Mount Dora, Florida
Jan. 31, 1918My dear Abby,
When the natal day comes I know not, but the enclosed [no longer with the letter] is what I want you to have on that day, and I send this last day of Jan., as I do know that Feb. is the month. I intended to send this at Christmas time, but it did not come right, so have waited for the birthday.
Your letter came last night. I will attend to the affair of Miss Wallace's subscription.
I am going over to my neighbors Mrs. White's to perform the operation of removing something from the hen's crop. She is the walker, & keeps hens, and in telling her about Miss Hooker's experience, I found she wanted to try the same trick.
Yesterday I took my first boat-ride on Lake Dora. I went to the Taraves [sic] Fair. Tavares is the county seat, five miles away and easily reached by boat. It was "negro day" and we three wanted to see the Darky show. We were the only ones going on the boat, both going & returning. It was a nice show and my sisters are much impressed with the Florida darky. They have never seen much of the southern darky hitherto.
I am writing before breakfast and will finish & send this, writing more at length another day.
It is regular September - warm Sep. weather these days. Not a suggestion of the stormy blasts, or zero weather of which we hear, and as for coal, we don't know what that is! [smiley face]
As I write I hear the regular morning catachizing [sic] going on in the kitchen as the order for the day is being given the store man. "Have you potatoes this morn? Sweet, Irish? What vegetables, cabbage, turnips, carrots, lettuce, celery &c &c &c &c.["] We are trying Oleo now, & grits - have grape fruit for breakfast every morn. It is so warm that we find our cold closet does not work as well as it has up to now -
Many happy returns of the day! and "dont [sic] you forget" that I think every day of your thoughtfulness for me - both last May & since the fire. I can realize what it means to meet the calls that come to you in connection with the reconstruction period. Thanks for that typewritten letter. It is just the thing for so many who want an intimate knowledge of the fire.
More anon -
C. M. Clapp