Margaret reads an excerpt of a letter from her to Kenneth's father about the King's palace and how she thought that some millionaires in the US probably had equally "elaborate palaces."
Margaret reads her letter to Kenneth. Letters between the two were often opened and read. She already sealed letters with wax. She refers to a tea party to which Mr. Bulkley had invited her, trying to make her look like a brute. She gives other…
Margaret tells the story of "The Pakai Affair". It started when Margaret spent the year battling some health issues and couldn't fulfill her responsibilities at the school. Her illness became part of the plan of Bertha Blount, one of "the villain[s]…
The Landons were trying to persuade the Thai Christians to tithe to support their new pastor, Charlie Hak, but the response was not good. Previous missionaries had created a lot of what the Landons called "rice Christians." They were not anxious to…
Margaret tells of the family animals. Izzy and Lizzy were two hornbills that Kenneth had brought home from his last tour. They liked fruits, especially the jack fruit. The Landons also had a small Japanese dog called Suzy, and a long, thin, Siamese…
In one of her letters Margaret wrote that she had always thought, and at some point felt, that she didn't do anything important. Kenneth was the one on the road all the time doing what really mattered. Kenneth joked that he was just dashing around.
In May 1930, Kenneth wrote concerning his father and dresses. Margaret tells of the fine dresses Victorine Smith had picked up for Brad to send to Margaret. Brad deemed them too expensive and returned to the store to exchange them for cheaper dresses…
Margaret stayed with the Sheehans for three and a half weeks. They were delightful people though uncultivated. Mrs. Sheehan was a devout Catholic and Mr. Sheehan was often singing a song (his only song) while working around the house. Kenneth sings…
Margaret wrote in a letter that she was going to assume responsility for the girls' school. Many of the students were Buddhists. She describes the Siamese customs and how she thought they were superior to the Chinese and Indians customs. She talks…
Bill never had Peggy's social instinct; it was just born in her. Bill was always self-absorbed and he was so busy from the day he was able to get around. By the time he was two he was really maneuverable and showed a gift for language.
Margaret continues to read her last letter to home. She writes about the children's health, their growth and some specific ways in which they behave. She returns to the story of Dan and Doris Hume Bovee and what they meant for the Landons, in…
Margaret wrote about the Christmas presents from home that came the day after Christmas. She describes the presents and how the family reacted to receiving them. The Mortensons were so thrilled when they received the movies Kenneth made at Bill's…
Margaret remembers two little girls who walked four miles to come to Peggy's birthday party. She recalls getting a cable for her own birthday. Kru Chin Da brought Margaret nice things for her birthday (she also taught Margaret incredible cooking…
Margaret talks about her servant Ah Sim. She couldn't read but was very bright. She would keep the market list in her head. Kenneth was keeping track of the market. Once Kenneth was away for six weeks. Upon his return Ah Sim gave him a report of her…
Margaret often had problems with her servants not being responsible enough. The Chinese servants tended to be noisy, negligent, dirty, and dishonest. But they were tremendously hard workers. The Siamese were quieter, cleaner, and more careful, but…
Margaret talks about the house in Trang. She explains about property ownership in Trang and the acquisition of the mission compound. She describes the house they lived in and the building style that took into account the monsoon. She explains the…
Margaret remembers the "cats" the Landon had. There was a small "panther" (a cheetah type). At some point the Landons had nine cats, seven dogs and one hornbill.Â
Margaret reads about her work around the house and her having fun doing activities she never did before. That was the beginning of her gardening. Kenneth and Margaret talk about the food in Trang.
Margaret tells of the second time in a year she had to cope in loneliness with what was required of her. She reads about Kenneth's seafaring adventures, the storm, how they waited on the sea for an entire journey for a steamer that wasn't coming.…
Margaret finally got a good garden book, a great event. She still has it, A Garden Book for Malaya by Kathleen Gough. Margaret now had 120 house plants. There were ferns, amaryllis, lilys, honolulu creepers, bougainvillea, and other small plants. As…
Margaret tells of her trip home from Thailand on the Landon's first furlough, in 1931. While Kenneth traveled around the world one way, so as to visit the Holy Land, she traveled around the world the other way, with Peggy and Bill. Peggy was four,…
Margaret begins telling "what I call 'The Pakai Affair.'" To tell the story, she gives some background concerning mission history in Siam. Margaret tells of the history of the Presbyterian mission in Siam, the main figures, the mission stations and…
Margaret talks about how the farmers cared for their buffalo. They would keep them under the house, perhaps. Groups of men would take their buffalo out to grazing areas to feed. No one milked cows, though they did have female buffalo. When the…
Margaret says Bill's pet amusement at the moment was pushing Peggy's doll carriage around. One morning, Margaret found him washing Peggy's doll's hair. The two children looked almost like twins now because Bill weighed only one pound less than Peggy.…
Margaret wrote to Evangeline, who was then living in Minneapolis with her husband Evan Welsh. Margaret speaks of her problems with her cooks. Ah Sim eventually took over. Kru Flora helped Margaret with the shopping.