September 25, 1983 Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy, Bob, Claire, Michael & Laura, Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie & Russell,

We just came home from Riverton, Wyoming where we attended their Stake Conference. We left here yesterday about noon and drove to Dunmore (Crow Agency) to say goodbye to our missionary couple there - Pres. & Sister Robins - they flew to North Carolina today to attend their grand-son's wedding and then they will come back here in about ten days and go to their home is Santa Clara, Utah. They have been outstanding missionaries and we will really miss them. Then we went to Lodgegrass to visit Elder & Sister Wright - I just love them - they are the sweetest people and they really have a challenge in Lodgegrass. Before we left they gave us some apples they had received from their family in Brigham City and also a cantaloupe a neighbor had given them. We get such a life from out couples!!!

Last Monday morning we awakened to find about eight inches of snow on the ground - we were so surprised. We went out and raked off our tomatoes and picked all of them - even the green ones and they'll ripen in the pantry. It froze most of the garden except for the turnips, carrots and potatoes - some of the flowers were frozen too but there are still a lot of petunias in bloom. Monday and Tuesday it was cold here but then it warmed up and we are having beautiful Fall weather now. We had this same thing happen last year except that we had a little warning - this time we were out of town until Sunday evening and didn't even listen to the weather forecast. We should have covered things like our geraniums and roses - oh well!!!

Wednesday we received three new missionaries - two Elders and one Sister. They are all really outstanding and we are thrilled with them. One of the Elders is from Chicago and when he bore his testimony he said, "I am the Young lien's Organization" in my Stake at home - he said it was really a hard decision for him to come on his mission but he's glad he did. The other Elder has only been the member of the church for a year and he is from California - he said he decided to learn more about the church because of the simple testimony of a young Elder in Brazil - he will really be great. Sister Bloom is from California but she graduated from the BYU and has been teaching school in Payson for the last five years (third grade) - she is really a pretty girl and sweet and will be a great asset in the Mission Field. Daddy send them all to Wyoming and we were with Sister Bloom today and she told about tracting the day she got to Riverton and a lady had a quilt on the clothes line so she went up to her to admire the quilt and introduce herself and the lady just grabbed the quilt and ran into the house - that is going to be hard!!!

Thursday we had three Elders and one Sister come in to go home - one of the Elders was Elder McCaffery from Nephi and he was in the home when you all came to visit - he said to tell you all Hello. The Sister is from Provo and she is going to get married in November - she has been trunked out for the last three months so we won't really miss her. We had a special dinner for them and then an open house where they had invited their friends to come tell them goodbye. I made the most delicious cherry macaroons - I'll send you the recipe if you want it.

Tuesday we had a nice surprise - do any of you remember our friends from Laramie, Bonnie and Howard Rhodes? They owned a printing business there and published a local newspaper - they had Ann's picture with her two cats on the front page one time. Their two sons, Allan and Paul, were Ann and Jeans' ages and they practically lived together - well, Allan graduated from MIT and then on to medical school in Denver and he is now a cardiologist in Las Vegas - Paul has taken over their lithographing business is Casper. They have visited us in Phoenix and we have corresponded through the years. They were in Billings last Tuesday and called the Mission Home so we had them come out - they are just darling (a little older but still the same). They are really strong Baptists and really good people. They own some land East of Casper and have quite a vegetable garden - when she told me all she had canned I about died. They have a mobile home and they load it up each Fall (they take a freezer filled with their frozen vegetables) and go to Mexico for the Winter - we thought they had a condominium there but they take their mobile home. It was wonderful to visit with them and we're going to plane to get together soon.

Claire - thank you so much for your wonderful letter. You sound so happy and much like a typical mother of two tin children - I didn't ever have any that close together but I well re-member what it was like to be confined to home. The things that I might pass on to you and also Ann and Jean is the thought I kept having of things I was going to do when our children were grown up - it is so funny because when they were grown and I had time to do the things I had but put off, I found that I didn't really want to do them then. We try to imagine what little Laura looks like and I'll bet she's like Michael - he sounds darling!!! We're proud that you would get a better lawn mower - your lawn must be like a golf course and it sounds like you're great gardener, Claire. Bob - your hospital schedule sounds rough - you knew it would be didn't you? We hope you will be able to activate your orthodontist friends - I have empathy with people like that because activity in the church in places like Memphis and Little Rock sometimes isn't the most popular thing to do. We are really thrilled that you are doing your share - homemaking chairman is the hardest job in Relief Society, I think!!! Houston has really had its share of bad storms lately - we're happy your parents didn't get any more damage than they did.

Annie - we loved our phone visit with you and hope we didn't too long. Please don't worry about not writing - we really understand!!! We are concerned about your anemia - that is dangerous and we're glad you have it under control (Ann's iron got so low she has to go in for shots every three days and for tests every six days). You will feel so much better when you get your blood built back up. I know it's home remedy but there isn't anything better than black strap molasses and if you will take a tablespoon every morning it would really help - promise!!! We hope Ron has had a fun weekend at Lake Powell - we're looking forward to family reunions there. Susanna and Jessie sound so grownup - we're homesick for them!

We can hardly wait for this weekend - the Weinerts are coming to see us!!! We talked to Jeannie last Sunday and she said they would be here Friday about noon - it has been just about a year since we have seen them and we're excited. The Elders are all anxious to meet you too. I hope the weather is as good as it is now - really warm and bright and sunshiny!!!

Roy - we have been interested in the "sailing races" in Newport. They have really had a prominent part on the news so it must be a big thing. I have never really understood sailing but I'm sure there must be real talent involved in getting the boats to do what you want them to do. Were you able to attend any of them?

They are having a missionary fireside downstairs right now and I could hear a lot of noise so I went down - there must be about a dozen children and they are running all over. Two of our Elders are teaching two families and they hope to get them ready for baptism this week -when I went downstairs are of the Elders came up to me and said, "Sister Mellor, I hate to baby-sit and he just pulled at his hair". I'm not going to baby-sit them either so I came upstairs.

We really feel bad for Johnny. He went to the doctor on Monday and found that his collar bone is broken so he/out of football for the rest of the season. It really is hard on him and he is trying hard to not show how disappointed he is. He has practiced all Summer during the hot weather and had made first string and got to play one conference game. He has to wear that collar brace and a sling and the doctor says it will be from six to eight weeks before it is healed - it looks awful with a huge lump on it - I don't remember it looking this bad the last time he broke it. He drove his car and took two of his friends to Helena on Friday to see the game - they lost and he feels bad because he think he could have helped them score a little better. Just when he was really getting in the swing of things - we're all disappointed!!! Daddy says it is a blessing in disguise because he was worried that he might get really hurt bad.

We had a letter from Dorothy Woods last week and she really in upset and I don't blame her. She said she hasn't heard from us all Summer. I can't believe it has been that long but I got her last letter out and it was written in June and I haven't answered it yet. This has been a H of Summer - I hope we are never this busy again. I'm going to call her in the morning - I start travelling again the first of October. I need to call the Beyers too because they had said they wanted to come see us in October. We won't have any friends after our mission is over!!!

We surely do love our family - we're so proud of you and hope you are taking good care of yourselves and are happy. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO. Let us know how we can help you!



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