Saturday, November 5, 2011

Dear Kids,
      It’s snowing like crazy outside this morning. We just had the Blizzak tires put on the Sienna, so we’re ready for anything. Normally, we’re at the cabin right now, Saturday morning, but we stayed here last night because there’s a baby shower in Provo (at Andrea Hill’s house) for Carly, Gary Allen’s wife. I figured Dad could visit Grandpa Allen while I go to the shower, and then we’ll drive up Provo Canyon to our beloved Kamas Valley.
      Speaking of which, I went visiting teaching again last Sunday afternoon, tracting out the last lady on my list that I hadn’t found yet, and she was out in her garage polishing her saddles. She’s an authentic cowgirl! (I’m just a phony, as everybody knows.) She introduced me to all five of her horses. They do “Reining” competitions, which are special routines of turning and twisting and running. (I watched some videos of it on Youtube.) I asked her if she wears fancy clothing for the competitions, so she showed me all her cowgirl hats and boots and glittery shirts. They were stowed in the living quarters of a horse trailer that’s as long as a house. I was so interested that she told me I really ought to get into horses, but I told her that we’re spread too thin already. Still, I’m glad to have a new friend and role model.
      A few days ago, I heard a strange scratching sound in the laundry room, and it turned out to be a large guinea pig, outside, in the window well. He was eating our screen. He didn’t run away when I tapped the window, so I figured he was pretty tame. Probably a family pet tossed out. But WE didn’t want him. I got Oreo and showed him the guinea pig, and he turned away. So I took him outside and pointed his face at the guy, and he hissed. I tossed him down into the window well, and he bounced back up again and ran under the deck. Finally I remembered what we did with that badger, years ago, so I found a plank and set it in the window well so the guinea pig could just walk up and out. Which he must have done, because when I checked later, he was gone. He couldn’t possibly have survived the cold temperatures we’ve had, so I feel bad about it all. I have worse feelings toward whoever let him go.
      Thanksgiving is coming up on the 24th! (It’s Anna’s birthday, too.) Let me know if you’re coming to the cabin, either for dinner (about 1:00 pm) or for pie (later) or both. Dad and I will be there from Wednesday afternoon on through the weekend. We DON’T plan to go to the outlet stores late Thursday night, but if any of you want to go, we’ll watch your kids.
      Lots of love, Mom

Friday, October 28, 2011

Dear Kids,
      Tom and Kim have announced that there will be another little Ackerson born around May 18, 2012. Congratulations! I’m assuming it will be a boy. Maybe he’ll come on the 17th, Tom’s birthday. Does anybody else have any announcements to make? I’m always happy to put them in the family letter!
      I wore my cowboy boots for the first time to 5th Ward book club on Tuesday night. I discovered it’s hard to drive with them on. You can’t feel the pedals. I’m sure you get used to it, though. After all, how do all those cowboys drive their trucks? I’m going to wear the boots to the Francis 2nd ward Trunk or Treat Saturday night, along with some other cowboy gear, but I don’t expect anybody there to recognize it as a costume. It’s clothing as usual in Kamas Valley.
      Last Sunday afternoon I went visiting teaching on my new route. I don’t have a companion, because, as the RS President told me, if I’m willing to go by myself, that’s four more women that can be visited. I said OK to that. I felt like a new missionary coming cold into a new area without a companion. I had a list of names and addresses, and no idea where any of the houses were. My GPS didn’t help much, either, since down in the river bottoms, they all have street addresses on Lower River Road. No telling where the house actually is. I found Billy Sue Mcneil and we had a good chat. She knows everybody who’s ever been in the ward, so I got the low down on everything. Her nephew went to school with John at Ohio State. It’s a small world after all.
      Remember, I’m cooking Sunday dinner day after tomorrow at 5:00 pm. Please let me know if you’re coming, if you haven’t already. I’m making 3-cheese macaroni, nice warm comfort food now that winter is setting in.
      John and Heather bought a deluxe queen-size mattress topper for the cabin. It’s under the bed in the moose bedroom, and everybody is welcome to use it. Thanks, John and Heather! Personally, I can sleep fine on the floor or in the bunkhouse, but I know other people really enjoy a downy soft bed.
      Hope you’re all doin’ great and lovin’ it! Mom

Friday, October 21, 2011

Dear Kids,
      I’m now the proud owner of a pair of Tony Lama ladies’ cowboy boots. They’re only size 10, but they have square toes, and my boot stretcher is stretching one of them right now. (I may have to buy a special toe stretcher, too, but who cares? Anything for the cowgirl look!) I’m planning to wear the boots to church as soon as I can find the right skirt. One of my new friends, Elaine Robb, wore cowboy boots to last Sunday, and she looked very classy. She said it’s all in what else you wear. Besides owning cowboy boots, Elaine also owns five horses. I don’t have horses on my list yet, but who knows where this cowgirl thing will take me?
      Our trip to Price last Saturday afternoon was lots of fun. Our car was nearly filled with Donna, Bevan, Anna, Nora, Addie, Dad, and myself. The weather was beautiful, and Spanish Fork Canyon was gorgeous, even though the leaves are starting to fade. (There’s never been such a year for autumn leaves here, because of all the rain we had!) We had fun at the dinner visiting with Brad King, the Larsens, the Bentleys, Kimball Johnson, and various other people that Donna and Nora knew. The dinner was pretty good, although they didn’t have quite enough food. The speeches were too long. Otherwise, it was great. People have wondered if changing CEU to USU Eastern would change the school. It all looked the same to me.
      On our way home from Price, we were nearly out of Spanish Fork Canyon when we passed the train accident that killed the three girls. They were standing in between the tracks taking pictures. We didn’t know at the time what had happened, but there were dozens of police cars flashing their lights, and the trains were stopped in both directions. What’s with that location? I remember when we saw a car burning in the same place. It had crashed and then been hit by a train. I’ve always been terrified of train tracks, from all the terrible stories I heard when I was little.
      I’m going to fix Sunday Dinner at the cabin a week from Sunday, on October 30. That’s four weeks from our last dinner there, and almost four weeks before Thanksgiving. Let me know if you’re coming on the 30th .
      Lots of Love, Mom

Friday, October 14, 2011

Dear Kids,
      At this time last year, I was looking for high-heeled boots to wear on Sundays, so I could look more like my Hispanic amigas. Now I’m looking for tall cowboy boots. Sharon said, “It’s obvious that your peer group has changed.” How true. The boots I want aren’t made in size 11, but I have a boot stretcher that works pretty well. The nice man at Reams is ordering the boots in size 10, and hopefully I can make them fit me.
      Dad and I really enjoyed Allen’s graduation from Columbia College last Saturday. What a motley audience it was! We fit right in. There were graduates of all shapes and sizes and ages, but they were all elated to be getting their degrees. We’re proud of Allen for sticking it out, and now Dad and I can brag that all nine of you at least have a bachelor’s degree. We’re proud of all of you and of your accomplishments!
      Tomorrow afternoon some of us are driving to Price for the CEU founders day dinner. Oops, I mean USU Eastern. That’s its new name, but I think everything else is pretty much the same. I called the office in charge of the dinner yesterday, to add Addie to our table, and Brad King picked up the phone. He said Vickie was out of the office, but he saw our name come up on the phone, so he picked it up to say Hi. (By the way, Paul, Vickie asked how you’re doing!) As long as people like Brad are in charge down there, we’ll always be loyal supporters!
      A week and a half ago, while Dad was on vacation, we finally did our 50-mile bike ride. We started at our house and rode to the Mavrick Center, and then we followed the Trax Line to Redwood Road, where we got on the trail over to the Jordan River. We followed that north to the Legacy Trail (by Al and Missy’s house) and we rode north almost to Lagoon. If you turn west there, you can pick up the D&RG Trail, which goes another 20 miles to Roy. The weather was cool and we had a tailwind the whole way, so it was an absolutely perfect ride. We were hardly even tired when we got to the Roy Frontrunner station. We took the train back to Salt Lake, and then the Trax down to Meadowbrook, where Dad had left his truck a couple of days earlier. I’m glad we finally did it, and that it turned out so well.
      Life is good! I hope you’re all doin’ great and lovin’ it! Mom

Friday, September 16, 2011

Dear Kids,
     Kara McGettigan is hanging out with me this morning because Jana has gone to Sherri Winder’s funeral. Most of you heard that she was killed in a rollover last Sunday night. (9-11, of all days). I didn’t know her that well, and I figure thousands of people will be at the funeral. On facebook, there’s a sidebar where they suggest friends for you. Yesterday Sherri showed up there, on my page. Yes, she would have been a good friend, but they don’t have facebook where she’s gone. They don’t need it.
     Here’s some great news, if you haven’t heard it: Sharon and Seth are expecting another little Thacker around April 6. Dad and I were already planning a trip east sometime in the spring, so we’ll be able to see the new baby. In the same trip, we’re going to Wisconsin to visit Monica and Neil and Jackson. We were originally going to make the trip this October, but I didn’t know how quickly (or slowly) my foot would recover from its surgery. So far, it’s not healing very fast, but it isn’t terribly painful, either. I just limp around, and wear my old clunky tire-tread sandals.
     Here’s how well Dad and I are fitting into our new ward: in just a month, we’ve (1) done community cleanup (which is handled by the wards), (2) volunteered at Frontier Days (ditto), (3) attended ward temple night, (4) done an assignment at the cannery (Dad only), (5) signed up to clean the chapel on Saturday morning, and (6) we’ve already been asked to speak in Church. That’s happening in a couple of weeks. Normally we wouldn’t plunge into everything so energetically, but since we’re new, and we don’t have another 34 years to get settled in, we’re taking advantage of every opportunity.
     Last weekend when we went to the cabin, I left my Sunday clothes at home. Luckily there are two little thrift stores on Main Street in Kamas, and I found a skirt (from the 90's) and a blouse (from the 80's) in one of the stores. Naturally, nobody commented on my outfit. You can wear anything there. After the Spanish branch, where everybody dressed pretty much alike, it’s very liberating.
     Don’t forget I’m fixing Sunday dinner on October 2nd, conference weekend. And Dad will be making pancakes for breakfast that morning. There’s always more fun just around the corner!
     Lots of love, Mom

Friday, September 9, 2011

Dear Kids,
      Dad just pointed out that if Grandma Ackerson were still alive, she’d be 99 today. Happy birthday, Grandma Ackerson, wherever you are!
      We had a wonderful time at Frontier Days last weekend. We worked in the information booth and sold rodeo tickets for two hours in the afternoon, and I think we saw everybody we know in Francis. It was the usual carnival-type crowd, lots more baseball caps than cowboy hats. At that rodeo that night, it was the opposite. Lots more cowboy hats. Next time we go, I’ll know what to wear. Tight levis. Boots. Cowboy hat, for sure. In fact, if I had an alternative life to live, I’d like to be a rodeo queen. Can’t you see me in spangled levis, a glittery shirt, and a cowboy hat? Then, if I had still another alternate life, I’d be a rodeo horse. They have the most fun of all. They get so excited! I think they have more fun than the cowboys and cowgirls put together. Anyway, it was great.
      Don’t forget that Grandpa Allen’s birthday is coming up, and e-mail your messages to Bonnie, if you haven’t. Her e-mail is: bonnie.james10@yahoo.com.
      Conference weekend is coming up, too. We’ll definitely be at the cabin. On that Sunday morning, dad is going to make pancakes for breakfast, so we can use the boysenberry syrup he brought home from his cannery assignment yesterday. We’ll have to eat a lot of pancakes, to use half a gallon of syrup. I’ll be fixing the usual conference Sunday dinner, of course. And conference itself is always good.
      The weekend before conference is the alpaca open house at Blue Moon Ranch, just down the hill from us. The sign says September 24-25. Dad and I will be going on Saturday, probably sometime in the morning. It’s always fun! Come and join us!
      So many great things going on! I love you all! Mom

Friday, September 2, 2011

Dear Kids,
     I’m still clomping around in my surgical shoe, but Xena isn’t afraid of me any more. My foot hadn’t been hurting very much, until I went to see Dr. Rhodes on Monday. When he unwrapped it and I saw how far he cut, all of a sudden it started hurting more. I’ll be wearing the surgical shoe for at least another week, maybe two, and it will take several more weeks to heal completely. Hopefully by then I’ll be better off than before the surgery.
     Our chess retreat with the seniors was a blast. Bevan and Donna and Anna came to the cabin Friday night, and Bevan played a couple of games with us. One of our guys had organized a tournament, and we played late into the night Friday, and started up again Saturday morning. At the end there was an awards ceremony, and everybody got a medal. (Nobody’s a loser in our chess club! Everybody’s special!) Of course we had great food, too. And everybody was captivated by our beautiful cabin. They said to put it on the calendar for the same week next year. I guess that means it was a success.
     I already have a calling in Francis Second ward–I’m Relief Society chorister. That’s probably because the former chorister left to go back to college, not because I’m such a great singer, but I’m glad to have a Relief Society job. Primary would have been nice, too. Dad hasn’t been called to anything yet, but the bishop said they’d be getting together with him pretty soon. I was just talking to Paul on the phone, and he’s now Elders Quorum president of his ward! Go, Paul!
     Last Sunday Dad and I went to visit Grandpa Allen. He’s pretty cheerful, but said he really misses Grandma. He said he’s starting to forget things about her, but he said his dementia is probably a blessing in that way. I asked him if he ever forgets that she died, and he said no. After our visit, Dad and I drove up the hill to the cemetery to see if the headstone was in place yet. It wasn’t. The next day, Nancy sent out an e-mail saying they had just put it on her grave, and it looks really nice. Bonnie has a plan for Grandpa’s 88th birthday, and she sent out this message: “Since we had a big party last year, I thought a simple gift might be nice for this year instead. He loves to sit in his chair and read grandma's history, journals, anything from their past. I thought it would be nice if everyone could write a paragraph of your favorite memory with mom/dad or grandpa/grandma and send it to me. I will put them in a binder so that he can read them over and over.” Bonnie’s email is bonnie.james10@yahoo.com. I have so many memories I don’t know where to start.
     Life is good! Love, Mom