[Letter to Clara Breed from Louise Ogawa, Poston, Arizona, January 27, 1943]

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[Letter to Clara Breed from Louise Ogawa, Poston, Arizona, January 27, 1943]

Maker Ogawa, Louise

Date1943

Mediumpaper, ink

DimensionsH: 10.5 in, W: 8 in (sheet); H: 3.5 in, W: 6.375 in (envelope)

ClassificationsArchives

Credit LineGift of Elizabeth Y. Yamada

Object number93.75.31D

DescriptionTranscription: January 27, 1943/Dear Miss Breed,/Tardily as usual I want to thank you very much for the most interesting book. I read the book in two hours. Once I started I could not stop reading it. Oh, I enjoyed it more than words can express./Today I am sitting at home writing letters instead of going to school. Now Miss Breed, please don't come to a conclusion until you hear my explanation. Since Saturday Poston has been having rainy weather. Today it is pouring cats and dogs. Because of the ground we are unable to attend school./The soil of Poston is very peculiar. When it rains, about an inch of the soil dampens. When you walk on it, the inch of mud clings to your shoe. As you lift your foot, you can see the dry sand underneath. Because the ground does not absorb the water we have a lake surrounding us.--all the water is floating on top of the mud. This may sound strange but it is a fact./On days like this I catch up on my or mending. Often I sit listening to the rain as it hits against the roof./I have heard there was a fire at the Buddhist Temple. Was it a very big fire? Do you know how bad the damages were? We have been quite worried because all our belongings which we left behind, we left or stored it at the Buddhist Church. I certainly hope the damages were not too severe./We stored there such things as the World Book Encyclopedia, trunks, little of our furniture, other books, my Japanese kimono, a box of Japanese canned food which we planned to bring but was not able. If you know if all the things stored there were burned or not - I would appreciate it if will inform me. Father is quite worried./January 19th I attended the memorable "ground breaking" ceremony. At this time Mr. Head, project director of Poston; Mr. Burge, director of Camp III; Dr. Carey, superintendent of Poston schools; Mr. Potts, principal of Poston III High School drove the steak into the ground where the new school is going to be built. The first school flag was raised by the Senior Class president, Tots Ishida. The school is going to be built out of adobe bricks. The bricks are being made here./The "tofu" factory has finally been established. Tofu is loved by all our parents. It is made from soya beans./I have just returned from lunch. I practically waded through our lake and entered the mess hall. When I entered, my eyes nearly popped out. It looked as if the floor was removed and the tables and chairs were sit right on top of the mud. I certainly feel sorry for the janitor who will have to clean the terrible mess!/I always talk on and on about myself and never stop to ask about you. Please do write during your leisure hours for I always count the days until I hear from you./Most sincerely,/Louise Ogawa./I am enclosing the menu you asked for. Sorry it was delayed. I skated on the mud! January 14, 1943:/Breakfast: cup of cocoa, 2 strips of bacon, fried potato, 2 biscuits/Lunch: 3 strips of beef heart, boiled califlower, bread, tomato and lettuce salad/Supper: rice, steak, 1 sweet potato baked, brockerly, 1 orange/January 15, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 pancakes, fried potato, syrup, 1/2 grapefruit, cocoa/Lunch: stew, bread, vegetable salad/Supper: spinach, rice, fried fish 1, pickled egg plant and turnip/January 16, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 strips of bacon, cup of cocoa, fried potatoes, 2 toast/Lunch: 1 hamburger, mashed potato, bread, 5 half slices of canned peaches/Supper: rice, 2 donuts, chop suey (all kinds of vegetables cooked together with shoyu) pickled vegetables/January 17, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 pancakes, syrup, butter - 1 cube cocoa, fried potato/Lunch: hash, bread, peanut butter, fruit salad/Supper: raw fish 2 slices, cooked fish, rice, brockly, jello/January 18, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, 2 strips of bacon, cocoa Lunch: spagetti, bread, jam, can corn/Supper: tempura (carrots, potatoes cooked separately in deep fat - carrots potatoes covered with flour then cooked in deep fat) rice, cold slaw/(This is one morning we did not have fried potatoes)/January 19, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 biscuits, fried potato, cocoa, 1 weinie/Lunch: corn beef and cabbage, bread, jam, beets, sliced can peaches - 5 - (1/2 slices.) Supper: rice, chop suey, 1 banana, pickled vegetable, baked sweet potato, tea/January 20, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, jam, cocoa, 1 balony/Lunch: jam, 2 biscuits, spagetti/Supper: tempura, rice, tea/(You will notice for breakfast we have pancakes and biscuits quite often this has been because of the shortage of bread. If bread is served in the morning it will not be available for noon. Rice is served just ate nite)/January 21, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 biscuit, fried potato, cocoa, jamLunch: rice, cooked weinie with unions in shoyu, fruit salad./Supper: 1 hamburger, rice, spinach, tea (black)/(There really was a bad shortage of bread today)/January 22, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, fried potato, coccoa, 1/2 grapefruit/Lunch: bread, peanut butter, corn beef and cabbage, beets/Supper: chamen, rice, pickled vegetables/January 23, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, cocoa, fried potato, 1 wienie/Lunch: beans, baked potato, bread, jam, cold slaw Supper: stew, can corn, rice, pickled napa, 1 orange/January 24, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, cocoa, fried potato/Lunch: spinach, lettuce with vinegar, bread, jam, 1 boiled ham/Supper: rice, fried fish, pickled vegetables/January 25, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 toast, cocoa, fried potato/Lunch: corn beef and cabbage, bread, 2 Japanese biscuits/Supper: rice, 2 cubes of tofu (1st one since evacuation), cabbage napa, meat and unions cooked together shoyu/January 26, 1943:/Breakfast: 2 pancakes, syrup, 1 cube of butter, fried potato, 1 wienie, cocoa/Lunch: bread, jam, 1 ham, spinach, fruit salad/Supper: rice, steak (not horse meat - cow meat) peas + carrots cooked, 5 half sliced can apricots./You can see by this at we have quite a bit of potato. I imagine that's what makes me gain. I hope this is satisfactory. ;1 letter and envelope from Louise Ogawa to Clara Breed.