Back in Mesquite

Well I made it back to Mesquite on Wednesday evening. It was a fairly smooth trip and Margot and Allen were nice enough to come pick me up in St George Wednesday night.

Unfortunately I got some bad news yesterday. My Auntie Betty Krstulich passed away yesterday. While it is sad, it was also a blessing that she did not linger too long from her stroke. According to my cousin John she went peacefully and I am very glad to hear that. My folks were also relieved to see her suffering end.

In addition to being my Aunt, she was also my godmother. Both of my godparents have now passed. My godfather was my Dads cousin Bill Ryan. He passed away when I was a freshman in high school in a automobile accident.

When I was a little kid Auntie Betty made my birthday cakes. This was the era of shaped cakes. She had a cookbook with various cake shapes and she would let me pick out the one I wanted for my birthday and then make it for me.

I spent a fair bit of time at my Aunt and Uncles house after school when I was in grade school. My dad’s family ran the school bus in the Elk Park valley. My grandfathers brother Ed had started the school bus contract, but then he got pneumonia and died and my grandfather took it over. He drove for many years and then my Mom and Dad took over the contract. My Auntie Betty drove the bus for several years and then she went to work for the Montana Power Company and my Mom took over the bus driving duties. When Grandpa and Auntie Betty drove, the bus would be parked at their house on Princeton street during the day.

Also Auntie Betty’s family would come out to the ranch for Sunday dinners. Also during my childhood Auntie Betty and Uncle George built their A-frame cabin on a mining claim up behind the ranch. So we would see a fair bit of them.

Over the years we also had many holiday dinners at Auntie Betty and Uncle George’s house. She made the best mashed potatoes. They were so smooth and creamy.

Both my Mom and Dad have lost their only singlings in the last few months. My Mom’s brother George passed away in November and now Dads sister Betty has passed away. So the family has had its share of death for the year.

I am quickly getting back into the swing of things here in Mesquite. Yesterday I played both Bocce and Pickleball. Today I was busy doing some stuff for Rotary. Our club is doing a donation drive of money and materials for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. We will do that drive tomorrow from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. I had a few bills to pay and also had to update a few sites with new credit card information. Then I went up and putted 18 holes on the putting green. I actually putted pretty good and it was nice to have the putter back in my hand.

It was a very nice day here today. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as nice. Well enough for today.