Mom's Messages - April Edition (4/2020)

April 3 ...

So glad to hear about your family, Jen! I had been wondering about all their jobs. Shane, hint, hint............it's been a long time.... how's your family, your job, and your home projects?

Mon. Chris & Kim face-timed us for a nice visit at 7 p.m. Then Derek's family face-timed us about 8 and we all joined for the girl's bedtime story, which Ani read to us all with good expression---the Wonky Donkey, a fun story I hadn't heard! Then they took us on a virtual tour of their new deck, furniture, and festive lights. It looked great!

The girls rode for us on their new toy--don't know the name. Yesterday, Scott texted us from Costco to see if we wanted anything. So he bought us a bunch of fresh stuff, brought it to our porch, and wiped each item down with clorox wipes for protection! We were able to give him his retirement book.

We just remembered a bit ago that Derek said the wrought-iron railing guy was coming here tomorrow, so we hurried out there to trim the two bushes back. We had put it on Chris's job list, but then we haven't had him come the past 3 weeks, so we had to hurry and do it---tiring, but we

got it done!

Dad has been going out for a pretty long week most days, around the big blocks, for his exercise. I do my hour swim each day. Dad has done some yard work. We are not bored--still hard to get everything done I want and need to do.

Lorrie's family's doing well and Nelva's. Karie's doctor son Wesley was able to sell their house in Ohio, to move in June and start a Residency? at Mayo Clinic. They are expecting their 4th child with all this going on.

Enjoy General Conference tomorrow. Love Mom

From Chris: Thanks for the update Jen, sorry to hear about Callahan‘s foot. I wonder what is causing it not to heal. I don’t really mind being home either, it works for me, and I have my exercise routine in the yard. I have exercises I do on the swingset, and dips in the treehouse, and climbing the rope, plus my ninja roles and basic yardwork. The wonky donkey? I’ll have to look that one up. I think Ani made it up on the spot. I will read the other family updates tomorrow, it’s past my bedtime. Conference was sure good.

From Jen: Chris and Mom ... you haven't heard of the Wonky Donkey? It was an internet sensation a while back, a Scottish grandma reading it to her little grandbaby and she couldn't stop laughing. The book SOLD OUT everywhere, I'm surprised Derek was able to get his hands on a copy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yskf94MYM1I 

Thanks for the Wonky Donkey link, Jen. It is funny! If anyone hasn't heard it, watch it.

Wendy, great ACT score for Janelle. Jeni, if I am remembering right, Emily DeAzevedo had a very slightly higher score or GPA and was offered a 4-year scholarship to BYU and you were offered a 1-year to BYU---the cut-off seemed to be right between you two and was ever so slight. But then you received a full 2-year scholarship to Snow, including books and housing-----we were glad it was based on your grades and not tied to your acting and singer or you would have had to participate in all the plays, etc. You chose to only do "The Sound of Music." Is my memory correct on all of this?

And then you transferred to BYU with 2-year tuition scholarship. I remember a guy from a 2-year-college at Price Utah coming to our home to offer you a scholarship there.

Shane, your garage shelves look great---and full already! Where are you to fit your emergency preparedness container? Glad you get some discounts on the virtual dance lessons for Rella. Your family jamming sessions sound fun!

April 9 ... (from Dad)

To Scottie, and Jen and Gray, Last Saturday, between General Conference sessions, I got out to mow the lawn with our electric lawnmower. It was working OK for the side yard, and then it made a bad clunking noise and quit. It wouldn’t start again. I recharged the batteries, and tried lots of things, but it wouldn’t start. It keeps flashing an orange light, meaning overloaded or overheated. The manual says to just wait until it cools down, and then try again. I tried that, but that didn’t work, same orange light.

Since Saturday, I did more study for our electric lawnmower, purchased 16 Aug 2018, from Home Depot. I looked at my Discover receipts, and I couldn’t find it there, so Gray must have bought it, and put it on his credit card, and Mom likely re-imbursed him with Venmo. So Gray, if you can go into your credit card website and find the entry for 16 Aug 2018, and print off a proof of purchase, that will help in claiming a warranty. I assume you made the purchase from our local Home Depot.

Then last Tuesday, Scottie called, and then came with dinners from In and Out. We ate on the front porch. Then Kemery came, with more groceries, and more food, GF lasagna and cookies. Scottie also looked at our errant lawn mower, and suggested a few things to try. 

He thought that taking out both batteries, that might cause the blinking light to reset. That sounded reasonable, we tried that, and a number of other things, clean it all out, dust everything off, etc. Nothing worked.

So on Wednesday, I did more lawnmower checking, still won’t start. I signed on to the EGO website, listed on my instruction manual, EGOPOWERPLUS.COM, and then tried to call the help number, also listed there. I was on hold for a long time, and while I was waiting, I got onto the website, and checked for other customer replies on the same problem. I clicked around on the website, and finally clicked on Community Powered Support. It looks like there is not a simple fix. I read through the input from lots of other customers who had similar problems. With all of them, there was no quick fix. They all ended up just getting a new mower from their warranty. But it always took between 3 and 8 weeks. Most of them had to take the mower back to the Home Depot where they had purchased it. I gave up on the hold, and left a message. 

The EGO people had called back, and left a phone number. I tried to call that number, but it required a long distance code. So I used the cell phone. The gal sent me an E-Mail to fill out, and send back. I will enter all the requested serial numbers into the return E-Mail, and if Gray can send me a proof of purchase, I will enter that in also. Then it looks like I would have to call our Home Depot, and see if they handle such things, and then take the mower in. 

If the EGO people haven’t got a quick fix for this problem, they will likely want to develop one. I'm sure they could repair the problem, put in a reset button, or something, which would be much cheaper for them than to just keep sending out new mowers for something that is just an electrical glitch. Dad

From Jen: Well dang! I've been mowing this year with ours without trouble. I think Gray bought it (and you reimbursed) - I think he opened up a special HomeDepo card just for that purchase (or it was some purchase), and it was the only thing we ever used the card for. We never used the card again ... I'm not sure where it ever got put, what the number is to look into it ... I'll try looking around more. I checked our Dropbox and found the receipt for the purchase of OURS the year before. It seems like we would have given you the receipt. I double checked my gmail to see if I had scanned and emailed it, and found us discussing the mower. Looking through those emails, it sounds like you were ordering the mower, and that you guys picked it up, and Scott was there to help unload (email 8/17/2017). Gray looked in his email and think the Home Depot purchase he did was for cabinets, not the mower. 

April 24 ...

The Pond guy came yesterday and put our 2 pumps in for the summer. He will come back to do some more work.

Scott's sprinkler guy (and neighbor) came Wed. and is going to do about  $1,500 worth of work for us, as he did for Scott. Derek has a sprinkler guy that he really likes also.

Wendy, I just sent Jared's email address to Julie Nelson in our ward (Piano Guys wife). She had asked if any in the ward had quarantined missionaries out there----that they would like to send them some encouraging scriptures and music. So let us know if they do it.

The weather is forecast to go from 63 today to 86-88 by next Thurs., so enjoy..........

I guess all of our college grandkids are taking finals and finishing up their year under these unusual circumstances! Let us know how it goes.......

Chris mentioned that Corin and Kylie would be moving up to Utah Valley for more school for Corin, now that he is finishing his 2 years at Snow College. Hope Kylie can find a medical assistant job okay.

Hope Scott's back gets better soon-------I think it is going on about 2 weeks!

Write and tell us how you and each of your kids are doing--we want to know!

love, Grandma

April 25 ... Thanks for your letter, Wendy. I have seen a couple of these proms on news shows on TV. One where the girl was all dressed up and her little brother in a suit. One where the girl was in her prom dress and her boyfriend dressed up at his house. The girl's dad gave her a wrist corsage and he was in his suit and they danced to music from the Dad's era and music from the girl's and her boyfriend's favorites choices. They could see each over zoom or something......... Wendy, your "Mask erade" ball sounds fun!

We had facetime this morning with Layla and family, while she opened her birthday gift from us (Derek had ordered on Amazon and wrapped). 6 years old! Danielle took art supplies and a treat to eat to the homes of the kids invited to the virtual birthday party. Then Derek is dressing up as a French artist and giving all the kids a virtual art lesson over Zoom later today. Very Creative!

Shane's family happened to be there also, decorating their driveway with sidewalk chalk for Layla's birthday! So we got to video chat with them also!

Chris is coming over to Shane's later to help plant tomatoes that he had Camden pick up at a Nursery for him and for Shane, and help with yard work. Shane said they have eaten some asparagus from their garden already.

Beautiful weather today and will keep getting warmer til 86-88 on
Thursday!! Enjoy!