Dearest Family,
Annie - THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVITATION FOR
THANKSGIVING!!! There isn't anything I enjoy more than being with my
family and I'm looking forward to your delicious turkey dinner. I
ordered some squid and octupus for my Thai soup - Ha!!! Speaking of
soup I'm going to send you all a recipe for pumpkin soup:
1 cup chopped onion
sauteed in 2 TBS. butter.
1 TBS. flour mixed with
the onion.
3 cups chicken broth
added to above ingredients.
2 TBS. sugar.
1 teas. salt.
3 cups canned pumpkin
Simmer together - 1/2 to
1 hour.
Add a little nutmeg or
mace or ginger.
Serve with a dollup of
sweetened whipped cream on top. ( I don't believe I would add the
spices or put the whipped cream on top). Ellen Mae made this soup for
our party on Friday and it was different but good for this time of
year. I didn't like the cream on top and she said she put in a little
nutmeg but I think it would be better as a soup without it.
I wish the Roy Mellor family could be with
us for Thanksgiving - I know they will be having Suzie and some friends
with them for dinner. I hope Roy will have the day off. Do you all
remember how we used to hike "Pinnacle" during the Thanksgiving
holiday? It isn't hiking weather here now but it was always quite warm
in Arkansas and Pinnacle is such a beautiful place. I don't know how
many of my grandchildren will be with us - I know Susanna's family is
far away &Barji and Boyd may be on their way to Florida - I hope Jessie
will be able to come as well as all the others. I believe Boyd has
qualified to go to Florida for a golfing tournament so they will be
leaving California in a few days.
Claire - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL
THOSE WONDERFUL PICTURES OF THE TRIP TO GUATEMALA!!! I started to watch
them on Friday night and then the "virus scan" processing started and it
always takes such a long time so I didn't get back to see them until
late yesterday. I just love them and some of them are very graphic -
like the ones of Dr. Washburn putting the needle in that person's eye
and Bob's surgery on that lady with the sinus problem close to her eye.
It means SO much to me to see Bob, Roy & John working together and I'm
glad the pictures will be saved for posterity - I'm VERY proud of them.
Bob told me the group saw about 500 patients and I think that is just
MARVELOUS!!! I want to cry when I see those beautiful children without
so many of their teeth and I hope they will be able to have implants or
some kind of false teeth when they get older - I'm sure implants are out
of the question but how are they going to be able to eat? The little
children in Thailand had toothbrushes in a little bag that fit around
their waists and they had to brush their teeth after each meal. I don't
believe they ever brushed them at home though but the Government tried
to help them when they were in school.
I had dinner with Rick & Jean last Sunday
night and it was fun to be with Mary Ann & David too - I don't believe
they will be able to get to the Woolleys for Thanksgiving until later
Thursday night because Mary Ann has to work. Bob & Claire had told me
they would visit on that night so I left them a message telling them
where I was. John came and saw the note so he came to the Weinerts and
then Bob & Claire came. We all had to go see John's new car - it is
a very unique "Hummer". When we had our family reunion several years
ago the Willardsens offered a "ride in their Hummer" for a donation to
the reunion fund. That's the first time I had ever heard of that kind
of car and I have probably seen about three since that time - they are
very rare!!! John's Hummer is "loaded" with a great DVD in the back
seat and special tire inflating things, etc., etc. There is room in the
back for Tar's bed and it will be much warmer than traveling in the back
of his truck. John gave us a ride and that was fun!!! John says his
new job is going well and is ALOT of work.
This has been a busy week for me. We had
our monthly D.U.P. meeting on Wednesday and it turned out REALLY good.
It was held in the home of one of our new members and she has multiple
scelorsis and is in a wheelchair - her husband and daughter helped her
and it was very nice.
I went to the Davis County fundraiser
benefit for the "Safe Harbor Crisis Center" in Bountiful on Wednesday
night with Margaret and Patt Guthrie. Margaret is one of their sponsors
and it is always fun to go to these with her. They served dinner and
then there was a silent auction and then a live auction where they
auctioned 29 Christmas trees. I couldn't believe the bidding on these
trees - it averaged $1,000.00 per tree and then most of them put them
back in the auction so the price would be doubled. Margaret and her
family bought 3 trees - $1,700, $1,400 and I can't remember the price of
the third one. I have put my little "Fiber Optic" tree and a few of the
little "Christmas Village Houses" on the landing of the stairway going
upstairs and they look cute - I had planned to get three of those
"skinny" trees for my living room but I haven't had time to do that
yet. Jeannie and Rick have their home decorated for Christmas and it
looks beautiful. Margaret and I bought an outdoor "Snowman" for the
area between our two condos and it really adds alot to the village - now
we hope others will decorate in some way.
Ellen Mae & I had a luncheon to welcome
Helen Jane home from her mission in Nauvoo. We had it on Friday and I
am not kidding when I say that I spent at least half my time during the
week giving people directions on how to get here and then three of the
car loads got lost and Mel Manning had to go find them and direct them
here!!! We are having some "terrible" construction in our area and I
couldn't give them the same directions Bob had made when I first moved
here. I never did know who was coming until they all got here. I
planned that we would have at the most, 10 people and we ended up with
14. It REALLY was the most successful party I have ever had AND I have
had alot of parties. I invited former High School friends and we
visited and laughed all afternoon - I planned it for 1 o'clock so
everyone could get home before dark and we practically had to kick them
out at 5. It was kinda' sad to see how handicapped some of them are
getting - two of the women are using walkers and even with those they
can hardly walk. My former boyfriend, Del Holmgren, has had a series of
strokes and his speech is very difficult to understand and besides that,
what he says doesn't make sense. Helen Jane told us about her mission
and then she played some of the pieces she played for the programs they
put on in Nauvoo - she is definitely the youngest acting of all of us
and is just darling. I ordered a meat tray from a grocery store and
also croissants - Ellen Mae made pumpkin soup and I made chili and that
frog's eye fruit salad. I also ordered two ice cream pies from Baskin &
Robbins - one said "Welcome Home Helen Jane" and the other one said
"Happy Birthday Merlin" who will celebrate his 79th birthday on Monday.
Verle & LaRaine Petersen who owned the funeral home in Brigham City came
and LaRaine looks and acts about 100 years old - I'm determined to take
good care of myself and not get that way - Ha!!!
Jessie - one of my friends who came to the
party is Emma Lou Thayne. She is the poet and author who has had MANY
books published and she also wrote the words to "Where Can I Go For
Peace" that is in our hymn books. I showed her the poem you had written
after Papa died and she said to tell you that it is "EXCELLENT" and she
just wouldn't say that. THAT IS ONE OF MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS" - I
LOVE IT!!! I hope things are going GREAT for you.