Dear Kids,
          There are hundreds of magpies squawking and fighting in the back yard. Since Donna and Bevan moved, nobody has been interested in shooting them, and they have multiplied way out of control. If anybody wants to come and shoot them, the bounty is still $5.00 per carcass. Any grandson (or anybody else) who’s a good shot could earn $500, easy.
          Donna wanted me to remind everybody of Dallin’s baby blessing next Sunday. It’s at 9:00 am at her church in Midway. There will be a dinner at noon at her house. Anybody who doesn’t want to go to the whole block can hang out there beforehand. The church address and other details are on an e-mail that Donna sent everybody. Dad and I are really looking forward to seeing some of you, and a family party is always fun.
          It’s been really hot here lately, and even hotter in Salt Lake. Dad and I are used to being cold, not hot, so when it hit 86 here the other day, we thought we were roasting. But then Dad reminded me that back in West Valley, we used to set our air conditioning thermostat at 82 or 83. It’s all relative.
Donna and Bevan invited us to go to Mirror Lake with them yesterday afternoon, to get out of the heat. I’ve always felt like we lived in the mountains already, but I’d forgotten what it’s like to really be in the mountains, say, 10,500 feet. It was gorgeous. Of course everybody else was there, too, escaping the heat. We hiked around the lake while Bevan fished, and we cooked hot dogs and made smores. Anna got marshmallow in her hair and fell in the river. (It’s very shallow there–mostly big rocks and dead fish.) Watching Anna, I’ve come to understand myself better. She’s so much like me. All I ever really wanted was to be outside and try new things. It hasn’t been that long since I had marshmallow in my hair, and just two years ago I fell in the Jordan River, on one of my bike rides. It’s fun to see bits of ourselves in our kids and grandkids.
          Our chess club at the Wasatch Senior Center is getting off the ground, and we’ve had three different people show up to play chess. One is an 80-year old lady who lives alone in a cabin in Timberlakes, at 8,000 feet. She burns wood to keep warm. I always knew chess people were adventurous.
          We hope you’re all doin’ great and lovin’ it! Love, Mom