Day Family Newsletter February 2013

March 2, 2013

DAY FAMILY NEWSLETTER – FEB. 2013

Stephanie’s house search started out with an offer on a home in Syracuse (west of Layton), then withdrawing the offer after too many inspection problems, then getting beat out on a bid for an even better home in the same area. Steph put in a back up offer anyway, and two weeks later, the bid winner didn’t qualify for financing, so it looks like she has her new home at last. She’s crossing her fingers for a smooth inspection/financing/closing.

Debbie and Stuart announced they are getting married March 15th at Silver Fork Lodge. The ceremony and dinner will be downstairs in the banquet room for the immediate family. We are very happy for them and looking forward to the big day. I’ve attached their wedding announcement.

Stephanie’s 10 yr. old Jessica has been taking violin for about one year now, and asked me to accompany her on the piano for her recital as well as a competition at Gardner Hall at the U of U this past week. We played May Song first, then Allegro by Suzuki next. I was much more nervous than Jessica. About two weeks before we performed, Jessica said to me while we practiced (and after I kept making mistakes on one part), “Grandpa, you’re not going to embarrass me are you?” You don’t think the pressure was on me? I felt like a 10 yr. old playing in my first recital in Mrs. Beason’s studio in the Zion’s Building on South Temple and Main. Jessica got a “superior” rating from the judges at the competition. The competition is actually called “going to federation”, an event held each year at the U of U Music Dept.

Linda keeps up the rehab on her shoulder – I wanted to show you a picture of her staples/scar, but she said absolutely not. I continue to have old age issues – besides two more caps on teeth, I’ve had wrist pain, and after seeing a hand/wrist specialist, find I simply have arthritis as well as a more serious problem where two bones in the wrist/hand have torn away from the ligament. However, because I’m not experiencing any pain/problems with that problem, the doc recommends I do nothing for now. I can order a thumb brace to wear periodically if the hand/wrist pain due to arthritis becomes too much to bear. I told the doc the pain is perhaps a 2 or 3 out of 10 right now, about the same as how much Senator Orin Hatch wears on me, kind of a drag, gnawing away, but not enough to disrupt my days all that much. When the pain reaches a 7 or 8 like it did two weeks ago (which caused me to finally make a doctor appointment), then I can order the thumb brace.
I helped Stephanie with Girl Scout cookies (Steph is a Girl Scout leader with Jessica and Sarah), and we enjoyed helping pick up two pallets of cookies for her troop, getting them to the Cathedral of the Madeline (building in back of it), and distributing them to about 25 parents so they could then take their orders home and get them to the people they sold to. So I’ve kind of had my religion for the month, don’t you think? Today, Steph and the girls are out delivering the cookies they sold in the neighborhood. As I was helping Steph with this Girl Scout project, I wondered why the LDS church doesn’t sponsor the Girl Scouts like it does the Boy Scouts? When the gay question arose recently nationally with the Boy Scouts policies, it was reported in the news that the LDS church was the single largest sponsor of Boy Scout troops in the country.

We just stopped by Katie and Bill’s home on the way home from Jessica’s performance and got to see some of their newly remodeled home. All new beautiful wooden flooring upstairs, new paint in the front room along with new furniture and area rug. The bathroom upstairs is getting a claw bathtub with all new plumbing/paint/décor as well. Later in the year they are doing a new roof and rebuilding the front porch that has sunk over the years. Jackie continues to work part time refurnishing old furniture, and they continue to help with Wiggin’s Mom who is trying to recover from a bout with cancer as well as numerous other issues.

Linda’s boss had a new lady hired to replace her April 15th, but she got a better offer at her old job. Linda still plans on retiring next month, and has decided to put off a left knee replacement until later in the year. We enjoyed another great play at the U of U entitled “Clybourne Park”, about racism in the 60s, and the last half of the play in the same house in Chicago concerning reverse racism.

I finished another classic, Emma, and am now into another novel. The lizard Steph gave us several years ago finally died. He was called Mr. Lizard, and was about 10 years old. He ate worms and crickets – what a life! We had a burial ceremony in the back yard, and he now joins two cats and two parrots in our backyard. Jessica gave a tribute and prayer, and we lit a candle overnight on top of his final resting place. I was pleased to have another Op Ed piece in the Salt Lake Tribune a few weeks ago entitled “I’ve Always Loved the Circus”. I previously sent you a copy of the Op Ed. We enjoyed Sofie’s 2nd birthday (Katie and Bill’s youngest) party bowling and having pizza. And Sarah (Steph’s middle girl) had her 7th birthday party at McDonalds.

And that’s the news, the whole news, and the only true news from the Days.

Love, Tom & Linda