Faith, Family and Farm

102 Dear Mother,             Carrie has been assigned to a Spanish speaking (and eating) area in Toronto. I hope she’ll take advantage of that opportunity to become fluent that’s the main thing I lack in my language experience. It’s the forced situation where you have to speak to communicate. I think it’s wonderful for you to have that opportunity. She also is in a no car or bike area, so she gets exercise walking everywhere that she can’t bus.             We’re having some major wind yesterday and today. There must be a dust storm warning somewhere. I haven’t heard the news for two days. It rained slightly yesterday. Today the wind is blowing all the clouds away.             We went to the big youth production, “made in the USA” last night in Merced at the new high school auditorium. It was really good. The kids l...

101 6 Nov 1997 Dear Mother,             We hope things are going well for on you.             Heidi Jo drove up to the Oakland temple last Tuesday. ON the way home the car caught on fire on the freeway. Two truckers flagged her over and signaled her to get out of her car while they put out the fire extinguishers. Then some guy stopped who had a bell phone which she used to call home and a tow service. The tow truck took over an hour to get to her. I met her at the Ford garage in Firebaugh where I waited for her to be towed in two hours after she called.             The mechanic hasn’t called me yet to apprise me of the damages. This may be the end of the line for my old Lincoln. I was going to sell it to her but she’s not too excited about that prospect any longer.        ...

7 Sept 1997 Dear Mother,                 I’m going back to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the second week end in October to visit my daughter, Susie, and her family and bless her new baby. This will only be the second time vie been there for my grandkid’s blessing.                 I had almost enough flight on my master card to get a free ticket when I discontinued the flight mileage feature to save the annual fee that’s charged for it. I used to charge the business expense on it. That way I got two or three free flights a year. When I sold the business to Dr. Schofield, I no longer put enough charges on it to justify the $100 annual fee, so I discontinued it. Then about two months ago I realized that I was just 1630 miles short of another free ticket (a mile for every $1 I charge on my master card). So, I re-activated it and charged some o...

29 Oct 1997 Dear Mother,                 I get two days off from seminary this week as they are having inservice in the LB schools. It will be nice to not have to get up at 4:00AM. I’m doing my best in that seminary job but it’s tough dealing with those kids in that comatose state.                 Chris Sanders’ (missionary from our ward returning from Costa Rica) parents had an open house for him last Sunday night. Lots of folks came.                 Dos Palos football team is winning this year undefeated, so far. Last Friday night the Channel 47 news helicopter was there to video some of the game to put on channel 47 news that night. Dos Palos folks get pretty excited about football.            ...

98 14 Sept 1997 Dear Mom,                 I hope you’re doing well.                 We’re hosting the stake fall, barn dance again this coming weekend. I always worry about the parking. Last year we has a traffic jam. About seventy cars came. It’s hard to park in the field in the dark, but the leaders are going to help me address the problem so maybe it will work alittle smoother.                 It’s really been fun having Heidi Jo here. She’s been redecorating Charlie’s room. She and Janet have completed their application material submission for substitute teaching and should be ready to start next week. So, we’ll see how that works out.                 We sold the old, green,...

22 June 1997 Dear Mother: We're into the quiet zone of summer. However, we're going to Idaho next week to visit Mary and Jeff and their girls. Then we're planning to swing back through Tremonton and pick up Melinda's oldest two daughters, Rachel and Tess, and bring them back for a visit. Janet and the boys had a yard sale in town with a friend last Friday and Saturday. They seemed to have fun and got a few dollars for their efforts. Last night the boys went to Merced to a stake dance. Charlie had a vacation from his bee job last week, so Janet has been working him and Sam pretty good here at home. Charlie won a 3 month membership at the racquet club in LB. He went in a played racquet ball with his friends last week. I hope you're doing well. Love, Robert, Janet, Charlie and Sam. PS Here's another little essay: Once, as I was watching my son's baseball game, he was playing third baseman when the batter hit a hard ground ball to him. It was the...

8 June 1997 Dear Mother, We got a new missionary in Chowchilla today. He is from Mexico. He'll be a big help to the Spanish program there. Charlie graduated last Thursday night. It was nice. The temp was in the eighties and the talks were short. A boy in the Chowchilla branch, who is 19 and graduating, wanting to go on a mission but not having any money, won a $2500 cash prize at Sober Graduation the night after his graduation. Both boys are out of school now. Charlie has a little rest before his work starts with the beekeeper. Sam is working as the grounds keeper at the dental office. Janet and I picked up Megan and Travis on our way to the temple yesterday. They told us all about their trip to NYC. They were really excited about it. A convert baptism from Dos Palos is happening this afternoon at the chapel in Los Banos. Janet and the boys have been taking him to church for the past few weeks, while the elders have been giving him the lessons. I had an assignment from the...