Dear Kids,
         My sister Katie is here from Boise, so we had to have a sisters’ retreat.  Friday night we watched a movie at Bonnie’s house, “Tall Girl,” (which I highly recommend), and Saturday morning we drove to downtown Salt Lake to the City Creek area. We wandered around Deseret Book, Al Rounds’s studio (closed, sadly) and the Church History museum.  Mostly we talked, and mostly about our families.  There’s no juicy gossip, but a lot of interesting stuff about all your cousins.  I can’t write it all, but if you ask me about anybody, I can give you a report.
         Last Monday I had my MRI and CT scans, and two days later my oncologist called me. He said I should have a PET scan next (positron emission tomography) which looks for concentrations of sugar in your body.   Evidently, cancer likes sugar  and pulls it in.  I’ll be having that a week from tomorrow.  He also said he’ll probably do a biopsy of the “spot” in my lung, because it’s still growing.  And he psyched me up for radiation on my hip, which, he said, will help with the pain.  He’s so nice, I’ll agree with any treatment he suggests. Mainly, I’ll be glad to know everything that’s wrong with me, however bad it is.  It’s better than not knowing.
         Conference is next weekend!  Saturday night we’ll have the bread and soup dinner here at our house, at 5 pm.  I’ll be calling everybody about food assignments.  At 6, all of us ladies and girls will go the women’s broadcast at our stake center, and when we get home, we’ll have ice cream with brownies and toppings.  About a Sunday dinner:  I haven’t made a plan.  When our family was smaller and we could have it at the cabin, it worked fine.  Now, there are too many people to watch conference in one place.  But I’m happy that there are so many of us now!   The Lord has blessed us gloriously.
         I’ve just been finishing up my sprinkler project outside, tottering around with my cane, using the wheelbarrow for a walker and the rake and shovel for extra support.  It’s still great fun, though.  Friday morning I had my sprinkler parts spread out on the lawn, T’s, unions, elbows, the lot.  All arranged nicely so I could grab what I needed.  Scout brought a dead mouse from the field and dropped it in the middle of my stuff, and smiled at me.  I petted him on the head and told him he was a good cat. 
         Thanks to all you kids for being such good cats.  I love you all. Mom