Chippewa River, January 9th,81
Dear Grandfather!
In  the  last letter I wrote to you awhile ago I said I would write again
when I first went back to the woods, which has not occurred until now.  The
reason I have  not  written before  is this: that I have been to the woods
and back this fall.  It was specifically the 25th of November that I  went
up  the first time, but I didn't like it very well there, so left again the
4th of Dec. and went to Eau Claire  the  same day.  The  work  I  was supposed
to do there was to help the cook just as last winter, and the reason I  didn't
 like  it there was that the cook didn't want to do anything more than was
 necessary.  This  cook  was  and  Irish woman, and, as I didn't like it
I made use of the law and went on my way, for that is the way to do it here
in this country; because it is not here as in old Norway that there shall
 be  many  weeks notice, but one can give notice and leave the same day.
I  came, as  said, to  Eau Claire the 4th of Dec. last year, and  was  there
 until  after  Christmas, and accomplished almost nothing in this period.
 The next little job I had was to  chop  a  little wood.  On the 31st Dec.
I went up in the woods again and for the same company as last year, and have
the  same work also; but not today with the same cook, but I am now with
a Norwegian girl and she is  definitely  a  good one  too.  So  I have it
good this winter-am well and active all the time which is the greatest good
a person can have in this world.
The mill I worked at this summer closed down  the  11th November.  It  would
 perhaps  have gone longer, but then it became so cold that they had to 
stop.  Since  then  we  had good weather up until Christmas, but during Christmas
it was quite  cold  which  is  still  continuing.  We have also now enough
snow so that people get unusually good fine saw-logs, especially in the woods.
 I have nothing new  to  tell  you.  Everything  is  the same here as usual.
 I will have to quit for this time with  an affectionate  greeting  to  you
 and everyone in the house from you devoted grandson,
Andrew P. Solem
I think you can address the letters the same as before, namely  to  Eau 
Claire  because it isn't worth it to change the address just for  a  few
 weeks.  Besides, I  will  have someone down there in town to send them up
to me.
So  I  wish  you  all good luck in the New Year we have just entered.  It
is, I suppose, quite  diffficult  to  read this  letter, but  I  cannot 
help it for I have such little time so I must write fast.
Note that Anders has now become "Andrew", also that he
used his
initials in a transition stage, likely out of deference to his family.