As most of you know, Grandma is making a valiant effort to go home for Christmas.
"My Commanding Officer signed my leaves papers so now I will have to wait until the 1st of December to see if Personnel will pass it! They better because I am planning on coming home and if they don't I will be a sick baby. If I can't come home then I won't come home until around June. I am pretty sure that I will be home Xmas."
If Grandma doesn't go home for Christmas, the next time she will see her family is a year and a half after she left! Even the thought of not seeing my family for months makes my heart shrivel. Thinking about it now, I don't think my Grandmother went without seeing her sister at least twice a year during my lifetime. Whenever Grandma and Great Aunt Peg got together, Ooooo-wee did the flamboyancy fly! I don't think there's enough glitter to describe it. They were just so in sync. They could just sit there and sparkle.
Grandma talks about the journey she is taking from Miami, FL to Missoula, MT.
"I leave by streamliner from here to Chicago and that won't be bad. The dirty part of the trip will be from Chicago to Missoula. ... The trip is going to cost me $90.00 round trip coach and then of course I have to count my meals too. I won't be able to get real nice Xmas presents for you but I will try to get you little things."
I looked into the conversion of $90 in 1940 to dollars with today's inflation. What I have found is that $1 in 1940 is equivalent to $15.28 in today's dollars. It looks like Grandma paid $1,375 in today's dollars for this trip back in 1943. The ticket prices for the same journey, well to Whitefish, MT, are significantly lower than what Grandma paid back in 1943. I'm guessing with the advent of inexpensive travel options AmTrack and other train companies had to lower their prices as well.
My Great-Grandfather is sick. Grandma wants to buy him Christmas presents, but she does not know his current size.
"Since he has been sick I don't know what sizes he wears. I wish you would write and give me his size in shoes, socks, shirts and pajamas. Now, that is no sign I am going to give you any of those things, Pop."
Love my Grandma, but she was never one to keep a secret or keep Christmas presents a secret. I cannot judge her for that; I told my boyfriend what he was getting for our first 3 years of Birthday, Christmas, and Anniversary presents. I was just so excited and they were just so perfect!
Ohp, Grandma is in search of a new beaux!
"Saturday night I went to dinner and a show with that Ensign named Don Coffelt. He is back in Panama now so I will have to hustle myself another boyfriend again."
Grandma is a hoot...just love her!
ReplyDeleteShe always had something to say, and yes I love her too!
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