No 5  Forest Home, Iowa, Dec 3rd 1863  Dear Husband, 
I have been waiting for three or four days to hear from you before writing; it is two weeks today since I recd yours of the 6th ult; Capt Hull has been at home more than a week, father saw him a few minits last Monday; he said you were well when he left you the 8th, and that he recommended you at his resignation; O I am so anxious to hear from you for many reasons I have not written to you quite as often of late as I could have wished, there is so much noise here that it is almost impossible to think, or at least to collect thoughts sufficiently to write so as to be interesting to any one.  We are all well with the exception of colds.  The weather was very severe for a few days after the snow fell, last Friday the murcury was down to 10 [degrees] below zero, but it has been moderating since Monday, and today's sun has taken the most of the snow off, it is very warm and cloudy tonight, it will probably rain or snow before twentyfour hour's.  The men are all very busy repairing the fences, before the ground freezes, where the snow covered it. it was not frozen at all, where it was bare it was frozen about six inches; they had to haul away the North side of the pasture fence to build your half of the Runnion