September 20, 1984 Billings, Montana

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

It's Thursday afternoon and we are going to leave early in the morning to go to Great Falls and then on to Helena and won't be back until late Sunday night so I'm going to start my letter today. I have found that if I keep up a steady pace all day long and not waste one single minute I can get everything done - when I look back on a week's activities I marvel that Daddy and I are still sane (at least I think we are). I got quite upset with the Elders one day and Daddy suggested that I get some handwork to do (it used to be that I could go get some material and work out my frustrations in sewing but I don't have time for that now) so I went to the yarn shop here and got some yarn to make Johnny an afghan - well, I made so many mistakes and had to keep going back to get the lady there to help me and finally she said, "You know, I could recommend a good doctor for you to go to get some tranquilizers" - she was just kidding but she wasn't too far wrong. The other day at the Mission President's Seminar Daddy was telling about one of our Elders who had had an encounter with the Pres. of the United States several years ago and said it was Pres. Eisenhower - they all laughed and said they thought Daddy needed an R and R - he was thinking about Pres. Carter. Oh well - we'll make it!!!

Claire - we loved your wonderful letter - we love to hear about the children and it looks like little Laura is going to be walking before long!! We laughed about Michael borrowing her doll and enjoying it - Johnny used to do that with Carol's dolls and I just begged to get him a doll but Daddy absolutely refused!!! I personally think it is a good idea for little boys to have dolls and I think child psychologists do too but I couldn't convince Daddy of that!

We have talked to Jeannie and Rick and they're doing great - they are doing some home decorating and it sounds exciting - they have been wallpapering - Jeannie says she is using the colors of apricot and navy blue in her color scheme and that sounds so pretty. We discussed the options for our family reunion next Fall and I think they are worried that Lake Powell might be too cold in October for the children too! I said that it would be so wonderful to have most of our family together (Johnny will be on his mission) that I won't care where we go!

I have wanted to copy the pictures of when the Woolleys were with us to send with my letters but I am having several enlarged and they make better copies so I am waiting for them - it has been three weeks since I took the negatives in and they're still not ready. Jeannie sent us some pictures today so maybe my letter next week will have some pictures - surely the enlargements will be ready by then. Jean had talked to Ann and said they were all fine - we passed some little children walking home from school this afternoon and talked about how much Susanna must be enjoying school. Roy - we know you're enjoying life and the beautiful fall in the New England States. Johnny - we went to Senior High this afternoon and picked up your yearbook and it is beautiful - we are so thrilled with all your pictures in it, especially the one for the Prom Royalty. Your school was in session and I didn't realize how big Senior was - I had to walk from one end of it to the other and there were a million student there and it is huge!!!! I asked about senior rings and you can still get one if you want it so please let us know - we would love to get you one if you want it. It didn't occur to Daddy & I until way after graduation that Johnny didn't ever get a senior ring - he never did even mention it!! Bishop Anderson was over the other night for Home Teaching and he wanted to know how you were he is such a special man - Elder Howard W. Hunter asked us about him the other night - he put him in as Stake Pres. here a few years ago - I'm sure no one in the Council of the Twelve would remember us like that.

We had the big feast last Monday and it was really successful - they put the pig in the pit to cook last Sunday night right after we came back from mailing our letters to you and they didn't take it out until Monday afternoon until about 4 o'clock. It was a little too done but that is better than too raw for pork!!! They loaded it onto a truck to bring around to the back lawn where the tables and chairs were all set up and when they tried to lift it out of the truck onto the table it all fell apart so Daddy had to cut the meat off while it was still in the truck. The Lady Missionaries helped me and everything was just delicious - baked potatoes with sour cream, rice with sweet & sour sauce, watermelon bowls filled with cantaloupe watermelon, crenshaw melon, fresh pineapple & bananas, green salad, the pork, rolls and chocolate cake and ice cream (I had made four big cakes, from scratch). We had had special plaques made for them - Elder Jensen (you know his grandmother, Jeannie) came clear back from his home in Roy, Utah for it - he had been released last month but he qualified for it and so Daddy said he could come. They all stayed in the Mission Home and the next morning we cooked pancakes and eggs for them - I eight times my whole wheat pancake recipe and they ate them so fast I had to make more. After breakfast they all went to the Institute for a special meeting with the zone leaders and I did the laundry. This is the last thing like this we will have here and we're glad we have done it but we're also glad it is over - one thing for sure, we have learned how to roast a pig in a pit and it would be fun to have a family luau!!!

When we were at the Mission President's Seminar I got the feeling from talking to the other wives that I was really doing too much for the missionaries for their own good - they don't ever bake cookies for transfer day or anything like that. Elder Dunn kept saying, "Sister Mellor you inherited a problem" and then he indicated that he expected me to do something about it so Daddy and I had a long meeting with the home Elders the other day. I told them I wasn't going to make the cookies any more and I wasn't going to keep their punch refrigerator filled downstairs and I wasn't going to cook enough food on transfer day to keep them for the whole month! They have the best of all worlds living here in the home and sometimes I feel like they haven't appreciate the things we have done for them - they never say "Thank You"! We moved the big freezer out the outside pantry and put it in the one where all the food is stored - then we cleaned out some big shelves for them to keep their food on and we have asked them to not go in our pantry. It goes against everything we naturally are to be stern with them but I am learning that that is the best way. They called up to the apartment yesterday and wanted to know where the things were to make the punch - I told them they would have to go buy it. They don't seem to realize that is has cost us at least $10 a week to keep that filled along with everything else we give to them - Elder Dunn is very much against doing favors for them - he is just adamant that they should do their very best missionary work for the right reason. Our baptisms aren't as high as they were last year and if they were then I would feel like it might be helping but I told them when we're not at the top in our region I didn't feel right in not following Elder Dunn's advice. We are right in the middle of our region - Canada and Missouri are doing better and Colorado and South Dakota are doing worse. Elder Dunn has suggested that Daddy get out of the office more and into the field so we will really be traveling the next few months - they want us to have as many baptisms at the end of the year as we did last year and that would be one hundred a month for the next three months - we'll never be able to do that!!!

You should see our front lawn - one morning last week we awakened to find huge tractors out there digging it up. Whenever it rains in a downpour here we have to put flood gates out in front so the water won't come into the house so they decided to dig a trenchlike place in the lawn - they didn't even tell us they were going to do it!!! They had to tear up the sidewalk coming into the house and everything - we hope they are going to re-sod the grass - it really looks terrible and the Elders have worked their hearts out on keeping it so pretty for the last two years. They are in the middle of a lot of repair work here - ugh!!!

I'll try to write some more on this when we get back on Sunday night!

Well - it's Friday morning and the assistants just came up to the apartment to tell us that some of the Elders didn't get the word about the District Meeting today so they are changing the time and we won't have to leave until about noon. We are going to have a couples' conference here on Monday and Tuesday - they will come in Monday for dinner so I will really be busy Sunday night when we come in - we're going to serve bar-b-cue brisket and I like to cook it all night so I'll have to get that ready - anyway - I'm going to finish my letter now and get it mailed.

We were so thrilled to hear about the new Miss America - we didn't get to see the pageant and we haven't heard to much about it but we did see the interview with her on national television and we were so proud of the things she said - she must be Robert Wells' daughter - he is in the First Quorum of Seventies, I think. He was in Little Rock to a Stake Conference the night she won another title like Junior Miss and we were impressed that he would put his church assignment first - we hope he was to the Miss America Pageant. BYU is doing good this year with a Miss America and an outstanding football team and a John Mellor as a student!!!!!

Daddy just came in with a bushel of tomatoes - he's worried that it might freeze while we're gone - they are absolutely delicious as all our vegetables have been. We love each one of you so very much - PLEASE BE CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO - let us know how we can help you.
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