[No envelope. Children of Susanna Bates Dickey mentioned in the letter: Ed and Bella Dickey, Will and Ida Guild, Laura (and George) Dickey, Nettie Dickey, Morris Dickey, Thom Dickey. Grandchildren: Mildred Bryson, Jean Guild, Aubrey Archibald.]
Musquodoboit January 7th 1909
Dear John and Janet
I am going to write to you both together this time and tell you how we fare at present, but first I must thank Janet for the nice present she sent me it is real nice. Well to begin with we spent Christmas at home. aunt Henrietta and uncle Jimmy and Eds wife and the children were here, then the next night was the twenty-fifth aniversary of Will and Idas marriage so we gave them a surprise party Laura and Sue baked things and invited about twenty to tea and we spent a pleasant evening, now we have settled down to hard tack again Bella and the children are here Ed has never sent for them yet and I dont know when he is going to but Will Archibald about turned them out and we could not let them stay on the road, but I tell you we have some noise betimes, I got quite a few Christmas presents a pair of slippers two sets of collar pins pocket handkerchief bottle of perfume box of stationary and cloth for a waist from Mildred Bryson and last but not least Janet’s present, so you see I fared pretty well how I would like to go in and see you some day we dont forget you in fancy I see you so cosy in your home and I know that it will be pleasant
Rupert Fisher has just left here he is home on a visit from BC and came to see us he is going back about the last of this month, the girls have gone back to their schools Jean Guild has been laid up with a bealing [a boil or sore] on her hand. the rest of them are well. I have only seen Aubry once since he came home and he dont say much about the place only what we ask him We are not having snow yet only a few skifs, yesterday we had a big storm of rain and wind
Nettie is home yet dont know what time she is going back yet it is quite a while since we heard from Morris and Thom the last we heard they were out of work there dont seem to be much to do there in the winter
Now dont forget to write again soon and tell us all about how you are getting along. Hoping this may be a prosperous and happy year is the wish of your loving Mother