Dearest Family,
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH ONE OF YOU!!! I hope
you all celebrated on Wednesday night and saw the "ball" drop at Times
Square - I couldn't believe it when I heard the crystals are
"Waterford"!!! I talked to John and asked if he could relate to all the
things that he, Laura & Bren saw a few years ago and his comment was
"Yes, but it was warmer this year". I went to Marie Callenders with
Margaret, Darrell and Patt to have dinner and then came home and went to
bed with the television on so I wouldn't miss anything - Ha!!! I always
remember how we used to bang our pans and honk our horns when we lived
in Little Rock but I haven't done anything like that for a long, long
time!!! We had planned to spend New Years in Wyoming but there were too
many things that interfered and its a good thing because Margaret has
talked to the people who care for her home there and they told her it
would have been impossible to get out if we had been there - the wind
blew all the snow across the roads and they were closed. I was VERY
happy to stay home.
We are in a DEEP FREEZE here in Utah. I
talked to John on Monday afternoon and he said he thought we should give
our trip to Ephraim for Art Willardsen's funeral some serious thought -
it had snowed and snowed and many roads were closed. Soon after I had
talked to him a florist rang my doorbell and was delivering a beautiful
azalea plant from Carol Ann - I couldn't believe it. She has sent a
beautiful poinsettia plant every year for the last 56 years at Christmas
time and when I didn't receive one this year I was kinda' relieved that
she would bring that to an end. THEN this azalea plant came along with
a note apologizing for not getting the poinsettia plant sent - Art died
on Christmas Day and I'm sure she had MANY other things on her mind.
ANYWAY - I decided I would like to go to Art's funeral even if I had to
walk - Ha!!!
Bob came to my condo on Tuesday morning at 8
o'clock and since my driveway was packed with snow (it had snowed all
night) he decided to drive to the end of the village to see if he could
turn around. He was driving his Lexus and it has front wheel drive and
when he went to turn around in a driveway down the road a little from my
condo he GOT STUCK!!! He was prepared as usual and got his shovel out
and shoveled for at least 30 minutes - he finally called Claire and
asked her to come with their Tahoe and help him. He got it turned
around before she got there but we REALLY appreciated her willingness to
come immediately. We left the Village about 8:30 a.m. and once we got
on the freeway we didn't have any more problems.
John was waiting for us at "Cafe Rio" in
South Salt Lake with his Hummer - he had told us he would drive. We
picked up Annie in North Provo and headed for Ephraim and as it turned
out the timing was perfect. We got to the chapel right soon after the
family had assembled for Art's viewing - in fact, Art's Mother arrived
at the same time. We were about the first relatives to get there and we
had an opportunity to visit with Carol Ann, Memory, Jimmy, Jared, Joe,
John, Rosie and their families and that was good because there were MANY
people there. Art & Carol Ann have a WONDERFUL family - very
successful and happy and that will sustain Carol Ann and she will be
fine. There is going to be a Memorial Service in Palm Desert,
California next Friday, the 9th. When we first found out that Art had
pancreatic cancer, Annie came to me and said we could go together for
his funeral thinking it would be in California so we are both happy it
was held in Ephraim.
We went to Manti for his burial and it
really was a beautiful day but it was SO, SO COLD and Annie hadn't
brought a coat - I should have shared mine with her but I didn't - Bob
did to keep her from freezing to death at one point but she kept telling
us she was okay and she looked SO "chic" I guess it was better to not
force a coat on her. I'm sure Carol Ann and her family were pleased to
have so many family members there: Ramona and most of her family;
Carolyn & Gerald, Chris & Missy, Kim and his wife. Shirley and Glen
weren't there and I'm thinking they may go to California for his
Memorial Services. It was fun to see Carol Ann's brothers; Jim &
Kallene, John and Rosie, George and Emily and their families. Carol Ann
and Carol both looked just WONDERFUL and I was VERY impressed with
Memory and her husband and family - she had just had back surgery so was
in a little brace. John has spent SO much time with all of them all his
life and they were all SO happy to see him - very interesting to see
Jimmy who is John's age with his little baby boy who is handicapped and
just darling. Bob reminds all of them of Lynn and it was worth all his
sacrifice to go to it - he had an 8 hour surgery schedule on Wednesday
and had arranged for all those patients to visit with his nurses on
Tuesday so he could go. Annie has always been more of a "Mellor" than
any of the rest of us and they all love her.
Ramona surely is doing good and she will be
90 years old this Summer. Art's Mother is about that same age and she
is a dynamo and I believe she might still be teaching at Snow College in
Ephraim. I can't tell Ramona's sons apart - I think they all look
alike. I visited a little bit with Jim & Kallene and they told me that
one of their daughters has lupus and fibromyalgia - their oldest
daughter will graduate soon from dental school and is SO cute. Carol
and her husband Bill were there and they are doing fine - they have
spent alot of time in California with George and Emily. I look for
Carol Ann to spend alot of time in Utah with Memory now and I hope I get
to see alot of her - she is such a special, special woman.
MANY THANKS to my grandchildren who have
written to me - it has been GREAT to go to my mailbox and find letters
from you and also to find letters on my internet from you AND I love the
pictures Annie has sent to me taken when they were painting Susanna's
home in Arizona. I am dying to see her "red" kitchen - Ha!!! Emily and
Jesse - your letters are SO welcome and I read them over and over
again. I'm anxious for Timothy & Jesse to come on Friday and I wish
they would sneak Emily in their suitcase. Susanna and Steve I know you
will be happy to be in your very own home when you return from Florida
this weekend - Annie says you have had a WONDERFUL time in the sun but
there's no place like home when you have one Jackson's age. Lee Anna -
I'm SO glad you like the Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker!!! I know Jessie
will be happy to be back in school in San Diego to finish up her thesis
for her Master's Degree - WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT!!!
The Weinerts planned to come home last night
from Las Vegas and St. George but the weather news showed alot of snow
and bad roads in Southern Utah so I'm not sure they made it. I know it
has been a FABULOUS time for all their family and I'm anxious to hear
all about it. There have been many accidents on the Utah roads and I
want everyone to be home safe and sound after a busy holiday season.
This is funny - Jean & Rick just dropped in
to visit so I told them I would finish my letter by telling all of you
that they are home safe and sound and had a WONDERFUL time.
That's all the news - I LOVE EACH ONE OF
YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING
YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO