12 Jul 1943
John Griffin to Mother / Arlington, VA
Dear Mother,
Today is one of those real hot sticky days that make you wish you'd never left California. We have our screened porch fixed up real nice now and it really is a life saver. I don't work in an air-conditioned building this year though and it is pretty hard to get through some of these hot days.
I just talked to Dot on the phone and she said that the cherries arrived and were in very good condition. She is putting them up today even though it is awfully hot. She says that she is getting about 15 quarts per box. That will make them cost about 30 cents per quart which is pretty high but still a lot better than nothing. We certainly appreciate your sending them and I enclose a check for $9.50 which should cover the 50 pounds at 11 cents per pound and the $4.00 express. Right now peaches are selling here for 29 cents per pound and all other fruit in proportion. Some friends of ours paid $11.50 per case of 18 quarts for raspberries last week. I told Dot that we could do without them at that price. I suppose they and all other types of berries are gone by now. If not and they are not too high we'd surely like to get some. Almost all berries here sell from 50 to 75 cents per quart. You can judge from that.
We have not canned 21 pints of beans from our garden and have one more picking coming up. We have a new crop of beans up now and by fall we should have some more. Our tomato plants are covered with tomatoes and with this good rain we got Saturday they should begin to ripen. The corn also has some ears on it and we are hoping that it will develop into something. It has not grown very tall and I don't expect too much. We have some cucumbers and a couple of pumpkins that Bob watches grow with much delight. I guess you get tired of hearing about our garden but that is uppermost on our minds right now.
I have finished painting the front of the house, and the more I use that Dupont paint the better I like it. If Dad has a couple of quarts of "Old Ivory" I wish he would put them away. I'm afraid I'm going to run out and I can't get any more of that color back here. I might get by with what I have gut I don't like to take the chance. I'll be through in about a month so I would appreciate it if Dad would put away 2 quarts for me until I've finished. Then if I don't need them he should have no trouble selling them.
They put in a new Bishop out here last night. Larry Manwaring who has been Bishop ever since the ward was organized develop a bad case of stomach ulcers. He has been in the hospital for about three weeks and is now on a very special diet. They put John Henry Smith, a brother of the Bishop of Elsie's ward in L.A. in as our new Bishop. He is a good guy and will make a good Bishop.
Heard from Ben and Elsie last week. Ben seems to be quite disappointed about not getting the Navy commission. It may be a blessing in disguise. Must get to work. Thanks again for the cherries.
John
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