Thursday, December 28, 2006
Dear Kids,
      This is my last letter for 2006. The year has flown by. I’ve been reading all the Christmas letters people have sent us, and I’m a little depressed by the overachievement of everybody we know. Can’t they just write about their cats and birds?
    It sure was fun at the cabin on Tuesday! I spent a lot of time out on the hill with Dad’s cousins, so I didn’t get to visit with some of you, but it looked like you were having a good time. I think the little kids were having the most fun of all, with their Christmas presents from each other. We hauled out record numbers of bags of trash!
      In contrast, our Christmas morning here at home was very quiet. Just Dad, me, Paul, and Donna (because Bevan had to go to work at 6:00 that morning.) We only filled one trash bag. But we all got great presents! Thanks to all of you for being so thoughtful! Later in the day we went to Nora’s, and had a good visit with James’s parents and Bev’s family, who were also there. And we had a great dinner! I can’t imagine Christmas without good food. Even the pathetic characters in “A Christmas Carol” end up having a good dinner.
      Monica and Neil have moved out of Neil’s parents’ house, into a place of their own. The address is: 638 North 1st Ave., Tucson, AZ, 85719. Ramona is doing fine, of course. She’s moved so many times, she doesn’t care, as long as there are plenty of birds to watch, lizards to eat, and rabbits to whack.
      Donna is settled in at the cabin now, with Bevan and his 4-wheeler. And they have an address! You can send them mail there! (Tom, too) It’s the cabin street address: 3970 S. Woodland View Drive, Woodland, Utah, 84036. After long years of just talking about it, the cabin association finally installed mailboxes at the bottom of the hill, by the trash cans. And the post office is obligingly delivering mail there.
      Last night Dad and I went to an eagle court of honor for Matt Allen and Austin James. Rich and Jeanne are here in town for a week, so it worked out really well. They had it at their old church in South Jordan. I’m not usually a big fan of scout ceremonies, but they had a live eagle there! What a nasty-looking bird. He looked like he’d sooner kill any person there, than live on rats and fish. He had a 7-foot wingspan. Who decided that the eagle was noble? People had to keep their distance from him. (Although he knew how to pose very nicely, when he had his picture taken with the scouts who were getting their eagles.) And there were Indian dancers, too. (Pagan religion, sponsored by the Church). But in all, it was lots of fun. Jeanne’s parents were there, and her Dad, Leon, gave me a copy of his book, which I worked on last year. It’s his life story, and I learned a lot from it. They also gave me a 2-lb. Box of Sees dark chocolates. It was more than fair pay for the time I spent on the project.
      Paul has a temp job at a CD packaging place, on 36th West, up around 23rd South. He got the job through SOS. I figured it wouldn’t be hard. Businesses are scared of hiring illegals now, so there are lots of opportunities for college kids. Paul spent his first shift taking CD covers off a conveyor belt, putting labels in them, and putting them back on the belt. He is now convinced of the value of a college education. He agreed to stay there till the end of the week. Maybe SOS can find him something even better for next week.
      Sharon and Seth and Charlie are here today, packing up to go home. They had a lot of fun at the Thackers. Charlie was in heaven, with a truck, tractor, and backhoe on the premises. He even rode on a big dog. (Mike and Collette’s.)
      I hope you all have a great new year! Love, Mom