Jackie Takahashi
Magrath, AB on May 8, 1945
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: Box 76,
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: Magrath Alta.,
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: May 8, 1945
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: Dear Joan --
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: Just finished putting in my day and taking it easy. We never did much to-day for it has been snowing most of the day.
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: Sorry for not writing sooner. I got your letter while I was still in the northern woods so it must be over a month now. I did write a letter two weeks ago but I forgot to mail it the following Saturday so I never sent it.
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: Since I came home from the woods I’ve been on the farm. Although I’ve been here about a month now I’ve only worked in the field about eight days at the most. The weather has been so bad most of the time we just couldn’t work. The first week in April the wind blew every day. On the second week it started with a white morning on Sunday and wind most of the other days. One day that week it was nice. The third week it started out pretty nice. Then on Wednesday it started to blow again. On Friday I started in the field and it sure was an awful day to start. The wind blew so hard some times I just couldn’t see in front of the tractor on account of the sand. The next day it was worse. The last week of the month started a little white on Sunday
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: but it cleared up Sunday and was nice all Monday.
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: For the rest of the week we had snow, rain, and wind. May started really nice. We thought spring was really here at last for it was really nice and hot for a few days. Since Saturday night we changed our mind about Spring. Saturday night about ten o’clock we were struck by a wind going at a rate of 45 miles per hour. It just came with a bang from due north. Just north of the house we just cultivated the land and Sunday most of the soil was in the house.
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: I sleep upstairs and I had my window on the east side open but my room was covered with sand.
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: The boss got the most sand in his room, I believe he had his north window open.
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: Sunday went to town to see clothe and beding [sic] hanging on lines everywhere. I heard some fellows even got lost and others were black with dust. I read an article in the paper about 4 fellows about 14 or 15 who had to spend the night behind rocks for they couldn’t get home on account of the sand. The wind died down about two in the morning. Sunday and Monday night it blew a little but not very bad. Today it started to snow about 7 this morning and has been snowing all day. It’s supposed to be the 8th of May but it sure doesn’t feel or look like it outside. Although the grass is a little green you wouldn’t know it was spring otherwise.
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: Yesterday was VE day and every place must have been celebrating. Magrath had a little celebrating hanging and burning Hitler. Lethbridge done the same too and they were shooting rockets by the dozens. The farm here is fairly high up on the hills so I seen some of the rockets exploding in the air.
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: Those boys sure must be glad it’s over over there. I sure hope the rest will quit soon so we can live in a peaceful world again.
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: Next month some time we will be starting to thin beets again.We should start in May but I believe we won’t on account they couldn’t put the seeds in early due to the bad weather.
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: It’s only Tuesday to-day and I don’t get in to town till Saturday so I can’t mail it right away. That’s why I forgot about the other one. I’m only 4 1/2 miles from town but just get in Saturday night and get Sunday off.
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: Saturday nights I usually go to see a show. Two Saturdays ago the Japanese young fellows put on a social or dance but I didn’t go. Five of us boys scrammed to Raymond. We really got cussed the next day from the others for been [sic] poor sports but I didn’t care. I still don't’ dance and never care much about it.
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: I guess Q.E. must have mixers once in a while too. While I was going to school we had one but I stayed home. Even at Q.E. I only went to one mixer and that was enough for me. Two more months and schools are
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: are finished and you’ll be out of high school. I myself should be out too but I guess I’ll never see the day I graduate from a high school. The twins will finish grade 8 in June and I believe Harry will be out of 6.
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: When they started in Magrath they had to repeat one year so they are back on year.
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: Now it’s started to snow like heck again so I believe I won’t be in the field this week again. We broke the truck engine yesterday so we removed the engine to-day and to-morrow intend to replace it with another engine.
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: Well time is flying and I’ve still got another letter to write and hit the hay so I‘ll close here by saying so-long
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: Yours Sincerely
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: Jackie
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: May 11, 1945
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: Spring seems be [sic] coming again but I believe the wind will blow it by again. On Wednesday it turned warm again and the fields dried enough for us to work again. Yesterday and to-day I worked in the field but the wind keeps on blowing the sand away darn near as fast as I can work it. It seems like the wind just can’t stop blowing. To-day it didn’t blow quite as bad but to-night its started again. The weather otherwise is fine.
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: To-morrrow is Saturday, the day I look forward to each week and Sunday the day I can sleep till laze[?] o’clock. Good-bye again.
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Preferred Citation
Takahashi, Jackie. Correspondence from Jackie Takahashi to Joan Gillis. 8 May 1945. RBSC-ARC-1786-01-32. Joan Gillis fonds. University of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections, Vancouver, Canada.