December 16, 1951
Dear folks,
This will include everyone at home when this gets there. I suppose that means Lois and maybe Ila but not likely, as well as little Jim and Larry, those sweet things known as my kid-brothers.
I know Christmas will be over by the time this reaches you. I have your Christmas packages here and they are waiting the day. I received post forwarded from Dawson the other day and there was a package from Ila marked “book” so I’m not opening that either. It will help if you tell those, if any, who might have subscribed to a magazine for me, if they would notify them of the change of address. I would appreciate that very much. Lois, do it for Ideals – or did I tell you once before to do so? It will be so much quicker than if I do it and at present I haven’t the address. Mine are still packed.
I’m hoping that this week I’ll be able to unpack. Here is hoping. When Inga is leaving I haven’t a clue, but she has most everything of hers packed now.
Our plans for Christmas are as follows: Christmas Eve dinner at Brutons, Christmas dinner at Mary’s, and I’ll have light supper Christmas night, and on New Year’s Eve I have the dinner. We plan for the Jacksons to be with us at New Years.
Well, I’m not doing too much these days. I cleaned the dispensary and took care of the cases there. Yesterday a mother came with a child ill with smallpox. The child was covered from head to foot with scabs which were beginning to come off, but it’s eyes were infected and in general she was in bad shape. I just gave the mother some medicine and told her to go home and apply it herself. They vaccinate the natives but some run away or get missed and up around here there seems to always be cases. I never saw any at Msengedzi.
I don’t know if I’ll be doing dispensary or if Mary will take it. I’d rather like to have it but I suppose I’ll have plenty to do without it.
Thanks heaps for the magazines which came this week – Women’s Day, Better Living, McCall’s, etc. I missed the Pathfinder, though. I really like those very much and so do the Jacksons.
Well, the mosquitoes are bad. This house isn’t screened, so I guess I’d better go to bed. I do hope that I don’t come down with malaria.
I trust that this finds you all well and that you’ve had a nice Christmas.
Lovingly,
Eunice