APRIL NEWS......MY DAD DIES AT AGE 103 AND THE CORONA VIRUS CONTINUES!!!!!

The new norm for what we carry in our cars.
Masks to wear in public, hand sanitizer and
Clorox wipes for keeping hands and car clean.

It's April and the big news is still the corona virus pandemic that has pretty much shut down our whole world. At the first of the month, President Trump said we were going to be in for an horrendous two weeks as cases and deaths continue to increase. He tried to give us hope that if the models hold, we will then see a decrease and leveling out of this virus. He extended his corona virus guidelines to stay in place through April 30th. He called it '30 days to slow the spread.' We were to wash our hands, social distance, and stay at home as much as possible. We were advised to wear masks out in public for our own protection, as well and the protection of those around us. Our very own little Heber City also basically shut down, except for essential businesses. Those include medical, food, and transportation. That meant at least another month before I could get my hair cut and colored as barbers and hair dressers were closed for at least two weeks. It also meant lunch at home except for the occasional drive through window type lunch...no dining inside, anywhere.


Oregon has been even worse, at least as to the prospects of the state opening up. We talked to Andrea and she said her governor had said schools will not be opening up till the fall so that means all graduations, grad parties, and end of school event have been canceled. Her company lost more than $200,000 worth of business from all of this. She and Casey both applied for unemployment and a small business loan to get them through this mess. Charlotte and Jillian secured jobs at Target and WalMart, respectively. They need to earn money for college tuition and books for when the universities open back up. Usually they are employed with the family business but there's no work for them at this point.

Loved this

Our once thriving economy with 3.4 unemployment, a record for decades, became a thing of the past. Over four million jobs were lost in two short weeks and it got worse every week there after. The government floated a stimulus package for small businesses to keep their employees paid but they also guaranteed unemployment payments that would give the employees more for not working. Go figure. President Trump continued to make his daily news briefings to keep the country up to date and, of course, he was criticized for every move he made. He was also accused of campaigning via these news briefings. He can't win. He could come up with a cure for cancer and the media and left wing democratic party would find fault with it and him.


We decided to drive to the other side of the mountain, anticipating more closures. We needed to pick up our lawn mower from the place it was getting tuned up and sharpened. We didn't want to be without it until things opened back up again. Along the way, we went to take pictures of the home Sam and Kathy bought sight unseen. It was in Alpine and in a very lovely neighborhood. 

We then dropped by Jon's to see the progress on his home. Neither he nor Mindi were there but we stayed outside and visited with Clark and Carly for a few minutes. I felt bad when Carly came up to hug me and I had to tell her we were practicing social distancing. I had a long conversation with Clark after Carly left and it was nice to talk with him. It was then lunch at Mod Pizza - social distancing style which meant going through the drive thru and eating in our car. It still tasted wonderful.


The first Friday of the month, I decided I needed to do a pretty major shop for groceries. Smith's Food and Drug reserved the first hour of business to senior citizens to shop. They did this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7 to 8 in the morning. I arrived about 7:30 and I was amazed at how many cars were in the parking lot. The store, inside, seemed more crowded then usual. The good thing is that 75% of the people were wearing masks and the cashiers were behind plexiglass partitions for their protection, as well as ours. The shelves were pretty well stocked and I was able to get most everything I needed except for hand sanitizer. That and toilet paper are still in short supply. Such strange times for sure.


The next week, I went shopping early morning at Lee's, a more locally owned store. There were very few people in the store, except for employees. I wore a mask, just for safety sake, and was able to find most everything I needed. They were still limiting toilet paper, flour, and pasta sauces. New social distancing directions were also apparent - one way signs on the floor of each aisle showing the direction you were to travel so as to not have to pass another customer. At the check out stand, feet print signs were place 6 feet apart to show you how far back you should stand from the customer in front of you. These are popping up in all the stores, now.



Throughout all this, we talked with our children much more than usual. We just felt a need to check in with everyone often to see how everyone was holding up. We loved how each one has been handling this crisis in their homes. Todd has been golfing and working in his yard. Jon has been working on the remodel of his home, Ryan isolated himself in their barn each day so he could continue to work with his dentists, helping them maneuver business loan applications. Andrea's family decided to put on a 'corona virus' musical. In conjunction with the Boreens, they have spent their time rehearsing a homemade version of 'Nemo'. They plan to video it and put the finished product on YouTube. 

Busy making costumes

We received word that of a change in the returning missionary policy announced this month. All missionaries returning home due to this pandemic would be released immediately regardless of the time they had served. They were to let the missionary department know if they wanted to return to the mission field when this situation passes or if they wanted to reapply at a later date. They could opt to not go back out, also. We think they did this because, for the foreseeable future, it would be difficult for the missionaries and their families to maintain mission rules, ie: always being with a companion, no television or social media, etc. At first, they were thinking of reassigning missionaries to a state side mission within two weeks of returning home. With the now extended '30 day to stop the spread' guidelines that would be very difficult to do. 



When all our ward's missionaries finally got home from foreign lands, our ward members held a car parade for them, passing each of their homes honking, waving and holding welcome home signs.





Amid all this, my Dad passed away. He had just celebrated his 103rd birthday and died peacefully in his sleep on April 4, 2020. I can't even express the myriad of emotions that have coursed through my being since that day.....Gratitude for having him with us for so many years and for his incredible example of love and devotion to his family and to God. Sadness because we can no longer turn to him for advice and counsel or to be with him to experience, again, the many fun times we have had as family and extended family. Grief that he had to die at a time when we could not all get together and celebrate his incredible life. Gratitude for modern technology that we could at least all be present virtually for a family prayer and the closing of the casket.Sadness that we have to wait months for a celebration of his life and express publicly our love for our Dad and Grandpa. Gratitude that he could return to his heavenly home to be with my Mom after 50 plus years of being separated but sadness that he had to leave our second Mom, Rita, here on earth. Gratitude that I could see him and speak with him over FaceTime on his birthday so I could express to him my love. Gratitude for all the incredible memories I have of him and the times we were able to spend together. And especially, much gratitude for my  testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and temple ordinances which brings an assurance that we are an eternal family and that I can be with my Dad again.

A Zoom call where all our children were present happened
on Sunday after we received word about my Father.
Our children were concerned about my emotions with the passing of my Dad.
It was very healing to be able to talk with them about Dad and to
feel of their love for me.

I was given the opportunity to write Dad's obituary for the Bakersfield newspaper. I loved the flow of memories that came to me as I contemplated his life and our relationship. Ed and I talked about what should be included and I was able to compose it with relative ease. Thankfully I could email it to Sam's son, Thad, who will get it out on social media, along with a picture. That would have taken abilities in technology beyond my expertise. We were going to put it in the newspaper but they charge an extremely large fee for that service. Social media seemed to work as to getting the word out. I was amazed at the number of responses we received from friends on my Facebook page. Such love and caring shown at this hard time in our family's life.







On April 15, we held of memorial service in honor of Dad - virtually, of course. Mom and only 8 family members were physically present at the mortuary with Dad but over 90 households were in attendance virtually. Many of those tuning into the proceedings had multiple people watching on the same computer so many, many family members were apart of this memorial. Most of Dad's children had an opportunity to talk about their memories of Dad and their feelings of love and admiration for him. I spoke about the time, after Mom's passing, that I went to live with Dad and the boys. It was the time that Dad was dating Rita and I got to be the parent,pacing the floor waiting for Dad to come home from his dates. I also recounted the many trips and reunions to which Mom and Dad joined our family. I spoke, especially, about our San Diego reunion where, one evening, we invited Dad to tell us about our heritage. I recounted how lovingly he spoke of my Mom and also his relationship with Rita and, when asked about what would happen when they both died, how Dad assured us that it would all work out because the Lord was in charge. I mentioned that Dad had a hope that our family's mansion in heaven would be a duplex so we could all be together as one big family. I concluded with my testimony that the Lord knows us and will make everything right for us in the eternities and that we would be one big happy family as we are now. Sam gave the concluding talk which included words that Dad would have wanted each of us to hear. After Sam spoke, Don offered the family prayer and the casket was closed. The closing song was sung by Sam's granddaughter who sang, 'O My Father.' I about lost it at that point realizing that was the same song sung at my Mom's funeral over 50 years ago. We were even able to witness the dedication of the grave by Sam. We were all so grateful for technology that could bring us all together from around the world to honor Dad....a unique but beautiful way to pay tribute to an incredible man.

Finally released from his mortal body.
Dana placed a white hankie in his hand to symbolize
the love his daughters have for him.

The display table at the mortuary honoring Dad

Dad's memorial service through Zoom

Mom saying good bye to Dad.
After telling him how much she loves him,
she said, 'I just want to climb in the casket with him.'

Notice the white hankies on the table.
These were there so we could participate
in the 'Hosanna Shout' at the end of the
Sunday morning session.

A few positive highlights of the month were General Conference, a world wide fast, and Easter Sunday. Conference was held in a small auditorium at the conference center in Salt Lake City. There was no audience. The only ones in attendance, besides the technical crew, were the ones speaking or praying for that session. Though a much different format, it was still very inspirational. The theme of the conference was the 200th anniversary of God, the Father and Jesus Christ appearing to Joseph Smith in the sacred grove. Most of the messages focused on the continuing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and all bore testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and the reality of God and his son, Jesus Christ. A new proclamation was read. It was called the proclamation of the Restoration in which the Presidency and the quorum of the twelve testified of the appearance of the our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to the boy Joseph, and of the subsequent restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. 


Also at that meeting, President Nelson called on all of us to join in on a world wide fast on Good Friday, April 10. We were to fast for the controlling of the virus, for the protection of the health care workers, and the return of our economy. As soon as the conference was concluded, social media was ablaze with invitations for the whole world to fast. As we participated in the fast on Good Friday, we kept a prayer in our hearts for the things for which our prophets asked us to fast. It was a good day of much faith and hope. 

A great dinner but sadly it was
only for the two of us.

And then there was Easter....not celebrated in the usually way, for sure, but most memorable. There were no new Easter outfits. No large gatherings for Easter egg hunts or Easter dinners. No church services to remind us of our Savior's Atonement. But what was there, at least in our home, was a feeling of peace and of love for Him who gave so much so we could return home to live with our Heavenly Father. Paul and I read the Come Follow Me, Hear Him lesson for the day. We watched the video and listened to the Tabernacle Choir sing. We, then, listened to two conference talks that reminded us of our Savior and what Easter is all about. We listened to Elder Uchdorft's 'Behold Him,' and Elder Holland's 'And None Were With Him.' Of course, the sacrament was a part of our Easter service, too. I fixed a dinner of Cordon Bleu and served it in the dining room on Mom's blue china with matching goblets. Of course, it was just for the two of us, sadly. Our day ended with a Zoom call with our children.

We had a nice Easter surprise on Saturday morning. I got a text from Garrett Fuller telling us to look on our front porch. There, just in time for breakfast, was a box of Easter donuts from Judy's, a local bakery owned by a member of our stake. There were 5 donuts but they were so big they took up a whole box usually meant for a dozen. They were delicious.

I had to laugh at these memes that were posted on Facebook regarding 
Easter fashions. Andrea joined in on the mask obsession when she made each of her family members masks and put them in their Easter baskets, something that has never appeared in an Easter basket in years past. Deon and Gary were also awarded Easter masks from their daughter in an Easter basket.

We drove to Highland the day after Easter to deliver a table saw to Jon. We had purchased one several years ago and it was just cluttering our garage. We figured Jon could use it with all the construction he is doing. After dropping off the saw, we went to Todd and Kailee's home to drop off an Easter donut for Aria and Avery. When I sent a picture of the donuts Garrett had brought us on Saturday, he said Aria would go crazy over the Easter bunny one. We decided she needed to have it hence the trip to their home. Besides, it gave us a chance to see her and Todd and Kailee (Avery was asleep), at a safe social distance, of course.





Another thing that was fun this month was golf. Todd is a member of the Alpine Country Club and so has unlimited golfing privileges. He can invite guests from his immediate family for only $45 per person for 18 holes. Todd invited us to join him to golf 18 holes with him on the second Friday of the month. We had to do it social distancing style which meant Paul and I each drove a cart and Todd walked. Todd's feet were sore by the end of 18 but we had such a great time being with him and out in nature. 

The beauties of nature enjoyed while golfing

Paul taking down the
old blinds.

Before this pandemic and stay at home order, we had purchased shutters for the downstairs bedrooms and the toy room up stairs. We also bought a pull down shade for our bedroom. We didn't think we would get them made and installed until after things opened up again but we got a call this month that they were ready. The installers wore masks while in our home and were in and out within a couple of hours. We are loving them. They look so beautiful and really update the rooms.

By the end of the month, we received word that Andrea and Todd both received a Personnel Protection load from the Small business Association. These loans were made possible because of the nation's shutdown due to the Corona virus. They are meant to help small business stay afloat by using the money to pay employees, rent, utilities and other expenses during this shut down. Andrea also refinanced her home and took out a Disaster Assistance loan from the government. She was thrilled that all those sources of moneys came through. She says now she can relax even with a long term shut down of their business. We have been praying for all our children to be able to make it financially during these times so we feel this truly was an answer to prayer.

Siting at opposite ends of the table for dinner -
social distancing at its best.

Deon and Gary came to town this month. They are wanting to move to Heber and out of California so they have been looking online to find possible homes to buy. One came on the market that they were really interested in so they made a trip here. They stayed with us but we were real good at social distancing....even at the dinner table. The looked at the house and fell in love with it. It was in the Triple Crown development and on an acre of property that backed up to a creek. They made an offer but sadly the counter offer was not acceptable. It included an addendum which said if the sellers had a better offer they could accept it unless Deon and Gary could come up with the money to buy via a bridge loan at 9%. It just didn't feel right so they backed out of the offer, knowing they would find something even better when the time was right.

A guest in our back yard when the Allred family and the Garret
Fuller family came to our home to see Deon and Gary.
We all stayed outside and 6 feet apart.

We love the added care and concern people are showing to each other - neighbors checking in on neighbors, friends greeting each other while walking the neighborhood, and special treats being delivered. We have been the recipient of many such kindnesses. A bag of potatoes from the Wades, a beautiful plant from the Sneddons, and Crumbl cookies from Tyler and Kacee Allred. Sometimes hardship brings out the best in people.

We received this text message and picture from one of our ministering brothers. He is Greg Olson, the well known artist. The message is so beautiful for these tough times. The picture is a new creation he did during this shut down time. We truly must be like the little lamb and follow the only person who can help us through this.



















Paul has been keeping busy during this time. He's out in the yard almost every day for hours cleaning up from the winter. Once he cleaned up the bark and creek bed areas, he started adding soil pep (our answer to bark in our flower beds). We have brought four truck loads home already and will probably need more next month. I am so glad he has something to keep him involved these days.

Loading the soil pep from Home Depot

Beautiful orchid plant and card
from Paul.

Lastly this month, on April 28, I turned 75, three quarters of a century old!!! It was a great day despite the stay safe, stay home advisory. We didn't stay home completely but drove to American Fork to buy two pots for our front yard. That Home Depot didn't have the ones we wanted so we also went to the Orem store but with no more luck. The good thing about the trip was we were able to take out Mod Pizza....worth the trip, for sure. We did find the pots the next day at the Park City Home Depot. My birthday was also a good day because I heard from all our children at least with a text saying nice things about me. I got lots of calls from sisters and friends as well as a couple of visits from neighbors. I so appreciated all the love shown to me on my birthday.

Steak dinner.....at home of course.

From Kailee and Todd

From Deon and Gary, delivered by Kacee

From Connie Snedon

From the Coombs

During this pandemic people find clever ways to celebrate
birthdays. This was our neighbor's birthday recognition
a couple of week before my birthday.

A result of the pandemic......beards have become the fashion. Todd is vowing not to shave until he can go back to work. Ryan, also, now sports a beard but at least his keeps it trimmed.



As for Avery and Aria....we haven't seen them this whole month and we are missing them very much. The only way we've seen them is when Kailee posted pictures of them on Facebook. So sad.
These pictures were taken in Idaho at their other grandparents home - four wheeling and fishing. How fun for the kids.

OUR YOUNGEST GRANDSON, NATHAN, IS BAPTIZED ON MARCH 1 / CORONA VIRUS STRIKES THE U.S.

After working in the temple on Friday, February 28, we drove home, packed our suitcases and headed to the airport for our flight to Medford, Oregon. Nathan, our youngest grandson was to be baptized on Sunday. We took the late flight to Medford so we didn't land until after 11 o'clock at night. Ryan picked us up but, of course, we had to visit and tour the new additions to their home. It was early morning before we got to bed but great to be in Ryan and Katie's home. 

Saturday morning, we attended a basketball game for Nathan and then, immediately, drove to another school to watch Grace play a basketball game, too. Afterwards, we went to lunch at Mucho Guchos, a Mexican grill type restaurant. 




















When we returned home, Ryan was able to stream the BYU basketball game so we watched it on their big screen in their barn. Ryan has finished the inside of the barn into a wonderful area for family (and friend) fun, complete with a stocked mini fridge, a projector and big screen, and a secreted loft. We thoroughly enjoyed watching another BYU win putting them in an undisputed 2nd place in the WCC league. BTW - the barn is where the girls hold their parties with their friends and where Katie home schools Nathan.

Paul playing pickle ball with Nathan. The barn in in the back ground.

That evening was our chance to take Nathan out to dinner with just the two of us. This has become a tradition for each grandchild who is baptized. We so enjoyed being, one on one, with Nathan. We went to Black Bear Diner (his choice) where Nathan and Paul had breakfast for dinner. I had a hamburger. Nathan was excited for this outing with his grandparents alone. We had asked if wanted us to bring his whole family and he said a absolutely no.

Taken just as we were leaving for dinner

At the diner waiting for our meals, Grandpa and Nathan
played a game that was on the children's menu.

Sunday was church followed by meal preparation for the family and friend get together after the baptism. We cut up fruits and vegetables and readied the   
ingredients for chicken tacos. Meanwhile, Paul was at the Stake Center monitoring the filling of the baptismal font. The water had to run until the water temperature reached 90 degrees. It then had to be turned off for 15 minutes so the hot water heater could refill.

Taken as we left for the baptism

The baptism started at 4:00. When we arrived, the font was filled and the room was all set up with chairs, thanks to Paul. Nathan was so darling all dressed in white. Nathan asked me to give the talk on baptism. I was thrilled to do that for him. He was so attentive to all I was saying about this important step he was taking that day. I wrote a poem for him and put a copy of it into the baptismal memory book we gave him. Here's the poem-

   On Februray 17, Nathan turned eight. To be baptized, he could hardly wait.
   Nathan is following Jesus today, baptized by immersion, the only way.
   As you are baptized your sins wash away. You'll be clean and pure this very day.
   Baptism's a covenant, a promise by two - a promise by God and a promise by you.
   Nathan, the promise you're making today is to follow Jesus and always obey.
   God promises His spirit will be with you to help you choose right in all that you do.
   We're so happy you're being baptized this day and proud you've chosen Jesus's way.
   You're a child of God and are very loved by Jesus and your Father in Heaven above.

The talk on the Holy Ghost was given by his aunt, Alison and was very meaningful. She read from a child's book about the Holy Ghost and, in the end, gave Nathan a warm, cuddly blanket to remind him of this gift of the Holy Ghost he was receiving. The MIllar girls sang a beautiful song, also. 

The get together afterwards was well attended and the food was great. At the end of the day, we were all tired but what a wonderful day it had been.

On Monday, we just relaxed. Ryan had taken the day off so we enjoyed the day with him and those who weren't in school. For lunch, we took Nathan and his cousins (they had stayed the night) to In 'N Out Burgers and, later, treated everyone to dinner at Mod Pizza. That evening was the Millar family home evening, where Nathan gave the lesson. He did a demonstration about the plan of salvation and how baptism and receiving the holy ghost are stepping stones to living with Heavenly Father again. We, then, played hide and seek in the house in the dark. After the activity, we had Dilly bars for treats....a tradition when Ma and Pa come to visit. We flew home the next day.

Here are a few more pictures taken while we were in Medford.

Aubrey and Julia doing 'The Square'.

Nathan loving the CTR tie and tie tack
we gave him as part of his
gift for being baptized

Grace practicing for auditions for the
annual school musical. She
has a very good voice.

Sammy loved Grandpa

The day after we returned home, we got this message from Jon regarding MIndi being in the emergency room after taking a bad fall and hitting her head hard. Not the kind of message we want to receive. Soon after receiving that message, we were on our way to the hospital in American Fork to visit with Jon and Mindi and get an update on MIndi's condition. She was in a lot of pain and the Cat Scan showed some bleeding on the brain. It was decided to transfer her to Utah Valley Hospital where they could better monitor the bleeding. At that point, we left to pick up Olivia, Carly and Clark. We took them to dinner and then brought them to the hospital in Provo. Mindi was admitted to the ICU because a new Cat Scan showed more bleeding. After the kids saw their mom, Jon took them home. We left, too, after visiting with Mindi for a while. By early morning, the doctors had scanned her brain again and saw that the bleeding had stopped. 
she was released the following day. So glad. 


Saturday evening, the 7th, Charlotte come to our home with several of her MTC friends. This was  a mini reunion complete with one of their MTC instructors and his wife. I fixed a spaghetti sauce and everyone else brought salad, bread and, desserts. It was fun listening to the group talk and reminisce about their mission days. They visited and played games and seemed to have a great time. We are grateful to have a home where Charlotte felt comfortable inviting other young people to come and enjoy themselves. Charlotte and one of her friends stayed the night. After church, the friend left and we got to enjoy Charlotte the rest of the day. Todd came up for dinner and later that evening took her down to Provo to meet her ride back to Rexburg. There is a possibility that both Charlotte and Jillian will come to BYU in Provo eventually. We would love that. 

On Wednesday, Sam and Kathy took Dad and Mom to the temple in Los Angeles. Don and Dana and Deon and Gary joined them. Dad is almost 103 and had a desire to go to the temple one more time. It's been years since he and Mom served as a counselor and matron in the temple (3 times) and they haven't been as a patron for years. Despite Dad being unable to walk or assist in lifting himself, Sam got him into the car and drove him 2 hours to the temple. They had wheel chairs waiting for them at the temple and, of course, Don, Dana, Deon, and Gary were there to assist getting him and Mom out of the car and into the temple. According to everyone, it was an incredible experience. The temple was prepared for them and knew about their previous service there. The family even participated in the prayer circle which they said was very spiritual. After the temple, they picked up sandwiches and went to Deon and Gary's home to eat them before heading back to Bakersfield. Sadly, the interstate 5, over the Grapevine, was backed up due to an accident so Sam and Kathy had to drive home via Tahachipi, adding at least an hour and a half to the already 2 hour trip. Needless to say, Mom and Dad were very tired by the time they got home. We so appreciate Sam and Kathy and their dedication to Mom and Dad. Truly they are our family's angels here on earth.

And then there is the Corona virus. About a month ago, we were warned about a virus that had killed thousands in China. It was spreading into Europe and we had a few cases here in the US, from people who had traveled to the affected areas in the world. Today, it has spread around the world and now called a pandemic. This virus is highly contagious and especially dangerous to older people and those whose health is compromised. People were asked to 'social distance,' which means staying 6 feet away from each other. By the second week of March, schools (including colleges and universities) had been closed, church meetings had been canceled, all temples closed except for living ordinances, and general conference will be broadcast with no audience in the conference center. All sporting events were canceled, including the NCAA Basketball tournament at which the BYU team had earned the right to play - the first time in several years. 

At first, people were panic buying at the stores and the supply trucks couldn't keep up so the shelves in the stores got pretty empty. Toilet paper was in high demand. We found a box of toilet paper in our basement that we had forgotten about so we have given several rolls to Todd and Jon, who were a little short. The Combs, a family we minister to, ordered some on line but Amazon was unable to deliver due to a shortage of product. We offered some to them if they needed. 

We heard that a high school student at our high school tested positive for the virus and so it has been suggested that all high school students remain in their homes or to social distance themselves for the next 14 days. My hairdresser called to tell me that one of her clients was a teacher at the high school and had come in contact with that student. She came to get her hair done so that meant my hairdresser had been exposed. Of course, I postponed my appointment for another week. Didn't want to take a chance on getting this virus.

We traveled to the other side of the mountain, on the 17th, to deliver toilet paper, paper towels, and yeast to Jon and MIndi as well as to meet with our stock broker. We noticed that all restaurants were closed except for drive up windows and on line orders.We have semi self quarantined ourselves now because we are in that category of 'Older'.




The virus has been bad enough but the effect it is having on the economy is devastating. Businesses are closing and people are hunkering down so, except for groceries, people aren't spending money. Many people have been laid off from their jobs. The stock market has dropped thousands of points to wipe out any gains it has made in the past few years. Our retirement moneys are pretty safe but we worry about our children. Andrea's business has come to a grinding halt since there can be no gatherings over 10 people. Todd's speaking events have all been canceled. Jon is unemployed at the moment and, though he has many irons in the fire, can't really get anything going till this all settles down. Ryan seems to be all right, for the moment, but will be affected as dentists' incomes decrease from being shut down except for emergencies. We pray for them every night and day. As of the 21st, several states authorized a 'shelter in place' order to all residents. This means that everyone is to stay at home except for those whose businesses are considered essential - medical personnel, truck drivers, grocery workers, etc. Citizens are to only be out and about to buy food or to seek medical help. This is how serious of a virus we are fighting. Utah has not deemed that necessary but may if the cases of people testing positive increases. As it is, we are sanitizing our hands any time we return to the car after being in a public place as well as wiping down credit cards and door handles with sanitizing wipes. We've also been told to wash our hands frequently, especially after being out in public and not to touch our eyes, noses, or mouths. Social distancing has become a way of life now, staying 6 feet away from others when out of your home. This was all a part of the government's '15 days to slow the spread' program. 

President Trump has done daily briefings for the media and to keep the citizens informed as to the progress they are making in supplying states with needed equipment and protective gear. He surrounded himself with experts in the field of medicine and economics, and has them at these briefings to answer the more technical questions people may have. New York City and surrounding counties were hit the hardest. President Trump has sent a navy hospital ship to them as well as deploying the National Guard to help. As of the last Sunday of the month, he suggested we remain in this semi shutdown and social distancing routine for another month. That's a lot of at home time.

We look to our Heavenly Father and our Savior in times like this. There are blessings seen even in hard times. 

Andrea and Casey's company lost thousands of dollars in the first two days of the shut downs but have found evidence of God's hand in their lives. They had a company call and book two years worth of events to the tune of a $5000 non refundable deposit. Later, they got word that they owe no taxes this year for the first time in 10 years. In fact, they will get back a sizable return. When this all began, they sent out messages to the local people in Oregon that they were offering a three day bounce house set up and take down for the price of one day. The community jumped on that as children were home from school and were supposed to stay away from other children-A good way to keep them entertained. Andrea said they booked over a thousand dollars worth of bounce houses for the next few weeks. 
Friday the 20th, Andrea texted us to let us know that the city of Eugene just ordered tents to the tune of $6000 a month. They will need them for the duration of this crisis. Sadly, the city only paid them for one week as they decided to house the homeless at the fairground facility instead of their tents....But, they got word that they had over paid their garbage bill for the past two years and would be getting a refund to the tune of $1900.  With all events canceled, they were looking at no income coming in so these are incredible blessings. We have great faith that this will all work out for our family and our country




Other blessings we have noticed: 
1. We have been warned to have a supply of food in our homes so we haven't panicked about a food shortage. Todd and Kailee went shopping in our basement for things they needed - flour, sugar, and toilet paper. We are glad we had just shopped to update our year's supply.
2. The Lord inspired our prophet to institute a Home Center, Church Supported gospel study program, Come Follow Me. We have been practicing having spiritual lessons in our homes with our families for over a year. 
3. The ministering program in the church was set up two years ago and is vital, now, in our being able to check on our ward families. 
4. The new directive from our prophet that one could be married in a civil ceremony and not have to wait a year before they could be sealed in the temple is another blessing. What an important thing today as we face the closure of temples. 
5. We have a president of our country who turns to God and refers to Him often when he speaks to the people. Much to the dismay of the press, President Trump doesn't hesitate to acknowledge blessings from heaven in all this.

The other day, Katie called. She said her family is on complete voluntary quarantine, except for Ryan going to work. She is not allowing friends over nor her parents or sister's family. She and Ryan decided their children needed a routine, during this home time, so it was decided they would have a big breakfast every morning at 10 a.m. This would give the teenagers a time to sleep in a bit but after breakfast, school work would begin. They are also having family time at night watching movies. One night, Nathan was talking to his mom and said, "I just love this." Wondering what exactly he loved, Katie asked if it was having his sisters home all day with him. He said, "No." She then wondered if it was watching lots of movies together. He said, "No." He then told her that he loved having a big breakfast every morning because it reminded him of being at 'Ma' and 'Pa's' home on vacation. That meant a lot to us.


We have now experienced three Sundays where we have had no church. On the first Sunday, Todd and Kailee and Jake and Nicole, with their families, came up for dinner. We celebrated Kailee's birthday but we also had an opportunity to partake of the sacrament together. It was really special to see Todd and Jake bless and pass the sacrament to all of us. The next two weeks, Paul and I were all alone so Paul used his priesthood to bless and pass the sacrament to us. This experience has helped us recognize anew the importance of partaking of the sacrament and renewing our covenants each week. We take time to study our Come Follow Me scriptures or watch a church sponsored video to make sure we are observing the Sabbath Day.

We did a fun thing with Ryan and Katie's family on the second Sunday. Katie asked us, early in the morning, if we would think of times in our lives when we had experienced hard things and who we turned to and how we managed to get through them. That evening, they Facetimed us and we shared our stories. Paul mentioned burning down a neighbor's barn and how scared he was because he had disobeyed his father's counsel not to play with matches. I rehearsed with them our inability to have children for 8 years and how devastating that was for us. We talked about how we turned to prayer and fasting and to the Priesthood for a special blessing from our Bishop. The other hard time we talked about was our mission call to Moscow, Russia. We accepted that call on faith and then turned to the scriptures and to the Lord for courage and strength. We could testify to them of the Lord's hand in our life, especially in those hard times.


The last Sunday of the month was my Dad's 103rd birthday. I had tried to call him the day before but he was still in bed and I could barely understand what he was saying. I called Sam and asked him if he would help Dad Facetime us on his birthday so we could talk to him face to face. Sam and Kathy went to Dad and Mom's home, got Dad out of bed then gave him balloons and a dinner from their favorite Mexican restaurant. Afterward, he helped Dad Facetime both Paul and I and Deon and Gary. It was good to see Dad, although he didn't say much. At least he knows we love him beyond words and are so glad he is still with us. 

On Tuesday, the 24th, we braved shopping at Costco. They had put into place an order to open an hour early on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the elderly could shop. The elderly and those with health issues seem to be more vulnerable to this virus so by opening early and limiting the number of the persons shopping, they hope to have a less likely chance of being exposed to the virus. They opened at 8:00 and we got there at 8:30. The line stretched out the door and around the parking lot. We thought it was rather long until we talked to a worker in the parking lot who said that before 8, the line serpentined throughout the parking lot, not just around it. It moved pretty quickly and we were in and out of the store just after 9:00. We bought fresh food items, especially, and, of course toilet paper (just in case someone might need some). We were thrilled that the shelves were pretty much filled and that people were practicing social distancing, except in the toilet paper aisle. We got gas there also and were glad to see that the attendants were sanitizing the gas pumps between customers. A nice precaution, also. It was good to be out and about for a bit.

By Wednesday, the 25th, we were craving a Subway sandwich. Under normal circumstances, we eat lunch out most every day and, at least, once a week at Subway. (Paul loves his ham sandwiches.) We decided to go through the drive thru window and get our sandwiches. We sanitized the credit card before putting it back in Paul's wallet, and wiped down the counters at home, after eating our sandwiches. I wanted to make sure anywhere the sandwich wrappers touched was sanitized. Of course, we washed our hands as soon as we came home and before and after eating. 


Also on Wednesday, we TP's the Coombs. We minister to the Coombs family and when we checked in with them this week they told us two things: 1. Their son, Zander, was coming home from his mission in Brazil, and would have to quarantine at home for two weeks before being sent out to serve somewhere in the United States. 2. They were rationing toilet paper. They have a family of 6 children and with Zander coming home and their older daughter moving back in, their toilet paper situation needed remedying. With this in mind, we brought a large package of toilet paper up from our basement to take to them. We surprised them with it and a sign welcoming home Elder Coombs. They were thrilled.



Speaking of missionaries....All MTC's have been closed and the newly called missionaries are being trained at home via technology. Most missionaries serving in foreign countries are coming home to their native lands. Many missionaries in the United States, who have any kind of medical issue, are also being sent home. Their missionary service will end if they have been out for 18 months or more for elders, and 12 months or more for the sisters. This affected Aspen Sorenson and Marley Allred, granddaughters of Deon and Gary. Marly was at the MTC in Mexico and Aspen was serving in Oregon. Marley will continue her training through on line studies while being quarantined for 14 days. Aspen was released due to health issues. She had just passed her one year mark so was released as a missionary immediately upon returning home. Bittersweet, for sure.

Missionaries on their way home.
One of many planes full of missionaries
returning home from abroad.

Aspen, home and released from her mission

As of March 26, all temples are closed throughout the world, not even opened for living ordinances. Anyone who had an appointment for an endowment or marriage will have to reschedule as soon as the temples reopen. So many thing in our lives, that we so often take for granted, have been affected by this pandemic.

An empty parking lot as the gates to the temple are closed

We have had some comic relief in all this. We woke up on the second Sunday to pink, plastic flamingos in our neighbor's yard. We all got a good laugh at that and laughed even harder when the next morning they magically appeared in our other neighbor's yard. We were half expecting them to be placed in our yard on the third day, but they must have 'flown the coup' because they aren't in our neighborhood anymore. Fun while it lasted.

The Sneddon's yard

The Smith's yard, the next morning

We love some of the funny things people have posted on the internet regarding this crisis. It's good to have something to laugh about when things get difficult.

This isn't funny but very touching.
This is in front of our One Stop, in honor of the doctors and nurses
giving so much time and risking their lives to help
the victims of this virus.

Other happenings besides COVID 19......

Wednesday the 18th, we had an earthquake in Utah. That doesn't happen very often but this one was a 5.7 and was centered out toward the airport, near the city of Magna. We didn't feel it but it woke up both Jon and Todd. Is the Lord trying to wake us all up? Luckily there were no injuries and very little damage. Moroni lost his trumpet from atop the Salt Lake Temple which is under renovation to make it more resistant to earthquake damage. Interesting. People are asking, "Where is God?" What can we expect when they legislate him out of our schools and public places? When we have no place for him in our hearts? Maybe we will all come to realize our dependence of Him in all we do.

Friday of that same week, we drove to Salt Lake City for a grave site service for Joyce Smith's mother. The Smith's are our neighbors and we wanted to let them know we loved them and would be there for them during this time of mourning. Joyce's mother was 96 and had been ailing since Christmas. The funeral was scheduled for Friday but it was canceled due to the Corona virus. They only held a short viewing for the family, had a family prayer, and, then, dedicated the grave. They will hold a memorial service later this summer when things settle down. The family dedicated the grave a few minutes earlier then the advertised time, so we were late but we were glad we came to show our support and love. It was also good to get out of the house and take a drive. We ate at Freddie's Steak Burgers, going through the drive-thru, of course, and eating in the car. Again, we sanitized everything before eating.

We woke up to snow almost every morning of the last 10 days of the month. On one day we had 6 inches. Luckily it is melted by mid afternoon. We should have plenty of water for this summer's watering needs. It's too bad the ski resorts have all had to close down. There would have been some incredible Spring skiing days.



Paul and I have gone on a few walks through the neighborhood lately. We sometimes just needed to get out of the house. On one of those walks, we ventured over to where a sink hole had been discovered in our neighborhood. Paul got a call one evening and was asked to send out a message to the neighbors to warn them of the dangers of this sink hole and to keep their children away from the area. He went with Joey Hyer to see it and was amazed at how big and deep it was. A stream has caused a deep hole to form which was filled with water. The next day,  a backhoe dug an alternate path for the stream to run and knocked down the sides of the hole so, if someone fell in they could climb out. Now there's a fence around it with a no trespassing sign posted. Hopefully this will keep people away until it can be filled with rock and soil.

We are going through withdrawals not seeing Aria and Avery each Sunday. We are so used to Todd and Kailee coming up for dinner each week and being able to play with our granddaughters. We miss them terribly. Our Sundays are just not the same and who knows when we will be able to get together again due to the corona virus. We did Facetime them the last Sunday of the month which is better than not seeing them at all.

Aria's rainbow hair the last time we saw them.
She also had on a rainbow dress and sandles.

That's about it for this month but the corona virus continues so next month may be more or the same. Stuck at home with no place to go.....