Feb. 12, 1978

Dearest Ann & Ron, Jean & Rick, Bob and Roy,

Annie & Ron we loved your long wonderful letter!!!! I really love to hear about the parties you go to - there were a lot of Fuhrimans in Logan when we went to school
there - are they from Cache Valley? I was telling the people at Relief Society about the Curry and they said that is one of the most popular dishes at Linda and John Smither's restaurant - if you get the recipe I would surely like to have it. I have never eaten it and the toppings all sound so different and good - I love to try new things like that. I think you two are so smart to be going to a stained glass class - I have never heard of that either - We're really in the backwoods here I guess. You are always doing the most interesting things and that is wonderful. When it comes to crafts I am really in left field but I love to try to learn. We learned how to put little decals on soaps in Relief Society and I bought the stuff so Johnny could make some for Carol and other friends and he said - "It seems like we're always doing things that other do - why don't we do something we know how to do". He's right but I get so exited when someone shows something like this. Do you remembers those little soaps we put in your birthday package Ann? I paid $3.50 for them and the fragrance wasn't all that good - the ones they showed us how to make cost about $.50 and you can put any design you want on them - you just dip them in melted wax several times and buff with you fingers or a piece of hosiery and they last a long time in the water.

Bob - we loved your long phone call - we think your ideas to live in Aunt Marvel's house this summer is great - I'm anxious to hear what Grandmother's reaction was - did you mentioned it to her? I would like to see you plant a garden too - that lot next to her home has grown the most delicious potatoes and flowers and I'm sure you could grow some great vegetables. That house would be so much better being lived in. If I come out in April with Daddy for conference we'll get some large boxes and put Aunt Marvel's things in them. The only thing we all have to enforce is that not one thing is ever taken from the house except of course that canned food and that needs to be eaten. She has a lot of beautiful antique dishes that I would love to have here but the only thing I have taken is that butterfly napkin holder that we gave to her. At the time of her death we'll have to have all the family there so disposed of her things properly - that is if she dies. That doesn't sound very nice but she has been mad at me this week and it has been hard. She has a little transistor radio that is old enough to be the first one made and it didn't run very often so I bought some new batteries for it - when I went to put them in she didn't want me to take it apart but I did anyway and now we can't get it to run at all and when ever I go to see her she says, "I'm mad as ----- at you for breaking my radio". I took that really nice little one of ours over and chained it to her bed but she still doesn't like it. Did I tell you all this in my last letter??????? She's doing fine and I really feel bad for her.

Roy - I just had to call you after I listened to the Today show on Television - it sounds as if you have really had a bad, bad time in Providence. They have had more news coverage about Providence than they have about any place else - it was so fun, they showed the Brown University marching band going through the streets to "lift the morale" of the townspeople. I couldn't believe the streets with thousands of cars being stranded - they didn't show any of this until 8:10 a.m. our time and if I had known 15 minutes earlier I could have had the telephone rates and we could have talked longer. So many people at church this morning asked about you - have you been able to have classes - I imagine it has been hard for the professor to get to class. There was an article about Robert Kennedy's daughter breaking her foot in a fall from the dormitory room into a snow bank - I didn't know she was going to school there. The National Guard was even called there to help - write and tell us about it.

Jeannie & Rick - we haven't heard from you this week - write, don't call!!!! We surely hope everything is okay with you. Margie Stewart called me yesterday and she is so excited - Mike is engaged to marry a girl and she reminds them all of you. They will be married April 22 and Margie wants to be sure that we come to the wedding - it will be held in the chapel at Hendrix College - she will graduate from there this Spring. I am so thrilled for Margie - she has had such a hard time. Mike's first wife (I have forgotten her name) lives in Oklahoma with her new husband and Mike hasn't seen his two little boys for over a year. She told me that Bob might be to the wedding - I'd like to see him again - she talked to him over the phone not long ago and she said he asked about Daddy - that episode seems thousands of years ago.

Johnny got a postcard from Daddy written in Madrid - it came on Thursday but we haven't heard anymore. Johnny gets so homesick for him and I've decided to take better care of him when he comes home - I would hate to be a widow!!!! We went out to eat with Dorothy and Carol last Friday. Because Dan was out of town also and we have receive so many invitations for dinner - Mary Richards has invited us so many times and we'll probably go there this coming Tuesday. Johnny keeps busy during the week but the week-ends are long.

I have to speak at a fireside tonight for the Young Adults - I have prepared something but I am not very excited about it so I'm sure they won't be. Daddy does this really often and it comes so easy for him. This is going to be a busy week for me - I have to teach the Mother Education class in Relief Society Wednesday and then that night I'm going to have a Mexican Cooking Class here - Pat Najera is going to help me teach it - she's a pro!!!! Chris Jordin taught the Oriental cooking class last Wednesday at Relief Society and it was really good - she taught us how to make "egg fu yung" and "coral and jads" and "chicken soup". We have been showed in for so many Relief Societies that we have a lot to make up.

I hope you get Johnny's valentines on time - that was so cute!!!! Yesterday morning he asked if he could walk to Magic Mart and I said yes - he came home with all those with valentines for you kids and ones for Daddy and Me. He spent all his allowance on them. I laughed when I saw the one he got for the girls who are in your Primary Class Jeannie - one for all of him to share - I said "Who are you going to send it to Johnny" and He said, "Oh, I'll just send it to Jeannie and she can give it to them" - the magic of youth!!! We hurried and took them clear downtown to the main post office so you might get them in time.

We had Bro. Russell Ballard here last week - he was here because he's over the Missionaries is this area as part of his calling - he spoke to a general audience at 8 and I went - it was very good. I wish I had taken Terry Woods to it. She brought us a book written by her Baptist Minister and it is so contrary to what Mormon's believe in and it has given us an opportunity to straighten her out on a lot of things. I was so surprised when she called last week and asked if she could come to Sunday School - she had to work this morning so she couldn't come but she's going to come to Sacrament Meeting. The program this afternoon is with the Seminary so she won't get a lot of scripture but it should be interesting. She's having a conflict with her Mother right now and I sorta' hate to be in the middle - she bought a little Eskimo Spitz puppy and brought it over to show her Mom and she was upset about it so she brought it over to show us. Terry wants to take her dog and go traveling next Fall and see the United States. She's in such a depressing job and I don't envy her - the girls she supervises set fire to their home so they have had to live in others quarters until the new home was ready and the new home has locks on all the doors and a bell warning system and Terry says it's like a prison.

Marilyn & Dean Harris have adopted a little baby girl. I haven't seen her yet but I hear she's just adorable - she just weighed 5 lbs. 10 oz. and was born in Oklahoma a week ago. They have been so worried that that would fall through that they wouldn't even talked about it until all the papers were signed. I'm so thrilled for them.

David come over the other night - he had just heard that you were getting married Bob. He got your phone number - did he call you? He said he wanted to go to Utah for the wedding. I didn't have the heart to tell him he couldn't go - I doubt he would be able to go anyway. Mr. Bass has bought a new car - a Mercury Marquis - Johnny says it is really pretty. Mrs. Wells - Janie's mother - is here visiting.

I made those apricot bars for our Garden Club meeting last week and everyone just loved them - I was so glad to have an excuse to make them - I really love them.

That's all the news - we surely do love each one of you and hope you're going great!!! Please let us know if we can do anything for you.
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