December 9, 1979 Little Rock, Ark.

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

It's more like Summer here today than it is Winter - we have our artificial Christmas tree up in the den and it really looks put of place with the bright sun shining through the windows and the birds singing and kids out playing. I love this kind of weather though - it's cold and dry and beautiful. Daddy is in Jacksonville today meeting with our Regional Representative - I prepared a roast and a pie in case they come here for dinner but I doubt it - he brought his son with him and he is legally blind and they have been in Memphis and they're on their way home. The Stake President in Memphis is an ophthalmologist and he was going to examine him to see if he could be helped - the little boy is about thirteen. Our Regional Rep. and his wife have adopted five children and they're all Lamanites and they seem to have a lot of health problems.

We went out yesterday and bought a live tree to put up in the living room - we're sorta' tired of the artificial one but it's great to have for the den because we use the fireplace so much and it's really too hot for a live one. We don't have the decorations for it yet so we can't put it up - it's out in the backyard in a bucket of water. Claire is going to have a baby shower for Linda Garrett here on Tuesday night and I hope to have it put up by then - she has been working so many nights at the store and I'm worried about her getting ready for the shower - we went out the other night and got some material to make a baby quilt for those who come and I believe she's going to make some little diaper favors - it's hard to not interfere but I'd like to help more. I went to a baby shower for Sherry Mahan Smith last week at Gayle Wing's home and it was so clever - Sherry had a baby boy and they named him Joseph (Joseph Smith). Sherry has really gained a lot of weight but she is very happy and Laura is so much better having a Father.

Daddy gave the Spiritual Living lesson in Relief Society last week - it was on the Second Coming of Christ and he did a good job. This Wednesday he is going to help me demonstrate making mints - we made some last night and I got blisters all over my hands so he'll have to do most of it - just as they got ready to pull it was time for him to take John to Cotillion so I had to do them all alone. We have demonstrated this every year for the past 16 years - I don't believe anyone ever makes them at home though.

I taught school at Southwest Jr. High last week and net Maurie Thomas' mother Jeannie. She teaches English there - we had such a good visit. Maurie's husband is practicing law with her father. Mrs. Thomas said she heard that Pam was going to UALR but she hasn't seen her - she said she would tell Maurie you were coming home for the holidays.

We loved our visit with you on the phone Tuesday morning Annie - that's really something when you call us on your birthday!!!! We really planned to call you Monday night and then Daddy and John got so preoccupied with shooting a gun with a new "sight" on it that I just went to bed.

Roy - Ann said you were doing fine. We haven't heard from you for a long time - we'll be so happy to have you home for the holidays - it seems like a million years since you were home. We are so disappointed - our den furniture won't be here until January. When we ordered it they said it would be here for the holidays - we thought they meant for Thanks giving so we called them during that week and they checked on it and called us back this week and said the shipping date on it was the last of January - we couldn't believe it. We received our bill for the carpet and Daddy called Carriage House and told them he wanted to pay it but before he did he wanted their carpet men to come out and check it because he didn't think it was up to their standards - the man came out and told Daddy it was the worst job he had ever seen - they are ordering some more so they can do the stairs over and will fix the rest of it. We will NEVER order anything from Carriage House again!!!!

Bob will be having his finals this week - he'll be so happy to have them over with so he can go duck hunting. The duck hunting hasn't been very good anyway and Daddy says he's glad because that means it will be good for the time Rick is here - they're all looking forward to going a lot and hope Roy will want to go too. Our freezer is about full of duck so if you can find any new recipes for fixing them Jeannie be sure to bring them. We can hardly wait for you to come - Daddy went up in the attic the other day and found our baby bed and also our high chair - I didn't remember that we had saved that - so we're all ready.

Johnny spent the night with Larry Shaw Friday night and they live out in the country so he took his gun and they went squirrel hunting the next morning - they didn't find any squirrels but Johnny came home so tired I think they must have walked a hundred miles. He went to Priesthood this morning and then had to come home because he didn't feel good and he has been asleep ever since. He is really doing good in school - Daddy has been helping him with this math and we both had to laugh the other night at the dinner table - he turned to his Daddy and said, "You know, you're really smart". He had helped him with his homework and his was about the only one that was right.

Chris Jordin has a bridal party yesterday for Cheryl Morris - do you remember her Jeannie? She teaches school at Dunbar and is going to get married on Dec. 27th to a lawyer here who is also a State Representative. Her younger sister has been married for quite awhile and the Morrises are very happy about this.

The wood's dog had her puppies one night last week - they were really in a tizzy!!!! They called and had Daddy go over and help. This is really Terry's dog and she was so excited she wanted to come home from school in Fort Worth, Texas - they're Eskimo Spitz dogs and really pretty. We still have our little male to sell - we decided to not put the ad in the paper until a little closer to Christmas.

Everyone is concerned about who is going to be our new Bishop - Daddy knows but he won't tell me!!!! Our ward is sorta' in a state of turmoil as wards always are when there is going to be a change - everyone loves Bishop Tolman and he will be a hard man to replace.

Did I tell you about the River's home burning???? It happened the night after Thanksgiving and they called Daddy but he told me and said they didn't want anyone to know because they didn't want a lot of people trying to help them so I can't remember if I told you or not. They had bought this home up in Heber Springs and it overlooked Greer's Ferry Lake - it had over 5,000 square feet and was three stories and I heard it was simply gorgeous. They had bought it for $100,000 on a trade exchange deal and they were trying to sell it for $150,000 but it wasn't on the market yet - anyway it burned to the ground. A group went up yesterday to try to help them salvage what they could (because of insurance purposes they hadn't been able to do through it earlier) and the only thing they could salvage were some gardening tools - shovels and pitch forks etc. they lost absolutely everything except what was on their backs and they were in their pajamas - they did get their cars out in time. He is in the insurance business so they were covered completely but they will have to start all over - they are really sad!!!!!

Daddy's former secretary Betty, called him on Friday and said she thought they were going to announce on Monday that Mobil Oil Company was buying Olin's Agricultural Division at least the Phosphate part. That has been rumored for quite awhile - it will be interesting to see what happens. They're still going to keep the Pesticide Division and that's the part Betty is working in so she's not worried but her husband may lose his job. I wish they would buy the whole thing for the price Celanes was going to pay for it - the stock has gone down seven points since we sold it in August - we're glad we didn't have to sell in November. The world situation has been hard on the stock market - isn't the Iranian situation sad? I hope so much the hostages will be released for Christmas.

We're so happy they excommunicated that ERA woman - we heard that the issue was not the ERA but that she was talking against the church in pubic and ridiculing its doctrine.

I have to take John to a Cotillion Holly Ball practice so I'll close for now. We surely do love each one of you - we hope you get in your new home soon Annie and Ron - wish we could help you move. Please be careful in everything you do and let us know if we can help you in anyway.
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