December
16, 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:
It is a cloudy day outside this morning and is supposed to get REALLY cold - they are predicting 0 degree and below temperatures for this week. I remember when it got that cold about five years ago and killed some bushes out in front. I am going to call the extension service later on today to see it I should cover things with plastic bags. I planted a lot of new bushes last Summer and I would hate to have them all killed with the frost.
The weather in Utah is so funny. Last Friday Bob called me about 4:30 in the afternoon and said it was snowing like crazy in Layton and I had been out trimming shrubs in a light jacket. [I have some shrubbery that obstructs the electric meter so they can't read it and I get these scary "condemning letters" telling me to "fix it"]. On the news that night they showed the slippery roads going into Salt Lake and it had been like Summer in Orem. It is SO funny to see cars coming into the Valley all covered with snow - they are coming from the ski slopes I guess.
Patrice - it was SO good to talk to you on Saturday. I feel kinda' bad that I haven't sent the children some fun gifts for Christmas!!! I call this situation the "red purse syndrome". I don't know if I have ever told you about that before but it is good "journal material" so I will repeat it. When our children were young my Mother sent one of the girls a red purse and it was just darling and she called me to tell me about finding this purse and she was so excited. WELL - when we moved about fifteen years later I found that purse in their closet and it had NEVER been used. I am too conservative I guess but I just can't stand to see things go to waste and I am not smart enough to pick out presents that my grandchildren (or children) will like.
Claire - I am worried about you. Ann had talked to Jean and found out that you are not quite ready to get out and shovel snow like you had planned. It is going to take a lot longer than you think to get your strength and health back the way you want it. I know you know this but it is such a big mistake to rush things because then it will take longer. I am available to help in any way I can.
It was SO good to have the Woolleys come over last night - it had been quite a long time since they had been here. Yesterday in our Relief Society they had asked me to tell about how I am facing the challenges of being a widow especially at Christmas time - I feel like I give these little talks WAY TOO MUCH and I tried to get out of it. I told about reading in Janet and Rex Lee's book "Marathon of Faith" how Janet worried that after Rex's death their children wouldn't want to visit as often as when he was in their home. I said that my children are SO good to visit when they can but it is "more of a duty" than a fun thing and I was certain that if Lynn were still alive it would be more fun for them. That is just a fact of life and I understand COMPLETELY!!! I don't know if any of you remember Dick and Opal Danley. They have been friends since Phoenix days and have been VERY successful financially. Dick had a stroke last year and is "out of it" and Opal is crippled with arthritis so they are in a "retirement center" which is probably a fancy way of saying a rest home. Opal sent a Christmas letter that was sad - she explained their situation and then ended it by saying "I wish we had less and could do more for ourselves". I am SO fortunate to be in such good health and I keep SO busy doing fun things. My Relief Society Sisters keep telling me what a wonderful example I am to everyone but in reality it comes very natural for me to be happy and contented - WHAT A GREAT BLESSING!!!
John came over for a few minutes last night while the Woolleys were here. He is such a fun loving guy and I love it when he comes. He says the lights on their home are beautiful - I must get over to see them. I had a Christmas letter from Julianna's parents and they mentioned that John and Julianna had three dogs - Oscar, Sasha and Tar Baby. I didn't know about Tar Baby and John told me last night that they found this black
Labrador that was for sale on the internet and it is a pedigreed dog - they don't have it yet but it will arrive from Wisconsin around Christmas time. I believe they have "gone to the dogs" - Ha!!! John says that Oscar and Sasha love to go to the farm and he takes them often and I'm happy about that - the people running the property over there need to know our family is looking after it.
I went to the temple early on Saturday so I could go to Lehi and decorate Daddy's grave. It was windy and SO cold that I didn't want to stay very long (I didn't do a very good job) and had some time to kill so I drove by the farm and then went out to Saratoga. You just wouldn't believe that place. I don't know how many of you remember how it used to be. When I was a little girl Aunt Marvel used to take me there a lot - there was an indoor swimming pool, all kinds of rides, picnic places, etc. A couple years ago they had an "Arkansas Reunion" there because the people running it were from Little Rock - Mike Dortch and Phil Bohn. WELL - all that has been torn down and they are developing it into a huge housing area. It is going to be just gorgeous with Utah Lake and the mountains in full view. Phil told me there had been 270 lots sold already. I believe they plan to make it into a little city with schools,. Churches, etc. I have no idea the price of the homes but I imagine they will be modest. When I went to the farm I was SO surprised to see so many cows - I know Stan must have at least 100 there now. He usually takes them to West Canyon during the Winter.
We had our ward Christmas Party last week. My neighbors were in charge of it - Carol and Adrian Fredericks - and I told them I would help serve. I came home about 9:30 and was only here a few minutes when some of the young neighbors came running to tell me to fill my bathtubs with water - there had been a break in the water line just down the street and they were going to shut off the water. I watched and when Carol and Adrian came home I went to tell them. Adrian turned his bathtub faucet on and put the plug in but they had already turned the water off. He forgot to turn the faucet off and in the middle of the night they turned the water back on and fortunately he heard something and got up and he said "one more drop and the bathtub would have gone over". They have a three story home and the tub was on the top floor - I shudder to think what would have happened if he hadn't awakened. Our street is so beautifully decorated that a lot of cars drive by - one lady with her three small children drove into the pool of water and it came up to their windshield and the car had to be towed away.
I went to another party on Friday night. It was our annual luncheon club Christmas party with husbands - out of twelve there are only three husbands still alive - Ha!!! They asked me to make some steamed puddings - I haven't made them for a long, long time and I was worried about doing it but they turned out just WONDERFUL. I am going to make more for Christmas.
I hope you are all surviving the stress of Christmas. I have some of my cards mailed and I will finish the rest today. PLEASE BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL!!! I have been sickened this week to read about the automobile accident in Sandy that took the lives of three little children - the father was driving the car and ran a stop sign. This was a family of ten children and they perform all over as a singing group and had just returned from singing for the Pope. Their grandfather's parents lived in Arkansas and even though they were bedridden they had a celebration for their 50th wedding anniversary and Daddy and I went to it - this grandfather's name is Harold Goodman and he was Dean of the Music Department at BYU for many years. Ann knew him very well
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