May 19, 1979

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

It's about 8:30 p.m. Saturday and I just had a call from Daddy saying they wouldn't be home from their fishing trip until about 10:00p.m. and they wouldn't want any dinner so I decided now would be a good time to write my letter. They (Daddy, Bob, John and Ken Garrett) left this morning about 6:30 and went to Plain View where they met Wayne Smith and they have been fishing all day - this is a new place but when Daddy called he said they had had a wonderful time and caught some fish. Bob and John went fishing several days last week when Bob got off work and John came home from school but they haven't caught anything so I'm glad they had good luck today.

Roy - we are so excited about Ty coming home with you and his plans to stay for a week or so - that is really super! I hope so much that our weather is as good as it has been this past week - it hasn't really been hot yet and the nights are so cool and it's really pretty. Noon has tried out the boat yet so you will have to do that - we hoped it has been fixed - it was supposed to have been but we haven't had it in the water to test it. Bob hasn't had any more to go with him in it and he really hasn't had that much time - he works every day but Saturday and Sunday and Daddy has kept him busy. Ty will enjoy the trip through Pennsylvania and West Virginia - that is such beautiful country. We worry a little about the gas shortage - do you think it's for real??? We have had some problems here in Little Rock but it has always been possible to get it even though some stations don't have it all the time, we know you will be smart enough to not carry a gas can with you!!!! Let us know if you want us to do anything special - what kind of food does Ty like - it will be so much fun to have him with us. We hope you will do really well in finishing up this Semester - I know you will be happy to have one more behind you- we'll keep our fingers crossed next week during your finals!!

Annie - it was so much to talk to you last night - I hope we didn't talk to long - we get to homesick to see little Susanna when we hear her crying and breathing in the phone. We're anxious to see her "noodle crawl" - is that right? (Ann says she gets on her back and arches her back so her head touches the floor and scoots across the floor that way). Babies change so fast at this age and wish we could see her in all her little stages - she is really going to be tiny and I wouldn't worry about her if she eats good and is happy most of the time - if she weren't getting enough food you would know it. eight more days of teaching for you - it will be great for you to be home with her all the time. I wish Ron would express his views on the pros and cons of nuclear reactor plants so we could "talk smart". We hear so much about them because of the one in Russellville, I guess. One of our High Councilmen is in charge of the operations of the plant there and he takes a lot of "ribbing".

Jennie - it was fun to talk to you this morning. I had planned all week to call you two on Saturday morning - that was supposed to be my reward for "letting" the men go fishing - Ha! Anyway, Annie beat me to it and a called Friday evening so I just called Jennie. We had a bad interference on the line so after our conversation I called to complain to the telephone company and they asked what number I was calling so I told them and they connected me with Jennie again so actually I talked to her twice - this probably sounds dumb to you but that's the first time I have ever done that. We're so happy you are still doing okay - we are getting so excited and still plan to spend most of the month of August in Utah. We will need a "project" and have thought about putting another bathroom in Aunt marvel's home - Daddy says that would be fun!!! I appreciate so much your going to see Grandmother Forrest on Mother's Day - I know that really meant a lot to her and it does tome too. It was nice for Don and Cheryl to stop by and see you too - you're my only connection with my family. I haven't heard from them for quite awhile - I hope Mother got the dress I sent. Rick -how's; your garden coming - Jean said you had clay soil -what have you planted? We're so happy you like your job so well. Today is Ellen Mae's birthday - maybe I'll call her.

Bob and Claire have invited us to have dinner with them tomorrow -I'm excited. It is really wonderful to have part of our family back with us - this is the way it should be - I'm convinced of that - we're not supposed to live so far apart.

They're doing great - Claire has to put in a lot of hours at Cohn's. they have had a special May sale so maybe after that is over the won't have to work so hard - she is still in the tainting part of it. Linda Garrett called me a few minutes ago and said she met Claire for lunch today - she has made so many friends already and they all just love her. Bob has spent a lot of time helping Daddy and being with John - it has made a world of difference in John to have Bob here.

We had a "cook-out" for Terry Woods and her two college friends and Dana and her "friend boy" from Fayetteville on Wednesday night. It really didn't work out very well and I'm still trying to figure out why - it's very difficult to get young people together at a special time anymore - David Bass was invited but couldn't come. Terry is going to that "Missionary Baptist" school and she has changed a lot - being exposed to this has made me stop and think about the way we want everyone to be interested in Mormonism and I surely hope we don't go about it the way she does. Dorothy and I couldn't come to an agreement about the food and as a result we had way too much and I'm not sure anymore enjoyed it - I think I'm just getting old and cranky!!!! She came over again today with an article to prove that over belief that "Faith without works is dead" is all wrong - it was entitled "Everyone has a free ticket to Heaven" - in reality they believe pretty much the same way we do but they express it in a different way and she is so stubborn it is very difficult to talk to her. I'm so glad for our religion and way of life - if we were Dorothy and Dan we would really be frustrated!!!

Daddy and I went to McCrae, Ark. and picked strawberries one day this past week - we got in a field (20 acres) of the most beautiful and largest strawberries I have ever seen - we put twelve plastic bags of the whole berries in the freezer - I have never done that before but it is supposed to work and it was so easy. I made jam out of the others - we have twenty-eight pints of jam and it is so good. It is really an experience to do that - they have hundreds of people lined up and they direct them as to what rows to pick - they sell them for 40c a quart and in the sores they are $1.00 - you get so much better berries when you pick them yourself - many people from our Ward went.  McCrae is North of Jacksonville and about 50 miles from Little Rock - it was fun.

I had to visit two Relief Societies last week - in my new calling I have to visit other Wards. Daddy went with me to Hot Springs on Tuesday - they have the nicest Relief Society - the Beyers have been in Utah this week so I didn't get to see them but Shawna was there - she is such a lovely person and her two little boys are really little boys!! I went to North Little Rock on Wednesday and Sister Viola Wilson gave the Mother Education lesson - it's fun to visit but it take the whole day.

Last Tuesday night Claire and I went to a party for Barbara Sondrup at "That Little Restaurant" - it was really special. Linda and John Smithers own that and they have really made it successful - they have a small party room and they had one long table set for the 16 of us and then they had a small table off to the side with a special punch John had made for us on it. the food and the way it was served and all reminded me of the "Greenbrier" - it is very elegant. They are so successful they have started opening for lunch now. We're thrilled for them and they have bought that home on Biscayne right close buys and have re-decorated it and I hear it is really beautiful - I haven't seen it yet. Barbara is thrilled to have a little baby boy - he is so cute.

Daddy and Bob and John just come home - Hon brought most of the dirt from northern Arkansas with him - he said he went swimming but it had to be in mud hole - he is really sunburned so he went right to bed. Daddy and Bob are out cleaning the fish. They got mostly bream and bass and it looks like a hundred to me - they're going to filet them and Bob said they may be having Priesthood Meeting out there - it's 10:30 now and they have just started.

We all went to the Ward Dinner last night - it was put on by the Primary and was very well done - Carla Culwell Pearce is in the Primary Presidency and she is a real "work horse" - she has three little children and is so involved in everything and she never says no - Allen and his wife live her now too. Can't believe I'm out of paper!!!
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