REMEMBERING GRANDMA WELLS

Sunday was eleven years since Robert's mother died. Coincidently, March 14, 1999 was a Sunday, too. We decided to have a Sunday dinner that we would have had at Grandma's - minus a few of the very special things that she had the energy to make and we didn't. We had pot roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and asparagus. We were going to have frog eye salad but settled for orange jello with mandarin oranges in it. We were also going to have her special glazed carrots but time ran out. And you know, now that I think of it, we should have had Rhodes rolls and we could have been sitting at Grandma's. We already sit at her table and use her dishes.

After dinner everyone piled in the van and went up to the cemetery to leave shamrocks and other spring flowers at her grave.

Rob always had a special relationship with his grandma.

Grandma would have absolutely loved her great-grandchildren.

There are several generations of Wells buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery and the kids were anxious to know who all these Wells stones belonged to. Robert's great-grandfather, Daniel H Wells, set aside the land to be the cemetery back in the olden days and reserved a premier spot for himself - right as you enter from Fourth and N Street. But his wives are buried all over the cemetery and Robert's great-grandmother is up with his parents and grandparents in a beautiful old section on a hill.

It was a beautiful day from this beautiful spot.

I talked to Allison later that night and she had prepared the same menu for dinner because of Grandma. She always remembers the day because she was there with Robert and I when Wilma died. Rob was still three weeks from finishing his mission and Dan was at the Y.

All three kids agree, however, that if Grandma were to pick a place for a special dinner, it would be Sizzler - she and Grandpa loved going there.

Erin and Grandma would have gotten along great, Robert and I agree. They both have the same down to earth, cope-with-anything attitude.

CHRISTMAS MONKEYS

This Christmas we had a houseful of monkeys! Three - Holly, Sam, and Max, who live with us (and their parents) and two more - Zoe and Jim, who came to stay for nine days over the holidays. Oh, and they brought their parents, too.

So, eleven people in our little house. But Christmas was so fun! You just can't have Christmas without kids around. Christmas morning, the presents so overwhelmed the tree that they spilled all over into the living room.

And opening presents with children on Christmas morning. Is there any more special than that?

The fun of watching kids open what they asked for, or even better, something they didn't, but a total surprise Santa knew they'd love even more.

No one ever seems as delighted as Holly!

Ethan and Max, hampered by lunch, looking for the next creative trouble...

The cousins enjoying each other. And the food.

Monkeys in elephant suits, made by grandma.

Here they are at the Matheson Party singing their hearts out on "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", so they can get to their favorite - the Christmas Monkey song!!

Max and Grandpa playing around.

Zoe was baptized Tuesday the 29th, with all her family and her cousins there. It was a really beautiful night. You can see how happy Zoe is here with Grandpa.

Audrey, Zoe, Holly and Morgan, singing a Primary song at the baptism - "When Jesus was Baptized"

The boys, Ethan, Jim, and Sammy sing along, too. I didn't know that song had hand gestures!

All in all, it was a terrific visit. Lots of relatives, kids, games, noise, presents, good food, and other special times. And Christmas Monkey is still stuck in my head...along with his monkety cheer!

GOODBYE TO OUR GIVING TREE

Here is a photo of our house, taken two years ago when our wonderful tree was still whole and unassaulted. It blocked the sun all summer and cooled our living room and porch. In the winter, all the leaves dropped away letting the sun stream in through the bay window, making everything cozy. The tree kept the rain off of the wheelchair ramp, so I could always make it to the car dry. It kept the front steps a shady place to sit with the grandkids and blow bubbles.
But this spring, the forces lined up against the tree. First was a series of severe wind storms.

They took most of the limbs off of the east side of the tree. A couple of months later, the power company came and cut out the entire west side of the tree. Evidently the limbs grew somewhat in the vicinity of the power lines - not anywhere actually close enough to touch, or fall on, or grow over to, but perhaps they just thought it would be easier to trim the front tree, rather than the back tree, that actually has power and phone lines running all through it!

So this is what was left of our beloved tree. It's hard to tell without the leaves, but the tree goes straight up in the air, and out over the street. It no longer shades the house or the porch. And if it doesn't do its good jobs anymore, that just leaves its bad job - it has roots growing through the sewer pipes. We've ignored it till now, the time has come. It has to go.

I wish I had video of Robert and Rob taking this tree down. The limb that almost came through the window. The limbs that hit and/or almost hit the ladder the guys were standing on while using the chain saw. In this photo, Rob runs in and pushes the trunk over, as it starts to fall backward onto Robert. Some law of physics was missed in their calculations.

Dan arrived just after the trunk came down and helped with all of the cutting up, and hauling back, and sweeping up, and raking and all of the mess that occurs when taking down a tree this large.

So, here's our little house now. It looks so small and forlourn. We need to get the new trees planted soon. And Ill be happier in the spring when all the colorful bulbs bloom. I wonder how many years it will take before we have shade again?