. He told me yesterday that he expected the induction notice to arrive about 2 weeks after the blood test, which would be about Aug. 27th, with an induction date of Sept. 3rd or 4th. Do not know where he got his dope. If he gets into the Seabees he would leave about Sept. 10th; if it is the army he will leave about Sept 24th. He told me also that he would try the Seabees first, then the army, and if he could not get into either, he would try to get into the Merchant Marine service.

          He also tells me that after the war he and Bill Badgero are going up into the Northern part of the state, build themselves a cabin and live by hunting, fishing and trapping. Doesn't sound like he is too ambitious does it? he will probably have two or three more ideas before that time comes.

          We received a letter from Maw-Maw today in which she said she had not heard from me since your wedding. I feel badly about it too, but am sure I wrote her, because told her in that letter that she need not send the letter on to Aunt Bessie as I had written her all about the wedding. I wrote Maw-Maw twice before you arrived home, once a week or two before to tell her of your plans, and then again as soon as I knew the date and hour of the wedding. Cannot imagine what happened to the letter, either I lost it before I mailed it or it was lost in the mail. Will take a good look around the room to be certain the letter was not left there.

          Have written Grandma to see if she will take Mrs. K. to Lex. to see Maw-maw. Also have sent money to Grandma to cover any expense.

          No more news son, so will stop for today.

          Frank & I send love.

                   Your loving

                                      Dad

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Um. My dad living in a cabin in the UP? Or even just the northern part of the LP (for you non-Michiganders, Michigan has an Upper Peninsula and a Lower Peninsula. We LP-ers make fun of the UP-ers and the UP-ers call us trolls.) Anyway, my dad living off the land? I'm sure he could have done it and then told everyone else what they were doing wrong, but I really can't picture that. I keep reminding myself that at the time he was newly turned 18. Bill Badgero was one of his good buds, and it was Bill and his girl Janet that my parents drove to Fremont, Ohio with so that Bill & Janet had witnesses for their elopement. Yeah. My parents got married that day too!

Grandma, was my dad's grandmother, Helen Maitland Percival; Maw-Maw was his grandmother Elizabeth Webb Bowman.

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