14-12-4
Manzanar, Calif.

Dear Joe, and Towru,

How are you? We are all well and hope that your cold is gone by now.

This week has been a real cold week and we had some snow on Dec. the fifth or the sixth but I have forgotten now. Then the day next, next after the day it snowed, we had light flakes and they melted as they hit the ground so they could not be seen. Then yesterday at 1:00 in the afternoon it started to snow and it really did snow. It snowed some more and more and the flakes were getting real big and then I think that it stopped snowing around 11:00 in the night. This morning the whole camp was really a wonderful sight and you should have seen the snow. Mom says it was around 3 inches and that really is true and hard to believe but what you see is what you see. The place where it never snows near the mountains is all white and looks real nice. All of the kids were playing snow ball fights and having a good time. Some of the kids made snow man. After every body started to walk on the snow it looked terribly dirty and now the ground is all wet and its three in the afternoon now and the snow is still on the ground. I wish you were here to see how nice manzanar looks when it snows.

Yesterday a parcel came but I didnt go after it and Iam wondering if it came from you. I was so busy all of this week and so I couldn't go and mail your letters so you probably was disappointed for not hearing from me but I bet there will be three letters for you from me.

I've finished that sweater that I was talking about and mom has just the part where she has to sew the sweater together and then pops will be all finished. Then she will start on yours Joe. Mom has made six sweaters continuing the one tht she is almost finished with and she also has made one pair of soxs. I have knitted three sweaters and 1 pair of soxs and also 2 pair of mittens. I bet that sure surprises you, Joe.

Tonight we are going to have the social in the kitchen and I dont know if it is going to turn out good or not.

We didnt eat in our mess hall for 2 days because they are painting all of the benches and walls and every where. Isn't that nice? The mess hall will be more attractive.

Mr. and Mrs. Smeltzer are supposed to be here this week but since the snow has been going to town I haven't seen them at all. He is going to or supposed to speak at 15-15 this sunday which is tomorrow.

Toy Ioki came back from the hospital after an operation on her leg and I think she is much better. Although she is using a cane like an old lay of 80 years old.

Since it has snowed there was no show last night and there probably wont be any tonight either. All of the benches have snow all over them and the ground is all wet so there probably won't be one in this week. I guess they have to start having the shows in the mess halls again.

In camp we can't send any presents to the people our side of the camps because the post office has to work too hard and the last day for sending the parcels was yesterday.

Nothing new is around or there isn't a single thing to report so I guess I better quit and then write some more when theres some good news.

So long,

Masako

Do you have the pictures yet? In your last letter you said that there were some pictures that you were going to send but you haven't said too much about them but when I said that I was going to send some pictures you were excited to see them as much as I am excited to get them so dont forget that I also want to see the pictures that you are going to send so I will be waiting.

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Towru, I bet your pretty home sick because the women dont do the work at your place and I bet you say to yourself. Gee I wish that mama was here to do my washing and ironing, and making my bed and preparing my food. I bet you are home sick, huh/

Jimmy Ito even said that you were kind of home sick in your letters to him. I bet that you are afraid to admit that you are.

I am telling the truth that I dont miss you but I wish I were out there to be away from this camp and so forth. The main thing that I wish for is being out of this camp and us getting together and living as a family again. I think that you guys are thinking the same thing as we are. The main thing is pop. He doesnt want to leave camp and says that it is better in the camp instead of out of the camp because the world has changed and then he says that it is hard to make a living and the taxes are too high and then he makes up a lot of stuff so I loose fight.

Joe, you said that Mr. smeltzer was going to come to manzanar and he came today and he really looks fine and talked to us about relocation as you said he would.

This is what he said. It would be better for you to go to chicago and start as any other ordinary person would live. He told us to come out and live at the hostel and then have pop find a job and then find a home and so forth. He said that you were very much in the mood for wanting us to go and live out there with you. He said that after pop found a job and then a home we could live as a family again and then mom could cook for you and then you would not have to be in the situation that you are in now. He said for us to come out and then mon said next year and the smeltzers said that it would be better for us to go out there earlier that we can because every body is saying that they are going to go out there in the next year and then the place would be too crowded. He didn't say much and just told us that you were getting along fine and then asked us if we wanted to say anything and then mom just said to say that we were all okay.

Thats about all that he covered because he had to go to many other places and so they left and he is going to speak at the church tomorrow.

Gee he changed and got a little skinny huh.

Well I will really close and then write again some other time.

Masako