January 13, 1946. Stanley writes a letter to Dad from Albany. He reports that he “just finished eating two sandwiches and a bottle of beer to keep my strength up.” With that he is fortified to begin writing his letter.
He writes that “Baby Judy was 6 months old on 10 Jan 46. She is a pretty good kid.” Stanley enclosed a few photos with the letter, one of which was of Judy “taken in the playroom downstairs.” He writes that it took a little time for him to get her to pose just right. He also included a picture of Terry who “insisted on having a picture taken…showing off her new teddy bear that she got for Christmas.” He comments “Anytime you bring a camera around Terry is right there sitting down and posing for a picture.”
Stanley writes that he has been seeing many of their friends back in town after the war including “Ziggy Baldowski and also Anna” as well as Joe Malek. Both Ziggy and Joe were in “civilian clothes” leading Stanley to assume that they are “out of the Army for good.” He goes on to comment “Yes sir, the city of Albany is sure filling up again with the males.”
In other news from home, Stanley writes that the tax bills came for the year for the various properties that Pop owns and that “There has been quite a jump in tax rates.” He goes on to relate, “The city and state have so much money they don’t know how to spend it and then they go and raise the taxes on the homes. I don’t understand it… If everybody is raising the prices on everything how in the world can a person live on the few dollars he gets. …That’s why when I was in the Army I was saving my last cent as I knew that when I get out it will all come in handy.”
In an interesting paragraph, Stanley relays news that was received from family back in Poland. This is the first time in all the letters that mention of this branch of the family is made, let alone wartime conditions in Poland. “So far mom hasn’t heard anything further from the Przelaskowki’s. Mom does hear from Oton Swisczewski. I guess he is mom’s half brother. He said that the Germans left everything in ruins when they went through there and that there is not much left. The Germans took all the animals except one or two which they left for them. The letters coming here are all censored by the Polish Army. I don’t see why they should be censored. Poland did not start the war, and now they have to suffer for it all.”
Of course, a letter from home would be incomplete without an accounting of little Terry’s antics. In addition to her insistence on getting her picture taken, Stanley passes along a story of Terry and a bottle of soda. “A few days ago Terry…came running upstairs with a bottle of soda and asked me to open it for her… I order to keep her still and not to open the bottle we started to fib her as why we did not want her to have any as Anne did not even know that she brought it…upstairs. She just took it from the case and brought it upstairs. She knocked the bottle on the floor and it foamed up inside. I told her now that…the gas came up to the top in foam form that if we opened it up it would…blow the house up. …Terry started to cry and said that she did not want any today. She did not want to see the bottle…knock the house down. You should see the expression on her face. …I finally convinced her that since the bottle settled for a while it would not shoot when opened. She was satisfied then.”
In another episode, Stanley tells a story of “one day when Terry was not feeling well Anne called the doctor and he came. Of course he brought his black case with him in which he keeps his instruments. Terry was nosy and stuck her nose into the black bag. The doctor told Anne that Terry was looking into the bag for a baby brother. So when the doctor was not near the bag Terry almost pulled everything out looking for a baby brother in the black case.”
With nothing more to write about from the home front, Stanley signs off, “Well that is all for now. God bless you brother and speed your return to the States.