Help from a Rain Storm

Yesterday a car slipped out on the corner NE of our house and hit a power pole. The power company came right out to replace the broken pole as the lines were hanging to the ground.

Mike went out to visit with the power company employee and asked it the tops of the trees near the line could also be cut down. (We've been wanting to take the trees down but Mike no longer has tree climbing equipment and I wasn't too excited to have him climbing that high anyway. The guy said that they could do it but then the storm got so heavy that they left but came over and asked Mike to call the city and request the service. He called but the girl seemed confused and said that she didn't think they did that. This morning when I looked at the window just after 8 AM they were out there cutting the top out of the tree. It was great to see how easily they could do something that would have taken an unsafe day for Mike. Now all he has to do is cut the rest of the trees down and that is something that he enjoys. We'll have more firewood for next winter, too.

We Were Truly Blessed

The week before we left for Reno we took our car in for an inspection and service. It was over $300 and we felt like every nut and bolt should be ready for the long trip. On Wednesday afternoon Mike drove down to the new house in our car and Laurel and Russell in the truck. Mike noticed that the engine was overheating and they took it into the Hyundai dealer who was about 30 minutes away.

The next morning I got a call from the Service Manager saying that he needed our permission to run a $116 check to see what the problem might be. I told him that I refused to pay it, that we had just paid over $300 to have it totally gone over and that I was upset with the Orem Hyundai dealer. He seemed to become aware of a problem and asked if he could call me back after a while.

Mike stopped by there and I did a call to Orem as well as to him again but about 4:00 I got a call that the car was ready. We got there just before he closed at 5:30 to pick it up. He was a perfect person for the job and so very personable. I mentioned that I was grateful that it had happened in Reno where we could get it to a Hyundai dealership and he explained why it was a wonderful blessing that it happened where and when it did. Apparently after they cleaned out the AC a little brace that fastens a hose in place was put on upside down and that allowed it to slip and eventually the hose worked it's way off the connection. He said, "It would have been very ugly. You would have had to been towed either here or Salt Lake City (either way is hundreds of miles) and your engine would have had to be replaced.)
We feel like Heavenly Father truly blessed us in this situation. There are not even gas stations or tow trucks for stretches of a few hours along that desert drive. The entire bill will be paid by Orem Hyundai. It could truly have been "ugly" but we only lost a day without a car and the time to drop it off.

A Trip to Reno

We left here on Thursday the 12th hoping that Laurel and Russell would be able to sign the papers on their home the next day and would be able to start working on re-doing it that weekend. Apparently the three people who had to sign off on the sale after they signed had 72 hours to do so and the weekend didn't count SO------ Although we enjoyed a trip to California together and got to visit their new Ward on Sunday it wasn't really until Wednesday afternoon that they were able to get in and start doing things.

Mike worked his heart out for them until Saturday evening. Apparently he spent a good share of that time on his knees pulling staples and carpet tack board. As is always in repair and remodeling things take longer that you hope or think that they will. Laurel finally got a good steamer to remove wallpaper on Saturday afternoon and that will speed things up there. Russell has been removing carpets and flooring. They are far from where they hoped to be but can really see their progress. We were happy to learn that the home is well built and the structure seems to be in good condition. They will turn it into a lovely place. The view and area are fantastic and "just what the doctor ordered" for those two.

My job was to tend kids so that Laurel could "dig-in" a bit. I know that the last time I changed that many poopy diapers was when she and Connie were both in diapers. The biggest difference was that I carried all of these diapers out to the trash can in the yard. Good old cloth diapers had to be flushed and laundered when they were babies.

They are darling children and I will miss them. Eli would make my day several times each day by saying, "Grandma, I love you." Kate gives prayers that are more detailed than my 11-year-olds in Primary and that baby is about as happy as any child I have ever been around.

We were gone eleven days. We are sorry that we were not able to help more but hope that we gave them a good start on things.

The End of the Trip Because I Can't Remember to Post Backwards!

These pictures show some of the beautiful scenery we saw along Old Hwy 40. You can also see why building the railroad and travel for the Donner party was so difficult. The passes were extremely high. (Apparently the summer homes along this road are extremely expensive. Some are less than an hour away from Reno but a totally different world of scenery. )

Chinese Wall

The wall that was built by hand by Chinese workers was really amazing. I think, because we had seen and heard about the Great Wall in China this was even more remarkable to me. These men worked long days for years and apparently sent their money home to families. It is a beautiful tribute to their lovely work even though the story of their sacrifices is a sad one.

These statues are tributes to the miners, the Chinese who built the railroad and the Donner Party who lost many of their party in this area.

Our Saturday Adventure

Because Laurel and Russell hadn't been able to get the key to the house yet we decided to have an adventure on Saturday. We drove over to California and started in the town of Auburn. There were some pretty old homes and this lovely old Court House.

The Kids- My Project for the Week

Kate has grown up so much and is learning so quickly. She was very careful to tell me exactly how everything should be done and where I could find things. Both Kate and Eli have such a good knowledge base not only with the basics like numbers and colors but they ask "thinking" questions.

Eli was so excited because when we got to the city of Colfax there was a train at the station. It was exciting for the adults, too, because we watched the police pull some true "hobos" off the train. It was interesting to see the arrest.
We celebrated Eli's birthday early because this next week when it is really his birthday will be such a busy time with moving and home preparation. He does such a good job of "wearing" his food.

This morning I knew that it was my last day with these darling kids. I heard Kalie fussing about 6 AM so I went in and got her. She is such a happy and busy baby but this morning she just cuddled with me for quite a while. There is no feeling in the world that beats a baby love.

Mother's Day 2011

I received an original for Mother's Day this year and it is delightful. Each of my five children are represented and each in slightly different ways, which add to the originality of the book. One wrote about things that are admired, one tied all of their memories to one characteristic, one wrote a letter. Some of the grandchildren created written memories and others drew pictures. What a treasure the book is. Flowers would wilt. I'd wear out a tool or a piece of clothing but this will last forever. I feel loved and appreciated in a depth that is wonderful. Amy did a great job of putting it all together.

Letter to Grandma Britsch 1941

My Grandfather Britsch

My dad's father died when I was just two years old. I have no memory of him and really don't remember much about him as a person. While sorting through Mom's things after her death Charlotte found this letter written from him to my grandmother who was in the hospital in Provo or Salt Lake. He tells about Manti, his work as a lawyer and is tender in his care of her. We were surprised to see that he signed the letter "Eddie" since neither of us had ever heard anything but his given name Edwin Adam Britsch. It was fun to glimpse into the past and "know" him a bit better.

Trees

THIS IS THE HOLE THAT MERLENE DUG!

We have been busy in our yard every sunny day that we get. I'll have to include more pictures of the lattice board under the outside steps, the beautiful raised bed garden boxes that Mike is building and all of the trees and flowers that are now planted. I've been impressed with all that Mike has accomplished. I've done quite a bit myself. We were finally able to purchase the Hawthorne tree that was a gift from our friends. I dug the hole for it and thought that I might be able to reach China and go and see my friends if I worked hard enough but I tired and Mike took over and planted the tree.

Since we planted that tree we've planted 4 Aspen trees, an almond tree and a walnut tree. That gives us 14 trees to nourish. Hopefully they will get big enough in our lifetime to bear fruit or give us shade.

Cherokee Temple Session

About a week and a half ago Mike's brother Paul called from Missouri and said that there would be a special session at the Salt Lake Temple for descendants of Cherokee Indians and that he and his wife, Debbie, would be coming out and would like to have us join them.
We met them at the Visitor's Center and they gave us a copy of this picture of Mike's Grandmother Ellington who was at least part Cherokee. We next went to a Chapel Session that was full of probably 100 or more people who were all there to do Cherokee names in the Temple. Mine was a person from the Cherokee Nation in Georgia. We went through a session together and then we had lunch with Paul and Debbie. It was nice to visit with them since it has been about seven years since we have seen them.