Sunday, April 20, 2014

The spring after her husband died. Timp Lodge. It has been 41 years.

April 20, 1973

Dear family,

I usually write every Monday morning, but I didn’t even think of it till Tuesday, then couldn’t seem to find the time.  Laurie and Marlin moved up to the lodge last Sat. the 14th, and Will and I helped them in the morning, then I took off from the lodge and went to Tabiona, leaving Will there to help shovel snow.  I brought Grandma Davidson and Aunt Jennette down, and we were going to stop at the lodge and pick up Will.  We got about 500 yds above Sundance, and the ruts of snow and ice were so deep that I couldn’t get up.  They told me I had to stay out of the ruts, but to do that you had to practically ride the side of the hill.  The snow banks on both sides was about 10 feet tall.  I tried 3 times to get up, and finally gave up and went back to Sundance and called them on the phone.

Monday night Marlin and Laurie tried to get up, and couldn’t make it, so they walked from Sundance.  Sunday afternoon Laurie came down to church alone, and trying to get back up she ran into a snow bank, and put a dent under the front fender, and peeled off some paint.  She called here, because she couldn’t get hold of Marlin, and Marlin ran down the hill, and he and the man from Sundance pulled her out.  They have found that if they put some cement blocks in the old Plymouth that it makes it up the hill with no problem.  They can’t get rid of it yet, because Marlin was afraid she might be at the lodge alone when the baby is due.  It is ironic that the Plymouth will make it up there.

Last night we all went up to the Lodge Palmers from Aurora, and the Barrauses, There were 17 people in all, and Laurie cooked a turkey, and we celebrated Marlin’s graduation.  He graduates today.  We still had a little difficulty getting up the hill, but I think that the spring is the worst time of the year, because the snow is starting to melt, and the deep ruts occur.  Grandma was very upset, because she couldn’t tell where we were going, and the snow frightened her.  I couldn’t move away from her all last night.  Yesterday it rained and snowed all day, and this morning there is a blizzard, and we have a little 2 foot apricot tree in full bloom.  I don’t know whether it is frozen or not.  We covered it the night before last, but forgot last night.  Yesterday the snow didn’t stay on the ground, but this morning the ground is pretty well covered.  It is bitter cold.  We are beginning to feel that spring will never come.

Two weeks ago Will bought a ten speed bike, and the first afternoon the front tire split open.  They replaced it, and the second day he was riding it in circles, and the back rim warped out of shape.  They also replaced it.  They said it had been sitting in a crate for 8 months or so.  I hope he doesn’t have any more problems.  Last week the mixmaster stopped going, and they said they would fix it and give me a years guarantee for $11.00.  The same day the toaster wouldn’t work.  The toast wouldn’t even go down, and they wanted $8.00 to fix it, so I didn’t leave it.  Then last Sat. the washer started acting up again.  I called the repair4 man and he came on Monday, and told me it would cost $60.00 to repair.  At first he thought he had it fixed, and then ran it thru the cycle, and it wouldn’t spin.  He took it apart again, and touched something with the screw driver, and it spun ok, but water spued all over everything from the main tub.  Then he took off the top spindle and said the barings were wearing and didn’t know how long they would last, so I told him to haul it away.  He also took the toaster, to see if he could fix it.  So now we are in the market for a new washer.  In the meantime, we are using the one downstairs.

Lou and Karen say that as of now their first station will be Ft. Riley Kansas, which will not be too far from home.  We would love to have you come even for a few days.  You should get here by Monday the 20th, only Monday is the 21st.  That will be about the same time Alice and Sam arrive.  Will can’t get out of school till the 23rd at the earliest, so it will be the 24th before we can leave for Virginia.  That isn’t going to help Betty and Blen much if Betty is on time with her baby.  At least we can let you have a vacation from the children after you come home from the hospital.  I’m hoping we get there before you go to the hospital.  Next Saturday Will is going to see a Dr. in Salt Lake about his nose.  He still breaths thru his mouth at night, and we have been told for years that he would have to have it operated on, and this would be the best year for him to have it done.

                                                Lovingly,        Mother

<Hope the tapes arrived ok.  Next time we will have to edit them.>


[P.S. to Jane and Ken] We love to get your letters.  Hope your new car is a good one.  

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