"In Eastern Montana, Glendive, winter nights were long but not boring. Basketball games, Community Concerts, sledding under street lights and exciting radio programs.
I heard my first harp when I was in first grade, sitting on the first row of DCHS auditorium (without parents) eagerly looking up at the beautiful lady playing this etheral instrument. She smiled at me and I was forever smitten by a harp.
Great fun and memorable was to come home from sledding to find my Mom stirring up a batch of fudge. You could use a candy thermometer to get it right or just drop a bit into a glass of cold water to see if the proper soft ball stage was reached. It was now ready to remove from the fire (we cooked with gas), drop in the butter and vanilla and begin to beat it with a wooden spoon.
Mom wrapped a towel around the hot pan and propped it in the crook of her arm and began to beat. Too much beating and it would turn to a crumbly mess. Just enough and it would lose its gleam and be ready to pour in a buttered dish. When it was firm to the touch, it was cut into squares or sometimes rolled in a log (not too often on that one). It was delicious and with a large family you didn't have a chance to overeat. The pan and spoon was given to the yougest to lick, me. Many times it was shared with brother Dick in the Navy or brother and sisters at college.
Messages at Christmas while living at Treeo in Orem, Utah, 2021
I’m
glad you are up in Utah living now. I marvel at your youthfulness and zest for
life! It’s been wonderful to get to know you better these last few months.
Merry Christmas Janet! You are awesome! Much love, Kim
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Cute
Christmas card/email, love the pics. Glad you have some Christmas entertainment
at Treeo. Love you :) Linda
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Glad to see you
are adapting to your new surroundings, I never doubted that you would, you have
always been up for new adventures. It is so good to see you at Treeo and we are
all so glad you are here with your sister Jeanne, we love you and your little dog
Sadie .
Brian
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So nice to hear from
you! I enjoyed my SBA duties in San Diego (Julian) during this time of year
after the fires from before Thanksgiving (Borrego Springs) and after (New Years
Eve in Ramona) Lovely area. Blessings to you and your Very Extended family.
BTW, There is an LDS Community in Julian.
Antonio (Tony) Olmi, BA QB Broker La Entrada Realty NM Lic.#6650 Gateway Real Estate Services NM Lic.#17324
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Thank you for the photos and nice stories. It’s great to her that you are doing well and have your health. Keep doing all your fun activities and enjoying life and the family and friends that are able to visit. We get to talk with you often and love hearing about how things are going. We send positive thoughts and hope that you outlive the doctors prospective on time.
What ever happens, we are with you in our thoughts and cherish the wonderful Mother you have been for our family. Lots of warm and Heartfelt memories of visiting you at your Lake house. You were always such a nice host to the kids and they love you deeply. Thank you for all you have done for them and the love and hospitality you provided through the years.
The photo of you at your lake house really touches my heart. I
really have enjoyed your family. Thank you for being a Mom to me and welcoming
me into your family. I love Maria so much and it has been nice to enjoy
her siblings and extended family and her Mother.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year, and I hope we get to say the same to each other for many more years to come.
Love you. Take good care of yourself.
Johnny
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Oh, Aunt Janet, I am so happy to hear from you. It sounds like you have the perfect little home - so close to the many family members that love you. I am sorry to hear about your health problems. I will be praying that your life is joyful and extended. Merry Christmas to you. You have always been my favorite!!!
Love forever,
Rebecca Smith
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Dear Aunt Janet,
Thank you for the update and glad to hear you are doing
well. I was just in Orem last week and if I knew you were there my wife
and I would have visited. My wife (Laura) and I, along with Michelle
& husband, Jennifer & husband and Cameron and wife are all
building homes in Mapleton Utah about ten minutes from you. We are all
moving from Lake Stevens Wa. Our home plans are with the architect and we should start building in the second quarter of next year. It will
be two years before we move there .... this is the direction we are
headed. The building lots are in a development called Hidden Cove near the
mountains. Please send me your telephone number so that I can
contact you.
Love you,
Matt and Laura
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Merry Christmas Janet:
Great getting your very nice email Christmas card….we both wish you a wonderful Christmas!
So
sorry to hear about your health reports…sure wish you well and our prayers are
with you.
We sold our lake condo at the Flathead last July so our summer plans have changed a bit. We still want to spend time up there and when we go thru Utah we will give you a call and may be we can do lunch sometime.
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Dear Aunt Janet,
We love and appreciate you and are so glad to have the chance to see you at Treeo. We are grateful for all the love and care you give to Jeanne.
All our love,
Brian and Norma
Stan and Becca Thayne
Jen and Mike Crosby!
Missy and Ken Matthews
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Thank you so much for you wonderful letter with pictures, I love it.
Wow, lots of changes! Would love to come for a visit and meet your sister and family. I need to take your example and get busy--I've been busy reading toooo many books lately! Really good books--but still need to do more important stuff! Been busy in R S. Take care of yourself--you're important to me.
Cheri (Betty Matson's daughter) Eleanora's granddaughter
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Janet,
Someday I hope to travel your way and visit. Great to recieve your letter and address update.
Janice (Eiler)
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Dear Janet,
Thanks for your Christmas letter. Good to hear news of you. We've slowed down a lot at 89 and 90 but we have Donna here with us. We hope you are contented in your new place. Sending out cards has become a little more difficult as we age!
Love, Don and Kay Bennett and Donna
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Merry Christmas!!! Love, Ellen ( Kawaguchi) from Glendive 6th grade
She sent a picture card and her and her daughter and grandchildren. She looks so young!!!!
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Dear Janet,
Merry Christmas and Hopeful New Year. Thanks so mch for all you do for Mom. We're all so glad you are there,
Love, your niece Carole
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Merry Christmas, Janet,
Wishing you all the blessings of the season.
Thank you for all you do for Mom. David and Tami
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Dear Janet,
Heartfelt wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. Love, Carole
Love my bed!
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Craig, Collin, Gary, and Ethan show their muscles in the Pulsipher Play Room.
Jeanne and I have been listening to Church on Zoom but decided to go to regular meeting today. She said she was dressed and ready and would go down to the shuttle to be there at 10:15. I said I would try and make it but I had fallen asleep and it was after nine when I woke up.
I did get there just in time for the shuttle but Lee told me it was full so I got a ride over with another lady who was taking her car. I waited for the bus to unload at the church, until the end, and then found out that Jeanne was not aboard.
I rode back with Lee and found Jeanne upstairs all ready to go. She said she had had to go to the bathroom just before leaving and by the time she got finished it was too late to catch the shuttle. I said, "We may as well go as we were all ready", so I took her down to where my car was parked. It was quite late by then but as the car was covered with snow, that took more time to clean it off.
By the time we got in the foyer the sacrament was being passed but the bread had already been offered so we didn't get to do the sacrament. So by the time we got in there, it was 5 to 11...25 minutes late.
Jeanne said, "First time for everything!" So she had never been late to church before? Probably.
As you may know I sold my house in Lake Almanor in summer of 2020 (pic 1, top row) because of Aortic Stenosis in my heart and moved to Rancho Bernardo (San Diego). They had wanted me to have The TAVR procedure on my heart in June 2020 and then September 2020 but I did not do either. Supposedly I had less than a year to live in June.
I moved to Orem Treeo Independent Residential in June 2021 and plan to be here until December 2022 pic 4, 2nd row). I now belong to Orem lst Ward where we viewed the Nativity Story and had a Ward Breakfast Party today (pic 2, top row).
Although all my children are
in San Diego area, I do have my sister Jeanne on the 3rd Floor of
Treeo and many of her children and grands and great grands live in the area
(pic 1, 2nd row). Sadie lives
with me on the lst floor (pic 5 and 6, bottom row). My children plus grandchildren visit from
time to time. My granddaughter Sarah is
married and living in Pleasant Grove and works nearby so I get to see her and
Ethan. Love that. I actually love my apartment and am served
two meals a day in the dining area. They
have plenty of activities which I am usually too busy doing my own thing to do,
but the tenants as well as staff are very nice and there is always someone to
talk to when you have the time.
Have a Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year and don’t forget to count your many blessings!!!
It soon filled up and on two tables in front was foil tins and other things of food and drink from Kneaders. They let the old people get in line first.
It was a huge french toast with delicious syrup and strawberries and whipped cream. It all went deliciously together. The whole serving of things was very casual. I got the idea the bishopric was doing all the work and they just asked volunteers to serve.
A very jolly elf (wish I had his picture) was dressed in an amazing costume and had grown his beard out long and curved. His shoes were handmade and cost $600!!!! His wife made his outfit, really great.
While the bishopric rolled a bin around and cleaned everything up we sang Christmas carols until the primary children were costumed and on stage. A narrator presented the story and the children arranged themself. All very informal, no one cared about lights or junk on the stage but had wonderful costumes.
It was certainly a stress free wonderful Christmas Breakfast for everyone.
During the last month we have been tested for Covid once and sometimes twice a week. Those who tested positive had to quarantine for 14 days and there was social distancing created in the dining room for those of us not quarantined.
On Oct 28 we received the news that we could get booster shots at Smiths and we were told that 3 people had tested positive in the last 3 weeks.
On Nov 2 all activities, games, transportation, housekeeping and maintenance were suspended until further notice. We were also told to wash our hands frequently and wear a mask in the common areas. Visitors were limited to those caring for their loved ones, hopefully the same person every day. Most all positive patients had been vaccinated and Jeanne had received the booster shot the week before. The Utah Department of Health tested us for the first time on Wednesday 11/3.
On Nov 4 we were told there were reveal several additional cases of Covid in our community revealed in the testing. They are testing again on the 8th and 12th. Anyone with sickness of any kind was asked to self quarantine.
On the 10th we were told the testing on the 8th had just a few cases and all were notified immediately as well as their families. Conditions remain the same.
On the 13th we were told there were no new cases in the last testing. Conditions remain the same. We are going to be tested again.
On November 29 the dining room is back to normal and breakfast buffet is on. Masks do not need to be worn and apartments are open to visitors. The dining room remains closed to visitors. Some activities will be resumed. No home evening till next week.
Jeanne and I have been watching church on my tablet at the link that Steven gave me. Linda bought us a speaker so it is easier to hear and just watch one tablet.
The shuttle will start again next Sunday but I told Steven since Jeanne had had two blowouts in the morning I was hesitant to take her to Church so we were sticking with the tablet zoom meeting. We miss the Relief Society and Sunday School lesson. Jeanne does not remember the blowouts so she has no fear of going anywhere but I do.
Ironically Clinton died the day before Thanksgiving also.
