Beach Haven

From her journal, the third week of January 1983 was full of after-Christmas activities like exchanging gifts, and shipping boxes off for Lisa. There was some snow, so she talked about work shoveling snow. She particularly notes how Dan was home that day (Saturday), and he took care of washing the dishes. I wonder if that was so rare an event for her to have noted it in her journal. What do you think, Dan? She also notes that Dan went to a stake dance later that evening. Were any of us actually that young? I guess we were, or at least in this case there is evidence that Dan was.

In church that week she notes the focus of one of the lessons was about Alma 16 and 17 in the Book of Mormon. Then she notes: “Talked to the kids about responsibility of choosing right from wrong in TV shows, music, books, etc.”

That Sunday she noted she went to welcome Mike Holland to Honeyville. He and his family moved to the town about this time. The reason she particularly looked to welcome him was that we knew him as a missionary. He had served in our little branch of the church in Pennsylvania while we still lived there.
​
She wrapped up her week/Sunday entry in a definitive normal way for her: “Burritos for supper, went to choir practice, wrote to Mike."

Mid-January of 1983 included lots of tasks accomplished, like everything she writes. There was getting her parents off to Pennsylvania after attending Lisa's wedding, getting the newlyweds out the door and accounting for gifts. She also mentions Lisa selling her piano. On January 15 she mentions her and Dad picking up a Basset hound named Sadie, born November of 1981. About the dog she particularly notes, "Fred loves her."

Later that week, January 18, Dad picked up "our cut up cow". For many years they raised a few steers and kept a nice full freezer of beef. She noted that counting all costs they paid about $0.50 per pound. That included buying, feeding, and butchering the steer. Not a bad deal. That same day she notes that Dan got the braces taken off of his teeth, and mentions that his teeth "are beautiful." Really Dan? Are your teeth beautiful?

The next day a snow storm dropped 17 inches at their house.