February 22, 1981
Little Rock, Ark. 72205

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

It's a cold Spring day here - we have had unusually warm temperatures this past week - in the high 70's so Daddy and Johnny decided fishing season was here. They got up early yesterday morning and went to Conway and as soon as they got there it started to drizzle rain and the wind blew and the fish wouldn't bite so they came home - today, early the sun was out but now it is cloudy and is real "tornado" like weather - we have had several weather bulletins and this is the time of year we reality listen to them and do what they say. Daddy is in Jacksonville for two ward conferences - he went early this morning and won't be home until late - Johnny is over to David's playing basketball.

Roy - we really loved your letter. It was so funny - Friday, Daddy taught at Booker so we went to school together - on the way coming home, he said, "Well, what do you suppose we got in the mail today" and I said, "Well, I'm betting on a letter from Roy" - and he said, "Well, I'll give you ten to one odds that we won't get one" - he lost all the money he had made that day - Ha! It was such a newsy letter and we appreciated it so much - your housing situation for next year sounds really great and I think the change will be good for you - I wish we could remember which house it is - could it be the one that was cooking one of the turkeys for you? We're glad you went to see Ty in Syracuse - that is really beautiful country isn't it? We feel so bad that Link wasn't accepted into the Medical program at Brown - do they ever reconsider after a year or so? I'm sure he will do really well in some related field - we were so impressed with him. We're really happy that you are going to live with Keith and Link still - they are both such fine young men and seem to have the same goals you do. We had the sweetest note from Jill - I'll try to remember to enclose it with this letter - I have tired to call Ellen several times and haven't been able to get her - I did talk to Ed one time though and sorta' felt that she would return my call and hasn't. I will write to Jill soon - she has a birthday in March, doesn't she? We're anxious to meet Patrice - it's really hard for you to be seeing so much of someone we don't know. Robert hasn't been over this week - I honked at him one day when he was working in their yard but haven't seen him.

Annie - we haven't heard from you for awhile and hope everything is going good - we are practicing for the Primary Sacrament Presentation in our Ward and I'm sure you are busy with your calling. They asked Daddy and I to be the parents in that program but they are putting it on March 22 and we don't plan to be here. Laura Gonce is our chorister and she is doing a good job but it is really hard to settle our group down - today they really noisy and wouldn't sing so she just stopped and had them sit still and fold their arms for the last five minutes - that was long five minutes.

Jeannie - it was fun to talk to you and hear little Ricky in the background - we're happy you got your "car business" taken care of and we hope that you won't take personal anything they might have said to you. People are so funny where money is concerned and I guess we aren't any different - this has been one of my hardest years and I'm sure it's because of all the problems involved with Aunt Marvel's estate. We're still having things come up that should have been settled long ago. One thing I'm sure of - the Lord had all of us deal with financial things for a purpose and it's so important to be honest and fair.

Bob and Claire came over Friday night and spent the evening with us - we watched Dallas since Johnny wasn't here - we have decided that is very poor family movie that we won't watch and laugh about when Johnny is here - he is too young to understand. John was to a party up on Mountain Drive - it was an absolutely gorgeous evening and he really had a good time. Claire is getting quite round around the tummy - she is going to the doctor tomorrow and she's worried that she has gained too much weight - she looks great. Bob is excited to finish up the next two weeks because then he will be through until April and then he starts his rotation schedule - he has medicine, ob gyn, surgery and pediatric - and I think I have them in the right order - he is going to enjoy that more, he says. Claire puts out the Ward newsletter and she had it ready this morning - she does a good job. She has been traveling quite a bit with her job - she was in Memphis and El Dorado last week - I worry about her because she takes her car and it isn't in very good condition the radiator hose broke just as she pulled into the motel in Memphis and the battery went dead when she went to El Dorado - we laughed at Bob - he said that if all the men in the world were to die, there wouldn't be a car on the street that would run properly. He's probably right - I just hate to even put gas in a car let alone all the other things you have to do. One of the families I n the Ward gave them a crib so they're getting ready!

Roy - I forgot - I work with a Mrs. McGee and she asked me if I were your Mother - her son, Jim (?) went to Hall you. She said he is getting his CPA this Semester - she asked all about and said to tell you 'hello'.

Pete Hipp's sister in Georgia passed away on Thursday. She is the one who has had Parkinson's disease and she and her husband used to spend a lot of time at the Hipps - they lived in back of McDermott school. She has a daughter in Georgia so when her husband died she moved there and has been in a Rest home for the past four years. Pete had wanted to go see her but with Ralph's illness she couldn't until now - she left on Tuesday morning to go spend some time with her and she died on Thursday. Pete just got home yesterday and I haven't talked to her - she has surely had a lot to go through the past four or five months.

We bought a "Charlie O" - it's like a soda fountain in your own home. You rent a carbonated water tank for $4.00 a month and then buy the different syrups and make your own drinks. We thought it was national business but we found out it was started by the man who renovated the old railroad station and made it into a restaurant and his name is Charlie Owens - he is going to put it on the national market soon. We have just had it a week but it is really neat and of course Johnny and his friends love it - we bought the small carousel and it has four flavors - lemon (lemon-lime), sting free (sugar free Dr. Pepper), root beer and cola (right now we have the grape, but Johnny wants to trade it for cola). It is much better than the canned or bottled drinks and really handy to not have to bring all that stuff from the grocery store to the house. It is supposed to cost 2 c a glass but we have been drinking so much of it I'm sure it won't be much cheaper than buying it at the store but it is a lot more fun. Johnny went to the store with me yesterday to buy some "stirrers" and glasses and things and we came home with "caviar," crackers, French fried onion rings and all kinds of things to put on our "bar" - he and his friend hated the caviar but they had to try it.

Dorothy just called me and we talked too long - now I'll really have to hurry to finish this because I only have about twenty minutes before it has to be mailed at the Brady station - after that I have to take it down town or you don't get it until the end of the week and then the news is really old. The Woods are doing fine - Dorothy is in a tizzy about Dana s wedding and says she has so much to do - the wedding isn't until August and she has a long time to worry about it. I'm So glad our daughter' wedding are over and they were so lovely and Ann and Jean did all the work - I told her that!!!!

I'm still at Mann - it is such a challenge and I have learned so much - there is a rule at Mann that if you give a student a "document" (sending them out of class for discipline reasons) then you have to call their parents. I called one of the girl's parents yesterday and got the girl and I could never print the names she called me - I couldn't believe it. It is so sad because they have some really deep rooted problems. Daddy taught at Hall and Booker last week - it's really fun for us to go together.

Well - Chris just called so now I'll have to go down town to mail this because we always talk for a long time. She had some good news though - she told me that Dan Watson was accepted into Med school here Roy. I have a asked so many people and none seemed to know - she didn't know anyone else - I have wondered if Mark Murphy applied again - we really like Dan and are happy for him.

I can't think of any more news. We're getting excited about going to Utah for Spring Break - March 20th - and Bob is coming with us - Claire doesn't think she can take off work. We still haven't head anything from Salt Lake - thy want to Stake Pres. There for April 2nd so we'll stay that long. We love you all bushels and bushels.
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