Wawota Sask:

Oct 8th 1917

Dear Cousin:-

No doubt you will be looking for a letter before this I wrote one over a week ago but it never got posted so will write another we heard sad news Sat. night about Earl but never heard only he was killed I am sure you have our deepest sympathy it seems to be so much worse when it is some one you know it is terrible anyway and we dont know what hardships & suffering they have to come through and it is not only when they are in the trenches and fighting but in the camps it is pretty rough and the grub is awful it seems to bad that such things have to happen but people seem to have forgotten all about God & this war does not seem to be helping any all seem to be thinking about is having a good time & making money. When Andy heard Earl was killed he said he would just like to be there & give it to them German's I do hope that it may soon end so many being killed & slaughtered. When your Mother wrote last spring she said she had a photo of Earl for us would send it when you came down to wrap it up we would be pleased to have one hope you are all well Andy has been used up I guess it must be rheumatism his neck, chest & through his shoulders it is raining now so maybe it will be better we have had very poor thrashing weather so much wind and wet & it has just started to rain our folks were almost done but not the rain we would of had them Wed & maybe tomorrow we have about 150 acres to thrash they put up about 18 loads of sheaf oats to feed and got up over 60 load of hay.

The babies are sleeping they go just as soon as we have our supper and I am glad to get them there as they are always into mischief and these last few days have been quite cold & they are in and it just seems terrible Lloyd has a very bad cold was quite sick yesterday & is getting double teeth too he has 8 teeth can only say a few words yet I got Margeret picture it is real nice I don't know who she is like thank you did I send you one of Lloyd they aren't very good Ruby is getting quite tall but she is very thin Lloyd weights about as much.

I suppose you are busy too It seems nothing but work I washed today. I have a lot of sewing to do have been getting a little done I want to get them warmer dresses made I cut out a pair of sleepers for Ruby & a dress for Lloyd. last Mon. & haven't touched them since I have to make aprons for myself & a quilt for Ruby's bed I quilted a cloth quilt the other week & have another to do cloth but I am going to put wool in it & tie it we got our potatoes up last week had about 40 bags have carrots,beets & cabbage to take up yet but it won't take long we had a very good garden considering the short growing season this year our cucumbers, citron & tomatoes were just coming on June when the frost came so I didn't have many pickles to make. there was lots of wild fruit this year but we didn't get much got 2 pails of saskatoons & 18 qts of raspberries cannot go very well with children.

We just have 25 chicken the skunks took over 40 & 2 gosling we have 23 ducks we have 1 colt & 9 calves we milked 7 cows but are letting 2 dry now we sold 2 cows in the spring just before they had there calves & we sold 4 steers 2 last week & 2 awhile ago they are a great price.

Lillie is at home now came a week ago today Myrtle and there engineer (his home is down there) went down in the car on Sat. afternoon & she came also engineer's wife so they have quite a house full we were down yesterday afternoon. Clara said she was at your Mother's I suppose she has been to see you. we was down to Lillie's in Sept. in the car Mother, May, Stanley & us four left here Sat morning & got back Mon. night was a fine trip was 5 hrs each way. I expectid Lillie up tomorrow but it is raining pretty hard now I wish it had of kept fine for a week or two & the thrashing would have been done grain is quite light this year & a lot of it is frozen but some have real good grain & a lot of it our got pretty badly frozen but we have good crops in through here to what they have in lots of places & lots of places just turned there cattle in it & lots ploughed it down but hope for better another year.

My news seems to be exhaustid so I guess I will quite & go to sleep (bed I meant to put) hoping you are all well kind regards to all & write when you can & tell us about Earl.

Your Loving Cousin

Grace Wilson