Dear Kids,
           It’s finally winter here at the cabin, now that it’s March. I think the same thing happened last year. We’ve had eight or ten inches of snow in the last couple of days. Naturally, it hasn’t snowed much when Dad’s been here, because he can get out the snow blower any time and dig us out. I don’t use the snow blower because it kicks out bad carbon emissions, which seems to be causing most of my lung troubles right now. So I shovel. Yesterday I dug out part of the driveway, but I was really eager to go down to the mailbox and see if my cordless mouse had come yet. So I walked. Of course it wasn’t there. (Amazon’s 2-day delivery doesn’t work so well if they send something through the USPS.) Today I dug out more of the driveway, and then I got in the Sienna, revved it up, and blasted my way out. Down at the mailbox, I found a key in our box. It opened one of the big bins, and there was my package from Amazon! I also got a piece of junk mail from Orrin Hatch, and I thought it was really for me, because it was addressed to the Ackerson Family. Then I realized it must have been for Tom and Kim. I keep ordering stuff and having it sent here to the cabin, so I’ll eventually start getting junk mail. Isn’t that pathetic, that I want junk mail? You can see how quiet and boring my life is now.
           Allen had a great suggestion about where Dad and I should move: he mentioned that ridge between Draper and Alpine, by the hang gliding park. I looked it up on Google Earth, and it’s 6300 feet, 2,000 feet higher than our house in West Valley. How could there ever be smog up there? The houses are cheap, too, so Dad is very interested. (Obviously there are problems with living at the top of a mountain.) We should drive up there while it’s still winter, so we can see what the roads are like. (I think I can guess.) We’re still at least a year away from moving, though, and maybe my lungs will get better in the meantime.
           I’ll be cooking Sunday dinner here at the cabin on the 11th. (Our demolition is still going strong, but we’re learning how to work around it.) I’m making king ranch chicken, and we’ll eat at five pm. The sledding hill is in great shape now, and remember what Dave Michelson said: “If you don’t break a sweat, you aren’t breaking the Sabbath.”
           I know this is short notice, but there’s a bridal shower for Katie Brooke James tomorrow, the 3rd, at Laurie’s house, at 11 am. I’m not sure if I was supposed to tell you girls, or if you got e-mails or facebook messages. I got an invitation in the mail, but I think those only went to the aunties. You could call Laurie if you have any questions.
           Yay, I’m off to Kamas Food Town to upload my letter, and read news on the internet, and waste time on facebook. There are often samples from the bakery, and sometimes people I know walk by. (Last Saturday night when Dad and I were sitting in the deli, there were four people from our ward who stopped and talked to us.) Life is good!
           Love, Mom