Feb. 5, 2002

Dear Mice,

I went over to the Sycamores’ today to drop off some bags of stuff to add to their DI pickup pile, and she invited me to look through her huge “give away” pile of books. You will be impressed to know I only took 3. I must have acquired self discipline somewhere along the way. I’ve been taking Margaret out to practice her driving on and off the past several weeks, and one day we happened to have Jonnie in the car as we drove around the neighborhood (she hasn’t been on Santa Rosa road yet). Well, he looked with big eyes at his sis behind the wheel, and kept making (good natured) cracks about his personal safety, etc. Then he rolled down the window, and hollered out at the top of his lungs (over and over), “SHE”S ONLY 15!! AND SHE”S DRIVING!!!” We told him to stop bellowing to all the neighbors, but he was having too good a time and wouldn’t stop. I laughed so hard I was afraid I might suffer brain loss from oxygen deprivation. Finally, Margaret couldn’t stand it any longer, and stopped the car up on Highridge (where Sycamores live), and (smilingly) said to Jonnie, “Getouttadacah”!. (Get out of the car). Of course, he tried to open the door and escape (laughingly), but I grabbed onto his solid little arm and wouldn’t let go. Then as we were driving on Redondo, pulling out from side streets, with Mom correcting Meg’s driving, he muttered to himself, “I’m gonna die. We’re ALL gonna die.” When we got home and were just driving up the driveway, I said to Meg, “When we get out, you take his arms and I’ll take his legs and we’ll throw him in the fountain.” Jonnie thought fast and instantly said, “Shoes? On. Backpack? Packed and on. I’m ready to run.” Which is what he did, as soon as the car stopped. So we never DID get to throw him in the fountain. Margaret did a good job on her driving lesson, and didn’t hit any trees or fire hydrants or oncoming police cars or anything. We practiced stopping and starting with the stick shift on all the steepest hills we could find. We went for CONTROL, and SLOWNESS. (Actually, we’d started practicing in the church parking lot, but wished we were in Gram and Gramp’s field with hay bales to practice parking around.) The hardest thing for Meg to do is drive like an inchworm. She prefers driving like a kangaroo. We've leapt and jumped so often from her taking her foot off the clutch too suddenly, I’m surprised I don’t have a cerebral hemorrhage. Later on, I mentioned that I was taking Meg to the Porters for a study session with Bryn, and letting her drive. Jonnie piped up, “Unwise. Unsafe. Unsafe. Unwise.” So before we left, I said, “Goodbye, Jon- It’s been nice knowin ya. Have a good life.” And he replied, “You’re gonna die. But not alone.” (Both he and Meg think very fast “on their feet”.) As it turns out, I didn’t die, and we all have lived happily? ever after. We got an anonymous note in the mailbox telling us that our longtime mailman, Monty Brower, recently had a stroke. (He was almost ready to retire.) This anonymous neighbor asked everyone to send him a cheering-up get-well card via the Post Office, which we did. I thought that was a thoughtful, “above-and beyond” thing to do…to organize alerting all the neighbors like that! It really touched me that someone would take the time to put that message in everybody’s mailbox. Just a little thing, but it will mean a lot to Monty.

One day a few weeks ago, poor little Jonnie was so tired and worn out he was at the point of tears. But then he abruptly announced,, “I’m going to work out” (with the weights and exercise machine in the garage.) I asked him, “Why?” He said, “I need to. Both David and Dad told me I did.” (He wants to get buff like his big Bro.) !!! We’re sticking to our rule of “no TV on school nights”, with the rare exception of the Discovery Channel if all piano practiced, chores, and homework are done. Dad rented Family Man, but we had to turn it off and return it unwatched due to unsuitable scenes. We’ve decided it’s practically impossible to find decent movies. Dave, we’re excited about your new sales job for American Home Security in Philadelphia this summer – except the kids are all so depressed you won’t be coming home. They all love and look up to their favorite Big. Bro. You’ll have to spend some time at home before leaving on your mission in the early fall. Michelle found a copy of “Heloise’s Helpful Household Hints”, and carried it all over the house, immersing herself in it. Soon she was cooking up a powerful herbal concoction to steam her face over, and giving herself a fresh lemon manicure over a towel at the table. She also froze all the wax-dripped candlesticks to facilitate wax removal, and did a bunch of other experiments. (I’ll have to hide “Heloise’s Helpful Hints Book 2”.) Dad has been losing his glasses right and left. Sometimes I think he’s losing his mind. He has special computer glasses, and then other pairs he wears for reading and driving. I think we will need to buy him two or three pairs of each prescription, just to keep our sanity. I’ll lock one set up for dire emergencies only. ! He’s been working hard on a new revised business plan and presentation to the business manager CEO of a big 52-member radiology group down in Long Beach, which happens this week. He’s been correlating all his various software and monitor displays, working every spare minute on it. He’s been truly excited about the possibilities, more so than I’ve seen him in a coon’s age. He’s taking a lower medicine dose through April or May (which will make it a year), and feels much better. I’m not sure if I can stand Dad when he’s in a good mood; his energy levels are too high, and he wants to do too much! I personally see nothing wrong with a little nap in the hammock every so often. (Once a month maybe??) (I wouldn’t know for sure; it’s been so long since I’ve taken one.) Dad bumped his head hard fixing a leaky water softener outlet flex pipe under the house (which had dripped on a bag of Karate outfits and mildewed some of them, but the dark, thick mildew came right off when I sprayed TILEX mildew remover on it.) Fortunately his head was already so hard it didn’t do much damage.(!) Corey and Scott (your cousin) had their baby girl, Shelby Rose, the first week of January – after an unfairly short labor !

I’ve been enjoying my series of classic tapes entitled “The greatest Top 10 Hits of 1842”, etc. Jonnie has unfortunately developed a taste for some of that noise on some of David’s old custom CD’s (the stuff that’s sometimes mistakenly called “music”), but I have high hopes of reeducating and reclaiming him. I still remember how Sarah told us about the guys at BYU who shaved horizontal stripes all down their legs, like the Cat in the Hat’s hat. I guess kids have a certain amount of weirdness they have to outgrow. Jonnie said he learned in science class that the electricity from a singe bolt of lightening would power all the lights in a whole town for a year – if they could harness it! And here’s a thought for you: “What we ARE is much more important than what we HAVE BEEN, and what we CAN BE is much more important that what we ARE.” (Bro. Barlow or someone from BYU has that on his business card. Think I already shared that with you. But it’s worth repeating.)  Popiels  generously keep leaving bags of avocadoes on our gate. We try and share them. I experimented with two different wedding cake recipes, and recipe B (White Cake ll from the Joy of Cooking) won hands down. We mixed Cool whip and vanilla pudding for a fun “frosting” that wasn’t too sweet or greasy. Take care of yourselves; we are so proud of you all. Sammie, I’m especially worried about you and the “killer semester” you say you’re having, but remember: it’s all just a matter of perspective. You can handle it just fine; it’s just that YOU have to believe that!  Brett, Jonnie LOVED the letter you sent addressed just to him. The kids absolutely LOVE getting their own mail. We think about you every day, and hope the Portuguese still comes more naturally for you than the English! Lania and Pedro, thank you for being so supportive and concerned about everybody, with all you have to do yourselves. Thanks so much for your regular calls. Except I hope Peter will stop dominating all the conversations, so somebody else can get a word in edgewise every so often. (!!) (Pedro, you know we love you. Just the way you are. Hope you can endure your mother-in-law’s painful attempts at humor.) I would send some warm California sunshine your way, but somehow I’m afraid it would evaporate when it hit those cold Rocky Mountain altitudes. Give yourselves hugs and kisses on the tops of your little brown heads from your Madre!