1 A day trip to Twin Falls

On Saturday afternoon, May 2, Dale, LeAnn, Jackie, Jolene, Claudia, and I met in Twin Falls and went through the 3:30 session in the new Twin Falls Idaho Temple. The temple was dedicated last August 24 by President Thomas S. Monson as the 128th operating temple in the Church. It is the fourth temple in Idaho, along with Idaho Falls, Boise, and Rexburg.

Dale and LeAnn, who now work in the Boise Idaho Temple on Saturday mornings, had been through a session in Twin Falls once before. It was a first time for the rest of us.

Afterward we drove over to see Shoshone Falls, an impressive waterfall on the Snake River located about five miles east of Twin Falls. Sometimes called the "Niagara of the West," the falls are 212 feet high (some 50 feet higher than Niagara Falls on the New York-Ontario border) and flow over a rim 900 feet wide. It was an impressive sight. Springtime is when the most water tumbles over the falls, before some of the water is diverted for agricultural uses.

The picture here is a historical photograph taken of Shoshone Falls in 1874.

We concluded our mini-reunion by eating at Carino's, an Italian restaurant in Twin Falls before one car headed west and north the 130 miles to Boise and the other car headed east and south the 215 miles to Bountiful. It had been a nice day.

2 Quote of the week

If you want to please our Heavenly Father, honor your father and your mother, as He has commanded. They love you dearly. Your joy is their joy, and your sorrow is their sorrow. They want for you the heavenly guidance the Lord provides.

— Thomas S. Monson ("Your Celestial Journey," Young Women general meeting, Mar. 27, 1999)

3 This week in our family

Mon, May 4: Kelley's birthday [Gene]
Tues, May 5: Cinco de Mayo
Wed, May 6: Terry's birthday [Lyle]
Sun, May 10: Mother's Day
Mon, May 11: Kimball's birthday [Lyle]
Mon, May 11: Next issue of newsletter

4 Bits and tidbits

From way south
Friday afternoon I spoke on the phone for a few moments with Kay. He was calling Church headquarters from Lima to get some information. He said he and Karen were doing well, keeping very busy, and really enjoying their mission.

Lyle and family
Some of Lyle's kids were down from Washington to visit him this past week. And we understand he was going to go back with them to spend a couple of weeks visiting up there. Last week we had mentioned Randy had been laid off his job at Micron. Now we understand that Terry has been laid off his job also.

The big fall

Nicolle (Kay's family) reported on April 28: "On Sunday we were at a family BBQ and Gretchen fell off a patio swing. She landed right on her mouth. She was bleeding a lot. I learned (I may have already known) that I am not good in those kind of situations. So Chad and I took her to the doctor and she had pushed her two front teeth up and back and one may die. Yeah, exciting stuff, huh!! Oh well at least they are baby teeth. The doctor told us that she could have Popsicles that would be good for it so of course I bought us a box of otter pops yesterday.

"I tried to get a picture of her teeth but really you can't see much. Right above her two front teeth is blackish blue and then she also bruised her bottom lip, and scrapped her little chin."

5 Our family 50 years ago

Excerpts from the May 1959 diary of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915-1982). The full text of her diary can be found online at Dorothy's Idaho Diaries and is updated daily, exactly 50 years to the day after it was originally written. The family at the time lived on a 40-acre farm in the Deer Flat area south of Nampa, Idaho.

Mon, May 4. I came home & read paper & ate a dish of icecream & went to bed. Mother spent all day makeing me a house dress to try out the pattern for my new sunday dress. When Ivard got home with Kids they cut 50 lbs potatoes & planted 6 rows before supper.

Tues, May 5. I came home from work & Kids were to school & Ray stayed home to weed flowers but didn't do much. At 11:15 I went to bed. Ray got me up at 1:15 & I went over to house above school to the mothers club. Ivard had left at 12:30 & got home at 7:, he'd been to Nyssa to ball game.

Wed, May 6. Ivard & Jackie took 2 little calves to sale & Ivard fixed Kays dresser. Dale went to Primary with Barlows. Dean did dishes & Ivard & I & Mother & Jackies took Ray over to Hastwriters at State line Store by Homedale to stay all nite & go on Adrians 8th grade sneak tomorrow. Mother made my 2nd dress today.

Thurs, May 7. I went to bed until noon & Mother tended Jackie & sewed.

Fri, May 8. Kay & Gene went to Vale to Seminary graduation & over to Gails after & stayed until sunday. Kay got a Seminary certificate.

Sat, May 9. I went to bed until 10:30 then Ray & I took car in to Dobbs & had the breaks adjusted and got groc. we saw Ivard, Dean & Dale in town buying Mother Day presents We both got home about the same time. Ivard left for work & I made potatoe salad & baked beans for tomorrow & cut up chicken ready to fry. Mother sewed all day & washed & I hung them out. Ivard called at 6: & told us to meat him at "House of Fong" & he'd buy Mother & I our supper had chow meine. My nite off.

Sun, May 10. Ivard did chores & him & Ray went to Priesthood & Mother & I & little Kids went to sunday school later. I got a carnation for most Kids. They gave us a double putunia plant. Mother & I wore a corsage that Dean, Dale & Jackie gave us, mine was a white gardenia & pink carnations. Ivard gave me an azalaia plant & Kids gave me a salmon geranium. Ray gave me a pr of wall placques. Came home & fried chicken & we were just going to eat when Gail, Lynda, Debbie & Jeffery came & brought Kay & Gene. First time we'd seen baby, sure cute, lots of dark hair. weighs 9 lbs now. We all ate. Gail & Lynda gave me a brown donkey pulling a gold card holding a brown jug & 6 cups hanging on back. Kay & Gene gave me about 6 figurines. Ivard went to work for 3: & Gail took Kids back to Adrian about 6: Ivard came home at 7: & said the crew would finish short handed so we Packed & Ivard, Jackie & I took mother home. left for Grantsville, Utah at 8: P.M

6 What in the world

Postage increase
On Monday, May 11, the price for a one-ounce first-class postage stamp will increase from 42¢ to 44¢. You can buy Forever Stamps, which currently cost 42¢ a stamp, but can be used after the rate increase. They come in booklets of 20 stamps.

Temple open house
The public open house for the new Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple will run from June 1 through August 1, except for July 4, July 24, and Sundays. Free open house tickets can be obtained by calling 801-240-7645 locally or 1-800-521-5105 out of the area or on the Internet at lds.org/reservations.

7 A final word

Springtime. What a glorious time of year. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time of hope and promise. A time when the very earth bears record of Him who made it (see Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4; Alma 30:44; and Helaman 8:24).

Although in concert with the rest of the Christian world we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at Christmas time, we believe from latter-day revelation that it really happened in the spring of the year, during that season when shepherds would actually be "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8).

It was also in the spring of the year, at the season of Passover, when the Lamb of God worked out what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has called “the awful arithmetic of the atonement,” causing the Savior “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18) that He might take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses and the infirmities and the sins of His people (see Alma 7:11–13).

It was also on an early spring morning, the first day of the week, when faithful women arrived at an empty tomb to become the first witnesses of His glorious resurrection.

And it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820 that the boy Joseph walked into a grove of trees near his New York farmhouse and, in answer to his humble prayer, saw the Father and the Son in that glorious vision that opened the dispensation of the fulness of times.

These and a score of other springtime events associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ—such as the restoration of the priesthood in May 1829 and the organization of the Church in April 1830—all remind us of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, [we] might be saved” (D&C 138:3–4).

May God bless us, as we enjoy this season called spring, to remember always these evidences of His love.