August 15, 1994 Orem, Utah

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

Our weather has actually dropped below the 100 degree mark and we have actually had a rain storm. This Summer has been "something else" - I know Roy & Patrice and their family have been more comfortable in Little Rock than we have been in Utah. I AM READY FOR WINTER!!!

Laura - thank you for your phone call. I love to hear from my grandchildren - by phone, letter or any means - Ha!!! Your birthday party sounded wonderful - she took some of her friends to see "The Little Rascals".

I appreciate my Provo grandchildren too. I love their Family Home Evening visits SO much - they're always so well prepared and most of the time they bring the refreshments. I don't plan it that way but I don't want to put the pressure on them to come and if I know they're coming in time to make refreshments then I do it but if not they have what I have on hand. A week ago they brought some homemade bread they had made in their bread making machine and it was absolutely wonderful. Last night they brought a delicious rice pudding that Susanna had made and the ice cream to go with it - it was still warm and it was HEAVENLY!!!

The people who were in charge of the tour group that Susanna and Jessie went to Europe with had made a video of their trip. They brought it over last night and we watched it - WHAT A TREAT!!! That is something they will really cherish - pictures of them with their friends at such special places.

My "Friendship Party" for the daughter of a sister in our ward was very successful. I had it on Wednesday and our Presidency made a million phone calls and the response and prediction was for a VERY small crowd. I had made lots of fruit breads; zucchini, banana and date-orange. I also made those cream cheese squares that Janie Bass was famous for and had cantaloupe and melons and then that orange banana slush. We had at least forty people come and everything turned out just great.

Thursday I got up early and made a casserole for a sister in our ward who had had back surgery. Then I drove into Salt Lake to take my camera in for repairs (I had called the number on the booklet that came with the camera and they told me to go to this place in Salt Lake). I could have mailed it but I felt better about taking it in person. They are going to send me a card with the estimate for the repairs to see if it would be worth it - I'm sure it will be. When I took my camera out of my purse the lady asked me if that's where I carried it and when I told her it was, she said "You should NEVER carry your camera in you purse - they are very fragile and the slightest bump in a purse can damage it". I didn't tell her that I had dropped it!!!

Then - I came home and got ready to go to the cabin to spend the night. I had bought the paint to paint the deck but I got there too late to start doing it Thursday evening. I got up early on Thursday but it was raining so I just relaxed and read for a little while. The rain stopped about 9:30 so I started to paint. I finished about 2 o'clock and the deck looked just wonderful. It was too early to go home so I thought about painting the rest of the cabin.

BOB - YOU REALLY PAINTED A LOT AT THE CABIN. There is just a very little bit left but it is too high to reach without the ladder. I decided to go borrow the ladder but then I thought about how Julianna held it for John to paint and Ron & Rick held it for each other when they painted and decided it was not a very good idea for me to paint alone.

I came home and there were 7 messages on my phone and 6 of them were telling me about my neighbor and very sweet friend who had fallen from a ladder and broken her neck and died. I have been so shaken up over this that I can't "get my act together". She was 62 years old and she was tending her 3 little grandchildren. She had a water leak from her evaporative cooler on her roof so she climbed up to fix it. Two of her grandchildren, ages 5 and 3, were on the carport by her and the baby was in the house. They saw her fall and will never forget it, I'm sure. She fell right on the side of her face. A little 9 year old boy who was close by ran to the neighbors to get help and dialed 911. She lived for about 10 hours but it was a blessing that she died because there had been so much brain damage.

Her husband was in Africa on a consulting job and he didn't even get home until yesterday. Her funeral will be this Wednesday and I have been helping arrange for the food and flowers.

WE MUST PROMISE EACH OTHER THAT WE WILL NEVER GET ON LADDERS UNLESS SOMEONE IS THERE TO HOLD IT FOR US. I will never get on a ladder regardless of how many there are to hold it - there is something about people when they get sixty that they lose their equilibrium when they get very high. There wasn't any evidence that Mary Ada even tried to break her fall so they are assuming that may be she blacked out. I am amazed when I remember how Daddy used to climb up on the roofs no matter how high they were or on high ladders - he was like a squirrel.

I have a young man staying here. He is one of the group that stayed here a month or so ago - he is here for Education Week and his plans for another place fell through. Ellen Mae will be here tomorrow and may be her sister Gene and that will make it more comfortable. Ellen Mae "chickened out" on being a hostess so I am doing that alone - I wish now that I hadn't volunteered. I hope to see you Claire while you're here.
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