December 29-31, 1980

The last 3 days of the year were busy tying up the loose ends of business – paying bills out of 1980 budget, trying to make sure that they have not run into the red – otherwise over-spending.  Most of them are pretty close.  I really feel like we do a fairly good job of estimating the budgets each year.  Up to this year we have never had to use tax anticipation notes.  This year we came close and more than likely we may have to resort to using them in 1981.  This means borrowing money to run the country on until we collect the money in the fall at tax collection time.  I don’t suppose this information will be very interesting to anyone reading my journal but it is a matter of pride to me that during the entire time of my term of office as County Clerk, we have never had to resort to borrowing like most of the counties. Call it bragging if you want to, but that’s the facts of the matter!

 

(This is the last entry for 1980!  If you would like a printed and bound copy of these entries, e-mail me with your address.  I will get them printed and shipped out ASAP.)

lisam0451 (at) hotmail.com

December 28, 1980

I gave my lesson with Lurinda Peterson, Tamara Thorpe doing the music and Doris Adair the literature and they did a wonderful job.  All in all, the sisters seemed to enjoy it.  Lurinda had a map drawn by a man who had the idea that the eastern side of the coast was where the Nephites landed when they came to the Promised Land.  Of course it is only supposition but it is interesting to think about.

December 26-27, 1980

December 26, 1980 Went back to work this morning. Not much doing but there’s always work to be done. What I mean to say is that there wasn’t many people around but there’s always work to be done.

December 27, 1980 Saturday I spent the day cleaning up my house and preparing for my Relief Society lesson which was on the country of Nicaragua. It is so very educational in preparing for these lessons. I learned to say “Feliz ono Nuevo” (Happy New Year) in Spanish. Fortunately, no one could understand because I’m sure they couldn’t understand me anyway.

December 21, 1980

I haven’t written in my journal now for two weeks and I’m trying to go back over my activities and trying to remember the important things which have taken place.  Between finishing my shopping for Christmas and finishing the preparations for budget hearing my mind is just about blank.  There were about 40 people present the most I have ever seen since I went into office.  I had prepared copies of the budget and handed them out to the people.  The comm’s went through each item and there were a lot of comments and questions.  Ordinarily a budget hearing has never lasted more than half and hour.  This one lasted for 2 ½ hours – the longest one in the history of the county, I’d bet.  On the 16^th, we had the last comm’s   meeting of the year.  It was a sad feeling to know that this group of comm’s would never be together again. In my opinion, this is the most outstanding group I have ever worked with.

On the 19^th we had the county and city Christmas party and it was a huge success – the first time we have ever celebrated together.  But I’ll bet it won’t be the last time.  I spent all day Saturday baking and cleaning plus had Lisa, Amy and Katie while Steve and Jackie went shopping.   But I really did get a lot accomplished.  I wrapped presents on Saturday night.  I had bought Colonial dolls for all the girls and I had them all spread out on the bed at the same time and they were so sweet.  Also I had bought pocket watches for all the boys (my sons) and music boxes for my daughters-in-law.  I intended to give presents this year for keepsakes.  By this time I had all my house decorated for Christmas and it was the same lovely feeling as I usually have.  My tree is a pine and was very nicely shaped and I had the tiny lights on it and it really did look beautiful.  I have been shopping the whole year for Christmas and I have really got a collection together and it is all paid for.  Sunday afternoon I took some goodies that I had prepared to my special interest ladies.  Aunt Dorothy Bertoch, Amy Randall, Bessie Thurston and Maud Rhodes.  Amy went with me.  I did some more last minute shopping then tonight after work I stopped by after work and visited the four ladies on our visiting teaching group.  I left a package of goodies and they seemed to all be happy with their preparations for Christmas.  Dear Diary, I’m so full of the Christmas Spirit this year, I can’t hardly stand it.

 

 (December 25, 1980 is officially the next entry in the journal.  I already posted that at Christmas time 2008. 

November 30, 1980

Thanksgiving day was one that will live in my memory.  To go back a few days, Ken asked me if he could bring a friend to stay with me until she could find a place to rent.  She was in Las Vegas.  I told him yes so he went to Las Vegas and brought her back.  She was Wendy Pentz.  She had been married and she had a little girl 2 years old.  We found her a place to live.  She seems like a nice girl.

Ken and she were down to Deloy’s for Thanksgiving and I was invited also.  Lynn had prepared a lovely dinner.  It was beautifully cooked and beautifully served.  After we were through and had cleaned up, they said they had decided to go down to Temple Square that night to see the lights and they invited me to go with them.  So at four o’clock we left and we arrived just as they were turning on the lights.  It was a beautiful sight.  Then we went in and heard the Tabernacle Choir on a record.  We visited the Bureau of Information and the Visitor’s Center.  It was the ending of a perfect day.  When we fist saw the temple, Joshie said, “There’s my temple.”  Deloy explained that they had each chosen a temple and hope they can visit it some day.  I thought what a wonderful goal and what an effective way to make this an important part of their lives.  On Saturday, Dee and Randy Haslam came and fixed my drain field between the house and the septic tank.  It was wonderful to get it working again.

November 29, 1980

Looking back over the past two weeks the time flies by so incredible fast.  I can’t believe it’s two weeks since I wrote in my diary.  On the 23^rd, I gave my lesson on Wales in Relief Society.  I spent just about the whole week in my spare time preparing for it.  Plus this week ShaRon Nelson went Relief Society teaching with me.  I greatly enjoy her company.  She is so spontaneous and beautiful.  She graciously offered to help me with a part of my lesson on Sunday.  I was somewhat worried as to whether I could make my lesson come alive for the sisters, but it was very rewarding when it went over so successfully.  Twila Giles gave me a brochure that she had gotten down below somewhere and I prepared one for the sisters to take home with them.  Then Lurinda Peterson had the music and she has such a delightful way of presenting it that a person can’t help but enjoy it even though we don’t appreciate it to the fullest extent. I felt gratified that the Lord blessed me inasmuch as I was able to get a good response from the sisters.  I love to prepare and present these lessons even though I wonder each time as to my ability to do so.  At the first of this week a young man went down in a place somewhere in Morgan County.  There was a lot of excitement and activity around the county and it centered in the Sheriff’s department in the courthouse.  They found the body on Tuesday.  Sad news for his family at this time of the year.  His father came into my office to call his family and tell them that they had found his son’s body; very heartbreaking.

November 14, 1980

Nothing very different happened this week except work, work, work, etc. etc.  and then more work!  Now that elections are over with, I/we have settled down again to the task of the daily work more or less.  We had a Line Creek Irrigation meeting on Tuesday night which lasted for 2 ½ hours but we got a lot of things settled.  Friday I went out for lunch and then went and got my hair done.  I picked Macy and Jamie up and brought them down to sleep over night.  We also had Katie, Amy and Lisa which made a grand total of 5 beautiful granddaughters and can they ever make a beautiful mess.  But Dear Diary, I used to do the very same thing to my mother.  If I had ever made that kind of a mess in my grandmas’ houses, they would have killed me.  When Saturday came time to go home, Jamie was ready by Macy wasn’t.  They had their lunch then I took them over to the park where they roller-skated for awhile, but it was pretty cold so I took them home about 4 p.m.

November 11, 1980

Today was a legal holiday so I didn’t have to go to work.  Last night and today I caught up in writing in my journal plus writing more of my history and I got my family group sheets ready to send off to Mary Jean (Garrison) to be added to the Book of Remembrance which we are gathering together for the Olsen’s.  That was a load off my mind.  Now I am just about through with my short family history of the same book and I am also going to work on my four-generation sheet project.

Here is your challenge for the week:  Do you have a 4 generation group sheet done for yourself and your children?  I really appreciate that my grandma did these because now I can work on the new generations instead of searching for the past.

November 8-9, 1980

November 8
Larene Preece and I went down to the temple this morning. We did three sessions. Larene and I really enjoy going together. Most people don’t feel able to do that many sessions but we get along fine. When I got home I was going to burn weeds but the rain had made things too damp so I spent the remainder of the day straightening up and preparing for the Sabbath day.

November 9
The Sabbath dawned bright and beautiful. Our meetings were well attended and were very enjoyable. Bishop Stevens and his family were on the program in Sacrament Meeting. They did very well. Robert Peterson sang “I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked”. That is one of the songs that really brings the tears to my eyes. The rest of the day I spent on catching up in my journal and studying for my Relief Society lesson. It is an education in itself to prepare to present the Cultural Refinement lessons. I love to prepare for them.

November 4, 1980

Tuesday, November 4^th dawned bright and beautiful for Election Day.  It had the usual problems, which are common on Election Day but all in all the elections went very well. Needless to say when the returns started coming in to say that Ronald Reagan was winning we were all outrageously happy.  Then when James Hansen won over Gunn McKay, that made the victory even better.   It was almost a complete Republican sweep with the exception of Governor Matheson in the state and Frank Bohman in the county.  The fact that Oscar Royce didn’t get in was a matter of celebration.  We can put up with anything as long as we don’t have to put up with him.  We felt bad that Don Turner didn’t get in but it was hard for him on a write in and the ballot was a real killer-diller this year.  Ten candidates for President of the United States. John Anderson was a real threat to the Demo. Party and really gave President Carter a run for his money.  They had a victory celebration out in the lobby with snacks, etc.