#that old hat

Dear Mama and Papa,

I hope this letter finds you well. We certainly are! We seem to have hit our stride in recent months. The farm is flourishing. We are growing potatoes, pumpkins, aubergines and watermelon. We sell our eggs and milk at the town markets. We lost Darling, our cow, last winter, but Mr Berkowitz sold us one of his. Daisy is a delight and has been helping us to make ends meet.

Onto the children, your favourite subject. Sarah is 11 - I can hardly believe it –! Growing more beautiful and more stubborn by the day. She is a good child, helping me out around the house and in the garden, though I know she does not enjoy it. Her grades leave a lot to be desired, though she is a smart child and I know she can apply herself if she chooses to. It may be that school is not for her.

Benji is a different matter. He seems to enjoy school, though I suspect it is more because he sees his friends. He has two, Yanke and Avi. The ‘three Musketeers’, Sarah calls them. They are all good students – when they apply themselves – but I have been to the school twice to respond to letters from his teachers on the pranks they have played on a few of the older girls.

Papa, do you remember that boy Yitzhak (Isaac) who used to put spitballs in my hair in class? When Avram found out, he thrashed him. Of course, I am not going to thrash my son, but I will nip this behaviour in the bud. It is not the type of behaviour I wish to see from him, or any of my children.

Aaron and Perl are going well also. At times I confess forgetting to update on Aaron, as he is such a good boy that I have nothing to report! He applies himself well at school, even though his bar mitzvah is a few years away, but he enjoys studying Torah so, that he may be a rabbi. Zayde would be so proud.

Perl is almost five now, and due for another photograph, which I shall send to you promptly. She is 'the apple of her father’s eye’. A strange expression but in this case accurate. She loves to follow Avram around the farm and tries to “help” tend to the garden. Such a darling.

They are all getting so big, and we are all excited to see you for Rosh HaShanah. It is so early this year! Only a month away!

Your loving daughter,

Esther.

August 2nd, 1899.