Letter, Florence Stoff to George Stoff, Monticello, New York, July 12, 1945

Item

Creator
Date
Format
PDF
Identifier
https://commons.keene.edu/s/KSCArchive/item/10609
Language
eng
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
Text
Text
Mrs. Florence Stoff
41 Landfield Ave
Monticello, NY

Cpl. George Stoff 42050100
CoA- 735 RWY OPN BN
APO # 350 c/o Postmaster
New York – N.Y.

Thursday July 12th
George, dearest,
These past few nights have been so cool that it was necessary to use extra covers on our beds. We’re eating, sleeping and feeling very well since we came here and as I’ve reiterated many times it would be heavenly if you were with us. Jimmie looks great and his hair is turning lighter again because of the sun. He’s due for a haircut and will get one this Saturday. Hope he likes the barber.

Thursday mornings in town are very busy and people from miles around come here to shop. I left Jimmie with our upstairs neighbor who’s very nice and intelligent and did my shopping most of the morning. Jim behaved well and the reason was Rhoda, a six weeks old baby girl. Babies fascinate our precious one and I promised him a baby if he didn’t say fresh things. He promised.

The postman brought your June 25th letter and two regular mail letters with army newspapers and articles. Also received one first day cover with a block of 4 Iwo Jima stamps (and it’s a honey, 9 more are due me).

Your letters continue to be optimistic and your assurance that you’re fine and dandy makes me feel good. Stay that way, darling for our worst years are behind us. Our future looks rosier and more wonderful as the days go by. Last night I wrote you a short V-mail and hope you don’t mind. I started to read J. Cronin’s “Green Years” and couldn’t take my eyes off the book. His style of writing is beautiful and so much to the point.

Had a lovely afternoon with Jim around the house and walked the two blocks to town for ice cream cones. We had a nice supper and Jim went to bed immediately after. I expect Mom and Eleanor to-night and hope Mom has settled all her affairs concerning London Shoe. As you know, not too much damage was done by the fire and London plans to build one of their nicest stores on Pitkin Avenue. They signed for eight more years which makes the lease run for 10 years in all with an increase in rent. Of course, my mother is elated and all we have to say is – so what! Now don’t get me wrong.

As yet my allotment check, your allotment to me and your $10.00 bond hasn’t arrived yet and that totals $100. I hope it hasn’t been misdirected, stolen or returned to the Office of Dependency. I wrote to our P.O. 2 times and expect an answer soon. All other mail has been forwarded to me and I didn’t want my address changed with the Office of Dependency because that screws everything up into a real mess. Don’t worry though, I’m sure it’ll come through and meanwhile I’m not broke.

To clarify the situation on the car. Only the 4 doors and 4 fenders were refinished the same color and that cost $55.00. I was supposed to have the radio repaired too and got an estimate for $13.75. That totals $63.75 and that was the amount I received from the insurance company. As yet I haven’t had the radio repaired but will take care of it in the near future. The car looks good and runs fine.

Before I left for Monticello I tried to get covers for the car but the place I was recommended to didn’t have the covers to fit our car at the time. I’ll try them again when I return to the city.

Just had a call from a neighbor across the street and she spoke to me for 20 minutes. She seems like a grand person and keeps our meat in her frigidaire. We have an ice-box which is sure far from what we’re accustomed to but for the next few weeks it doesn’t matter.

Wish I could send you a statement of our gold, stocks and bonds but that too will have to wait until I return to the city. It’ll be hard to send too much this summer, if anything. Prices are high this year and the black markets are cleaning up in Monticello. Here’s a partial list of prices of necessities.

Eggs – 75 ¢ dz. (ordinarily 46 ¢ to 55 ¢)
Tomatoes today – 31¢ lb. (usually 12 or 15 per lb)
Chicken -- 65 to 85 per lb. ( “ 36 to 44 “)
Berries – 75 to 80¢ per qt (“ 39 to 44 per qt)
Butter – 60¢ per lb (“ 45 to 50 per lb)

The cakes in town are putrid so we buy cookies, Drake’s or bake our own. Sometimes Eleanor or Mom bring cake from Ebinger’s or Schrafft's. Hope they bring something good to-night.

I wrote to your folks last night and hope they’ll be able to visit us this week-end. I’ve also inspired some other women whose husbands are in the service to write more of those letters. As yet the newspaper dealers haven’t any papers and the strike might be settled to-morrow - Heard on the radio that people are paying 50¢ to $1.00 a paper in New York city. (black market)

As always, I continue to worship you and love you with all my heart. You mean everything that’s worth while to me and I hope and pray that I’ll have you in my arms before this year is ended. Good night, dearest sweetheart, and Jim and I send you hugs and kisses and oceans of love.
Lovingly,
Florence
Provenance
Keene State College
Item sets
Stoff 1945

Position: 3658 (50 views)