Myrna and the Alligator Ride

From: OrCutter@aol.com

Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:09:30 -0400

Subject: photos

To: mandlht@msn.com

Hi Myrna,

    I just thought I'd tell you that I will mail you the original of that alligator pic, plus any others Mom had that won't mean anything to my sister.  I cropped the one I put on FB because the only way I can get the pix onto my computer is to take a pic OF the pic with my camera.  I can scan the pics but can't seem to send them from that area of the computer to my Kodak Easyshare program that has an automatic upload to FB...... I need a computer geek! So the print I took was too dark.

    

Anyway, I'm sure there will be a few pics that are more 'your' family than 'mine' and I'll set those aside & send them when I get a few.  Unfortunately, I am prone to doing SEVERAL projects at once, which means that everything takes forever!  I tell myself to try and do one thing at a time & just get it done, but that never seems to work... something else always takes precedent over whatever I started...... but I'll get there eventually..... I hope.  I'll email the whole pic to you now also, but when I told my hubby that it was my "Grandpa Gilbert' at the end, next to Aunt Vivian, he said "you mean that black man"?  cause I couldn't see to lighten him up without loosing all the detail in everyone else.  I'll send it in a minute & snail mail it later.

    

Take care, hugs, Toni

In a message dated 4/14/2010 12:39:48 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, mandlht@msn.com writes:

I so appreciate the photos. Your digital copies are so special to me that I can't even express my gratitude. I am ever so grateful for your sharing them with me. 

It is so wonderful of you to think of sending the original photos to me. It is such a special gift. I only wish I had someway to repay the favor. I do have a scanner and I have Photoshop so that I can scan and send photos. I could even zoom in on your Grandpa Gilbert and send a photo of just him back to you after you send the photo to me. 

You are a thoughtful and considerate person. I am grateful for that. My offer still stands to pay for the postage on items you send me. I know this project is taking a lot of time and I appreciate all you do.

Toni Jackson 4/14/10 

To: mandlht@msn.com

That's OK.... I'm just glad we got back in touch before I gave everything away.  I have a night-stand type cabinet of Mom's that was full of their photo albums & I just took the whole thing when the folks died.  I've never gone thru' all the stuff inside except for a couple of items.  The album I'm working on is just one of several, although it's probably the one with the most old time pics of anyone you would want to see. When I'm done with this one, I'll look to see if there are any others that would be of interest to you.  I'm happy to hear that you enjoy the pics.  My kids may appreciate it all more at some point, but at least you and I knew the people in the pics, and they really didn't know any of them except my Grandma Jessie just a little.

I'll try to finish up the album sometime soon......  Hugs, T.

Danish History

CENTER STAGE

During the short period between 1795 and 1814 Holmen and the Royal Danish Navy took center stage on three occasions. In 1795, 1801 and again in 1807 some of the most dramatic events in the history of Denmark unfolded at Holmen and in the roadstead of Copenhagen.

These events touched all Copenhageners and revealed with horrifying grimness the dangers of having placed the berth of the navy as well as the country’s largest dockyard in the middle of the capital.

On June 5, following an unusually dry spring, a fire erupted in the so-called Dehlehave, a storage place for timber and coal at Gammelholm. Due to a number of adverse circumstances the fire got out of control and spread to the center of Copenhagen. For days the citizens tried to fight the fire and when they finally got it under control over 900 houses had burnt down and more than 6000 people had lost their home. Misfortune never comes singly. Hardly had new habitation been found for the many homeless Copenhageners before a new catastrophe occurred.

Politically, Denmark had been gambling with the great sea powers of Europe and now it was time to pay the debt. At the end of March 1801 a large English fleet arrived at the roadstead of Copenhagen. Few people believed that confrontation could be avoided. For weeks Copenhagen had been in a whirl of excitement. Mornings and nights groups of artisans, seamen, and workmen marched from Nyboder, the seamen’s yellow quarter, to Holmen and back. The narrow streets rang with the sound of wagons loaded with equipment and provisions for the sea defense that had been laid out in great haste; a palisade of fortresses and floating batteries.

In the morning of the 2, of April the first thunder of guns was heard. The battle of Copenhagen had begun.  The many Copenhageners who out of curiosity had assembled on Toldboden and at the point of the Citadel of Copenhagen, watched the unequal struggle which in less than four hours brought the Danes to their knees. Copenhagen had thrown its sons before the English lion and it had devoured them with ravenous appetite.

The fate of the city and that of the entire country for that matter was sealed only six years later. Without encountering any resistance the English landed a large force north of Copenhagen and in surprisingly short time the city was caught in an iron grip.

The English demanded unconditional surrender and the handing over of the Danish Navy. If these demands were not met the English would not hesitate to bombard the almost unprotected city. On the 2, of September the English had lost patience and in the following days and nights a virtual inferno of bombs and rockets were fired over the city’s houses and squares. The material damage was enormous and more than 1600 civilians were killed and even more were disabled.

Not until October 21, did the English Navy leave Copenhagen. The English brought with them all the ships of the Danish Navy and several hundred transport-ships followed, their holds filled with equipment from the storage houses at Holmen. An epoch had come to an end. In its aftermath came the bankruptcy of the State in 1813 and the painful separation of Denmark and Norway in 1814. The technological center of the country had been ravaged and the berth of the Navy was deserted. The flourishing trade had withered away, the harbor and its storage houses were left empty. It would take several decades to restore what had been lost.

My Aunt, my father's brother's wife.

LUCILLE PITTS

Lucille F. Pitts 1923 ~ 2010 Lucille Fuller Pitts passed on January 6, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born June 15, 1923 in Sunnyside, Utah to James and Ludeveka Turkelson Fuller. Married Kenneth V. Pitts in 1941; they were together for 46 years. They raised their children in Carbon County. Mom was actively involved in public services but her greatest achievements in life were her four children. Survived by children: Kenneth J. (Janet) Pitts, Cheryl (Robert) Fazzio, Vickie (Boyd) Davis and Janet (Von) Hanson; grandchildren: Troy, Dena, April and Greg; 13 great-grand-children; and sister, Maud Fuller. We love you, Mom, rest in peace. Graveside services will be held Saturday, January 9, 2010, 2:00 p.m. at Elysian Gardens, 1075 East 4580 South. Arrangements under the direction of McDougal Funeral Home. 

Published in Salt Lake Tribune on January 8, 2010  print

Charlotte sent me an e-mail letting me know but she just sent it. Therefore, I missed the graveside services. I guess Uncle Bob thought I would see the obituary in the newspaper. It should have been in the Deseret News but it seems to have been only in the Salt Lake Tribune which is where I found this. 

Mary A. Pritchett

HISTORY OF MARY ANN FULCHER PRITCHETT--SHE CAME TO UTAH IN THE SPRING OF 1866

WRITTEN BY HER GRANDDAUGHTER FRANCES CHRISTOPHERSON.  SARAH YEAMAN CAMP, CASSIA COUNTY COMPANY

Sketch of Mary A. Pritchett's Life

Mary A. Pritchett was born July 4, 1819 in North Carolina.  At the age of two years she moved to Virginia, where she resided until she immigrated to Utah.  At the age of twenty she was married to James Mitchell Pritchett by whom she had nine children, eight of which grew to maturity.

The Gospel was brought to her by elders Jediah  Grant, Josiah Grant, James Park and Hamilton.  After receiving the gospel herself, her greatest desire was that the hearts of her children be touched and that they may all gather to Zion with her.

Her husband was enabled to disposed of his property to prepare for the journey, and in the autumn of 1864, she started to Ohio where she was to meet her husband two moths later at Portsmouth.  Their outfit was an excellent one for that age, well laden with excellent food, clothing and bedding.  But they had proceeded but about 75 miles on their journey when a band of gorillas relieved them of their horses, so now they had to leave everything by the roadside and travel on foot to Burnswick, Ohio, a distance of about 200 miles.  Here they took a steam ship to Portsmouth where she met her husband and afterwards took passage for St. Louis.

In the spring of 1866 they prepared to cross the plains with a company of saints.  Her history from that time on became the history of the saints so well known to all.  Fairview was their final stopping place and their home has been in that ward ever since.

On June 14, 1868,  the Relief Society was first organized, and she was chosen president, which responsible position she held with pride up to the day of her death, which occured March 5, 1901.

 As we review her life, we wonder if there are many who preformed so many blessed deeds of charity as she.  She was ever at the bedside of the sick.  Her motherly chair and counsel were never asked in vain by man, woman or child.  And the needy were never refused assistance when they applied to her.

Spinning and weaving never oppressed her so much that she had not time to attend her religious duties.  She always had a desire to die in the harness, and her desire was granted her.  During the last two months of her illness, the responsibility of the Society rested on her mind so much that she did not forget to send in her membership fee of 10 cents with the request if she died or lived that it be devoted at the proper time, March 17th.

Her influential and useful life closed March 5, 1901.  All Fairview lost a mother when Grandma Pritchett died.

As received from JoAn Pritchett Blodgett.

Savior

A bit of mud.

 Shawn Trauntvein

I'm a person of little consequence,

a beggar before my Savior King,

appealing to Him of Gethsemane,

to ransom me, a lowly thing.

My broken heart, contrite soul, distressed mind

have been in storm and dark fury tossed,

Silently, I pled to Him, Jesus save

me...and the fear and noise were lost.

Often, as an unhealed Leper I pray,                                                                              

Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean,

with hope to hear our Eternal Father

say to me, "I will, be thou clean".

Still when misfortune cast me off the path,

bruised of spirit, wounded and worn down,

my Shepherd, yes, the babe of Bethlehem,

sent another to lift and bound.

I was known a beggar, at one time blind,

'til He mixed dirt and spit to make clay,

still not sure why, He would anoint my eyes,

but praise Christ's name, I see today.

Although I, still less than the dust of ground,

hope to serve and love, as He, my friend

You may wonder why? For the Prince of Peace

may use me too, to serve His end.

Please, Redeemer, stir in me, a burning heart,

an undried tear, true charity, a will to serve,

and witness of Thee.

Myrna wrote: Thank you! I think this is wonderful and very helpful.  I too "am a person of little consequence. . ."

This is very beautiful. Do you have more?

Trauntvein History and Mine Disasters

Please keep this someplace because I can't remember from time to time. I sat LHT down and this is what I learned.

His Uncle Neldon Trauntvein, Henry's next to the youngest brother, was killed in a mine cave-in in Castle Gate. He was the only one killed in the accident.

Tom Grundy, husband to Crystal Trauntvein Grundy, Henry's sister, was seriously injured in an accidental cave-in at Castle Gate. Broke his hip and leg and he had to have a pin placed in the hip and down the leg which made him crippled.

Gilmer Nielsen, Delma Rostron Nielsen, sister of Gladys, was killed in an explosion in Kenilworth mine. He was one of seven killed. He was badly burned.

Bert Llewellyn, Bulah Rostron Llewellyn, sister of Gladys, was crushed by a loading machine. He was found dead beneath the machine where he was either working on it or had gone to get warm while his load went out.

Henry was injured when his foot was caved-on. He broke his ankle and foot. They were going to use TNT on a blocking. They could not get beneath it. So paddled into the water and placed the dynamite and paddled back. Got just to the edge of the water. Something told him to get off the raft. Walked away back, the water disappeared after the blast but the raft he had been on was smashed against the ceiling. Then he was in the mine and went into an entry. He had blocked the door over but someone accidentally removed it and he could have been gassed. He was walking into the mine and was using his lantern to test for air. He found his lamp went out so he turned and ran away from the black damp. He hit into a timber and passed out. There was air at the level of the floor and he revived and was able to get out. He dislocated his shoulder. He went to a chiropractor, Dr. Munk, and he put it back in place.

He started mining when he was 13-years old. His dad expected him to mine as much coal each day as he did. They had to blast their own coal, pick it out, load the cart and pull it out using a horse. They were paid by the load. That was the Clear Creek Mine.

Wattis

Julie tells me that she didn't know that I had ever lived in Wattis. In the above photo, I am shown with my Great-Grandmother Mina Pritchett in Wattis.

After my mom died, I went to stay with Grandma Smith. She was the principal of the Wattis school. She had left the Emery County School District because the Carbon County School District was paying better and, also I think, because she was pretty much on her own after Grandpa Smith had died and the girls were away from home. Aunt Renee had been working in Salt Lake City, as I understand. Then she and Uncle Max married and she was in Price. 

Great-Grandma Pritchett came to Wattis to help care for me. 

She fell down the inside steps at the school (it had two levels) and broke her hip. I vividly remember being told to sit still at her side. I still remember that the stairway was painted dark gray on the bottom and light gray on the top and that there was an arrow pointing to the restrooms which were down the stairs. (We had our own little apartment, since the position was a live-in one.) I remember sitting on the steps and patting Great-Grandma Pritchett's hand while Grandma Smith went to get the doctor. Great-grandma was very brave. She must have been in a lot of pain but she just moaned a little from time to time. Then I would pat her hand and she would tell me that everything would be fine and just to sit still on the step and wait. The doctor came and so did some other men. They loaded her onto a stretcher and took her to the hospital. She ended up in Salt Lake with Aunt Jessie and her husband while she healed. Uncle Frank had a pharmacy in Salt Lake which he and Aunt Menetta ran so he was also close by. Great-grandma had a very serious break and it never did really heal well. She did come back to help with me after the hip was somewhat better. By then, we had all moved to Price. I called her Grandma With the Cane. It was OK. It was after she broke her leg that we moved, Grandma and I, into Uncle Max and Aunt Renee's apartment in Price. Then Aunt Renee could watch me while Grandma taught school. 

Later Great-Grandma came back to Price and we moved into a small house. While we lived there, she sent me out to catch birds. She gave me a salt shaker and told me that if I could sprinkle the salt on the bird's tails, I could catch them. I sneaked around for many hours but I never could get close enough to catch one. When Grandma Smith came home, she was a bit peeved with Great-grandma. She said, "Myrna, if you can get close enough to a bird to catch it, you don't need to sprinkle salt on its tail." Great-Grandma just laughed and laughed. 

Incidentally, when I was a teen, I told Grandma Smith and Aunt Renee that I remembered Great-grandma falling downstairs. When I described the paint and the patting, they were amazed. I had never been back there and I could describe the school right down to the arrow on the wall. I told them that I also remembered being on a bed with a yellow bedspread in the school. I had been taking a nap and woke up. I remember Aunt Renee coming to get me as you do when I child wakes up from a nap. Garth is three years younger than I am and so he wasn't part of my life yet.

Oddly, I remember Aunt Renee coming to that little house after we had moved out of her apartment. It was wartime and treats were few and far between. She had managed to get a can of shrimp. Those were my favorite and so she brought them to me. Good and loving people were always part of my life. I am so grateful for that.

David Childs About Health Scare

Hi Myrna and Tim,
I started to put this on Facebook, but apparently it is too many words for the comments, and I'm not sure how to use it anyway.  I didn't know what I was getting into with  Facebook,  but I'm pretty sure I don't want to spend most of my days on  it! :)  Anyway, I'll put the short version there, and this can be the longer version.
My doctor was treating me for  high blood pressure, and  had told me a couple of visits ago that my Creatinine levels (Creatinine levels are used to indicate how well the kidneys are functioning) were getting somewhat  high, and if they continued to rise, we would need to check it out.  It continued to rise, so I had an appointment at the end of July with a Nephrologist, who told me that my kidneys were functioning at 30%  of normal.  I also complained of being  dizzy (as opposed to ditzy, which  is my normal state), and weak and short of breath.  At this  point I  expected a future of hoping the kidneys didn't fail too fast, so that I could delay the start of dialysis and possible need for a transplant.  I thought, based on what I could find on the web, that there would not be any recovery of the damage already done to the kidneys.  The Nephrologist reduced my blood pressure  meds and ordered a sonogram of my kidneys about a month later.  We went back near the  end of August and the  doctor gave us the good news!  My Creatinine levels were back down near to the levels it should be and my sonogram showed that there was nothing  wrong with my kidneys. Apparently, the problem has been that I have been taking too much medication for the high blood pressure for quite some time now, and my blood pressure was too low!  Because of the low BP there was inadequate blood flow to all parts of the body that needed  it.  (the medical term is "Perfusion").  He further reduced the BP medicine, and noted that I was "slightly anemic" and suggested that I take a vitamin D supplement for awhile.  Kim thinks I look better and have more color (I was too pale...), and I certainly feel better.  I am able to work outside in the yard without feeling like I am about to pass out, or habing to rest ever two or three minutes to catch my breath.  More importantly, I purchased a float tube and chest waders and have been out on the lakes and streams paddling about trying  to catch fish!  (I'm a lousy fisherman, I would hate to try to live on what I can catch ;) )  
I have another appointment on the 29th, and hopefully, it will continue to be good news.  This all happened because apparently, I have what is called the "white coat syndrome".  When I take my blood pressure at home, it is significantly lower than when I have  it taken at the doctor's office.  So, every time I went to the doctor, he felt that because my BP was still too high, and he should increase the medication.
All in all, it's been a time of nervousness and trepidation, but I feel like I've a second chance - It's a great feeling!

Love,
Dave

The U.S. Navy Hymn

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

Graduation Invitation