Dear Kids,

Things are pretty dull here.  Every day is exactly the same–blue sky, sunshine, and very cold.  We haven’t had a real serious storm since the end of December, and I’m worried we’re going to have another drought this summer.  And the winter started off so well!  We had five snowstorms in October!  And now nothing.  It’s totally Groundhog Day, but without any celebrating.

Speaking of which, I hope you’ve marked your calendars for Thursday, June 2nd.  We’ll be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary.  We’ve got the pavilion at the Francis park along with the community building, which is sort of an oversized shack.  I’m ordering Bam Bam barbecue.  Now all that is something to look forward to.  And at least, on June 2nd, I won’t be hoping and praying for snow.  (So we might get it that day). 

A few weeks ago I posted some kind of hint in my letter to the effect that everybody should enjoy the cabin now, because eventually we’ll have to sell it.  Since then, at least a couple of Tom’s friends have approached him about wanting to buy it.  Do they read my letter?  How could they possibly know?  Anyway, it looks like it will be easy to sell when the time comes.  But maybe we’ll re-think everything by then.  One friend told Tom there just aren’t any properties like that on the market, so we should hang on to it.  Whatever.  I’m glad our cabin is so popular.

Bentley has passed the 18-month mark in his mission.  Is the time going by fast or what? Sterling is storming around Honduras preaching the gospel.  Addie has a trainer that’s only been out for two months, but Addie says they have everything under control.  Jacob is flying to Alabama tomorrow morning, I think.  What an awesome gang of missionaries we have!  I pray for all of them every day, and also for all the rest of you.  And I appreciate your prayers for me.

Lots of love, Mom

 Dear Kids,

It sounds like the ski party yesterday was a total blast.  Nora said there were 17 people there, and the weather was perfect.  Vanessa’s family stayed with us Friday night and last night, and they’re going to church with us this morning.  (Their own ward is shut down because their stake president is super cautious about covid.) 

And our missionaries were on the move this week.  Jacob went into the Provo MTC on Wednesday, and he’s doing super well.  He’s some kind of tech chief of his group.  (Dad was explaining it, but I wasn’t listening very well.)  And Addie is in England!  There were lots of missionaries going to both her mission and Leeds, and they were all on the same flight together.  She didn’t have to have a covid test when she landed because there weren’t any available. Her first town is Warrington, about half way between Manchester and Liverpool.  That’s all I know, but Nora’s family will be talking to her tomorrow.  Go, Addie and Jacob!  You all know how Bentley and Sterling are doing because they’re both so good about writing their letters.  Tom’s family is hatching a plan to go pick up Bentley in July (Good heavens, his mission will be over already!) and there will be a Bentley reunion in Austin.  So many people on the move! 

John’s family has too many cats!  There are the original four (Adeline, Zelda, Blue, and Sparky) and two other strays are coming around for the free food.  Once you start feeding cats, they make themselves at home, and John’s family is going through bags and bags of cat food.  When they were here Monday night we were giving John our suggestions, but he pulled out his phone and ordered a cat trap!  Sounds ominous to me!  I think those strays better move on to someone else’s house!

Somebody left an exercise gizmo at the cabin and I’m not sure what to do with it.  It looks like a large pair of bicycle handlebars, and the words “Go-Fit” are written on it.  Does anybody want to claim it?  It was hiding behind the lamp, but I put it in the garage.

Writing this letter has left me exhausted.  So many people doing so much!  I’m glad to be sitting home typing, and not using up any of my non-existent energy.

Lots of love, Mom

 Dear Kids,

Addie is flying out on Tuesday, the day after tomorrow.  Hooray!  She got her visa, so she won’t be going to Los Angeles first.  That would have been great for her, but we’re all glad she’s going directly to England (by way of Amsterdam).  Go, Addie!

And if you read Bentley’s last letter, you know he and his comp both have (or had) covid.  That’s the second time for Bentley.  Tom and Ali were tested last Tuesday, but last I heard, they hadn’t gotten any results yet.  What’s the point of testing if it takes a week to get your answer?  Poor Paige has tested positive twice in the last week or so, and has missed a lot of school.  Dad and I were there at Nora’s last Wednesday getting Dad’s hair cut.  I wandered upstairs to look at books, and noticed Paige in her bed.  I talked to her for a little bit before she mentioned she had covid, so technically I’ve been exposed.  Big Deal.  Allen probably had covid last week, and when I talked to him he was in Walgreens buying rapid test kits for his police department.  So it’s everywhere.  Donna’s right–we’re all going to have it.  Maybe more than once.  Life moves on.

Tomorrow is a Martin Luther King Day sledding party at the cabin.  Or is it Human Rights Day?  Whatever it is, Donna has the details about the sledding.  I won’t feel good enough to join in, since it’s less than a week since my last infusion.  But I’m hoping to feel good for the next two or three months, and I hope I don’t have any infusions before then.  My breathing is really good right now, so the chemo has done its work.

I’ve reserved the Francis “community building” for June 2nd, which is our (Dad and mine) 50th wedding anniversary.  We’re going to have a big party, and I’m going to order catered barbeque from Bam Bam’s.  It will be a nice long evening, since it doesn’t get dark until nearly ten o’clock.  The community building is right along the road where you turn in for the park and the rodeo grounds.  So kids can play in the park.  Oh, yeah, we have the pavilion, too.  So there’s no chance we can get pre-empted by a last-minute city council meeting.  Anyway, put it on your calendars.  If you’re reading this, you’re invited.

Sorry for the disjointed letter.  My brain is mushy from the chemo.  But I love you all!

Mom

 Dear Kids,

Jacob’s farewell is this morning at John’s church, 1365 East Center, at 9 am.  Aubrey will be speaking too.  There will be a brunch right afterwards at John’s house, and we’re also invited to crash the hot tub, if we do it reverently.  And according to John, nobody needs to bring any food, so it will be super simple.  I call that super generous.

Because of the change of venue last Sunday, John didn’t get to set off his fireworks.  So he brought them Monday night, and his family came, too:  Heather, Jacob, Sophie, Aaron, and Aubrey.  Those of us who don’t like the cold watched from the inside, upstairs.  It was nice to not worry that a fire marshal would show up.  There’s no worrying about fires with a foot of snow on the ground!

Two weeks from today will be Super Sunday, again already, at Nora’s house.  I’ll have more details next week, but we know it will be wild, fun, and crazy.

I don’t know what to do about Sonia.  She’s been pooping on the scrap of carpet in our front hall entry.  Bad kitty!  But why?  She’s never done anything like that before!  I’ve tossed her out all three times she’s done it, but she just flips her tail at me.  Scout is already an outside fellow because of his misbehavior, and I don’t really want them both to be outside cats.  I need a cat sleeping on my legs at night, to keep me warm.   Advice, anybody?  I’m getting tired of cleaning up that piece of carpet.

I’m having my fourth and last chemo infusion tomorrow, and then I’ll hopefully be chemo free for two or three months.  My breathing is really good now, so it’s done its work.  I don’t really like hauling around my pump for two days, and the chemo makes me really tired, (heck, it’s a poison!) but it’s obviously shrinking my tumors.  So I won’t complain.

Life is good.  I love your all and pray for all of you all the time.  Mom

 Dear Kids,

Happy New Year, a day or two late!  I have some fireworks I’ll be shooting off tonight, because I couldn’t stay awake Friday night.  John’s bringing fireworks too, so we’ll have quite a show.  I’m thinking about 6:30 pm or so.   Be there or be square.  It’ll be cold, so if we set them off in the street, you can watch from inside, up at the library window.  At least there won’t be any fire danger. 

And Jacob’s farewell is a week from today, (January 9) in the church on Center St. (in Heber) that you pass just as you’ve passed Timp Meadows, on the way to Timber Lakes.  I think it’s about 1350 East.  The meeting is at 9 am.  There will be a brunch/lunch at John’s house afterwards, and his hot tub will be simmering, if you don’t mind the ice and snow around it.  I’ll be huddled inside.  We had plenty of ice and snow on our drive to Centerville last weekend, and with last night’s temperature of -5, we’ve had plenty of cold.  We’re glad for all the snow, however.

My whole family is buzzing with the fact that Emmy Webb (Adrian and Jarom’s daughter) has been called to the England Manchester mission, same as Adelaide.  We’re all sure that Grandma Allen (up there) has been pulling strings.  Emmy doesn’t go until April, but I’m sure they’ll run into each other.  

My brothers and sisters got together last night at Bonnie’s house, and there’s so much news I can’t remember it all.  Morgan James is getting married June 3 to a girl named Faith from Costa Rica (I think)–she’s the one that’s a quadruplet.  Justin’s daughter Eden is engaged.  Noah Allen is getting married in April.  One more of Charley’s grandsons is biting the dust, but I’m not sure which one.  Brock?  You kids who do facebook and instagram probably know way more than I do.

Now that the holidays are over, we’ll be back to our regular Super Sunday family dinners.  January 23 will be the next one, and I think it’s Nora’s turn.  More later.

Lots of love, Mom