September 13, 1999 Farmington, Utah

We are having beautiful Fall weather and I LOVE this time of year. I have listened to the weather report on television and I'm glad I don't live on the East coast - there is always a big worry about hurricanes and I guess the one that is "out there" now could be bad. Chris and Wayne are planning a trip out here in about three weeks so it will be over by then but I always worry about them getting hit.

Russell - your football team is doing great. I can't remember the team you beat last week but you "socked it to them" according to the paper. I'm thrilled you are getting to play so much and I want to come see you play - I was happy to get your schedule. Annie - I keep forgetting to tell you about my tomatoes. I have had the most beautiful tomatoes I have ever grown - they have been perfect slicing tomatoes without any blemishes and just delicious! It has been so fun to have them - I pick and water them every morning.

I went to the Weinert's home last night for Family Home Evening and when I walked in Sarah was practicing her violin - she and Mary Ann are in a recital tonight and Jeannie says they both have very difficult pieces to play. Jeannie gave a great lesson with everyone participating and I learned a lot and then we had chocolate cake out on their patio and it was BEAUTIFUL and almost too cool - Sarah had made the cake.

I have talked to Bob, Claire and Katie during the week and they are all doing fine. Katie is "off track" now so they are re-doing her bedroom and taking off the wallpaper. Claire said last night that they finally rented a "steamer" to make it easier. They are going to paint it rather than do more wallpaper. Bob is "super" busy with his calling in the Bishopric but he is enjoying it. Brett is playing soccer and HE IS GOOD and on a winning team.

John calls regularly and I appreciate that SO much!!! He is doing fine - he is going to Phoenix today - it will be HOT there!!! It's fun to talk to him and hear news about my old ward friends. He also goes to the farm with his dogs and "keeps up with that". When I went to the farm not long ago I didn't think the alfalfa looked very good and John explained last night that with all the building going on the water supply is different and alfalfa depends on the deep water to grow good and that isn't available as much as it was. Does that make sense? I don't like to see all that building but Utah is growing SO fast and I guess the people have to live somewhere.

I haven't heard from the Roy Mellors but I know they are busy. John had talked to Roy and he says they are fine - I'm sure Patrice is busier than usual with her job at their church. I get homesick for Emily, Timothy and Jesse and I LOVE to look at their pictures.

It was fun having Polly, David and their two little boys, Parker and Griffin come spend Labor Day afternoon with me. The boys LOVED the swimming pool - Margaret has a lot of water toys and she loaned them to them. Griffin went down in the water and it scared Polly to death - it made all of us realize how quickly children can drown. She is such a good mother and watches them very carefully but neither of them could swim and it was hard. David was in the pool too but not close to the children at that time. I fixed fried rice, and cooked pizzas and the boys liked the pizzas. I had made orange Jell-O without anything in it and I told David that I knew they would eat that because all children like Jell-O - WELL - he said that was one thing they didn't like. I made brownies and forgot to put the eggs in so I bought some donuts and they liked them with some ice cream. David and Polly are very special friends to me!

I am enjoying my job - my schedule has been mostly in the evenings and I like that. Saturday I had to work both positions most of the time because the young man who has been training me spent time saying goodbye to all the employees - it was his last day. I about went crazy - I closed my register and since he was late in getting to his register they closed it down from the main office and he had to leave it undone. His father had been in an accident and that was very hard on him too - he wasn't seriously hurt though because I called him last night to find out. I work from 5 - 9:15 with Sundays and one other day off - I kinda' hope they don't ask me to work that many hours.

Dianne just called me from Provo. We had planned to get together tomorrow night for dinner with Linda Smithers but I have to work. I don't like missing things like that and Mary Ann and Sarahs' recital and going to Wyoming with Margaret and other condo friends this week BUT I have played a lot this Summer and I won't work forever. Dianne and Garry have spent a lot of time with Kevin and Barbara Sondrup this past week - Kevin has gained 7 pounds on the intravenous feedings so he is feeling better. He wants to go to their home in Georgia but the doctors can't release him yet. I can surely relate to what they are going through and I feel so sad for them.

BYU has a good football team this year. They played Washington this past week and it was such a good game - there is a lot of talk about LaVell Edwards retiring as head coach. He is 69 years old but a real legend in Utah.

One of my neighbors has a brother who has served in El Salvador with his wife on a mission. They just came home and they had their homecoming yesterday - Pat and Denny Williams. Jeannie is planning to go see them because they knew Ricky while they were there.