Day family newsletter - October 2012

Nov. 1, 2012 Linda and I just returned from our favorite restaurant, Market Street Grill, celebrating my 67th birthday. I feel so lucky to be healthy, and to have a wonderful family around me. We got together last night with Debbie/Stewarts families to celebrate Halloween. Their street really does this holiday up big time out in Herriman, and all the grandkids love trick or treating there, and going thru the spook alley at one house, and having a good time. We also celebrated my birthday at the same time with an ice cream cake for desert. Last Saturday, Wiggins and Jackie hosted a Halloween party at their house for family. The kids all dressed up and loved carving pumpkins out in their garage. The eats were great too! Jackie has decorated their new home with lots of neat old furniture, some of it that she refurnished herself. The pictures you see on face book, if you are friends with her, include three colorful refurbished wood chairs that Jackie said reminded her of Grandpa Day. She quit her part time job at Penny’s that she’s worked at for 7 years, and wants to refurbish furniture on a part time basis to sell to others. Two of Wiggins kids are moving in with them next week, and Jackie wanted to be home when they got out of school. She still works full time at the West Jordan police department. Linda went in for an MRI of her shoulder that’s been bothering her for several years. The doctor, after trying shots, physical therapy, decided to go one step further to find out what’s in there for sure. Because of Linda’s claustrophobia, it took two trips for the MRI. The first one, even with relaxing pills, was unsuccessful as Linda just couldn’t go inside that machine for a full 30 minutes. The Doc then sent her to a place that does open imaging, a machine where you are not enclosed, and with the relaxing pills, and Jessica’s sleeping mask so she couldn’t see, she got thru it. Results next week. Since Stephanie and the kids have moved back in, it’s interesting to watch the kids compete over the “hole spoon”. Does anyone else have something like this? Our silverware, a collection over the years of several different styles/pieces, includes just one spoon that has a hole, more of an oval shaped hole, located in the end that you hold. It has become, over the years, a “special spoon”, and one we have had to finally rotate amongst the kids so they all get their fair share in using it. Linda and I enjoyed a great play at the U last week, Of Mice & Men. I teared up at the end when Lenny was shot. This play brought home a lot of feelings about special needs people. Well, the election is just days away, and it will be all over. Best of luck to whoever wins. Linda and I voted by mail about two weeks ago – sure makes it easy and convenient. Stephanie accepted an offer on her condo last night, and if all goes well, will close in one month. She can then start looking for a nice small home somewhere in the valley for a new beginning for her great kids where they can have a yard and their own bedrooms. She’ll stay with us for as long as necessary to find the right place and save up more money for a down payment. Jack and Sofie came over one evening while Mom and Dad went out – they enjoyed the other kid’s company, and staying with us for a while. All the kids looked so cute at the Halloween party, and Cole and Jessica (Cole’s Jackie’s son) are getting excited about having their second child around Christmas time. They haven’t named him yet. You should see their little 3 yr. old Emry do summersaults – it is awfully close to a cartwheel except straight ahead. I love listening to Garrison Keeler on Prairie Home Companion on Saturday or Sunday, as the music and humor is great. Lately, I’ve discovered another music TV station in addition to Song of the Mountains and Woodsongs (both on a local educational channel– both blue grass artists in addition to blues, country, etc). This new station I’ve discovered is southern gospel, but is actually the Jimmy Swaggart ministry. But 80% of the time is spent on gospel music, as they feel that is how they are to get their Christian message out to the world – thru music. Anyway, this Jimmy Swaggart is Jerry Lee Lewis’s cousin, and Jimmy also plays the piano, but in a slow gospel bluesy style that just fascinates me. The best of this program is when he plays along with the gospel singers, but sings the lead. He’s on Dish, channel 257 here in Salt Lake if interested. He’ll rock your socks, bluesy Christian style, from Baton Rouge Louisiana. And that’s the religious news for the month. Christopher, Debbie’s son, has gotten into music the last several years, and is currently playing bass guitar in a local group that plays new age along with a variety of other music styles. He told me the name of his group, but I can’t recall it at the moment. Jessica brought home some music from her violin recital and its Christmas music for violin and piano. So we’re going into rehearsal so we can perform a few numbers this Christmas season when family or friends come over. Looking forward to Thanksgiving – Danny is coming to our home this year. We’re glad dinner is going to be at Jackie and Wiggins new home – plenty of room. Danny and I will be babysitting the kids the morning after so the girls can do their black Friday shopping thing at 5 AM or so. And that’s the news, the whole news, and the only true news, from the Days. Love, Tom & Linda

Day family newsletter - September 2012

October 1, 2012 SEPTEMBER NEWS FROM THE DAYS: The biggest news for our household was Stephanie and the kids moving back into our home at the middle of the month. She has since cleaned her condo, and will put it up for sale in the near future. Her hopes are to sell it and find something affordable with more bedrooms and a small yard for the kids. She also brought her cat, and it’s still a tossup as to whether our cat will give in and accept the change. Between Shelley and me, we got Danny to the airport and back home again after his vacation to James and Abby’s home in Colorado. Thanks to them for having Danny and entertaining him. He sure enjoyed the time at their home and the surrounding area. Kaylee (Debbie’s youngest) had her 7th birthday party the same time the Janssen reunion was held, so Linda went to the birthday bash, and I attended the reunion. In as much as I already gave you all an account of the reunion, I won’t go into details here again. However, at least two different cousins came up to tell me they had Obama pictures/campaign literature in their home, as I think I mentioned Obama care when I talked about working at the DMV to get health insurance because I am uninsurable and can’t get it on my own. When we returned from our New York trip, we found the refrigerator on the blink. Amazing how we are so dependent on modern appliances to get by. Linda and Stephanie attended a night out at Kingsbury Hall seeing The Price is Right. Not the actual TV taping, but still quite entertaining. Linda and I saw a good musical play, In the Heights, at the U of U. About immigrants from Puerto Rico and The Dominican Republic trying to survive in the Washington Terrace Manhattan district. Stephanie celebrated her birthday at The Training Table, her favorite hamburger place, and we enjoyed getting together as a family to wish her a happy birthday. I went golfing a few times. Debbie announced she is going back to American Express in a different position than before, and is taking on-line classes thru Weber State to finish her Associates and then get a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Jackie and Wiggins missed Stephanie’s birthday, as they were in Wiggin’s home town, Blanding, for the Elk hunt and visiting family. They are all moved into their new home and are enjoying not living in a motor home. And their new home is plenty big enough to have us all over for Thanksgiving! Katie recently did a triathlon where you run, swim and bike. She enjoyed participating. Christopher (Debbie’s son) is enjoying college life at SLCC after serving four years in the Army. Kaylee’s front teeth are finally coming in – and she is growing in leaps and bounds. Jessica (Steph’s 9 yr. old) is enjoying violin lessons and has another recital come up. Sarah and Taylor (6 and 4 yrs.) are inseparable and keep each other entertained. Little Jack (Katie’s 3 yr. old) is really growing up, and Sofie is already 1 ½ yrs. old and a little cutie. Bill’s been off with a neighbor at his cabin somewhere east of Cedar City for a golf/fishing/guy outing the past several days. I look forward to the presidential debates, and will be glad when the election is over and Obama (probably) gets another four years. As I heard Bill Clinton recently said during an interview, regardless of who wins, congress will go back to working together in 2013, and some legislation will get passed. He said that if Obama wins, the republicans will no longer seek as their primary goal making Obama a one term president, as that possibility goes away. As for me, the problem with this country is not who is president; it’s the congress who has an approval rating of about 10% because of their antics. I plan on voting against every incumbent congressman on the national level. I’ve been reading Howard’s End, and rereading a book about Buddhism. I also read a good book called The Glass Castle. It was good to see Alisyn and Joseph (after their two years in Germany) at the Janssen reunion. Our garden keeps producing, and we have enjoyed its fruits over the past few months. And that’s the news from the Days. Love, Tom & Linda

Day family news - August 2012

Sept. 1, 2012 NEWS FROM THE DAYS FOR AUGUST 2012: Linda and I just returned from a wonderful trip to New York – Manhattan. You already received some pictures of our trip – we went on a group tour with a travel agency here in SLC – about 50 of us. So our itinerary was all taken care of – a great tour guide as we traveled around to various sites each day, and we saw four great plays. Would you have guessed The Book of Mormon was my favorite play? Great humor, music and storyline following the mission call of two young men, their surprise to be called to Uganda, and how they had to adapt living together in missionary life with all the rules and regulations that come with it. Long story short, the natives only want to be saved from life’s rough journey – starvation, aids, terrorist war lords, disease and poverty. You’ll have to go see it to hear how it all turns out. Our favorite stops were the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 site where beautiful 30’ waterfalls cascade down from all sides in the original footprints of the buildings into another pool that then cascades down and out of sight. The victims names are all inscribed on a 3 ft. wall that surrounds the waterfalls. I remember way back when Dad and Annette were in town from Everett, and I drove them to pick Aunt Maurine and we all went to lunch at Marie Callenders on Foothill Blvd by the U of U. As we drove up to the restaurant, all three of them wondered where the bathrooms were. I remember saying I hope I’m never at that age when my primary concern is where the bathrooms are. Well, that time has arrived. As our group traveled for 5 days all around Manhattan, most of us were primarily concerned at each stop as to where the bathrooms were. Because Karin keeps sending political emails our way, I decided to start mailing (not emailing) her pictures of Obama or his family, children and their dog. The dog, of course, is shown playing on the White House lawn rather than in a cage on top of their SUV. Steph and her kids held a garage sale at our house and disposed of many toys and clothes. They are getting ready to move into our home again, and hopefully sale their condo. Speaking of moving, Jackie and Wiggins bought a nice home in the Willowcreek area and are moving in this weekend. They just picked up a bunch of stuff they had stored here for the past 1 ½ years. They have sold the motor home they lived in for the past 20 months, and are looking forward to life in a house! It is Wiggin’s birthday tomorrow, and they are having everyone over for pizza and a swim – they have a pool! We’ve already decided to hold Thanksgiving dinner at their place this year. Katie and Bill and kids just left for a week vacation in California with Bill’s side of the family. While we were in New York, all the kids Joined Debbie/Chris/Kaylee and her friend Stewart/his kids for a weekend of camping and fishing at Mirror Lake. Chris has started school at the Salt Lake Community College, or SLCC (pronounced SLICK) after enjoying some time off after coming home from his 4 year stint in the Army. We all joined Cole/Jess/Emry for Cole’s birthday bash at The Pie in South Jordan. Cole, our oldest grandchild, has turned 29 and is in his 30th year. Hard to believe! Cole has staked out an area up East Canyon with camera’s getting ready for the bow hunt that started the day after his birthday. To date, he hasn’t gotten anything, but he knows they are there, as he has captured plenty of deer/elk on his camera. Jessica has started to look PG and is having a much better pregnancy than her first so far. They are having a boy. Linda and I also attended another play earlier in the month, Saturday’s Voyeur, a satire on Utah culture (politics ,Mormons and local goings on). It is put on by the Salt Lake Acting Company, and they use an old LDS wardhouse just east of 3rd West on 5th North for their plays. They have put it on every year for over 25 years and update the material/music to fit the current events. It’s edgy, liberal and a cash cow for the company as it sells out over the two months they perform the play. Linda and I also saw the Batman movie – pretty good - Linda’s reading 50 Shades of Gray, I just finished The Glass Castle, and am re-reading The Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism. We enjoyed the Olympics, caught a little of the RNC, and look forward to the DNC next week. Linda and I celebrate our 45th anniversary tomorrow – is that considered eternal? I just dropped Danny off at the airport for his trip to James/Abby Boone in Oregon for 6 days. Thanks to all the nieces/nephews who include Danny in their lives. He really appreciates you all! Danny lost a lot when JD, his friend who drove Danny around for the past 20 years, lost his license because he got on a freeway by mistake, and didn’t understand on and off ramps. They were pulled over by a policeman, and JD asked to be escorted home as he told the policeman he didn’t understand how to use the on and off ramps. This ended up costing JD his driving privilege when they revoked his driver’s license, and then he couldn’t pass the written test because he doesn’t know how to read. Sad, as Jenny, Danny’s Support Coordinator for the past 6 or 7 years, has been a passenger in JD’s car with Danny on many, many occasions and feels JD was a perfectly good and safe driver all these years. Danny used to host a Sunday night dinner every other week for JD and two other friends. This was just one the events JD provided transportation for. Derek provided transportation for this group a few weeks ago – thanks!! Our garden has been producing a lot – and the plum tree adjacent to The Garden of Eat’n provides forbidden fruit that I’ve shared with fellow workers down at the DMV. And that’s the news from the Days for August, 2012. Tom & Linda

Day Family News - July 2012

Aug. 1, 2012 NEWS FROM THE DAYS Linda and I were invited by the son of Linda’s boss to attend a July 4th pancake breakfast at Edgehill Ward. We decided to go, and enjoyed a trip back in time. Saw Morris and Thea Nielson, the only people we recognized from the old ward. Bart Smith was there, and is the bishop of the ward for the second time. Bart and I used to play basketball with Hans, the guy that ran the gym in the old days. Bart is the son of Doug and Barbara Smith, and now lives in his parent’s home on Blaine Avenue. I toured the old men’s locker rooms, and we ate in the new pavilion which takes up the infield of the old baseball diamond in the gulley. The old ward is split in different ways and the Edgehill 1st and 2nd ward are now combined. Later in the day, we met most of the kids at West Jordan’s July 4th celebration – Jackie and Wiggins were required to be there during the day shift as part of the police security duties. Saw a great fireworks display close up, and enjoyed escorting grandchildren on the rides at the fair. Medical news – I continue to be rebuilt, and was fit for my new dental implant first, and then had it installed a few weeks later. I emailed you the site where you can view my implant and poem. Also got my eye’s checked and got two new pair of glasses – the first in some 15 years I believe. One of the pair is transitional to act as sunglasses when doing outdoor activities (swimming in St. George, golfing, yard work, walking, etc). In the event Romney wins the election, these glasses may help with dimming the blinding bright light I see in the tunnel during this near death experience. Debbie, Chris and Kaylee drove down and met Linda and I along with Steph and her kids to enjoy a quick 4 day trip to St. George one weekend. The highlight of the trip was The Aladdin at Tuachan – probably the best production we have ever seen at Tuachan. Some of us saw Spiderman, and all of us enjoyed swimming every day. The off and on again weather missed us, but St. George had some minor flooding from one storm on a Sunday. I attended the annual Cabin Classic golf trip with the guys. Linda and I attended a pre-tour meeting for our New York tour in August, got all the info/airplane tickets/etc. and are excited to go. We’ll see The Lion King, Wicked, Mary Poppins and Book of Mormon, The Musical while there. We spent our local State holiday, July 24th, swimming at the local spa, attending the little community parade in Cottonwood Heights, and then barbequing hamburgers in our back yard. Linda and I sat out on our street to watch the local fireworks about one mile west – we can see them thru the opening in the tunnel of trees lining our street. We spent several evenings with kids & grandkids throughout the month. Sofie and Jack slept over one night while Katie and Bill partied. We’ve started harvesting some food from The Garden of Eat’n, and tasted our first strawberries. And that’s the news, the whole news, and nothing but the true news from the Days. Tom & Linda TOOTH IMPLANT I sat in the chair, The nerves got a block, Put a vice grip on my jaw, My knees started to knock. He proceeded to drill, Like a carpenter would, Set the bit to go deep, Precisely till good. X-rays confirmed, The well was just right, Now the screw was started, Not too loose or too tight. Used a ratchet wrench, To tighten that screw, Heard the wrench clicking, Wondered if I was through. Then he screwed on a top, Called it a manhole cover, Rinsed me out pretty good, It was then I discovered. That this wasn’t so bad, I’d had nightmares over it, Not to worry I found, Over and done in 40 minutes! The pain pills I received, Were not even necessary, The entire procedure was Like a visit from the tooth fairy. Painless, pleasant, Easy, and even sunny, And under my pillow, A new tooth instead of money. Tom Day

Day family news - June 2012

July 1, 2012 NEWS FROM THE DAYS – JUNE 2012 Earlier in the month we met the kids at The Spruces up Big Cottonwood canyon for a Friday night thru Sunday campout. Linda and I tented it, as did everyone else except Debbie who brought up her motor home. Stephanie had donated an extra tent she had for us, and we got good experience putting it up and trying out our new air mattress and low temp sleeping bags. This equipment is what Linda and I will use in the event of the “big one”, and if we survive, will use it for shelter in our backyard. The only thing we lack now is an emergency food supply. The “big one”, by the way, is not if Romney wins, but for an earthquake. We spent one evening babysitting little Jack and Sofie at Katie and Bill’s home while they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary. We saw the movie Brave with Stephanie and her kids one weekend. Linda went to Kaylee’s dance program out in Herriman – I had to work that Friday. We got news from Cole and Jessica Rikli that they are going to have another baby (our 2nd great grandchild) in about 7 months! We attended Larene Ellis’s funeral in Kaysville a week ago. Several of our cousins were there, and it was a very nice service. Robert Ellis and Carl Swenson? (Virginia’s husband) sang a duet that was absolutely fabulous and moving. They were both in the Tabernacle Choir, and after the service, I booked them for my funeral to sing Over the Rainbow, on the blues side. That is, assuming I die before them, and they are still able to stand and sing. I’ve been golfing a few times, and I generally walk the course pushing my clubs in my golf cart. It’s good exercise. Herriman, where Debbie lives, had another fire this past week, and three or four homes were lost and hundreds evacuated. Luckily, Debbie’s home is not right up against the foothills, and was spared. The weather this year is totally dry in Utah; I think a punishment for all the support for Romney. On the brighter side, I awoke this past Thursday morning, turned on the news, and broke out into song – Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day…………the supreme court had upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional. And the previous week they reaffirmed that the States need to defer to the federal government on immigration enforcement. Too bad the Court didn’t overturn the super PAC problems with the rich and corporations being allowed to buy elections. But hey, we have to live by the law I guess. I had such a good experience a few months ago when my dentist started my tooth implant, that I wrote a poem about it and sent it to him with my payment. When I went in for a checkup last week, they said they liked my poem so well that they want to use it along with pictures of my before and after tooth implant in the web site they are designing. I have attached the poem to this newsletter. And that’s the news, the whole news, and nothing but the true news from the Days. Tom and Linda

Day newsletter for May 2012

June 1, 2012 DAY NEWSLETTER FOR MAY 2012 I’ll start the newsletter on a happy note for me. Romney cinched the republican nomination for president. And that’s why I’m so happy. Other happy news – Stephanie graduated from Salt Lake Community College on May 3rd! We’re so proud of her going back to advance her education, especially while juggling a full time job, three children and being a single Mom. The very next week, Stephanie took Sarah, her 6 year old, to Disneyland for a 4 day/3 night vacation. Linda and I watched the other two, and kept busy getting Jessica to her softball games and violin lesson. We had a very nice Mother’s Day barbeque in our backyard, and it was great to have everyone over celebrating. It’s nice to have Christopher back after his four year stint in the army. Linda and I got her annual flowers planted in our backyard, a tradition for Mother’s Day. We saw a movie one weekend that was pretty good – The Avengers. Debbie came up the evening of the eclipse and showed us how to view it thru a pin hole with the image reflected on a paper plate. It was pretty neat. And Kaylee (now toothless top and bottom in her front teeth) helped me plant the garden, another annual event in the Garden Of Eat’n. Katie and Bill got a big jump on their garden this year. They have three raised garden planters and with a great sign on the fence that says Just Veggin, with Jack & Sofie spelled at a slant below Just (using the J and S to start their names). Check it out on Katie’s facebook. Jackie and Wiggin’s have gone camping a few times lately with friends in Fillmore and enjoyed the time away. They also celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary on the 20th. We celebrated Katie and Christopher’s birthdays at a Japanese Steak House called Bonsai. Later in the month, Stephanie and the kids picked up Linda and I and we watched the Air Show at Hill Air Force Base in Layton. The Thunderbirds performed for the finale of the show. We met up with Katie, Bill, Jack & Sofie while there. The next day Stephanie and the kids joined us again to place flowers on the graves. We also took a nice arrangement of flowers from Danny to put on Mom and Dad’s grave. Medical news – Linda finished her physical therapy and she was able to golf with me for the first time in two years. She continues to exercise her shoulder, so I hope her recovery continues and becomes permanent. I went to a foot doctor and had two hammer toes fixed – wore a special shoe for one week, and am back to normal once again. I’ll go in to have my dental implant finished in July/Aug. In our parking strip out front, I’ve got three square dirt areas 2’ X2’ for plants. However, there is no water to these areas. I finally figured out how to landscape them – a trip to Tai Pan – and we now have some lively fern type plants that are planted and look great – and you don’t have to water them! Isn’t artificial nice? Dental implants, hearing aids, ferns, knees, politicians……… And that’s the news, the whole news, and the only true news….from the Days. Tom & Linda

May 1, 2012 NEWS FROM THE DAYS FOR APRIL 2012: Last month we discovered a small leak in the water pipe going to our hot water heater. The plumber fixed it but discovered water had seeped into an empty closet next to it, and we now had a mold problem. Long story short, a disaster cleanup company had to come in to replace some closet walls, remove spores, yada, yada, yada. Of course, the deductable on the house insurance was just slightly more than the cost of the mold issue. Then, we discovered the cause of the small leak, a faulty water pressure reducer valve gone bad, and enough pressure in the house water pipes to support Old Faithful. Easter was nice – great weather to support our backyard Easter egg hunt for the grandkids. And Cole and Jessica had us out for Emry’s 3rd birthday party! Cole and Jessica live in this neat subdivision (the same one Derek and Tiffany live in), and they have wildlife and lots of ponds. Unfortunately, the deer had come and eaten all their tulips and daffodils. They just put in two good sized above ground containers to plant their garden in. Medical news for the month – Linda continues with physical therapy for her arthritic shoulder, and got a shot recently to lessen the pain. I went to have a tooth implant started. That’s where they take carpenter tools, drill a hole in your jaw, and use a socket wrench to install a screw. They put a screw cap on the screw sticking out of your jaw socket, and replace it with a cap in about four months. Kind of like installing spark plugs, but having to drill the hole first. I’m going in for toe surgery (a hammer toe giving me some problem) on Friday. I’m getting used to the hearing aids. I feel that from head to toe, literally, I have aids in place, or am taking pills or drops to further this earthly existence. I’m not sure, but I think the hammer toe was the result of the dentist turning the screw one notch too tight. Linda decided to celebrate her qualifying for Medicare by having dinner at The Spaghetti Factory. It was a great time, and the next weekend, I took her to spend a weekend in her favorite getaway, Wendover. We both paid a full tithe while there. But it was worth it. And Linda enjoyed it – that’s what mattered. We had dinner with Bruce Baird and his new girlfriend, Kathy. We watched Steph’s kids two weekends, and look forward to Steph’s graduation from Salt Lake Community College in a few days. We got to watch Jack and Sofie one Sunday while Katie and Bill vacationed in Ixtapia, Mexico celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Bill’s parents, retired, watched their kids the rest of the time. We’ve watched Jessica play two softball games, and I practiced and coached her in hitting this past weekend. Her team is undefeated so far. We took Steph to LaCaille at Quail Run for a very, very nice dinner for her graduation. She had never been there and loved it. Jackie and Wiggins motor homed to Vegas for a Nascar race. They went with friends and had a great time. Debbie loaned them her motor home for the trip. And Christopher finally arrived home from his four year enlistment in the army. He looks forward to civilian life once again. And that’s the news, the whole news, and the only true news from the Days for April, 2012. Love, Tom & Linda