LETTERS FROM THE PAST

This blog is to honor those who have come before us. These are family letters that I have had for years and wanted to be able to share them with family. It's an interesting way of knowing how life was in the past.

Myron F Taylor with 3 of his buddies in 1952. Over the last 20 years I've been working on our family letters. Letters that have been passed down. Including letters from my parents to my great-grandmother. Every letter was saved by my great grandmother and grandmother. I hope someday to either print them or give them to a museum. I am copying the letters–not being able to photocopy all of them. Each letter is in script. I know today very few can read them. I hope you enjoy them.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

June 2, 1959 - Irvin Wineland

I realize I've been behind on these letters and I apologize - life does get busy - and even back then it did too.

Box 65 Hauula
Oshu, T. H.

June 2, 1959

Dear Mabel and Archie:

I'm jut start this letter as Irvin has been telling me to remind him to write to you folks for several days now. I reminded him when he was too busy I guess.

So glad Shirley had such a nice baby girl. Irvin sent a package in the mail for her about a week ago so Shirley should be getting it soon or maybe has it now as sometimes a boat leaves right away and packages get there quickly.

We are getting more and more in the egg business like you Mabel. Have over 100 chickens but some of them pullets yet. Everybody wants eggs so will have plenty of customers.

It is warmer here now and I sure enjoy my daily swim in the ocean. By this time you should be getting some warm days and hope your garden is doing well.

I do quite a bit of sewing. Made my two sisters in Seattle a housecoat for their birthdays and make most of my own dreses, and some of Irvin's shirts. Took a course in Ukelale playing at the rural school in Hauula but it is over ow. I enjoy playing for my own pleasure if noone alea's. Anyway it is something that is not irritating to the nerves of other people, not like a horn.

We have 6 cats including two kittens which we will be selling soon. I'll let Irvin tell you about his orchids, etc. I hope Shirley and baby are doing fine and I bet Chris is a proud brother. I like -----(note)---- for a name.

Hi all!

Well it is in the afternoon now and I'm poopled. I mowed our lawn this morn and just came back from an old lady about a block away. I trim some trees and burn a lot of rubbish for her. She's been in the hospital and I do some odd jobs for her to help her out. Our plants including Orchids are sure blooming nicely now as well as our roses, anthuriums we always have about a doz orchid plants in bloom through out the year. I guess I have a few over 60: plants now of all most popular species. I want to inter some in a show in aug and then have a larger show in Oct, which I am pointing for.

I wrote Aunt Bess a couple of weeks back in ans to her letter to us she is keeping house for Harold is well and she was going to Kansas for Memorial Day.  The sun is straight over hd the last day or so as noon then till about July 15 our shadow will be to our south around noon time.
We got a day or so pullets and when they began laying the neighbors wanted eggs so we got about 30 more and still more people wanted eggs - now we will have around 110 or 120 when they get to laying, we got 65 (cents sign) a doz as is - wouldn't grade them and that was the price we get in the year round - large AA grade retails at 80 to 85 (cent sign) in the stores. Mainland eggs retail as 60 to 65 here. We feed an all egg mash made here in the Islands. I believe is a little better feed than Albers - which they sell here also & we pay 5.30 to 5.45 for 85 lbs sack - we've had 75 to 90% production through ut the year, so thats not too bad. We had to go into Honolulu tomorrow. We do our shopping in Kaneshe here on the wind ward side as we can do better with food prices than in Honolulu.
Marion always shops some in Kresses or Woolworths and at thrifty or Long's ding stoes alike the thrifty drug store in Seattle only these are about twice it's size - Wig warm has a large dept store here and is doing OK. they sell everything from wash machines T.V.'s, clothing and about anything you can think of.
Sears is opening a large Swanky new store here in Aug - about twice the size of their present store. A new Steel mill, 2 new cement plants a standard oil refinery is going up also. Dupoint Chemical is going to build a large factory about 10 mins from us about half way to Kasche - which means in Hawaiian slim man.
Write when you can and send us all the news.
Tell Shirley to take good care of the babe,

Love to all,

Marion and Irvin


NOTE: the name of the child is my name. I keep my middle name to myself for safety reasons, even though I'm sure you can find it on the internet somewhere else.

Irvin was big into his orchid plants, and he has several registered in England that he named.