sept. 2008

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE I WROTE IN THIS. I HAVE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME WITH JOSSINE AND LYLE FOR THE EARLY PART OF HIS RECOUPING AT THE CARE CENTER. SHE THINKS TOMORROW IS THE CHECK OUT DAY. I DIDN'T GO WITH HER AS ANDRA HAD MADE YUMMY NACHOS AND I COULDN'T RESIST EATING THOSE WITH HER TODAY.
I'M TO HOST THE OVER 60'S LADIES FROM OUR WARD THIS MONTH ANDRA SAID SHE WILL MAKE ANCHELOTTAS { mSp.} BUT SOUND IT OUT. THEN EVERY ONE WILL BRING POT LUCK THAT WORKS WELL. WE ENJOY GETTING TOGETHER AND I'M A POOR HOSTESS BUT WHAT EVER. THEY TAKE ME AS I AM ARE CAN FIND AN EXCUSE TO STAY AWAY.
I ENJOYED THE VISIT FROM ROB AND JANA AND OUR SWEET PARKER. HE IS TRYING HARD TO TWIST HIS TONGUE AROUND WORDS AND DID SAY SOME THAT SOUNDED RIGHT. THEY WENT TO YELLOWSTONE WHILE HERE FOR TWO DAYS. WE WENT TO BEAR WORLD ONE DAY. IT WAS FUN WATCHING PARKER PET THE ANIMALS ALSO HIS PARENTS TOOK TURNS. ROB BOUGHT FOOD FOR THEM AND HE AND PARKER FED THE DEER. THERE IS A MOOSE THAT CAN BE PETTED IF HE ISN'T RESTING AS HE WAS WHILE WE WERE THERE. BUT WE SAW IT UP CLOSE THRU THE FENCE.
WE HAD BREAKFAST AT SMITTY'S ONE MORNING AND ICE CREAM AT REEDS DAIRY ONE EVENING. ROB AND JANA AND ANDRA TOOK CARE OF THE MEAL FIXING. I'VE BECOME LAZY ARE SOMETHING WHILE BEING ALONE FOR OVER A YEAR. NOW ANDRA IS HERE SHE FIXES ARE WE DON'T EAT MUCH. SHE WENT TO HER FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL YESTERDAY AT BYU I. TODAY SHE IS PAINTING. I WENT OUT THIS AM AND TRIMMED BACK SOME OF THE TOMATO VINES MSO MAYBE THE BIG FAT TOMATOES WILL RIPPEN. I'VE HAD THREE THIS YEAR AND LOTS OF GREEN ONES.
PENNY ASK ME TO WRITE ABOUT MY UNCLE JOE SLACK PASSING AWAYSO HERE GOES AS I REMMEBER IT. I WAS A FRESHMAN IN HIGHSCHOOL IN ST. ANTHONY AND MOM WAS SPENDING LOTS OF TIME ACROO THE FENCE HELPPING AUNT LEHA WITH "JOE" THAT MORNING SHE ASK ME TO HURRY HOME AS WE WALKED ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE FROM THE BUS TO HOME AND IT WAS EASY TO PLAY AROUND SOME. WHEN I ARRIVED I JUST STOPPED AT UNCLE JOE AND AUNT LEAHS AND MOM TOLD ME TO SIT BY THE BED AND WATCH HIM FOR ANY CHANGES. [WHAT DOES A 14 YEAR OLD KNOW TO WATCH FOR??] MOM, AUNT LEAH AND RAMONA ALL WENT TO LAY DOWN AND GET SOME REST. THEY MAYBE HAD TIME TO DOZE A FEW MINUTES WHEN UNCLE JOE STARTED MAKING FUNNY GURGGLE NOISES. I WATCHED A FEW MINUTES LONGER AND HIS BREATHING WAS WHAT I NOW KNOW AS LABORED AND SKIPPING SOME BREATHS. I WENT TO THE DOOR AND CALLED MOM A COUPLE OF TIMES AND SHE WAS UP HURRYING WHEN RAMONA RAN INTO THE ROOM CALLING "PAPA DON'T DIE OH PAPA DON'T DIE" MOM TOOK HOLD OF HER AND TOLD HER TO STAY CALM AND NOT CALL HIM BACK AS HE'D SUFFERED FROM A STROKE FOR MANY YEARS AND HIS LIFE WASN'T A PRODUCTIVE ONE. HE WASN'T THE UNCLE JOE I HAD KNOWN AS A KID. HE GOT MEAN AND HONERY AFTER THE STROKE AND WOULD HIT US IF WE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO HIS CANE. I THINK I DID LOVE HIM AS HE ONCE WAS. THE ONLY UNCLE I REALLY KNEW FOR MOST OF MY LIFE. ANY WAY IT WASN'T LONG THEN BEFORE HE TOOK HIS LAST BREATH AND MOM TOLD ME I SHOULD GO HOME AND TELL THE FAMILY. I NOW KNOW THERE WAS CLEANING UP TO GET HIM READY FOR THE 'UNDERTAKER' TO PICK HIM UP AND MOM NEEDED ME OUT FROM UNDER FOOT. I HAD DONE MY PART AND DID GO TELL DAD AND WHO EVER ELSE WAS AROUND.
IT WAS MANY YEARS LATER THAT MOM LEFT THIS MORTAL LIFE. CHUCK WAS AT CHORPUS CHRISTI, TX. IN THE NAVY, PENNY IN GERMANY ON A MISSION AND CLAY IN ILLINOIS ON HIS MISSION. VERELAN AND I WERE AS THEY NOW CALL IT EMPTY NESTERS. HE NOT ONLY LET ME GO TO OGDEN ON MY DAYS OFF TO BE WITH MOM IN THE HOSPITAL HE ENCOURAGED THAT. I'LL FOREVER BE THANKFUL FOR HIS KINDNESS TO ME AND MY PARENTS ALWAYS PUTTING THEM FIRST. THAT HAS BEEN SUCH A SWEET MEMORY FOR ME OF HIS DESIRE TO HAVE ME HELP IN THEIR TIME OF NEED. MAYBE IT WAS A SMALL BIT OF PAY BACK FOR ALL THE SICK AND NEW MOTHERS MOM HELPED FOR SO MANY YEARS IN THE TWIN GROVES WARD.IT WAS HARD TO LET HER GO BUT MAYBE HARDER WATCHING AS SHE WENT FROM HURTING TO NOT EATING AND LOSING CONCIENCES. SHE HAD TOLD ME SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I'D TAKE OUR LETTERS FROM THE KIDS TO READ TO HER THAT SHE WOULD BE SO HAPPY WHEN ALL HER GRAND CHILDREN GOT HOME FROM THEIR MISSIONS IN THOSE FOREIGN LANDS.
A FEW DAYS BEFORE MOM PASSED AWAY REBA, AND RUTH CAME TO OGDEN AND I LEFT AND CAME HOME SINCE THERE WAS NO USE IN ALL OF US BEING THERE. THEY COULD DO WHAT ALBERTA AND I HAD DONE. I CAME HOME AND CALLED TO BE SCHEDULED TO WORK WHEN JIM CALLED TO TELL ME "YOUR MOTHER DIED TODAY.WE HAD A FUNERAL IN OGDEN AS HER BISHOP ASK FOR THAT AND IT WAS AS SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED. THEN WE JOUNEY'D TO ST. ANTHONY FOR A SERVICE IN THE FIRST WARD THAT THEY HAD LIVED IN FOR QUITE A FEW GOOD YEARS BEFORE GOING TO OGDEN. THEN AS SHE HAD TOLD ALBERTA TO TAKE HER BACK TO WILFORD SO SHE'D BE CLOSE TO THE FAMILY. ALBERTA HAD ASK IF SHE WANTED TO BE TAKEN TO THE WILLIAMSON CEMETERY IN TEXAS AS SHE HAD ONCE UPON A TIME SAID THAT WAS WHAT SHE WANTED.
JIM HAD STOPPED AND HAD DADS SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK SENT TO THEM AND THEY INSISTED DAD LIVE WITH THEM. ONE DAY WHILE RUTH WAS WORKING AND JIM WAS OFF DOING SOME THING DAD WENT FOR A WALK. IT WAS BEFORE THE ROAD BY PASSED ST. ANTHONY AND DAD TOOK OF FOR TWIN GROVES. CY AND VERA YOUNG PICKED HIM UP BY THE RIVER BRIDGE AND HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO SEE VERN [SLACK] HIS NEPHEW WHO HAD ALREADY PASSED AWAY. THEY DROPPED HIM OF IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND LOUCRETIA WAS HOME AND CALLED RUTH AT WORK TO LET HER KNOW WHERE HE WAS. JUDY I THINK WENT OUT TO GET HIM. NOT LONG AFTER THAT HE WENT TO REBA'S FOR A DAY ARE TWO THEN SHE CALLED JOSSINE AND SHE GOT HIM AND HE STAYED THERE TILL HE GOT SICK AND JOSSINE WASN'T WELL SO I HAD GONE UP TO HELP AND TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL IN REXBURG. REBA WAS WITH ME WHEN HE PASSED AWAY. MY THANKS TO HER FOR BEING WITH ME. HE KEPT TRYING TO GET OUT OF BED. WHEN I'D TRY TO SETTLE HIM DOWN HE SAID" I GOT TO GO OVER THERE THRU THAT LITTLE DOOR". THERE WASN'T A DOOR WHERE HE WAS TRYING TO GO TO THE NAKED EYE ANYWAY. IT WASN'T LONG AFTER THAT HE SETTLED DOWN AND SOON PASSED AWAY. HIS FUNERAL WAS IN THE FIRST WARD AND HE IS IN WILFORD UNDER THE TETONS AS HE ALWAYS SAID HE WANTED TO BE.