I'm continuing my series of scanning, transcribing, and annotating my grandfather's love letters to my grandmother leading up to their marriage in June 1940. The letters are chronologically organized and preserved, using the methods I discuss in detail in my book, Creating Family Archives: A Step-by-Step Guide for Saving Your Memories for Future Generations .
In Letter 18 of the Grandpa's Love Letters series, Grandpa is stuck in Scranton for the weekend. He seems very focused on his job and has got a recent promotion.
What does Grandpa mean by Green Ridge?
Grandpa with unidentified people
I chose this picture of my grandfather because he looks happy. Was my Grandma taking the picture? The picture is small: about 2 inches by 3 inches and the lighting isn't the best. It was only when I digitized it (or, let's be honest here, took a picture of it with my iPhone camera), that I saw that there was a woman in the background and baby chicks on the ground. I thought the baby chicks were appropriate for a letter about not missing Easter.
What I've enjoyed about this is project is how I'm posting the letters in real time. It's fun to look forward to Easter, which was a very important holiday from my grandparents. I loved the Easter Egg hunt (at home and at their house), the Easter baskets, and the big meal.
My mother sewed me Easter outfits that ranged from the cute to slightly insane. I loved the fashion illustrations on Butterick and McCall's patterns--which always looked chicer than the real-life result.
We would have Easter Egg battles. My grandmother would hard boil eggs, then dye them with onion skins to give them a bright reddish hue. You would then pair up with other people and try to crack your opponent's egg without cracking your own. The one that survived had good luck for the year. Grandpa always won!
This seems like a common Central and Eastern European custom. My grandmother was Lithuanian, but I've read about similar practices in many different countries.
Do you have an Egg Fight tradition? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
***
Scranton Penna
March 15, 1940
Dear Ann.
I hope this letter reached you on Saturday morning to let you know I am not coming home this weekend. I have not the slightest doubt that I will not be home next weekend. I would not miss coming home on Easter for anything.
M work has kept me busy all week and now that I am going to change to a new job on Monday I will be busier than ever. The new job will be writing out weaving orders which is like the job Frank Moran had at Paterson. While I am breaking in on the new job I will have to break someone in on my old job, so you can see for yourself how busy I will be.
I have not received a letter from you this week I hope you are not sick. Please write.
Since it will be my first week-end in this new boarding home I hope everything will turn out better than I was in Green Ridge. Otto is also staying here this week-end but his cousin left for home this afternoon.
We are having some more miserable weather here again. It rained Thursday during the day-time and snowed at night and on Friday morning and now it is freezing up.
If Joe should ask what I have to say, tell him that I have not looked at my stamps all week but that I may look them over on Sunday.
In closing please remember me in your prayers and pray that I succeed with my new job because if I do then I can demand more money for our needs. I remain as ever,
Your Sweetheart
Ray
***
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