Deer Mound, Alberta
Feb. 16th 1916

 Dear Mother;

 Received your post card last Friday.  Was sorry to hear that it was cold but as it was so severe here we could not wonder at it.  I hope it has turned warm before this.  It is very warm here for this time of year.  It turned warm on Saturday and the snow has melted every day since until the water is starting to run and a good deal of the country is getting bare. 

 Baby Clarence is not well, but we can not tell what is wrong with him.  He can not get enough nurse and seems to have trouble internally when he is fed.  The feed is mostly oatmeal water soaked and strained through a cloth and then cooked.

 Ethel can not get any work done because he will not sleep, nor lie nor sit very long.

 I am afraid that both Eugene and Will will be called away very shortly.  They seem to expect to go next month.

 Our stable is very unsatisfactory about the roof.  I wish I could take the old hay off to manure the land and put a new one on.  The water is dripping through now from the snow melting on top.  But I cannot get so much work done and don’t know how I am to manage in the spring.  The war is taking most of the men that are any good to work and a whole lot that are no good so I don’t see any chance to hire my work done reasonably.  I had an Englishman for a week but don’t care for any more of him.  I paid my father-in-law $20 for 10 cords of wood to be brought in poles.  He has brought 4 ½ cords of dry poles and is going to cut the green poles on this place.  While his brother had this place he (my father-in-law) cut a lot of poles for him-self well over on it, so Ethel’s uncle Sam laughed at him being so particular in this case.

 I am so woefully behind hand in writing letters lately that I guess I shall have to close with this to get at some others.  I remain,

Your Loving Son,
Earl