Saturday, Nov. 22, 1980
Dearest Ron, Ann, Susanna & Jessie,
Rick, Jean, Ricky & Barbara Jean
and Roy,
I decided to write my letter on Saturday night because tomorrow is our Ward Conference and it could be a busy day - we have it combined with the second ward which means meetings in the morning and afternoon. When I accepted the calling on the Primary Stake Board I told them I couldn't travel to the Ward conferences but since this one is here I may have to attend both meetings. I honestly don't know how Daddy does it - he has fifty meetings to my one and he doesn't worry about them one/tenth as much as I do - I know the reason, he has been preparing for his meetings for the last sixty years and he remembers everything he has prepared all that time - I have to prepare for each none and can't remember from one week to the next. Today was our Primary Stake Leadership Meetings and I prepared until about midnight last night besides baking cranberry bread and getting the things for the punch and went to the church at 8:30 a.m. and got home at 3:30 p.m. - AND I HAD ONE PERSON IN MY DEPT. The overall attendance was very poor - so much effort goes into those meetings and it is really discouraging when people don't come.
We just talked to you Roy - it is so neat to have you call and tell us about the things you are doing. We're thrilled that you are planning to go to Utah still and we hope the snow is good and you will have lots of good skiing. Your Thanksgiving dinner at your house tomorrow sounds just wonderful and also your trip to Patrice's home and to Ty's - sounds like an exciting week-end and we hope you will really be careful - give Ty's folks our regards. I wish we had shown Ann how to turn the water on in the new bathroom in aunt Marvel's home and also the water heater - I think the best thing will be to get in touch with the Cleggs and have them come to help you - I'll write and tell them you're coming.
Annie - we loved the little turkey centerpiece to go over a pineapple - how darling!!!! I can hardly wait to use it - that was so thoughtful. You will have a wonderful time in Jerome and so will Susanna and so will Russell and Beverley - wish you could come see us too. We can just imagine how much Susanna and Jessie are enjoying each other and this is just the beginning - you nor Jeannie will every have to worry about playmates for your children and that is such a great blessing. It was fun to read about your permanent at Jeannie's home - your children are at hard ages to put together now but you're right - a year will make a big difference - it will still be bedlam but it will be fun. We hope Ron enjoyed his trip to Michigan -
weather wise that was a big switch from New Orleans - I'll bet it was cold.
Jeannie - I sat by a lady at the meeting today who had a little five month old girl and I couldn't believe how big she was - we keep wondering what Barbara Jean looks like - we can Kinda' imagine what Ricky looks like - a little taller and thinner but we can't imagine what it's like having him run around. We surely hope you'll be able to come for Christmas - when it snowed though Amarillo and Oklahoma last week Daddy and I just shuddered because we have made that trip on roads like that as you well remember and it isn't easy. We'll keep our fingers crossed that the weather will be good and Rick's work will be such that he can leave.
Bob came over this afternoon to help Daddy and John get ready for their big duck hunt - they are going to leave tomorrow evening - the season opens Monday morning. I hope it is better this year than it was last year. Bob and Claire are so excited about having a baby - we are so happy for them - all their friends have children and they have wanted them - she is about ten weeks pregnant so the baby will be born in June which means we will spend June in Arkansas - that is not one of my favorite months but we couldn't leave before their baby is born. Maybe her folks will come at that time and that would really be nice. Bob is doing well in school - he'll be through this year in March and will be off for about six weeks and they had planned to spend none of that time in Utah - I don't know if this will change their plans or not. He starts what they all "rotation" in May - he spends time in the different hospitals and I believe they do that until he graduates.
I called mother and Daddy the other night and they're doing fine - they told me that Bart is getting married on December 16th - he's marrying a girl from Murray whose father is Stake President there and she is the oldest of twelve children - they didn't know her name.
While we were in our meetings today we could bear a lot of commotion out in the hall and when we went to investigate we discovered there was a wedding - Dennis Green was getting married. They had a big crowd and Daddy had given them permission to have it in the chapel (I didn't know all this). When we first moved to Little Rock I was asked to serve in the Relief Society Presidency with Marian Green and the first presidency meeting was held at our rented home on Brookside and Marian brought Dennis with her - as I remember it he was a little rascal and I wondered what I had gotten myself in for. He's about your age Roy, isn't he? I didn't know the girl he was marrying. Donna Green McCabe is expecting another baby soon. She and her husband had to sell their beautiful home and their two expensive cars - they're in a rented apartment and have economy cars - the bottom dropped out of his furniture business Sandy Green Blankenship was telling me how proud she was of them for their attitude in starting all over again.
We had the cutest letter from Carol Braithwaite and also a macramé decoration for our Christmas. They are having Kinda' a rough time (bad sentence!) - the people are not very friendly and she says they don't feel wanted at all. They have taught the missionary lessons to many people and have had good response but she said the Mennonites are really giving them problems. This is the first time Carol and Elly have ever been out of their little protected environment and I'm sure it is very difficult. I wish they had been sent to out Mission. Carol Ann called the other night to tell us that Jimmy and Kaylene had a little baby girl. We forgot to ask her about George and his new bride - we haven't sent a gift yet. We have a lot of things to get and mail and it is just easier to do it all at once so this next Friday I plan to do a lot of shopping and get caught up.
I am still at Brady for Della Hendricks - it is really quite a bit harder when you have to teach full time like this and I was hoping she would be back this next weeks and I was going to take a vacation. If I don't go back there then I don't feel right about going any place else. I really enjoy teaching but this is a hard class - I rearranged the seating and everything before I left last Friday so maybe next week will be easier. The children are all so hyper with the holidays coming up. Daddy was at Forest Height, Hall and Parkview last week - he really does enjoy it and the kids all like him so much - he should have been a teacher - in fact, I have always said he would have been much happier in his profession if he had stayed a college professor.
Ann Cobb just brought over four hams for us to keep in our downstairs refrigerator until the Stake Christmas Party - she got them at a good price so she got them early. The Cobbs are really wonderful people but dick Cobb really does some different things to Daddy. He teaches the Gospel Doctrine Class in our Ward and last weeks when daddy was in Hot Springs and I was in my Primary Class and Bob and Claire were busy doing something he taught almost his entire lesson on the sins of "hunting". He brought a lot of articles from Pres. Kimball that were on how wrong it is to shoot things but he didn't bring out the part that Pres. Kimball really emphasizes - that it is wrong to shoot things just for the sake of shooting them and the animals should only be killed if the meat is used for foot. Chris Jordin told us about it and she said it was really strong and it upsets me so much because everyone is the whole stake knows how much Daddy enjoys hunting. That's what Dick does - he is almost vengeful and he was even more like that when he was in the Stake Presidency.
Martine Funk had a heart attack and is in the hospital - he has been in intensive care but he's out now and is doing better. Ralph Hipp is still in bed most of the time and Pete is wearing herself out raking the lawn and trying to do everything - I'm worried about her.
Did you hear about that tragic thing here in Little Rock? --last week a man with two little girls just the ages of Ricky and Barbara Jean hired a cab and as they were crossing the main street bridge he asked the cab driver to stop and he got out and threw his two little girls into the river - it frightened the cab driver so her drove off and went to get the police. At first they thought he was making it up but they got divers to search the river and they finally found the little girls bodies and also their father's wallet but they haven't found him yet. We're all hoping he jumped off too.
Well, that's a sad thing to end with - there really are some crazy people in the world. We surely do love each one of you and we're so proud of you - we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving - Claire and I will fix a big dinner and then wait for the hunters to return!!! Please be careful in everything you do and let us know if we can help you in any way.
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