Dearest Family,
Today is the 62nd anniversary of "Pearl
Harbor" and I really notice the "Generation Gap" when I realize I am
among the very few in the area where I live who remember that day!!!
They didn't even mention it in our church meetings today and it makes me
wonder if they will mention the "911 Attacks" 62 years from now - I
won't be around in 2065 so I'm not going to worry about it. The funny
thing is that I remember going home from church and finding my parents
huddled around our coal burning stove in our living room listening to
the radio more than I actually remember the attacks in Hawaii. We
didn't have central heat in our home so we relied on the coal stove to
heat our entire house - noone had central heat in those days. Pearl
Harbor changed my world as much as 911 has changed the world of my
grandchildren. I hope nothing like either of those events happens ever
again. I think about John having the experience of a lifetime as he
witnessed the airplanes going into the world trade center!!!
SUSANNA, JACKSON AND ANNIE - Thank you SO
much for your visit on Thursday - I knew Susanna and Jackson were coming
to Utah for a little visit and I had hoped they would find time to come
see me but I didn't really expect them until Friday or Saturday.
That little Jackson is simply adorable and
ALL BOY - I expect him to be a big league baseball player some day -
Ha!!! It was SO fun to visit with them and Susanna looks WONDERFUL and
she says she is feeling good - she is expecting the last of May which is
perfect for Arizona. She and Steve love Arizona and they're SO happy to
be in their very own home in Chandler and I'm thrilled for them. Ann,
Lee Anna & Jessie are going to be with them the middle of December to
help do a little painting and decorating while Ron takes Jimmy and
Russell to Hawaii for a "business/fun" trip - EXCITING!!!
I went to "Rodger's Memorial Theatre" on
Thursday night to see "Here's Love" which is a musical of the story of
34th Street. It was very good and I was sitting by my friend, Bill
Johnson and his wife. Bill loves golf and he volunteers at many of the
tournaments here in Utah and I have seen him when I have been with
Jeannie watching Boyd play. He turned to me and said, "Your
Grandson-in-law is playing in Florida now". I told him that I hoped
Boyd would do well because it meant alot to them and he told me how to
"track" Boyd's scores on the internet. I have had SO much fun doing
that for the last couple days. I think Boyd is doing well but I have no
idea what the scores mean - I hope he is happy with the way he is
playing. Jeannie and Rick will be home tomorrow and maybe I will find
out then if he scored high enough to go on for the next phase.
I am SO lucky to have so many interests at
this time of my life. I have never been interested in golf before but
now that Boyd and Barji are taking it seriously I find myself being very
interested and it's fun. I have also never been interested in horses
before but now that John and Laura are taking horse buying seriously I
find myself being very interest in that too.
John - Thank you SO much for your long
letter telling me about your experience at the "horse sale". I have
never heard of a "cow horse" but I want to learn. I LOVE my picture
project and I want to finish it the way you originally planned rather
than to hurry and finish it just in time for Christmas. I'm glad you
are enjoying your new job and I hope you won't have to travel too much
during the Winter season - my friends Ellen Mae & Mel are in New York
and when I hear on television about all the airline schedules being
changed I'm relieved you are not in New York any more.
I went to the "Festival of Trees" last
Tuesday night and it was just WONDERFUL. I have never seen so many
beautifully decorated trees - Margaret ended up buying three of them.
She had bid on four and was happy to only get three - they were all in
the $2,500 price range and they delivered them today. Actually one of
the three was a combination of 5 small trees and she plans to take them
to her home in Wyoming but for now they are stored in my garage - Ha!!!
This event makes money for the Primary Children's Hospital and Margaret
can use it for a tax write-off for her foundation. One of the
volunteers at the Festival works with Bob at Tanner Clinic and Claire
wrote to me during the week and said she was going to volunteer on
Thursday. Margaret said they told her it was VERY successful this year
and that is good. I bought a cloth casserole carrier and some hot pads
- Ha!!!
Michael - I'M SO PROUD OF YOU. Claire sent
me a picture of Michael in his Santa Clause outfit and I would never
have known it was Michael. She probably sent it to all of you too. I
can't think of a better way to get in the Christmas spirit and I know
you are having LOTS of fun and making it fun for many, many children and
their parents. Will you let me sit on your lap if I visit the Logan
Mall???????? I'm proud of you too Claire - she is taking some hard
computer classes plus doing everything else she does.
When I came home from the temple yesterday
my condo neighbors were waiting for me to go to Maddox's with them for
lunch. One of the couples works with me at the temple and they said
they were starving and didn't want to take the time to cook - Ha!!! I
had been to tithing settlement where they served hot doughnuts so I
wasn't one bit hungry but I went anyway and had a salad.
I went to the D.U.P. Museum last Monday and
worked as a docent. That is REALLY a marvelous place and I hope some of
you will want to visit it when you are in Utah. There was a HUGE piano
on display that was brought to Utah by an early pioneer. The story by
it says it was too large to bring on the first coaches so the owner dug
a HUGE hole and buried it - he returned several years later and dug it
up to bring it. The lady who was giving me directions told me he would
have taken the legs off so it was quite flat but it still seemed an
impossible feat. There are many similar stories that inspire everyone
who takes the time to read them.
I appreciated having Ron and Ann stop by
last Saturday on their way back to Provo. They had been to Layton to
take Grandpa Russ to Sue's home before he was to leave to go to Jerome.
He is a remarkable man and very independent and his family worries about
him - he is about 88 years old. I also appreciated having Jean and Bob
stop by last Sunday night for a little visit - Bob is always able to
help me with my computer problems and Jean brought delicious homemade
caramels. Mary Ann - Thank you for your e-mail message. Mary Ann
worked at the hospital where my cousin, Lee Rhodes was a patient and she
cared for him but she didn't know he was my relative and I didn't know
he was in the hospital.
I am REALLY enjoying my new ward but getting
inside and to the right room is going to be a challenge for a few
months. I couldn't find a parking place this morning in the parking lot
and ended up parking outside on the street - then everyone has to hurry
if they want to find a seat in the gospel doctrine class. I don't
really know what happened but it is TOO crowded. One young woman came
up to me this morning and introduced herself - Sandy Hatch Meeks - and
she is in my new ward. Do any of you remember Karen and her husband
Hatch in Little Rock (I can't remember his first name). She's just
darling - an attorney graduate from the BYU Law school and she has a
little boy and I believe she also has twin girls. SMALL WORLD!!!
That's all the news - I think. I LOVE EACH
ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO