September 16, 1979

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

We are having the most beautiful weather - so crisp and cool. We made the mistake of sleeping with our fan on and Daddy and I both have colds - it turned cold so fast.

We received letters from Ann and Jean last Monday and we were so thrilled to hear from you on paper - you all sound so busy and happy. John was excited to get your letter Ann and then discovered there wasn't a letter in it but he is thrilled with Suz's pictures - he cut the one of her with Frau to fit his wallet and he takes it everywhere he goes. We can't imagine what little Ricky looks like now and we hope you'll take a picture of him and send it to us - Connie Bass had her little baby to the Women's Conference broadcast last night and he is really big and is only two months old and I tried to visualize what Ricky looks like in comparison (he was born before we left to go to Utah this Summer so he is older). We think both of your working schedules sound good - it's wonderful that Ron and Rick are such good fathers and will care for Susanna and Ricky - an ideal situation!!!! It's nice that Diana had a baby boy - if you continue to spend a lot of time together that will be fun for Ricky and him. We hope you will be able to sell or trade your home soon Ron and Ann - everyone says this is really a buyer's market so it would be a good time to buy - I love your home though and wouldn't be in too big a hurry unless you get a really good deal. We know you are relieved to have Agnes' personal history done - we're going to try to keep our up as we go along - we have the pictures all together now if we can just get our story to go along with them - we hope to see that sometime when it's all finished. Your job, Ann, sounds just made to order for you and such a worthwhile thing to do - sort of like social work and that is a wonderful way to contribute to making our world a better place in which to live.......we're proud of you! Our neighbors (the ones who live in the Bridges home) - the husband is a mechanical engineer and had his own business - he used to teach at the University of Arkansas and quit to go on his own - needless to say, they are doing very well. We know that Ron will be happy and successful at whatever he chooses to do and I also know it must be hard to have his fellow workers all moving to Missouri - we think you have made the right decision and will be much happier in the long run. We're happy you are enjoying your job also Rick - we have been concerned about you father and hope he is feeling better - we always forget to ask about him when we're talking to you.

Roy - you have started school by now!!!! We're anxious to hear how everything is going - especially how the cooking is turning out - I'll bet you are having fun. Do you remember a Mark Flack??? He went to Hall but was two years younger than you. He and another boy were killed in a wreck on Highway 10 a week ago - I thought he might be a relative of Jim Flack but he wasn't. He and Kathy Dowdy were very serious and this has really been hard on the Dowdy family - Shirley is in my Garden Club and she told me all about it - they were in a Honda and crossed the center line and were hit head on by a young girl in a larger car - it was sad - PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!!! Kathy is a student at the University and Shirley said she really had a hard time getting her back to school.

Jeannie - I ran into Mrs. Berner yesterday in the store and we had a good visit - Charlene has a little girl and is expecting another baby in February. She told me she had seen Pam Olinghouse and that she was home going to UALR to get her Master's Degree - did you know that? She also told me that her son Dennis and his wife are living in Russellville where he is practicing medicine - he specialized in internal medicine - he married Roger Bost's daughter and she said for their honeymoon they went to Okinawa where he practiced medicine for the Navy and they had a wonderful time. Their other son who is 32 isn't married yet. It was good to see her and she said to be sure to tell you "hello". Mary Reese's mother was over here not long ago and she said Mary was living in Texas and evidently she married a man who had a child because she mentioned their child who was in school - she also said Babs Buckman wasn't married yet.

Annie - I don't see any of your friend's parents anymore - I really should go over and visit with Mildred Harper and get some news of Janice. We see John Robert out in the yard occasionally but that's all - one of his friends who is a dentist had a heart attack not long ago and couldn't practice dentistry for three months so John Robert stepped in and took over for him - it has been great for him because he hadn't really built up a business for himself yet - he'll do great once he gets started!!!!!

I won't be coming out for conference and it looks now like Daddy will be flying out - he'll let you know and if someone could pick him up at the airport it would be great. I called the folks and they were very upset that I would want to celebrate their wedding anniversary in October - I really got the feeling after talking to them that they want Dee and Don to plan whatever they're going to have and they said for me to just do what they want me to do. I'm not sure what will happen and if I don't hear any more from them, then I won't come out at all. Mother has really had many problems with her eye and has had to go to Logan to the doctor four times - they seemed "down" when I talked to them and there is no point in forcing an open house on them if they don't want it. I know we could really have a lovely party for them and they would be happy after it was over but they definitely don't want it and there isn't anything I can do about it. I'm disappointed and Daddy is angry but I have really given it a lot of thought and that's what I think is best. Grandpa did say that Dee and Don would be on an Elk hunt around Oct. 7th so maybe that's the reason. I surely don't want to cause any problems over it - a 60th Wedding Anniversary is a joyous occasion and I want to be happy.

Daddy took up all the parquet wood flooring in Roy's room, the center of the den and in the laundry room - we discovered the washing machine has been leaking and all the flooring under it was wet and ruined - we have ordered a new one to be delivered next week. He put some indoor-outdoor carpet in the laundry room and painted in there and it looks so nice. Next week he is going to put the good wood parquet squares in the kitchen - I hope it works out - it will be pretty but I worry about spilling water on it. We're excited about fixing our home - it has really been shabby for the last few years. We have also bought a lot out in the new sub-division called "St. Charles" - it's a beautiful lot and Daddy and Wayne plan to build a home there next Spring.

I'm sure you have heard about the hurricane, Fredrick!!!! We followed it on the weather news and it looked like you got some of it Roy. Well - it looked like it was right where Wayne and Chris' home is in Alabama and they were so worried so Dick Cobb got his van ready and he and Daddy and Neil Littlefields left here Thursday night about 8 and when they got there they discovered that his home had escaped any damage at all - the electricity was off so they cleaned out their freezer and brought home all that food but that was all they needed to do - they got back home Saturday morning 1. It was funny - they stopped for something to eat and Daddy noticed a big box in the middle of the street so he went to see what it was and it had twenty four large bottles of Maxwell House instant coffee - four of the bottles were broken but he brought the other twenty home - they sell for $3.50 in the stores - he doesn't know what he's going to do with it. He said he just couldn't believe all the damage that had been done.

I had a Relief Society Board Meeting luncheon yesterday - they came at 9:30 and left at 4:00 so it was a long day - I served a hot chicken salad, strawberry molded salad, and the others brought a relish tray, wheat rolls and the dessert. It was fun. We're preparing for our first Leadership meeting of the year this coming Saturday and that is also "Parent's day" at the Med Center so I am really torn - I'll go to part of Parent's Day anyway and Daddy will stay for all of it.

Dot Tucker brought her little granddaughter over this afternoon - she is really cute but very big - she's a year old and I know she must weigh 25 pounds. Robert came over also and he was on his way back to school - he looks thinner to me - he said that came from doing his own cooking - I hope that doesn't happen to you Roy. They are doing a lot of remodeling to their home - they made Robert's room into a nursery!!!!

We're having a youth fireside at our home in just a few minutes so I'll close for now - the refreshments were supposed to be assigned out but just in case I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies (used the recipe in your college cookbook Jeannie) and then at Sacrament meeting I found that the punch hadn't been assigned so I got some out of the freezer. Claire and her mother will come over for it but Bob says he has to study. Claire's mother is leaving tomorrow - she's going to Yuma, Ariz. to visit her sister for a while - Bob left yesterday and is in London already. They have friends who are also friends of the James so Frances took them and me for a trip to Petit Jean on Wednesday - it was really a nice day and very nice for Frances to do that.

We love you all very much and hope everything is going great - let us know if we can help you in any way.
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