Grammie, Jichan, and Sendai

The day Jake was born

Missing Suzanne!

I've been thinking about this wonderful lady all week, and how much she is missed. Suzanne was a wonderful Mom, Bramma, and friend, and I am so grateful for the sweet times we shared together. Her smile and adventurous spirit have certainly been passed on to her children and grandchildren as they often remind me so much of her - her faith, kindness, and the love she had for her family

Grandparents Day at Monument Academy

This was my Spring Break week, so I enjoyed catching up on getting some things done around the house, and having some lazy time as well. One of the things I did get done was sorting through and cleaning out the file drawers in the office. I found letters I had written to my Mom and Dad through the years. Quoting from one written in 1978, "Kimberly hasn't slowed down a all since we've been home. She's talking more than ever and putting sentences together. She finally decided tonight that jello tastes pretty good, and had two bowls full at dinner. She sure loves her Bert and Ernie record. We have to play it at least ten times a day. She's getting where she'll sing along with some of the songs". Do my grandchildren even know who Bert and Ernie are? 😀. It has been fun to go through these letters - so many things I don't remember.

This is a photo of my grandfather, Gampy, as we called him. I can remember riding out to the ranch with him often, and spending days and nights with he and Helen during the summers. When he was young, he lost both his wife, and a son within in a very short time frame. Going through my files this week, I found the obituaries for both, and thought you might also find a part of this family history interesting -

Minidoka County News. December 23, 1926

Well Known Rupert Woman Fatally Hurt Monday in Railroad Crossing Accident.

A pall of gloom was cast over this community Monday afternoon by the death of Mrs. S.R. Johnson, wife of the well known Rupert sheepman, who received injuries from which she died in a short time when the gasoline train running on the Rupert-Bliss cut-off crashed into the Buick roadster in which she and her husband were riding. Mr. Johnson escaped with only slight injuries. The accident occurred about three o'clock in the afternoon at a crossing three miles west of Rupert near the Joe Berlin place. The Johnsons approached the scene of the accident from the north where a high ditch bank obscures the view of the tracks to the west. As their car came up from the lower level of the road to the top of the crossing the train approaching from the west struck it. Mrs. Johnson who was sitting on that side, receiving a blow on the head that crushed the skull. Mr. Johnson getting less force of the blow, though stunned, was able to get out of the car and go to his wife's assistance. The two were brought to Rupert on the train as quickly as possible, and the injured woman hurried to the Frazier hospital where she died in a short time. Besides her husband, Mrs. Johnson is survived by four children, a daughter, Arthel, 13 years of age, and three boys all of whom are younger.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have made their home in Rupert for over ten years, Mr. Johnson being district representative of the Western Bond & Mortgage Co., of Portland, and manager of the S.R. Johnson Livestock Co., of Rupert,, and is well known over the state through his extensive sheep business.

My grandfather and grandmother

Minidoka County News Consolidated with Rupert Pioneer-Record Thursday, May 19, 1927

Little Son of S.R. Johnson Killed by Car

"Daddy, I guess I'll coast round the block" -world that will echo and re-echo through the years for S.R. Johnson --the last words his 6-year-old son, D'rr, said to him, not three minutes before the fatal accident Sunday evening, May 15, that snuffed out his life. All day Sunday D'rr had been happy with his father, sister and brother from whom he had been separated for several weeks by the quarantine of his brother Max. All day Mr. Johnson had been devoting himself to games and pastimes of his little six-year-old son and as evening drew near, pony and toys were put away fro the night and D'rr thought to take a turn on his Christmas coaster before going into the house after the day's pleasure. He had reached the corner in front of the F.E. Werner place on the highway just southwest of the Johnson home and must have decided to angle across the street to see some children playing in the yard at the Andrews place when a car going west, driven by Martin O'Donnell, mechanic at the Curtis-Hanzel Motor Company, struck him. The little fellow was resting his knee on the scooter propelling himself with the other foot and was only a few feet from the cross walk into the street when the accident occurred, according to Mrs. Werner, an eye-witness of the tragedy, and who says young O'Donnell was traveling at a moderate rate of speed, and stopped his car within a few feet after the boy had been struck. The little fellow was rushed at once to the Rupert General hospital but death resulted within a half hour, the child never regaining consciousness, an examination showing the skull had been fractured and neck broken. Martin O'Donnell, the driver of the car, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry O'Donnell, a young man not yet twenty years of age has lived in Rupert all his life and he and his family and bowed down the grief over the accident, the young man stating that he did not see the child until he was under the wheels of the car. Mr. Johnson, it is stated, attaches no blame on the driver.

Add to the tragedy is the fact that only a few months ago, Mr. Johnson, wife of S.R Johnson and mother of the little one lost her life in an automobile wreck, when the car in which she was driving with her husband was struck by a train, causing death in practically the same way and in about the same length of time. Wednesday afternoon at one o'clock the funeral services were held at the Second Ward L.D.S. chapel, attended by a large company of sorrowing friends, among them being many of the boy's little playmates and classmates of his sister Arthel and brothers Max and Kennon, while relatives from Twin Falls and points in Utah came to be with Mr. Johnson and his sister, Miss Georgiana Johnson, who has been with her brother since the death of his wife. Amidst a bower of beautiful flowers, the expressions of sympathy of a sorrowing community, the little one was laid to rest beside his mother in the Rupert cemetery.

I hope these stories are interesting to you. I realized how long my grandfather lived without his wife, and how difficult it must have been for him to lose his son such a short time later. It is hard to imagine the heartache in all of that. Not that I want to start off the week with sadness, but more than anything I feel we are so blessed to have had these people in our lives, and to know that we are eternal families, and we will be with them again. It also makes me want to take advantage of every opportunity and moment I have with family to enjoy them, learn from them, and love them.

I also did some fun things this week -

I spent some time outdoors, reading my book, and lounged in the hammock. We had Milo one day and I love that when he is ready for dinner, he will come in the office and paw at his bowl. I was busy doing something on the computer, so he finally got tired of moving his bowl around and just laid down and stared at it. (For safety sake, we separate he and Sendai when it's time to eat.).

I also got a haircut this week, and Dad and I went out on Friday and got pedicures. Yay! I took Sendai for some good walks, and got to go to Hobby Lobby all by myself. (Heaven)

Yesterday Dad and I drove up to Ikea. Our big purchases were hotpads, and two nice bottles to store the cooking and olive oil.

We stopped at Cafe Rio on the way home and shared a delicious salad, and then meandered through a couple of the outlet stores.

We were so happy to get home and see Eilis had come up and was keeping company with Shannon. She needed to pick up some items at Target, so darn, I had to take her, and darn, we had fun walking around. Target really is the best! Not to mention, spending time with granddaughters -

Ok, she did some shoe shopping too -

And speaking of granddaughters, Emma just got a part time job at a law office, so we needed to spruce up her wardrobe a little. We went to Macy's and downstairs they actually have an area that is almost like an outlet store, cute clothes, but a lot less expensive than what is upstairs.

Got to love this handsome missionary (in the middle)! His mission has gone by so quickly(at least for me), and I am so happy that he is loving it, even through the hard days 💙