Grandma Ree's letters

  Dear Family and Friends, I have now completed my first year in Florida, and thought I’d sorta recap for the benefit of the new ones, my life leading up to this time. I am still a true Westerner, since San Diego, CA and Portland OR were the extent of my territory, with a few trips to AZ and UT thrown in.  I’m also a city girl, who has never been on a farm nor ridden a horse.   I was born Marie McBride (no middle name) Dec.1,1927 in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, Calif. to parents Lavern and Malinda (Mac & Linda) from the small Mormon towns of Pima & Thatcher Arizona.  I had two older brothers: Clifford and James, but lost Jimmy when he was run over by a truck when not quite 4 years old.  Then 10 years later had a little sister named Carol, whom I adored and enjoyed being with and teaching.  I thought of becoming a school teacher. Our family was raised in Los Angeles during the depression years and the World War II years, then moved to the...

  Dear Family and Friends, I should tell you that I took it upon myself to add a few names to the Email list of those already receiving my monthly letters, due to the increase in postage stamps.  So, you new ones, if you see a strange but handsome young man appear on the screen, please accept him, because it will be my son Dan Mundell, who is in charge of sending out my letters via e-mail.   For those who have been following along with me, you’ll remember that Dan and Cathy on the first of June drove for two weeks to pick up Cathy's four young grandchildren from Utah, ages 3 to 10, and bring them to Florida for the summer.   It was quite an experience for all of us having those lively young children around, but ‘Nana’ Cathy handled them well, so that ‘Papa’ Dan and Grandma Ree were able to enjoy them right along with her. But at the beginning of August it was time to take them back home to start school.  You might also remember that an exchange of vehicles ...

  Dear Family and Friends                                     July 30,2026 Golly, it seems like a very short summer for our household.  Dan and Cathy are preparing to leave for Utah the first of August to return her four little grandchildren that they had brought to spend the summer here.  It seems that their school begins in the middle of August.  What ever happened to the ‘day after Labor Day’ start up?  Oh well, so be it.  Although I didn’t have much actual time with them, it was good having them around, especially the little 3 year old.  She was left with Grandpa Dan when the older ones were taken to the local YMCA to enjoy its summer program.  She followed him everywhere and was his little helper.  He seemed to enjoy her.  I did too. Cathy is remarkable!  She seems to have super-human energy that she gets from somewhere that keep...

  DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS,                                                         June 30, 2026 Just as I was starting to right this letter a loud clap of thunder came crashing down right overhead.  It shook me a bit but I almost laughed for joy because we rarely received thunder back home in Oregon.  It always accompanied lightning which would start forest fires and was bad medicine for our area.  But here, it is almost a daily occurrence.  Dan says it is because Sebring lies at the very center of the state of Florida, both horizontally and vertically, so the clouds and temperatures collide here and cause thunder, with or without rain.  How ‘bout that!  We do, however, get some thunderstorms that are real doozies with a downpour of rain, strong winds and thunder that just doesn’t seem to quit.  So I cer...

  Dear Family and Friends, This month seems to have come and gone quickly for me and I am caught trying to remember what occurred that was worth telling you about.  One thing, I have put the new dentures away and have gone back to using my old ones so that I can enjoy eating - biting and chewing - once again.  But I don’t want to say anything more about that.  Mother’s Day was very nice.  I received lovely cards from each of my children and was treated to an enchilada dinner, of dear Cathy’s making, that was really tasty!  It was cheesy, just the way I like it.  Dan returned from his three week train trip by himself and enjoyed it immensely.  As the month has progressed they have gone together on several short little trips and soon a longer one to Utah. When both are to be gone during appointment times for me, they always make sure to provide a way for me to get there.  One time it was young Jonothan, but he left for BYU Idaho, so older Frank...

Dear Family and Friends, The first weekend of April was occupied by the Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in Salt Lake City, Utah but broadcast all over the world, and coincided this year  with the celebration of Easter honoring the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.  So it was a busy but very spiritual time for all members of the church as we were also able to participate in a Solemn Assembly, expressing by specific groupings our acceptance and support of Dallin H. Oaks as the Lord’s chosen prophet, seer, and revelator and president of the church today, along with his two counselors, after the recent passing of Russell M. Nelson.  And also by the same procedure sustain Gerald Causse and Clark Gilbert to fill the two seats recently made available by deaths in the quorum of the  twelve apostles, and to accept the twelve apostles as having the same priesthood power and authority as the prophet.  ...