Letter, March 17, 1975

Dear Dad, Mom & all,

I neglected to tell you about two letters ago, that the other volunteer from Wisconsin, Jim Olson, had his parents down here in about mid-February and I told them if they ever got down around Friendship (they are from Neenah) they should stop in. So if some Olsons you don’t know ever drop in & say they met your son in El Salvador, it’s true! They are very nice people & have a small farm with Holstein cattle just like us. They had quite a time down here, visiting the beach and volcanos, and going to Jim’s work site, but I think the crowding on the buses & the heat wore them out pretty fast. If any of you get the urge to come down let me know! The poverty here might really depress you though, as you wouldn’t have time to get used to it (I don’t expect I’ll ever fully get used to it.)

I’m glad to hear you (Dad) are getting along well in spite of your operation. I’m sorry to hear about your continued bad luck with calves, but it seems like it’s got to change pretty soon. You should be getting a lot of milk though with all those heifers fresh. Cattle sure seem to be selling cheap, considering the inflation rate and all. I don’t see how beef men can stay in business with high {priced} corn & cheap cattle. It’s lucky that milk {price} is more stable. Looks like you might just as well hang onto your marginal milk producers (those you have room for) since you can’t get much for them across the scales {meaning by selling them for beef}.

I guess there is no good reason to file a tax return if U.W. didn’t withhold anything. The only advantage might be the chance to average incomes across low years like this in the future (I understand Wis. lets you do that). I’ve sent you my information, so do whatever seems best.

Easter vacation is coming up & I may be going to climb San Vicente, a large volcano in central El Salvador, where they say you can see almost the whole country on a clear day. I wish I had a sleeping bag, as we’ll have to stay overnight, but I guess a blanket will do (the chance of rain is pretty slim). Maybe I’ll manage to get some pictures. By the way, I got that film you sent me, thanks. I have 4 rolls to use up now!

I’m going to start my survey Monday if no more delays manage to happen before then. It’s going to be mighty hot walking all over the countryside, but it’ll be good for me as I’ve been getting awful lazy lately!

As always,

Dean