4 Bits and tidbits

Lyle's family 

Lyle will be getting married on Saturday afternoon, July 21, in Caldwell, apparently (if we understood him right) to someone named Nina who used to know Barbara and Lynda from way back in Big Bend days. We should have more details next month. This will be Lyle's third marriage. He has been widowed twice.

Dean's family

Our daughter Anna (yes, the one who just had a baby in March) did a triathlon sprint in June at Daybreak here in the Salt Lake Valley. She swam a mile, rode a bike for 10 miles, and concluded with a run.

Our daughter Mary and her husband Vince will be running a half marathon in a couple weeks at Bryce Canyon National Park. Vince a few weeks ago also participated on a team that ran the 194-or-some-such-insane-distance Wasatch Back Ragnar. The race began in Logan and ended in Park City. Crazy, no.

Relatively speaking

I spoke on the phone with our cousin Kent Palmer. He said Aunt Berniece, his mother, is doing well in Tooele. She is in better health than any of her children and says she is going to outlive them all.

5 Our family 50 years ago

Excerpts from the July 1962 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 Colorado Avenue in Nampa, Idaho.

Sun, July 1.  Jerry - Ray - Dean & Dale went to conference & when they got home at noon we had barbacue ready & we ate then Jerry - Ray & Dean went to afternoon session. I wrote Kay.

Mon, July 2.  Got up at 7: & took Dean over to the Orchard where Gail works to pick cherries. I got my fill. Came back & Ivard cleaned the stuff out of Utility Room & we started to paint it.

Tues, July 3.  Jackie & Ivard went to Glenns F. on train & got pick-up. The paint wasn't very dry so we didn't paint today.

Wed, July 4.  I made potatoe salad & fixed hamberger patties to cook outside on grill. At 3:30 we all rode over to Gails, they gut got home from picking cherries we brought Kids home with us & they came later & we had picnic out on lawn. Ivard did hambergers on grill. We got ready & went to Caldwell to Fire works.

Thurs, July 5.  Ray went to work at 9:30 to 1:, it was supposed to be his day off. He came home & got ready & I took him up to Chapin's & he had his Senior Pictures taken & I went to bank drew out my $300. Secrete account at Home Federal & mailed it to Idaho Savings in Boise, get 5% Int. there.

Fri, July 6.  Gene got home from Sacramento.

Sat, July 7.  Gene picked cherries with Gail & Dean tended Kids. Gail, Lynda & Kids brought Dean home at 5: & Gene changed, took his suit case & went with them to Nyssa to stay overnite. We ate on lawn.

Sun, July 8.  Ivard, Jerry, & Dean took Ray to work at D.Q. on their way to priesthood. Ivard came home & got Dale & Jackie & they all went to sunday school & fast meeting.

Mon, July 9.  Annie & Budd came & stayed all nite. Ivard went to work at 3:30, left at 3:15 & right after Annie & Budd drove in from Salt Lake. We all ate supper out on lawn then Jerry took Ray & Dean to Mutual & Gail took the rest of us for a ride clear around lake & out & saw our old place & watched a plane dusting. They went to bed before Ivard got home.

Tues, July 10.  We got up & had breakfast & at 9: Annie & Bud left for Morris's up in Oregon. We stoped to Gails a few min. They finished picking cherries today so Gene came home with us, stoped in town & got a leather record case for Ray's birthday & pr. pants for Jerry to give him, 3 white shirts & 2 pr. socks for Kids to give him. Dean with with Smalls for his examination for Scout Camp.

Wed, July 11.  Got letter from Kay he is changed back to Lima & is District President & Traveling Supervising Elder. Ray was 17 today. He worked from 9:30 to 6:

Thurs, July 12.  I took Jackie to Primary, Dale rode his bike. Ray went & got her & took his picture proof's back & ordered his Senior pictures.

Fri, July 13.  I feel awful. Gail brought pick-up home & Lynda & Kids came & got him. Him & Gene got on at Nyssa Sugar Factory.

Sat, July 14.  Jerry went & worked until 1: then worked on his talk & him & Dean went ward teaching in afternoon. Ivard came home & went to bed. He had to go back to Boise to work at 3:30. Jerry went & bought us a hamberger & milk Shake for supper.

Sun, July 15.  Jerry & Ray got up & went to work at Dairy Q. from 10: to 5: Ivard & Dean went to Priesthood. Dale & Jackie had bath & got ready and Ivard came & got them & they all went to Sunday S. I made macaroni salad & cooked min. steaks & we ate when they got home. Jerry came home from work & got ready & went to Marshing to speak with Dr. Daines (High C.) after he had to speak in Fire Side in Caldwell.

Mon, July 16.  Dean went to Camp Billy Rice for week.

Tues, July 17.  Sent Dean a birthday Card up to Camp. Jerry & Ray went to Road show & Ivard & I took Dale and Jackie up to see the opening Rodeo Parade.

Wed, July 18.  Got letter from Kay. sent letter to Mother - Kay - Claudia and Lyle. We cut off Diplomatic Relations with Peru this morning, Military has taken over the government, I'm worried sick. We went up to watch the Parade after supper.

Thurs, July 19.  Jerry went to Scout Camp. Dean was 13 today.  Jerry didn't work today, took rest of week off. Jerry left, in our car, at 2:30 for Camp Billy Rice to stay rest of week with Scouts & bring them home. Ivard & I & Jackie went over to Gails a little while & brought Debbie home to stay a couple of days.

Fri, July 20.  Ivard came home from Boise & went to bed. Ray worked from 9:30 to 6: & went to Rodeo. We went up & Parked at Rail Road Shack & watched Parade, got icecream cones for Kids.

Sat, July 21.  Gail moved back to Nyssa. Jerry & Dean came from Scout camp at 7:30.

Sun, July 22.  Ray didn't have to work today. Him & Jerry & Dean went to Priesthood & Sunday School, Ray came & took Kids to Sunday school. Gail, Lynda & Kids, Gene & Schulthies Kid came at 3: & ate, they are all moved with todays load.

Mon, July 23.  Jerry, Ray, Dean & Dale went to Mutual, it was road show & icecream social for 24th.

Tues, July 24.  Jerry & Ray went to Stake dance for 24th.

Wed, July 25.  I don't feel good, just laid around most of day. Ivard took Dale to play ball at 4:30. They won. Jerry & Ray stayed home tonite. Ray went up & bought us all a cold drink.

Thurs, July 26.  Ivard got ready & took Jackie to Primary while I showered & got ready & at 10: Jerry came home from work & we took him to Boise for Job interview, traveling Salesman, he didn't want it. I cashed Gene's Ins. policy in hes had since he was a month old. He has a 11,000. policy now.

Sat, July 28.  Went to Utah. At 5: Ivard & I, Dean Dale & Jackie left for Mothers. stoped in Burley and had summer & gased up at 9: We got to Mothers at 1: A.M. & woke Mother up. Kids slept in back of Bernieces Station wagon & we went to bed & talked for a long time.

Sun, July 29.  We got up & ate & I spent most of the day copying genelogy, got 11 new pedigree charts. Ivard & Dean went to Priesthood & Dean, Dale & Jackie went to sunday school. Berniece had us all over to her place for dinner. We all went to church, some missionary farewell, mob. No one even spoke to us or they didn't introduce us to any one. Kids slept on lawn.

Mon, July 30.  Jerry bought a brand new car. Just messed around all day, thought we were going to take Kids swimming in Lake, they've never been in Salt water but Bernieces Kids can never do any thing & we ended up doing nothing, don't even visit. I wanted to go to Salt Lake & get some genelogy from Leila Anderson but we never got around to it, Thats what I came for. We had dinner over to Bernieces had lunch supper at Mas & went over to Bernieces & played Scrabble with Kids. Came over & went to bed at 10:30 went to sleep with mother lecturing us on letting Jackie stay up so late ect.

Tues, July 31.  Helped mother fix breakfast. Ivard took all the big boys & went to Toeele to bowl. I sat around, got in argument with Ma over religion & had to bawl. About 1: we had a big Turkey dinner over to Berniece's. We sat for hr. trying to get mother to come home with us. left Grantsville at 3: & went to Irvins store & saw him a few min & I went & saw Ruth then we went up to Ruth & Rays & had supper & they all went with us to Lagoon. Had lot of fun going on all the rides, 10-cent day (KSL).

6 What in the world

On Thursday, June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its much anticipated ruling on the controversial Affordable Care Act (commonly referred to as Obamacare). The court struck down the provision, based on Congress's authority to regulate interstate commerce, on the overreach of Congress in requiring a person to buy health insurance. But they upheld in their 5-4 decision the constitutionality of the entire law on the basis that the fine is tantamount to a tax, which Congress does have authority to levy. A  deft bit of jurisprudence there.

The Manaus Brazil Temple was formally dedicated Sunday, June 10, in three sessions by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency. The dedicatory sessions were broadcast to congregations of the Church in Brazil. The new temple, located in a beautiful site alongside the Rio Negro (which a few miles downstream joins another major river to form the Amazon River), is the 138th operating temple in the Church.

Numerous wildfires have been burning throughout the unusually dry West, particularly in Colorado and Utah. Dry conditions, coupled with strong winds, have spread the fires and stretched the resources of fire fighters. Many communities are cancelling fireworks celebrations in connection with the Fourth of July because of dry conditions. 

7 A final word

During my senior year in high school I was editor of the school newspaper. I think everyone who knew me pretty much knew I was a member of the Church. One of my favorite teachers from that year, who was not a member, wrote somewhat prophetically in my yearbook something to the effect that “you have a gift; use it to bless your church and glorify your God.”

For the past four decades I have been trying to do exactly that.

Who could have guessed that for nearly 40 years I would have been blessed to associate intimately, almost on a daily basis, with the General Authorities of our Church, including those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators? And to work with scores of other faithful and dedicated men and women? And to use the gifts and talents the Lord had given me to further the work of His church and kingdom? I could not have scripted the course of my life any better had I tried. It has been a blessed run.

George F. Gibbs (1846–1924), a Church employee of an earlier century, wrote: “From my youth it has fallen to my lot to associate more or less with the [leadership] of our Church—a privilege I have ever highly appreciated. And the more intimate my relations have been with our leading men, one and one only thought has come uppermost to mind, namely, that of heartfelt thanks and gratitude to God the Eternal Father for gathering me from an obscure corner of the earth, . . . and for guiding my footsteps in the way of virtue and rectitude, thus fitting me to be His and their servant. And I will have realized my most sanguine hope if, hereafter, I shall be found worthy to continue my relations with them, as their fellow servant, in the great work of human redemption and salvation” (in Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, 358).

I feel the same way. My association through the years with the General Authorities of our Church is a privilege I have ever highly appreciated. And they even paid me for it! Similarly, I express heartfelt thanks and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for lifting me from obscure beginnings, endowing me with gifts and talents, and fitting me to be His and their servant. And it would be my greatest hope if, hereafter, I were found worthy to continue my relations with them, as their fellow servant, in the great work of human redemption and salvation.

As I mentioned last month, I am retiring at the end of July. That will give Claudia and me five months to prepare for our next assignment, our two-year call as full-time missionaries in the Nebraska Omaha Mission and my appointment as the director of the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters.

And so the journey continues.