Lorenzo Swensen (1887-1955) and Beatrice Eloise Wride (1893-1979)

Incoming Correspondence, 1942

Paul [to Folks], 1942 Jan 15

January 15, 1942

Hello again—

How are you all today? Your letter just came and while I let my dinner digest and before I go back to work I’ll just drop a line or two. It’s rather hard for me to keep track of what I have told you when we each have a letter going about the same day but if I repeat anything, just bear with me.

You have certainly been having a siege of funerals out there. What has gotten into the Williamson family? Is it going to get them all?

I’ll bet the folks were glad to get their furnace in. They probably are finding out what we have been through at various times in the period of evolution of the house. Have they got the old stove set up someplace so that they can lean against it if the notion strikes? I’ll bet they miss it, but not forlong.

How do you like the way prices are going up? They are getting so high that I hate to even go into the store. We thought we were living rather expensively but we are way under the mission average. The rest of the kids talk about–pineapple, tuna fish, roasts, etc, while we eat –mackeral (12 for a large can) potatoes, soup, etc. The cabbage around here is good, and cheap so we have a lot of salad, also wehave had a lot of baked squash. It is good and filling so all in all we do O.K. but if prices come up much more we will have to have a fast day three times a week.

When I think how long it was since I last saw you, it seems like a very long time but when I think of the work we have done, it seems like I should have been out here only a very short time. We feel that we have really done a good work though and we have a lot of very good friends. We called on a man today (We met his wife on the last tracting) He was very glad to talk to us and seemed very interested. He had visited Salt Lake and was very much impressed with the city and the reception he had. We explained most of th doctrines and he was interested enough to ask lots of questions. He doesn’t belong to any church as he disagrees with many of their doctrines and practices, especially financially. We find that that is one of the best approaches to make when we need something to start a conversation, as most of them think that the money is stressed too much. We have had people who thought that their ministers were too capitalistic, and they told us so. It is a very good chance to leave a good impression of our church with them. This gentleman was in the war and for sometime had been blind. By several operations he has had his sight restored. It has certainly given him a new outlook on life, and it is all to our advantage.

We spent yesterday afternoon out to the Vetran’s Fecility It has one of the best equipped hospitals in the country and we were shown all through it from top to bottom, I mean from bottom to top. Everyone treated us so nice and made us feel like we were just as welcome as could be. It is really a marvelous place and they take care of a lot of men.

I haven’t been keeping track of the M.O’s. by number but I have received them all. We have to keep a ratherdetailed account of expenses so I have it all. It rather hurts to look at it but that dentist bill really put a crimp in the works, but I won’t have that to worry about for some time now.

The weather here has moderated just a little for a change. There hasn’t been much snow but it looks like it could give a good one anytime now, I hope. The ice has been fair, but not at all like I am used to at home. It is not kept up at all and there are no lights or anything, not even participants.

We had unofficial word from our D.P. that they were not sending any more Elders, and Geraldine writes that no more L.M’s. will be sent until after the war. I can understand why they wouldn’t send any more Elders but why they should cut down onthe number of L.M’s. is beyond me, of course there are a lot of things I don’t understand so why should I try. I know the best thing will be done so I am not going to worry at all but will be happy at what ever there is to do.

I wonder if they realize just what kind of difficulties they are going to get into when they try and run that ski-lift with the power at the bottom? It might work all right on an overhead but on that kind ????. It is bad enough to have it at the top where you get a direct pull but pulling over a pulley doesn’t look like very good policy to me, of course I won’t have anything to do with it but I’d like to see theonther kids have a little fun on it.

I think I asked and told everything of importance in the last letter so I’ll close for now. Give my love to everyone. Don’t work too hard and take time to get a little fun in, namely skating, and some skiing if you feel like it. Those skiis and boots had just as well be used as not so if you feel the urge, just take of and get in some real thrills, that ‘jump’ is only a little ways of you know----.

Love and stuff
Paul