Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-05-13
Long Beach, Cal.

/ think Jim has told you many OF
the disagreeable things and l will try
to answer your questions. As TO work
it is hard times here the same as
everywhere else. for the poor, and
there are many out of work end look
Ing for jobs of any kind You might
get work picking oranges. l think
thew give a good hand cents box
and expect to make 50. 90 a day, but
have to WORK hard for it, They hire
.Iaps great deal for all kinds of
work The orange crop begins the
first of February and is all over by
the last of July.
Don't think 1t pays to pay freight
on furniture. but bring all the bed
ding you can get We have slept
under two comfortables and most of
the time double flannel sheets. All
summer have wished manv times ] had
brought more of mine, even if they
were old. You can pack many of
your dishes in among the bedding that
will do TO use until you are settled.
You see they move every three months
here and YOU are glad not TO have
many dishes. And one thing be sure to
pack your boxes before you have your
sale. Put in all the little things you
use every day. OF course you can buy
granite ware here quite cheap, but the
thing is to get the money to buy
save. but found | did not since we
struck California. You have to hold
on TO the pennies and count them
twice before you dare spend one.
Everything is high and it soon eats mp
all the wages Yod even paw more
for raisins and prunes than you do in
Ohio. Yes and you pay as much for
oranges too. Flour is 95c for 25 pounds
graham 35c for 10 pounds. You can
get secondhand sewing machines
cheap. but l am not sorry brought
mine. / would crate it. not put ii in
a box as did mine. Think it would
come bet ter. and not cost as much.
Bring all your warm winter clothes,
underwear and wooden stockings. If
you leave or give away any give the
light. summer ones, you will not miss
them as you will your thick ones
They wear furs all summer for even
ings and this is warm country. where
the sun shines every day in the year.
SO they say, but last winter IT often
rained TWO and three yes, and some-
times a week. at a time, when
you are glad if you have anything TO
build fire. From the first of Novem
Der until nearly the first of June, you
will want a fire from O. clock in the
afternoon until bedtime, and in the
morning until 10 O'Clock. Very few
days that you need fire through the
middle of the day. Coal is SIS ton
and wood Sl4 a cord and all cut 10
and 10 inches. and in Ohio we would
not call il fit to burn at all. So If YOU
don't use so much il costs, and If you
don't keep warm the next thing is
hard cold and then pneumonia. l..
never heard of so much as there was
in Pasadena last winter. Yes they
have good schools in Southern Cali
fornia. Lynn goes half miles You
ask about the houses. / suppose Uncle
Alvin has told you about ours. and it
is as good as one third of the houses
in Long Beach
OF course they are building big
hotel that will cost half million and
as much more to furnish il and an
other building that will cost million
In order that il will be sure to cost
the door-knobs and hinges are to be
gold plated. from his mines at Gold
field. AS a whole the houses to rent
are small They have to be or only
those with a big income could live
in house at all We paid for
small house of two rooms and Just
furniture and dishes to get along. il
there were four of us 1 had to use
some of my own dishes and knives
and forks. only SIS a month and that
was awful cheap for Long Beach.
Rents are high through the summer
and IL is so in Pasadena and Los
Angeles. hut you might get one for
$40 through the winter. AS for car
pets they use big rugs just tackled at
the corners for you know they have to
be taken up every two weeks and