Show Notes
It's a rainy fall day in November, and Mattie is sitting down to write to Ken. Today, there is drama. She got a call from her older sister, who used to be one of her closest friends. But now, it seems, there is bitterness as Mattie reports telling Ella "well, Old Girl, you are just getting a dose of your own medicine, now you know how it feels to slight a child of yours." Steve reveals that, just a few years from now, Ella will get a lobotomy, and though she lives until the 2000's, she will spend the rest of her life in an institution. In happier news - we hear about WWII going better in North Africa (for now), a glimmer of hope in Stalingrad (but not yet), and a new movie. Plus, we learn all about V-Mail, and Mattie meets her dress form lookalike. –––– Links: 1942 U.S. Midterm Elections 1942 Election results in the MN 4th District The Socialist Appeal –––– Characters This Week: Aunt Ella (older sister) Uncle Herb (younger brother) Aunt Dolly (younger brother's wife) Chuck Giertsen (Ken's best friend) Virginia (Ken's fiancée) –––– Website: moth.family Contact us: [email protected] Get notified about new episodes
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Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.
Check out the podcast Never Post at neverpo.st. A good place to start is the episode A New Type of Grief: Inheritance Posting.
More from Mattie On The Homefront
It's a February sort of letter - cold and dark, with some signs that the season is changing, but it's not here yet. This week, Mattie expresses a lot of concern (and love) for a lot of folks who are having a rough go of it at the moment - including a big update on Wes' finances. For her part, Mattie is still struggling with the car, and an infection, but having fun going out to dinner. For our part, we learn that Ken might have played the piano (??) and what the difference is between WAVES and WAACs. –––– Characters This Week: Dr. Seltzer (doctor) Oscar (Ken's Army pal) Betty Giertsen (Ken's best friend's sister) Chuck Giertsen (Ken's best friend) Wes (eldest son) Flo (Daughter-in-law) Mr. Sperzel (Flo's dad) Virginia (Ken's fiancée) Gennrich's (best friends) Major (and Mrs.) George Westman (Gennrich's brother) Betty Jane Westman (Major's daughter) Herb & Loraine Westman (Gennrich's brother and sister-in-law) Georgine Hanson (neighborhood friend) ––––
Wes is having terrible luck, Mattie is still doing lots of volunteering, and wood gas is a possible substitute for fuel oil. There's a lot happening at the end of January, including Mattie processing being an empty nester. Most exciting, though, is that Steve is mentioned in the letters for the first time (despite not being born for nearly 5 years) when Mattie dreams of a son that Ken might one day have. Which leads us, inevitably, to playing with blocks. –––– Characters This Week: Virginia (future daughter-in-law) Wes (son) Florence (daughter-in-law) Bud (step-son) Viv (step-daughter) Wally (step-son-in-law) Billy (step-grandson) ––––
One of our big questions is answered this week when we learn that Ken has a question of his own. Meanwhile, Mattie is proudly showing off snaps around town, and working to keep the house at a frosty 65 degrees during a long cold snap. Plus, their car trouble continues, as do the questions about Wes & Flo's belongings. –––– Characters This Week: Virginia (future daughter-in-law) Wes (son) Florence (daughter-in-law) Gennrich's (friends) Dick Hance (Ken's friend) Uncle Herb (younger brother) Rudy (step-daughter) Dianne (step-granddaughter) ––––
Our first handwritten letter since September means that Mattie isn't at her trusty typewriter. Not one to waste a moment, she is writing to Ken while having her hair done at he beauty shop. She tells him about the overwhelming stresses of Ladies' Aid, about new snaps she's sent his way, and how much better Ken's letters are than Bud's. We get to discover what used to be in the building that is now The Ax Man, the Curtis Hotel is Recommended, and that the tree in the back yard is even more special than we already knew it to be. Plus - how are they going to get to the cabin this summer? January is the perfect time to wonder. –––– Characters This Week: Hanson's (neighborhood friends) Gennrich's (Minneapolis friends) Wes (eldest son) Florence (daughter-in-law) Applebaum (Wes & Flo's landlord) Bud (step-son) Rudy (step-daughter) Diane (step-granddaughter) –––– Links: Photos of the Curtis Hotel Review of Curtis Hotel, from I Recommend, by Roland L. Hill in 1948 Muggley's Recreation Midway Gardens 1947 sit-in by Bayard Rustin
Only 36 hours after her previous letter, Mattie has news enough to write again to Ken. And yes, it's about Wes & Flo. Plus, Mattie is listening to a lot of radio, and narrowly avoiding teenagers, but she cannot get out of her new obligation as it looks as though, despite her wishes, the world isn't ending. But the biggest news isn't from Mattie - it's from us - because we found Virginia! The mysterious Virginia, of whom we have only 2 photographs and no last name, now has that last name and a bunch more photos. We followed the clues from the letters, and now we know a whole lot more. –––– Characters This Week: Wes (eldest son) Florence (daughter-in-law) Applebaum (Wes & Flo's landlord) Mrs. Berkey (??) Virginia (Ken's squeeze) Georgine Hanson (neighbor/church friend) Gram (mother) Myrtle Yocum (acquaintance) Susan (??) ––––