1870s ALS from an invalid woman on her birthday, recovering from rheumatic fever and an ovarian abscess

[4]p letter on bifolium, 8 x 5 inches. The year looks like "1818" but is certainly later--Florence Wheatland (née Doty, 1854-1922) was married in 1876. If the 1878 year is correct, she would have been in her twenties and relatively new to married life, motherhood, and a kind of loneliness. She's been sick and waiting for a letter from her aunt and uncle for a long time; she offers to send them a new photo of her daughter and swatch of her new dress, which she's made herself, but hesitates since the last photo she sent was never acknowledged. She also writes about employing a girl to work for her, and that it's her birthday—and no one's cared to give her any presents, "only a lot of nasty ["neadson">meadson>medicine?] to dope for my comfort." Very sympathetic. Transcribed with some spelling standardization: Wayland, MichMarch the 1 18[78?]Dear aunt and uncleI now sit down to write you a few lines to let you know that we are not very well. I have looked for a letter from you for so