Grandma Ree's letters

Dear Family and Friends,  Although Easter Day has come and gone along with April Fool’s Day, I will still ask you ... Did you find a hidden egg or get fooled? Of course not. But Easter Week did end with the Church’s two days of General Conference, where we were reminded by the Lord’s Prophet and others of the greatest gift ever given to God’s children - Jesus Christ - and His gift of Eternal Life to all those who will come unto Him and obey His commandments. Getting the broadcast on our TV at home was wonderful, but I still wore a Sunday-go-to-meeting dress. I wish I could stay inspired by the counsel of our spiritual leaders instead of just drifting along, because there are many things that I need to improve on. I need to be more diligent in using my “Buddy” for longer periods of time each day and to do more exercising of my other leg and arms, so as to keep them healthy and strong enough to support me and the extra weight I know I have gained. I’m afraid that my desire to work pu...

  Dear Family and Friends, I have been waiting for something exciting to happen so I could write about it in my monthly letter, but it hasn’t happened yet, so I’ll go ahead and share what I do have of the mundane things in my daily life. I‘m trying to use my Buddy leg more now that the sore on the end of the stump has healed. Mostly just going around in the house with my 3 wheel walker, but occasionally outside too. When I need to get into a car, I use the ramp but not with the walker because of the slick ramp surface. Instead, I leave it at the top and grasp the handrails and carefully walk myself down putting pressure on the heel of my Buddy to keep the knee from buckling under me. Then True or someone else has to bring the walker to the bottom of the ramp for me to use to get to the car. Sounds easy enough, but it’s tricky because the rails end a foot short of the end of the ramp, leaving me with two steps to do before I can transfer ...

  Dear Family and Friends,  SPRING HAS SPRUNG!! At least it has in Grants Pass. We have been having such ideal weather lately. A little bit of rain at night, then bright sunshine during the next day. Funny how Southern Oregon had good weather while the upper Northwest was in terrible difficulty because of icy roads and zero degree temperatures. Because of the good weather, things are already beginning to pop up outside. But our plants inside are doing even better and are spreading their bright blossoms of color all around. That is especially true of the living room and dining room areas where 15 orchid plants have been placed on the rooms window sills and their combined beauty offers such a delightful and inspiring sight to behold. True carefully tends to them with two ice cubes apiece once a week, and loving words telling them how beautiful they are. I’m sure that's what makes these delicate beauties grow so well for her, when others say they have a hard time getting orchids ...

 Dear Family and Friends, The Christmas and New Year celebrations are over and linger in our memories now. I hope you have some wonderful memories of 2023. Due to the kindness of different drivers, I was able to attend several nice activities that leave me with special memories.  At the Relief Society Ladies Luncheon, we were asked to bring a gift of something pertaining to a scripture in the Bible. I brought a bottle of soft soap and a hand towel to represent Mathew 13:13 which says Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Gifts were exchanged, so no one knew what they might receive. My driver, Vicki Wade, got a pair of glasses and ear wax remover in response to John 14:13 which describes those who have eyes yet do not see and ears but do not hear. I received a gift of lotions and creams for the feet, in response to “How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who bring good tidings.” So, now I can have beautiful feet, or my case, foot! It was good fun seeing what th...

Dear Family and Friends, After so many “surprises” in last month’s letter, it seemed like very little happened in November, so I thought I’d wait until mid-December and have it serve as my Christmas letter to all those who receive it by email. I do hope this proves to be a little better way of doing it, maybe even from now on. We’ll see. So, I do send you “Christmas Greetings!” I hope this finds you well and in the spirit of the Season. Now, from November: Cedar, True’s daughter (injured while hiking last month and has had to maintain a straight leg continually so as not to tear the cartilage again) has been receiving good home care through the VA and is doing well. The first week of home care, she happened to have a lady who liked to talk continuously, you know, the chatterbox type, and it about drove Cedar nuts. But she now has several caregivers, and they have plenty to do. So no more chatterbox. Cedar’s physical therapy treatments are helping a lot and she is even able to ride in a...

Dear Family and Friends, SURPRISE ! SURPRISE !! SURPRISE !!! Yes. It seems that life is full of surprises! Especially mine, in the last little while. FIRST: A couple of years ago, Dan, my steady, level-headed son, announced he was marrying someone he hadn’t even met yet and didn’t know much about, only through their conversations on a website for church members. WOW! How could he do such a thing? What a great surprise that was! A real shocker! But it turned out well, because he and Cathy are now serving a mission together in Hawaii. So, you just never know. SECOND: Just over a year ago, Carol, my 85 year old sister and a widow of 10 years, announced that she was getting married! That, too, was a shocker! But we all wholeheartedly approved of it and were happy for her and Morris. And I was shocked again, when I saw her energetically dancing Jitterbug style at their wedding reception, after having had a hip replacement sometime earlier. What a great couple they are! THIRD: Just one month...

Dear Family and Friends      What was interesting during September? Well, let’s see... Labor Day came and went without much to-do on my part. The hydroplanes went speeding by, again, up and down the river. I heard them long before they reached here and long after they passed, their noise is quite unmistakable, but I didn’t actually see their little boats from my spot inside the house. They won’t be back until next Memorial Day.      We are still having fun with our cat, Haiku, as it chases after the laser dot and a small feather and then for no reason at all, runs lickety-split up and down the hardwood hallway and ends up sliding into a small rug at both ends. Maybe that’s her way of getting some daily exercise, but it's fun to watch her do it. She’s definitely True’s cat and cuddles and purrs for her, but not for me. I don’t have a proper lap anymore! She utters some meows once in a while, which are a little loud, but not bad. So, I guess we’ll keep her. ...