Saturday, February 18, 2012

10 August 1944


Sgt. Stanley W Safford 39539976
5th Auxiliary Surgical Group
APO 339
c/o Post Master
New York
New York

10 August 1944

Dear Mother:

I have before me here your letters of 27 July and 1 August, the latter received today.
I have started on a new method of writing now.  I have decided to write at least one letter a day, and in that way, will I hope avoid to have an accumulation of owed letters.
Received letters from Cousin Gertrude, Frances Whelchel, Dorothy Kinsfathers and yourself today, which made a nice receipt of letters.  I always look forward to the mail each day and always appreciate letters.
Today was our pay-day and we all received our money in English currency, which by now is quite easy for me. At first the change was a bit of confusion.
Gertrude tells me that Edmond Hess is over here and gave me his address, but that will not do me much good as it is merely an APO, so perhaps I may have the occasion of meeting him some day.  He may be too great a distance from me for us to see each other, because of a time limit.
Your grape crop should be a much larger and better (one) next season.  It seems just a very short time ago that I put the plant in there, and then never thought that t would do much.  Have the large leaved Caladiums in the orchid garden done very much this year?  They are the ones I transplanted while home on furlough. Have the cymbidiums shown much in the way of growth this season?  Dad’s small vegetable garden certainly sounds good.  He should have had something like that all along to spend his odd moments with.
I was out cycling the other evening and rode all the way to the small village near here.  I am certainly going to get myself one if we ever become more settled.  You have heard me mention Major Skinner.  Well he has a lot of fun with his and several other officers have nice ones.  They are the only thing for this country.  We have to walk up or down a hill once in a while but that is not much trouble.
Took a short trip a little distance away today to return some equipment and saw some very nice homes, some of which are very old.  This country is full of them.  Those that I have seen are most of them old barns, but quite a few of them are still lived in and quite nicely kept.  I brought back a little bouquet of lavender, which I bought and it is certainly fragrant and will be nice for my stationary box.  You can very likely see where I am beginning to enjoy myself over here, can’t you?
You can look forward to the balance of the short story which was not completed prior to my departure.  You well very likely get in a couple more installments.
I heard from Catherine Hunter, Esther’s sister.  She tells me that their business is very poor now.  What can they expect.
Well enough for now and more later when I have a better pen hand.

All my Love,

Stanley

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