"be forbearing enough to lay part of the blame upon our restless cows"
Caroline Boa Henderson, autograph letter signed, dated 29 May 1939, to Rose Alden, from Eva, Oklahoma.
Written in part while waiting for one of her heifers to give birth, this letter from Caroline describes daily life on the farm with her husband and her continued anxieties. Although weather conditions have become more favorable to planting, "it will take years of favorable seasons and persistent effort to effect any real recovery." She adds:
We have both worn down fast during the years of extreme desolation since 1931. Every small accomplishment now seems to demand a greater output of energy and resolution than in the years that are gone.
On a happier note, Caroline is pleased that her classmate Rose will be attending their Mount Holyoke class reunion although she herself will not be able to:
"It will be a happy experience to mingle again with those who in my mind at least, are endowed with the charm of perennial youth. Pictures or hints of change make no difference. I think of all of you just as you were 'when you and I were young.'"
Caroline Boa Henderson with her dog Jack, late 1930s. Photograph courtesy of David Grandstaff.