October 28, 1996

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

I believe we are finally having Winter and I LOVE it. They had predicted snow here last week and I kept getting up in the night and watching for it but it never happened. Later that afternoon I was sitting in the kitchen listening to the news and they told about the terrible storm that had hit Layton, Farmington, and the Ogden area and I looked outside and the sun was shining and I had been raking leaves all afternoon. I called Jeannie and she said they had been without electric power all afternoon and there were tree branches down all over town. It was a funny storm but then we got a little snow the next day.

First of all I want to thank Mary Ann for her sweet note last week - I forgot to mention it in my last letter. It is a treat to receive mail from her because she is so creative and she illustrates everything so cleverly. Susanna - thank you too for your sweet note. Susanna had such a happy and exciting birthday - she celebrated all week. I LOVE TO HEAR FROM MY GRANDCHILDREN!!!

Last week was a busy week for the Weinerts. - Jeannie said the children and Rick did such a good job taking care of things while she was in San Antonio and now she has all the "hours" she needs to keep her dietitian's license up to date. I admire her SO much for doing all she does - she is enjoying working in Bob's office.

Ann came over last night and we had such a good visit. She and her daughters have to go to Firesides on Sunday nights so they all couldn't come and that will happen a lot now that she is the President but those times are SO important!!! We have a "needy" family in our ward with a young mother so Ann brought a sack of clothes to give them - I believe I will end up being the needy person - not that I need them but some of them fit me and they are SO cute!!! The older I get the more I realize how "growing up in the depression" influenced me.

Bob, John & Rick went to New Mexico on a little fishing trip over the weekend. They keep telling me that they would love to have Ron join them but he "just isn't a fisherman" - his parents were here from Jerome so he couldn't have gone anyway. Jeannie laughed when she said, "Mom - you would think there isn't any place to fish in Utah". I haven't talked to anyone about their trip but I know they had a good time. Julianna was over on Thursday and she said John hadn't been feeling very good - the weather was bad so I hope he didn't get worse. They have both had some kind of "bug".

I talked to Timothy for a few minutes on his birthday - WHAT A LITTLE DOLL!!! He is a man of few words but SO SWEET!!! I am anxious to spend some time with them next week. I will leave here on Saturday morning and get in Little Rock that afternoon. I would like to go to church with them Sunday morning and then to church with Chris Jordin at 1 o'clock if it works out. Chris and Wayne called me and they will be in Plainview on Nov. 6th and 7th and then Wayne leaves for "deer camp" on the 8th. I would love to drive to see them one day and they said Roy, Patrice and their family could come too - I have no idea how far it is. I want to stay with the children on the days they have off from school while I am there.

I would like to see Cissy and Charles too but I haven't told them I was coming. Joy Geisler called me last week and told me that Steve and Eileen have divorced - that is SO sad but I'm not surprised. They have six children and their oldest daughter just married. I haven't heard from them for quite a long time - their daughter Shawna who used to live near Bob and Jean has moved to Phoenix.

I want to see Dorothy and Dan too and some of the other neighbors but I will work that out when I get there. They have been in Chandler, Arizona visiting with Carol and her family and I wrote to them but I haven't heard back. The main thing I want to do is to be with Emily, Timothy and Jesse.

Carol Braithwaite called me early one morning last week. She had been to see Bob with her granddaughters Rosie and her baby and Memory and her children. SHE WAS SO THRILLED WITH WHAT BOB HAD DONE FOR THEM. Evidently one of Memory's children has quite sever allergies and she said Bob did all kinds of tests and helped them so much. She also said Bob had taken off a mole by her eye - SHE THINKS YOU CAN WALK ON WATER BOB!!! I am proud of you and Daddy would be SO happy that you can help his family.

Speaking of Daddy's family. You all know Elaine. Her daughter, Lisa, lives in Coure De Lene (sp.?) Idaho and she is a nurse and works in the hospitals up there - I understand she is a very special person but I don't know her very well. She hasn't married but she had a friend and they were planning to get married soon and Elaine was SO happy. WELL - this friend was found dead in her front yard with a gunshot wound - they don't know how it happened but Elaine has been in Idaho for awhile. Elaine has more problems than anyone I know of. Ramona is in Virginia visiting her daughter Margaret.

I am going to REALLY enjoy my temple assignment. I was over there all afternoon on Saturday. There are a lot of workers from Lehi and it is fun to visit with them because some of them remember Aunt Marvel. I haven't started tutoring yet - the training was very basic but necessary, I guess. The school is new and they don't have the library books we will need so I won't start until after I get back from Little Rock.

What do you think of the elections? I voted absentee on Friday. I believe the Presidential election is about decided but there are a lot of local elections that are quite close. I am especially interested in the one between Chris Cannon and Bill Orton from our district - Orton is the incumbent but all my neighbors are really hoping Cannon wins.

Ann is going to give me a permanent this morning. It has been two months since my last one and it is completely gone - the ones she gives me usually last a lot longer than that. I am having Family Home Evening here tonight and I don't do anything with my hair after a permanent for several days so I will look like a Halloween witch. I am going to serve this pumpkin dessert that I'm sending you the recipe for. It was in our local paper this week and it's different and good.

That's all the news. I love you very much. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!

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