Luebo, Belgian Congo, April 17, '21
Dear Mother and Daddy:
While we are having a beautiful summer day, I suspect you are having a beautiful spring day there, with the trees and other green things putting on their spring clothes. The temperature today is 85 in the shade -- or rather 84.2 (29 centigrade). We kept a record of the temperature during March and I want to send you this when I have time to write it out. It is hotter now than it will be in a month, for this is the end of the rainy season, and when the dry season begins, it doesn't get so hot. From 80 to 86 is the way it runs on hot days on the porch, and in our bedroom from 68 to 75, being of course lower on cool days - Dot had to get out her sweater last evening when we went over to Miss Larson's.
Rev. and Mrs. Anderson, two of our missionaries, came in yesterday morning. They are both right young people, can't tell you much more about them as they have just come. Their pictures were in the "Survey" a few months back. They will be stationed at Bibanga.
Our chickens and garden are progressing fairly well. We have planted the following: beans -- about 8 or 10 inches high, tomato plants - just transplanted, and then we have some turnips planted in a box just up. We also have some popcorn coming up. Stegall also has quite a bit of it up and almost ready to gather. Our chickens are beginning to lay, with two hens sitting, and the one hen with little chicks about which we wrote you.
As your school is out and it isn't long till summer, I suppose you are already planning to go to Terrell. You also said you had not given up hopes of going to Marlin, and we are hoping that you will see your way to go. I believe you said Hickman and Nettie were also planning to go with you. I am inclined to think you made a mistake in not going sooner; of course I know it is easy enough to say people ought to do so and so, but that it isn't always for that person to find the way and time to go. Have you made a decision as to what you will do about teaching school during the coming fall? It will be about July when this letter reaches you, which isn't so very long till fall, you know.
April 26th
We now have an organ in our house. We are both glad to have the use of it. It belongs to the station, and as they have a piano in our Library, where we gather for our prayer meetings, etc., this organ is not specially needed elsewhere. It is one of these small folding organs, but Dot gets quite a bit of sound out of it.
We are having quite a bit of rain now, as the end of the rainy season is at hand and I suppose it is trying to do its best before it stops. The dry season is due to start somewhere about the middle of May.
We took off another hen with bidies but were not quite so successful so have four chicks out of seven eggs; one of these was broken and the other two just no good. Then we have two more hens sitting. We now have two goats from which we get a little over a pint of milk a day. This is almost as much milk as we ordinarily need, except when we make soup with milk and dessert with milk.
We have goat meat about once a week here. A goat is killed and each family chooses the part they want. Goat meat makes a good dish, and of course, we always select a young one. Last week we had a nice fish weighing about two pounds and very nice. A few weeks ago they brought one in weighing -- his head weighed fourteen (14) pounds - altogether 35 pounds, and he was as fine as he was big. This, of course, furnished enough meat for all on the station. As soon as the dry season comes, we ought to have fish quite often.
We have started playing tennis some lately, and Dot has been learning. This is very good exercise, and very good for her, if we will just keep it up. We have a good court and there are several of us who play. The only trouble about these sports, which we ought to indulge in more regularly, is that we take them up and then drop them all too soon.
We want to get this off in the next mail. With much love and prayers for you.
B. M.
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