Sister letters 1928

Gnadenfeld, 4 March, 1928

Dear Linchen!

Yesterday, I rearranged the summer room as the big room, since the Franzes are now living in their own household and the room stood empty. When Neta departed, she gave me a beautiful etagere. On it there now stand the pictures of Papa and Mama. Jasch’s mother and Hermann, and on the round table below, yours and to your right and left, Dietz and Franz, a stately array. We have not received a letter from the Klassens for a frightfully long time, in spite of the fact that I have written three or four to them.

We have had a very severe winter. Now it is getting a little warmer, hopefully for longer. The tractor cooperatives are already having meetings about the spring work. Three or four such organizations have formed. The mood in general is not very elevated. Many who until now had not wanted to emigrate are now very much thinking about it. But until now, it has been essentially impossible to get away. Should it become easier again, who knows whether, because of Jasch’s foot, we would be admitted. Then too, we would most of all like to come to California, which probably is also not permitted.

Today, Wally has really begun to walk for the first time. He himself is very proud of that. Kolja and Artur always want to go outdoors or to the Brauns, on one side or the other. Willy Brains now also has a little boy, Hans. Too bad that Wally is not a little girl! 

For the most part, I sit like a prisoner at home. My prison guards are quite demanding. Artur is still the hardest. He even says, “I don’t want to always be left alone”. When I go into Jasch’s room to sew, where they are usually not permitted to enter because they probably would make many things “kaput”. Whenever there is nothing to get in the way, Jasch is constantly repairing timepieces. Recently his foot has allowed him quite a bit of peace, although small wounds continue to be there. Once summer arrives, then such work must stop, and it is back to work on the land. But as I wrote earlier, the true joy of work that sweeten’s one’s life, cannot thrive under present circumstances.

Gnadenfeld, 23 April, 1928

Dear Linchen!

When you receive this letter, your vacation will no longer be far away. If only I could spend two weeks with my loved ones in Reedley. Jasch and I, without the children, journeyed to the Crimea for two weeks to visit Jasch’s relatives with whom he once lived for nearly two years. Once because he could not go home due to the war front and the other time when he had the accident with his foot. To me, all the people were strangers at first, except for what Jasch had told me, but they were all so friendly and hospitable that I did not feel myself a stranger, but simply had a good time. First for half a day we were in Burungar and the rest of the time in Pashachakmak. In the vicinity of this village there are quarries where limestone is cut. We drove there too and for a while wandered around below the earth surface. In one place, where it is quite steep, on the sunny side of a depression, the Russians have cut living quarters out of the stone that is very easy to see. They include the kitchen, living room, stable and all the belongings of a household. We were in such a dwelling. Everything was beautifully white-washed with lacework, a table with a white table cloth, an Easter cake and colorful Easter eggs around it and curtains at the windows. In short, one quite forgets that above one’s head there is not a straw roof but a pretty thick layer of earth and shellstone.

Since coming back to Gnadenfeld, I had not traveled on a train so that for me that was again something new. Otherwise the mood here is very subdued. The winter wheat, which promised the best possible harvest last autumn, was frozen out and was covered by a heavy layer of sheet ice for over a month, and so  was suffocated. For that reason, much of the dead wheat was plowed under. And, as much as possible, oats, barley, maize and sunflowers were sown. But last Thursday and Friday, there was a frightful dust storm. It was quite dark in the house and one could not see as far as the neighbors. That blew out almost all of the summer grain. Yesterday, I had to sow all the vegetables for a second time because the seed was blown away with the soil to that depth. In the house, too, the earth lay over everything as deep as the width of a finger. One was almost unable to protect the food from all the dust and we all looked very dirty. The land had to be plowed again, because all the plowed earth had been blown away.

First of May, a big holiday here. In the morning, a procession passed the length of the village. In front, a young man with a huge red flag, then students of the agronomical school, then there followed various gentlemen and ladies, all festively garbed. At the end there came the tractors, each pulling a farm wagon. Their rattle and puffing almost drowned out the singing of the “International”, which was sung by the paraders. In the afternoon, almost all of Gnadenfeld, I believe, gathered in the meadow at the end of the village. There were gymnastic performances, soccer and game playing. Artur and Kolja went along with the Brauns. I stayed at home with Wally and also had a severe toothache. 

Today, the weather was beautiful until the late afternoon. Now it appears as if it might rain, which is very much needed. The freshly sown seed won't sprout without rain. It is finally getting warm. This year, the winter was almost endless. Yes, you were probably wondering where I had left the children while we were in the Crimea? Sister-in-law Liese spent that time in our house and looked after the children and the household. We left on Good Friday and came home on Wednesday evening. But the boys did get colorful eggs. I had suggested to Liese which ones to color for them. Here the apricots are blooming now, and the other trees are putting out their first leaves. 

You ask whether letter writing is too costly for us. Now it isn’t too bad. It costs only 14 kopeks. Usually there is no time, and sometimes it’s hard to get started. Just think, we still do not have a letter from the Klassens (who emigrated to Ontario). We wonder whether they are not getting our letters!

Third of May. I am writing this letter in three installments because every time I have been prevented from finishing. Yesterday evening, it began to rain, and now all morning it continues to drizzle. At least that gives hope for what was recently sown. I just came back from the store. Bought some Sunday shirts for the boys. Should it stop raining, I want to set out beans this afternoon, but it may just continue to rain this way for a while. The storm tore out many tiles on our stable roof and on our residence much of the tin is torn loose at the gable.

In Sparrrau, an entire homestead burned down. Fortunately, the fire was in the west and the wind came from the east. With its strength, there would have been no possibility to put out the flames. At Akimovka, a railroad station next beyond Melitopol, 280 homesteads burned down during this great storm. Here in Gnadenfeld, the Hollender mill at the west end of the village was destroyed and besides that many roofs fell in, as at the village school. At David Herforts, and at our kin, the Franzes, who had just recently bought a homestead, and also at many other places. Still, no person suffered harm.

Gnadenfeld, 30 July, 1928

Dear Sister!

The picture of the four of you is so pretty. It looks so tranquil that one also wishes to be there.

First of September. Really, I should take another sheet of paper, but in this way you can at least see that I already began writing this letter a month ago, which is really no proper excuse. Still, this month was very busy: harvest time and threshing time, fruit to dry and many other things, so that only Sunday is left, when one then gladly spends the afternoon going to visit. And so no writing is done. Jasch, together with the Franzes, drove to Tokmak to buy a cow at the bazaar. Franzes also want to buy a cow. The one we had when you left has died. Now, we only have a young one with a calf, which gives very little milk, so I have not made butter for a long time. The milk is just enough for prips (roasted barley beverage). Therefore, I hope that Jasch will make a fortunate purchase. He drove off at 3 o’clock this morning, and I expect him back with a cow this evening. 

We have more apples this year than last, but apricots and plums are fewer. But in this region, there has been no wheat to harvest, although a great deal was sown. Then too the barley harvest was mediocre, as well as the millet that they are doing now. We have already had some barley flour made. It is not nearly so nice as wheat flour, but with that one does not have to starve. The bit of wheat flour that is left we are saving just to bake something for Sunday’s, or to make meals. The harvest is so bad because we had no rain for two months before the harvest. Now, for a week it has rained almost every day. Perhaps we will get some melons and maize.  This coming week, there is to be a great deal of sunflower cutting, of which very much was sown.

I was interrupted in my writing by the arrival of very dear guests. Rempel’s Mika came to our house after church together with G. Rempel’s Frieda and her fiance Hans Braun. Yesterday, Frieda had come from her home with Jacob Willmses to visit the Rempels. Willmses drove right on to Rudnerweide, where they live, and left Frieda here. This afternoon, Frieda and Mika, together with J. Rempel, want to go to Wernersdorf, where the G. Rempels live.

About a month ago, Aunt Lina was in Gnadenfeld for a visit and was also with us. She sent her greetings and asked me to write to you that Lydia and Lina have already pursued the nurse’s training course in Halbstadt for one year. Here, it takes three years to complete the training.

Just now, Rempel’s Sara, with her husband and little son arrived at the Brauns. I believe that they will also stop here a little. Sara’s Hansi was sick all winter and through the summer until now. The poor fellow had one illness after another, and twice he was so sick that the Unruh’s had almost given him up. Now he is already playing a lot. Our Wally, who is two months older, is able to do much less. In comparison with the past, everything is very different, you probably understand. Jasch brought back a beautiful red cow, which however, does not give very much milk, but more than the old one who is about to go dry. But now I can make butter, cook milk soup and make cheese and for cooking there is sour cream. Jasch is now again working more at home. This year, we must pay very high taxes, 220 rubles, although we hope that they will leave us a little, for it would be very difficult to pay that much. We had only a poor potato harvest, which will not last through the winter. But the dear God will not let us go hungry. The barley bread is quite good to eat when it is fresh and one must be satisfied. People are already very much concerned about the oncoming winter facing us because for very many there will be a shortage of fuel. 

Uncle Hermann has taken Lottchen to the relatives in Estonia, I believe to the sister of his wife. He left two weeks ago, and so far there is no news from him.

Gnadenfeld, 23 December 1928

My dear Lina!

Just think, yesterday we received 10 rubles by mail from America! Without indication of the dear giver. But I believe that in any case it is one of my dear brothers or sister who has sent it to us. We are unable to guess who it is, but we thank whoever it is very much. It will be put to good use. 

I often reproach myself that I write this way. It must be a month since we received a letter. But the general mood, as well as my own, is so depressed that one hardly has the inclination to write, even when finally there is time to do so. 

Jasch became ill with appendicitis well before Christmas, and was bedridden until yesterday. Thank God that it was not worse. He still feels the appendix, but does not have pain. In three weeks I will again have to spend a good week in bed. We are awaiting our fourth boy, or should it, as I have so benignly wished, be a girl this time? When one thus dwells on it, we really have enough little fellows already. I have had many problems., almost throughout my pregnancy, particularly now near the end. Once I happily get over this again and then have peace for a good long while, then in my thoughts I always wish you to be here. To most of the women in this situation, the mothers or sisters come into the house for a while, but I must do without all this. How much our clever and dear mother could advise and help us. But I want to grant her peace. For I can pretty well imagine what trouble and work she must have had with our many brothers and sisters.

Abram Brauns took Artur and Kolja to church with them on Christmas Eve. Wally, who would not have understood much about it, stayed at home with us. When they then got home, and even brought a sack of treats for Wally, the joy was great. After supper, they then went to bed, and the next morning I got up early and prepared the Christmas table. Unfortunately, we did not have a little tree.Trees are very scarce. Instead I put some fir boughs in a vase and decorated it with ornaments and two candles. It could not hold anymore. Then on each plate, I fastened a candle in the center and arranged the candies and cookies around them. The boys received a train, consisting of a locomotive and cars. Jasch still wanted to make guns, which his illness prevented, but they were delighted with gifts. On the first holiday, the three went to Grandfather with Oksana, our maid, and returned with sacks of treats, in addition to quite a large little wagon. But the little wagon was our own.

Tomorrow, Braun’s Hans and Rempel’s Mika are having their wedding. We too are invited, although I still do not know whether we will go. I would at least like to go to the church for the ceremony. 

How might our Klassens be faring? They do not write. We have heard that David is suffering with a weak heart, and are wondering whether that has improved.

The radio that Jasch built works well. He and Franz Voth are now again sitting there. We still do not have a speaker, only a headphone. But Jasch often gets speakers to repair, and has to keep them a little while, so that we frequently have two and sometimes three on hand. Often guests come in the evening to listen to the radio. Sometimes, especially before Christmas, when Jasch has so many watches and clocks to repair, he is so busy that he often works far into the night, as late as midnight and listens to the radio at the same time. That is about the only good thing that he still has.  Today, he made himself fresh batteries for the radio. 

Here many people want to emigrate, and we too are considering it strongly. But first we would like to know whether Jasch would not be left behind on account of his foot. Yesterday, the former Suse Epp was here to visit me with her mother. Lottchen has it very nice there. She has found a loving home with her aunt, and attends the school in Dorpart where her aunt lives. She writes that she is really being spoiled there. Aunt Marichen, Uncle Heinrich and Hans Dirks’ are still in the grandparental home. Uncle Hermann is still not back from Estonia, but he plans to return for seeding time.