September 5, 1989 Orem, Utah

Dearest John; Roy, Patrice & Emily; Bob, Claire, Michael, Laura, Brett & Katie; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Mary Ann & Sarah; and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell, LeeAnna & Jimmy:

Wow - my letters are getting quite irregular!!! I guess it's my age but I have never, ever seen time go by so fast - I feel like I am on a merry-go-round that just doesn't stop. I LOVE everything we do but I also like the slower pace - Ha!!!!

I didn't write the first of this week because we were at the cabin. Ann & Jean planned it al and it was JUST WONDERFUL - they called and said they would like to go on Sunday afternoon after church and stay all day Monday, coming home Monday evening. You just wouldn't believe all the fun we had. Ann took the dinner for Sunday night, Jean took the breakfast for Monday morning and I took hot dogs for Monday afternoon. We had hoped Bob, Claire and their children could go but Bob was on call and John had other plans with his friends who have just come back to school - we missed them!!!

We got to the cabin about 6 o'clock Sunday evening - we would have arrived much earlier but we went all over creation looking for angle worms - finally finding them in Mapleton!!! After dinner we all walked along the lake beach and it was just a beautiful night. Then we played games until about 11 o'clock - I am a game player and it is so much fun to have our grandchildren getting to the age where I can play with them. I didn't even go upstairs to see where they were all sleeping but they said they had plenty of space - Ricky & Russell slept on the rollaway bed in the living room but the other children were all upstairs with their parents.

Monday morning after breakfast we all went "hiking" up in the mountains - PaPa caught up with us in the four-wheeler and at one pint he had nine little grandchildren on it with him - what a sight!!! The mountains were just gorgeous and we went a long way. Rick & Jean and Ron & Ann took some of their children and followed the creek back to the cabin while the rest of us rode on the four-wheeler - I really believe it was much longer than they had thought it would be because they were "bushed" when they got back.

We built a little bon fire close to the cabin and roasted our hot dogs and everyone took turns riding the four-wheeler. I'm surprised how the children can drive it - we ran out of gas or I guess we might still be there - Ha!!! Daddy had forgotten his gas can for it.

THEN, they all started fishing and since the fish weren't biting they decided to catch crawdads. You wouldn't believe how they did it - they put a little piece of hot dog on a string and when the crawdad bit into it they caught it with a net. They came back to the cabin with about ten crawdads and of course, PaPa cooked them and insisted everyone try them. Do any of you remember "PaPa's Restaurant" in Lake Charles, Louisiana? I know you went there many times John and we always ordered crawdads. They are very delicious but to see them crawling around one minute and try to eat them the next was a little hard. They were all good sports though and tried them. We thought little LeeAnna was going to have a cardiac arrest when PaPa touched her with one of them - Ha!!!

Ann & Jean gave me a permanent while they were catching the crawdads and it has turned out JUST WONDERFUL. Daddy and I decided to stay at the cabin Monday night since we didn't have any special reason for coming home - besides that we were zonked - Ha!! It was so peaceful and beautiful we just loved it. We probably would have stayed longer but we had our Family Home evening group last night - we went out for dinner and then back to Mae & Wayne Hacking's home to play cards. The Weinerts and Woolleys left the cabin about 6 o'clock and the Weinerts stopped by our home on their way to check on Hans so we didn't worry!!!

Daddy and I went to the cabin early last week and Daddy installed the water heater - it makes such a lot of difference to have sinks, running water and even hot water. Ron has an excellent suggestion - he suggested that we plan a work party and have all the men build a deck onto the cabin going out from the kitchen. Daddy is so excited he got the plan approved by the building committee before we left and is already to start yesterday - Ha!! He also is excited about a "smoker" he bought - he wants to smoke some salmon and also other fish. He has some thawing right now so we will have smoked fish tonight I'm sure. It is wonderful he feels SO good - he just doesn't stop. He has a bad pain in his right shoulder last week and I tried to get him to go see Dr. Brown but he said he was sure it was bursitis or something like that - it has gone away but you all know how scary that is!!! One thing I know - it is vitally important for him to have projects and keep doing everything he wants to do!!!

We worry about Jeannie too - I don't think she feels very good. She says she knows it will take time for her to get feeling better. We are going to Brigham City for Peach Days on Friday and if she will let us, we will bring the children home with us to stay for as long as they want to. The new medicine her doctor has put her on has some kind of effect on her blood and the red count is low making her very week. The children are on that year round school program and they will have a three week vacation starting next Monday.

WE HAVE A DARLING NEW LITTLE FEMALE SCHNAUZER PUPPY. I don't even want to tell you how much we paid for her ($250). I think of it as an investment in our future because we plan to breed her - we won't be able to for a year because she is just six weeks old. She is very tiny - we got her at the same place where we got Hans and the lady tried to get us to take the larger one (she only had two females) but Daddy liked this one better - her face is so square. She is all black. Hans doesn't know what she is yet and eats her food so he isn't very protective.

We haven't heard from the Bob Mellors for a while but Jeannie says they are doing fine - she also just raved about the peach pie Claire made for them. John started school yesterday and we can see evidence that he has been home but we haven't seen him - he has a "Poof Pillow" that comes and goes so we know when he has been home. We can also see when the truck changes places so we know he has taken his boat out - Ha!!! We hope he has a very successful year at school - I know he is scheduled for some hard classes.

Roy & Patrice - we have the most darling picture of you two taken at Trip Strauss' wedding. Last night when we were going through our mail we had a letter from Chris Jordin and she had enclosed a full page from the Little Rock paper with pictures of the wedding - that must have been the social event of the year there. Have you seen it??? You two are shown with Trip's brother Steve - it is good of Roy but just excellent of Patrice. Trip doesn't even look like the Trip I remember and both Shirley & Sam have changed a lot too. The bridesmaids dresses are very elegant. The Trip I remember was when he used to stay with us and got up all by himself early, early in the morning so he wouldn't miss his swimming lessons - does he still swim? His bride, Christa, is beautiful and the wedding sounded so nice. It made me homesick for Little Rock and we're excited that you will be living there.

Daddy & I went to the "Midway Swiss Celebration" last Saturday with Ann & Jimmy and had such a good time. It is an annual event there but this is the first time we have gone - you wouldn't believe all the craft shops - I could have spent days there. Daddy had breakfast there - pancakes, ham & eggs - he was in heaven!!! Ron had taken the rest of the children on an overnight camping trip up in the canyon and then Saturday morning they put all their "gear" in their van and hiked back home. I really believe it was longer than they had anticipated (Jessie told me secretly that her Dad got lost - Ha) but they had a good time. Ann & Ron went back later that afternoon and picked up the van.

Daddy is out mowing the lawn - I just beg him to hire it done but he absolutely refuses - none can do it to please him. I am going to go to the library to see if they have last Sunday's Salt Lake Tribune - I want to copy the article in it about George P. Lee's excommunication so I can send it to Joy Geisler in Little Rock. She called on Sunday morning and was so upset - it had just come out in their paper. She wanted to know al about it and of course all anyone knows is what is in the paper. It is a very sad things for the church I think but the church will survive. I think he will have a lot of Indian follow him wherever he goes - the ones in Montana just loved him.

We love you all very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL!!!!
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