Dear Mother & Dad,
Guess I'll do the honors of writing you again--can't wait for Perry! I'm catching up on my correspondence while I recuperate from long hours of extra activities and visits with family, friends and loved ones throughout the holidays. I just collapsed Saturday from exhaustion. I've been too tired to sleep for over a week. So my doctor has given me something to relax me and I'm sleeping like a baby now and feeling better already.
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| baby Laura & Cherylen, Winter 1970, Sacramento, CA |
We worked so hard just before Christmas making two beautiful pink-velvet bridesmaid dresses for a wedding on december 27th. Marian's best friend Gwen Denes was married to a very fine young man (a Navy officer.) Marian was her matron-of-honor and Harriet, one of the bridesmaids. It was a beautiful church wedding.
It was a lovely Christmas day--at least the kids were all so very happy. They had knocked themselves out making gifts for each other and all the family. Jan made a beautiful piece of jewelry for the girls and me. Marian sewed something for everyone. Linda made lovely fruitcakes. Dale and his wife Carolyn made us cookies and candy. Harriet and Renee saved their money and bought me an electric blender and their dad a game called "Word Power," which he really enjoyed playing with them.
The house is very quiet now with all the married children gone. It's kind of good to have everyone and everything back to normal again. I've finally got the Christmas decorations all put away again. But things just happen here all the time and now it's my mother! You wouldn't believe it but on New Years Day her rent was raised $40 over what she has been paying for the past year and a half. She is so upset about it--she's almost sick. We are thinking of moving her into our home, but she wants an apartment of her own.
Kerry [Andreasen, a nephew who had been living with the family] wants to go to a trade-tech school and is thinking of moving back to Utah as it would be less expensive for him there. We shall miss him too, but I feel it is a good plan for him. His farm work job here is becoming less and less each day because of the rainy weather. Jan is back at BYU working hard on his studies. He has told us he wants to go on a mission sometime this year too. We hope he can. The girls (Renee & Harriet) are back in school making good grades.
Perry is finally feeling some better from the effects of his operation and busy writing short stories in his spare time and trying to keep his book in circulation. (wW are determined it shall be published.) I'm looking forward for a weekend when I can fly to sacramento and visit Marian and little Cherylen. I know she just can't understand where her grandma is and why she can't come home and reach her little chubby arms out to me and hang on with a big hug. I love Linda's little Laura too, but Cherylen was so generous with her love for me.It was so nice to hear of all of you getting together at Hazel and Walter's for Christmas dinner. We had a long-distance call from David last month too. It was such fun to have a phone visit from him--so thoughtful of him. We do enjoy your letters Mother and Dad. Hope you are both well. Love to you both, Gene, Perry & Kids
February 2, 1970
Dear Perry & All,
It looks as though the groundhog may see his shadow today. It otherwise looks like winter. We enjoyed your letter, Gene, though when you were telling how lonesome you were not seeing Marian's little girl, I started to sniff, and Dad said, "Well, if you're going to do that, I'll go and watch television."
We have a new Church President and perhaps some new Church history will be made. Sometimes I feel a sort of fear for certain trends in the future.
I thought you might like to hear about Herman Andreasen's funeral. Hope, June and Kerry and we went out together. It was a good funeral. There were many beautiful flowers, the music was good, and the speakers were two women--one a neighbor and the other a lady who had had Herman do flower gardening for her, George Albert Smith's sister. Dick Fast was one of the pall bearers. Hazel and Walter and Grant went to the viewing the night before. Ruth Lind Jones played the prelude music.
Hope and Kerry were here this morning. He hasn't found any work yet. Said he was going out again today. We gave some bottled apricots to Hope as we had a lot and, of course, Hope could not can fruit in Alaska, so it will help her and Kerry too. Grant still has some health problems.
We talked to Dick. He had just come from California. We received a nice card from Sister Fast [Gene's mother, Leora] at Christmas time, and I didn't get around to answering it--also a lot of others. Tell her we surely appreciated it. I hope you are all well and doing ok. Dick said Dale is coming to Salt Lake about the tenth. Love as always, Mother & Dad
May 12, 1970
Dear Mother & Dad,
Mother, I tried several times to call you Sunday, but the lines were always busy. I guess there were too many other people calling their mothers. Anyway, I do hope you had a pleasant day. Did you do something special? Please write and tell us.
Gene and I took her mother in to her old ward for Sacrament Meeting. She saw some of her old friends. Then we took her to visit another friend and then to see Pierce. So it was quite a full afternoon for us as well as for her, but she enjoyed it all very much.
Thank you for the nice birthday remembrance. Dad, we all think your rubber-stamp signature looks real good. Dad, you will be 83 on the 14th. Isn't that right? So here's wishing you a very happy 83. I surely hope I can be as healthy and useful at that age.
I surely appreciate all the effort, labor and pure unselfishness both of you, Mother & Dad, have done for your children. I pray that I can do as well with mine. And I am grateful for your example--a pattern or model to follow.
Dale is coming up there this weekend. He is going to be looking for a job up in that area. He hopes to get back into BYU this fall so he hopes to find a job and housing until then. He and his wife Carolyn hope to see you Saturday (I think.) Dale is very eager to have you meet her. I am sure you will love her. We certainly do. I don't know if they will need a place to stay, but if they do, perhaps you can give them a bed.
How is everything going? Is it getting warm up there yet. We have had a lot of cool weather lately. But when it breaks, it will be hot, hot all summer without a break. Please be careful. And write to us. Love, Perry
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| Carolyn & Dale on their wedding day |
Dear Perry & All,
The days come and go without much change, but we wanted to tell you that Jan came and that Dale and his wife came but didn't stay long. They had already found a house and seemed anxious to be getting settled. Jan had gone to see Hope, Grant and Kerry, so Dale and Carolyn went up there and the three went to Provo. They left their wedding books here for us to look through. She seems very nice and is nice looking, and I imagine is an executive and not a "dreamer."
Hazel has asked us to go to Vernal on Decoration Day to visit the cemetery there. Then, instead of trying to come home facing the sun, stay all night at Venice's and come home the next morning. When I wrote last, I should have told you that your other books had come, and Hope and I have read them all. Hazel has the first five. They are all attractive to look at and all of the reading is informative and interesting. I didn't learn if I am to keep them or return then. Hazel asked me that question.
It is surely nice having Hope and Grant close. We are close enough that we can walk the distance easily. We had a nice Mother's Day, and Dad had a nice birthday, and we thought of you on your birthday and wondered what you were doing. Are the Church and Saturday evening Deseret News still coming?
Arthur Goodrich's son, Arthur, had a lung cancer operation. He has smoked for years. I am wondering if he now has quit. They called on us a few days ago and told us that Edith's daughter who lives close by Edith had a bomb put in their wall mailbox, and it went off in the night and blew part of the wall of the house out. Arthur said investigations were being made. The only reason they can figure out is that the husband (I don't know his name) is a school teacher and might have offended someone or some school kid.
So far, the frost has stayed away, and we might have a little fruit again this year. I learned of a way to scare birds out of the fruit trees by tying little tin plates to the branches. The wind sways them back and forth and the birds are afraid. A lady told me she tried it last year and it works. So maybe it would scare the jaybirds away. I think the season is a little late this year, but many fruit trees and flowering shrubs are in bloom. Hope you are all well. Love, Mother and Dad
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