Chironga Mission Station
P.B. 5, Mt. Darwin
1st March, 1956
Dear Mom,
I’m waiting now for another letter. We got post on Tuesday of this week but there wasn’t any from you in it. We certainly have been having lots of rain. I guess nearly every day this month it has rained. Anyway, those days will soon be finished, as here it is already March. Have you had a smell of spring yet? The roads are quite bad now.
I just took a little canned goods up to the Ratzlaffs. They are out of all vegetables so I had a little to spare and then I suggested that they write to a store in Bindura which has everything and ask them to send some tins of dehydrated vegetables in the post. They are very light in weight. I always try to have plenty on hand. I am a firm believer of having enough food and a balanced diet in order to maintain health. Even when I go on diets, I still watch the balanced part. We are able to get corn on the cob from the natives now and also they have green pumpkins to sell and they say that they are O.K. to eat so I’m going to be buying some. I don’t want to open any more tin stuff than necessary.
This week I made a crumb cake, the first I’ve ever made, I believe, since I’ve been in Africa and I must say, I like them a lot. I see I have your receipt although I didn’t use it as I didn’t see it at first. Anyway, the one I made was just plain with the crumbs on top. I’m sure I’ll be making them more often as I like cakes that don’t need a frosting. Do you do much baking?
We caught my dog stealing eggs today so I’ve told Cliff that he can shoot him anytime now. He is quite old and none too healthy anymore and I can’t stand that stealing of eggs. No one has any chickens on this place but me so I would like to be able to give them eggs once in a while. I certainly have been thankful for my chickens. That is one thing I’m always going to try to have. It is foolish not to be able to have eggs, living in the country the way we are. They do trouble you, though, by being in flower beds, etc. I have been most unsuccessful in flowers thus far at Chironga. We (Dana, Carol, and I) have two boys making a garden for us. We just thought we’d try the venture and see how it works out. We’ll probably lose more money than we’ll save.
Well, I hope that this finds you well and that your arthritis isn’t giving you too much trouble. Let me know off and on how it is. I got a nice letter from Mary Taylor in the last post with a lot of pictures of their house, etc. I guess I’ve had her address wrong ever since they moved and so most of my letters have gone astray. How are Jim and family getting along? What does he do? Does she work? Do they come down very often? How are Don’s and Jim’s? I never hear from them anymore. Especially Don’s. I wouldn’t know that they were living. Also Dick’s never write. I had a nice letter from Grace, too, this week. I do appreciate hearing from them. I’m always wondering what’s what and it is nice to hear once in a while. Larry has fallen by the wayside, too. I suppose he is busy with girl friends – who??? Well, enough of my rambling.
Love,
Eunice
P.S. If you have just sent yeast again wait for about a month to send again as I have for a while yet and there is no use having it stock up and go to waste.