December 16, 1979 - Little Rock

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

Roy will be home Wednesday night so I won't send a letter to him. It doesn't seem possible that Christmas will soon be here - I have heard that one of the sure signs of old age is when time goes by fast - well, I have arrived at old age because it really flies!

I left this morning at 7:30 to go to Benton and stayed for their Relief Society, Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting so I decided not to go to ours here in Little Rock. I just got home a little while ago (about 3) and Johnny says he can't go because there are some people coming to look at the puppy and Daddy is in Glenwood so our family won't be represented at Sacrament Meeting - I forgot about Bob and I'm sure he and Claire will be there. It's beautiful day and Johnny is out playing basketball with Ronnie - this is the first time he has missed for a long, long time so I guess it won't hurt him.

Jeannie - it was wonderful to talk to you on the phone - it is such a thrill to have you call like that - it reminds me of when you were home and would call from School. I hope we didn't talk too long - prime time and all!!!! Your diet classes really sound wonderful and I hope so much they all work out but I hope you don't overdo. Your jobs sound great too Rick - you're wearing yourself out working two jobs!!!! We just can hardly wait for you to come home - do you realize it has been three years since you have been here?? Charles Beyers gave a talk in the Benton Sacrament Meeting and he made a correlation of your coming home to how thrilled the Lord would be if we were to go to our Heavenly Home - he knows how thrilled I am to have you coming!!!!! After the meeting the McKells came up and said, "Be sure to let us know when they get here"' and I thought "Oh, My, we're going to hurt a lot of people's feelings if you don't get to see everyone" and how can we do it???? As I talked to Cissy about your coming, she just couldn't help crying - this is the very first Christmas she and Shawna have not been together and it is really hard on her.

Annie - we hope so much you are going to be in your new home for the holidays and that you will really be careful and not do any heavy lifting. Christmas will be such a lot of fun for you with Susanna - Johnny would like to buy her everything he sees. Have you put up your Christmas tree - I have worried about that - would you put it up in your home now and then take it down a few days before Christmas when you moved - I'm sure you'll work it out and this will probably be the only Christmas you could ever fool Susanna and have it a day or so early. We have two Christmas trees!!! We put our artificial one down in the den where we have a fire in the fireplace a lot and it gets too hot for a live one - then we bought a live one for upstairs - I love them both because they have a lot of red on them.

We had the baby shower for Linda Garrett on Tuesday night - Claire got the quilt already and it really turned out so nice - we got it all finished in about an hour and a half - the baby's room is yellow so we made the quilt yellow flannel trimmed in white. We served a rich chocolate pudding dessert, lime sherbet and ginger ale and it was all really good. She got a lot of really cute dresses.

Daddy and I went to our Garden Club dinner party Thursday night - it was at Shirley Dowdy's home and it was so nice - she has an English Tudor home in Pleasant Valley and it is really beautiful - they must have had a 20ft. Christmas tree in their entrance. They have traveled a lot and have oriental rugs (huge ones) in every room.

The Bass's home was robbed again Friday night. It had to have happened between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Hans barked for a long, long time and I went out on the porch to see what was wrong but I couldn't see over in their back yard - they took the screen off the bedroom window there right by our back fence. The Wood's dogs barked too so Dan went out and he saw a light on in the Bass's house so he called them on the phone and when they didn't answer he went back outside and the light was out so he put his dogs on their leashes and went to the front of the house and knocked really loud - he must have frightened them away because they left the back door open - they couldn't tell what was missing but the house was a mess and they had taken a pillow case off the bed to put the "loot" in. Roy is coming up tomorrow from Louisiana to take inventory and see what was taken. We think it is someone who knows the family and is looking for something in particular - it's scary!!!!

I taught three days last week at the Terry elementary school -I taught second grade and had to bring their math home so Johnny could show me how to do it - don't tell anyone that!!!! I can get the answers but I don't know how to tell them how to work it. I really should go back and take some modern math courses - I'd probably fail them. When I signed up to teach I put kindergarten through third grade and I really believe I do better in the older classes - I have come across some new phonics signs that I'm not familiar with too. It's really fun though and I love it - it's so nice to come home to a clean house with all the ironing done and dinner ready too!!!!

The notice came out about Mobil buying the agricultural division of Olin - they really just bought the Pasadena, Texas plant and all the phosphate plants (which was the major part) and Olin will keep the nitrogen part and also the crop protection plants (pesticides). A lot of people here will lose their jobs - we have heard that Aston will stay with the nitrogen part of it. Daddy knew that something would have to happen because it has done very poorly for the past few years. He's glad he is out of it!!!!

Aunt Marvel is doing really well. She can get better faster than anyone I know - one time I'll go over there and think she won't last through the night - the next day I go over and she is like she was fifteen years ago. She is certainly well cared for.

Daddy and I went over to Relief Society for their homemaking day and demonstrated making the mints. We made about five batches so they could have some to take home - they loved it. We have made a lot- mostly Daddy has made a lot - but we keep giving them away so we'll have to make some more for Christmas.

Terry Woods is home - she is here until Jan. 8th. She is such a sweet, sweet person - I surely hope things work out for her. Her little dog, Shawn, has four cute little puppies and she is thrilled about that.

I can't think of any more news- I'm sure we'll talk to you before Christmas, Woolleys - we want you to know that we will really miss you - we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year. We love each one of you very much and hope you'll be careful in everything you do.
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