Dear Kids,
         We had Donna and Bevan’s kids from Friday through Saturday, and they were just delightful. They ate well, slept well, and played well. (Donna and Bevan are in Hawaii. I hope they’re also eating well, sleeping well, and playing well.) Dad and I had fun with the kids, and they helped me work on the hill I’m making out on the north side of our house. They dug and raked. There was less of a hill when they finished than when they started, but it kept us all entertained for a while. We watched movies and took naps, too. Now the kids are at Nora’s house. Dad drove them there last night.
           I would have gone too, but I’ve been practicing the piano–hours a day. It’s been a jump-start rehabilitation for my hand. There’s a young opera singer in our ward who isn’t doing opera at the moment because she has 6 kids, but she asked me to accompany her for two songs today–one in Relief Society and one in Kamas 4th Ward’s sacrament meeting. Of course I couldn’t say no. I’ve taken lots of ibuprofin to get rid of the pain, but when I play for very long, my fingers lock up. I discovered, though, that if I keep playing, they unlock again. I’m hoping for the best for us today.
          My sister Katie had a mini stroke on Monday. Here’s what Bonnie wrote: "It took part of the vision in her right eye. The loss is permanent (she said it’s like a little gray cloud) but she is very lucky it didn’t go to her brain. They said her brain will trick her eyes into compensating for that loss and eventually she won’t notice it as much. She’s really upbeat–says she can’t do anything about it, so she’s just trying not to dwell on it. It’s about 1/3 of the vision in her right eye." Of course we’re all praying for Katie. 
          Next Sunday night we’ll start Messiah practices, so tonight will be our last Sunday-night get-together for a while. Of course I have plenty of candy and oreos and chocolate milk and otter pops.
         Lots of love, Mom