Winter First Quarter Journal 1997 January - March President Clintons 2nd Term

 

JOURNAL 1997

JANUARY

1 January 1997 Wednesday

I woke up about 8”30 this morning on a very windy but unseasonably warm New Year Day. Rich Butler spent the night  and when we all started to rouse fro being up so late. I made sourdough pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We lounged around for much of the day although Rich  did video tape touring the house finally for me to send to Mom and Dad. We had been meaning to do it since last November. It was 58 degrees today but the clouds were out and bade it kind of gloomy. About 4:30 we all went over to Bessie Larson [1908-2001] house in Magna  where Richard fixed an Italian dinner . I brought the blueberry cheesecake over for dessert. Dinner was good and it was amusing to listen to tell stories and her sister Orpha  argue. They are both in their 80’s I am sure Bessie is the grandma that Rich never had.  We all drank some Loganberry wine which was tasty.  We left about 7:30 and came back home to rest to get psyched to go back to work tomorrow . I was finally glad to be home with Oscar, Priscilla and Billy Cat.Well here begins a New Year. I probably won’t  keep up this journal any more than I did in 1996  but that is my New Year Resolution to do so. I am 45 years old and bought a house with Mike Romero last October so everything is brand new. I my address is 1633 Fernleaf Street here in Salt Lake City way on the outskirts between Redwood Road and I 215 near the airport.  This is my 9^th year teaching and I work at Orchard Elementary in North Salt Lake. I am on the board of directors of the Utah Stonewall Center with Brook Heart-Song, Chair, Kim Russo Vice-Chair, Richard Cottino Sec/Tereas, and Val Mansfield, Ron Johnson, Anna Maria Straight and Chuck Whyte

 2 January 1997 Thursday

I had to go back to school today and it felt like a Monday all day. The weather had changed in the afternoon to rain. I guess Jennifer Lewis and I are going  to take a fitness class offered by the district for 10 weeks for a credit. It starts next Thursday. I got a new student today James Boise but I am losing Dan Lawrence  after tomorrow. After school I had to go to a board member of UPNET which is like a community council  for Socially Progressive Organizations in Utah. I almost didn’t find the location  because it was raining so hard it was difficult to read signs. Val Mansfield asked if I would go because he was sick so I said I would. It’s an important  organization but I probably won’t go back . I don’t have the fire in my belly anymore to fight against the system constantly and I guess Deb Burrington and Charlene Orchard are really heavily involved  with UPNET and they are some of my least favorite people. I came home by 7:30 and it continued to rain all night. Mike and I got a id in on a fencing which will cost $2000 to install. I say we go for it to keep the pups safe. Michael’s cold has settled in his chest. Mine went my back. Michale massaged it and it felt so good . He can be the sweetest man in earth sometimes.

 3 January 1997 Friday

 It was rainy this morning and the weather is beginning to cool off again to normal winter weather.  The city is tearing up Main Street between South Temple and 100 South  for an underground parking lot for the Mormon Church.  They say it will take until next November to be finished. Today was a short day at school. I showed James and the Giant Peach because I finished reading the book to the kids before Christmas. Michael got some more estimates on the fencing. He wants to see what United Fence will charge before we make a final decision. In the evening  we went out to Robintinos in Bountiful for an Italian dinner. Rich Butler met us there. He raved about the ravioli there so that is what we ordered. I thought they were just okay.  We were supposed to have met Mike’s Bev Archuleta and her boyfriend for dinner but they never showed until  after we had finished  eating. She’s one of Mike’s old friends from Rawlins. After dinner, Ruch left for home and Mike and I went to PayLess to buy some cough medicine for Mike. His cold has gone down to his chest. I spent the rest of the evening listening to Mystery Theater Tapes  that Mike had checked out from the library  and we gave each other back rubs. Priscilla and Oscar have about chewed up all their toys so need  to get more.

4 January 1997 Saturday

I took down the Christmas tree  this morning and packed Christmas away for another year. We strung chili Pepper lights  all over the back steps so everything  still looks  festive. I fixed sourdough pancakes for breakfast. In the afternoon went out to Kearns to look  at Utah Fencing company but they were closed but we did stop at the Kearns Deseret Industries  and bought a whole bunch of toys for the dogs. At McFrugles we also bought some pillows for the front room. We stayed home the rest of the evening  and watched Boys in the Band on video.

 5 January 1997 Sunday

We slept in real late  today until 9 so we must be catching  up on our rest from the holidays. I just fixed me some Malt O Meal  for breakfast. This afternoon we met Rich Butler at the Villa Theater at 2 to see a matinee showing a live action 101 Dalmatians. If it wasn’t for Cruella  the movie would have sucked. We encountered Willy Marshall at the show. He’s fine and says Jon Butler is doing good also. I went grocery shopping in the afternoon and rented to movies “Unstrung Heroes” and Powder.  Only watched  Unstrung and that was stupid. Bill Horowitz came over to visit and stayed about 1 and half hours.  I called mom and we talked for a while. She said that she’ll probably go in for gall bladder surgery  sometime soon. She said she  got to see Donna’s kids  for Christmas and had a nice time . She said Charlene and Dennis are now thinking about moving to Albuquerque. I’ll believe it when I see it. Mike and I still are wanting to get fencing for the yard. It will probably cost around $22 I saw an AIDS obituary in the Sunday paper. “Jason Rulon Satterfield    Our dearly loved son, brother, uncle, nephew, and friend,  ended his long courageous battle of pain and suffering on January 1, 1997 in Santa Rosa, California.    Born May 1, 1960 in Salt Lake City to Ray and Carol Satterfield. Jason lived his life to the fullest in his own unique way. His creativity and talent took him many places.    Survived by his loving and supportive parents, Salt Lake City; brothers and sisters, Robert (Gloria) Satterfield, Salt Lake; Sherrie (Rock) Smith, Moab; Carrie Smith, Rohnert Park, CA; Tami (Lee) Southam; Thomas (Leslie) Satterfield, both Salt Lake; five nephews, four nieces; many aunts and uncles; grandmothers, Opal Satterfield, Marion Roberts; many dear friends. Also  by his beloved companions and special friends of 15 years, his cats, Joshua and Dominique.    The family would like to extend special gratitude, thanks and love to the following people for their dedication and love for Jason during life and care during his long and difficult illness. Advocate and friend, Pat Barrington; Dr. Pana Lossy; Ray Thompson. The staff of Spectrum Nursing Services, Face to Face, Food for Thought, PAWS (for the cats), all of Sanoma County, CA.   A private memorial will be held with family and close friends.    In lieu of flower, please send donations in Jason's name to AIDS Research at AMFAR, 733 Third Ave, 12th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 

6 January 1997 Monday

My student teacher Judy Chesley started today. She’s about my age ad U think she’ll be great. It’s turned cold again. Winter is back for sure but still no snow. We had a meeting after school to discuss ways to bring up our school wide scores for language arts. Old Mr. Maxfield always sad give us smarter kids. Ha! I was home at $:30 and fixed a chicken broccoli casserole for dinner. I also fixed a spice cake as that is Mike’s favorite type of cake.  I the evening we just stayed home and tried  to stay warm. We found a good piece of foam padding  and we put it downstairs for the dogs  not that they  use the downstairs much as they want to be with us.  We watched Powder  tonight and it was kind of a strange movie but much better than  Unstrung Heroes. Today was just a kind of dark cold January day.  

7 January 1997  Tuesday

I was married to Fran 20 years ago on this date. Seems like a life time ago. It was another cold wintry day  but still no snow. My lower back has been achy for such a long time now that I am afraid I am getting used to it.  The 2^nd term ends next week and all in all it hasn’t been a bad school year so far. Mrs. Chesley has introduced the Scholastic  Book Project  for the State of Utah to the kids so finally that is on track. After school I went to my dental appointment and after waiting for a half hour, the dentist comes in and tells me he’s decided not to take the ADB insurance anymore. What a jerk. Why couldn’t they have notified me and let me know rather than wasting my time? So I was home  just as Michael was pulling into the driveway. He took the dogs for a walk and while I fixed dinner. Someone is pooping upstairs . I’m going to start keeping Billy in my room tomorrow  to see if its him. There’s nothing else going on. I watched some television. Roseanne is terrible anymore. They have her winning the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes and now they are rich and Dan Connor is having an affair. Its gone way off the deep end.             The paper reported that the University of Utah is considering extending domestic benefits. “U. to Study `Domestic Partners' Benefits; Benefits Plan to Be Studied at U. Byline: BY BRENT ISRAELSEN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    Apparently undaunted by legislative criticism of their liberal bent, University of Utah professors on Monday voted to study a plan that would extend employee benefits to unmarried partners.    The plan calls for ``domestic partners'' to become eligible for about a dozen benefits the U. offers to its 16,600 employees. ``Domestic partners'' would include gay and lesbian partners as well as unmarried heterosexual companions.    ``It is fair to be compensated the way others are compensated,'' said Kathryn Stockton, an English professor and a lesbian. Some other members of the U.'s Academic Senate, composed of faculty from all of the university's colleges, expressed opposition to such a policy, on grounds of fairness and social responsibility.    The issue first surfaced in the fall of 1995, when the senate directed its salaries committee to explore whether fringe benefits should be extended to domestic partners. Some senators noted that the U.'s nepotism policy specifically prohibits domestic partners from getting employment at the U.    Since the U. treats domestic partners like family, it should extend benefits to them, the senators argued.    Last fall, the committee released five options, one of which called for domestic partners to be allowed benefits.    Senator Patty Reagan, a professor of health education and women's studies, made a motion in December to adopt the domestic-partner option, but student senator Joseph Burggraaf moved to table the issue.    Rather than consider either of those motions, the senate on Monday voted to send the proposal back to the committee, which will study how and whether such a policy would work at the U. The committee was directed to report back to the senate in May.    Since moving for the adoption of a domestic-partner policy last month, Reagan has become somewhat of a champion of its cause.    In a memo to the senate chairwoman, Reagan noted that giving benefits to domestic partners would be a progressive act of fairness.    ``We are a community of well-educated persons committed to fair play in our professional lives. We expect this in our classroom, among our colleagues and within our professional organizations,'' Reagan said.    The U. offers 13 benefits to its employees, from retirement and health insurance to funeral leave and reduced tuition.    Of those, 12 could be extended to domestic partners without going through the Legislature. The only one that would require legislative change is the state retirement plan, which currently offers pension benefits only to a spouse upon the death of an employee.    Reagan, like Stockton, argues that giving benefits to domestic employees is needed to keep the U. competitive in its recruitment.    ``Some very qualified and sought after candidates will seek employment only at institutions that offer benefits that include domestic partners.''   Susan Jurow, executive director of the College and Universities Personnel Association (CUPA), agreed.    ``Some companies that offer this benefit use it as a recruitment and retention tool. It's a benefit that allows you to be competitive on an equal footing,'' said Jurow. CUPA, which represents human-resource departments at 1,600 colleges in the United States and Canada, plans to survey the colleges on their benefits programs in the coming year.    A survey conducted by the U. human-resources department found that three of 12 large research universities west of the Mississippi offer benefits for domestic partners. They are the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota and the University of New Mexico.    A 1994 article in the human-resources journal Employee Benefits and Practices said at least 47 universities nationwide have domestic-partner benefits. None is in Utah.    Additionally, Reagan said hundreds of agencies, businesses and local governments give benefits to domestic partners.     ``IBM, Lotus and Disney have all found that including domestic partners only enhances their organizations and improves morale and productivity,'' Reagan said.    Several professors on Monday spoke against the plan, calling it unfair, politically ill-timed and contrary to what a university should stand for.    Robert Bullough, a professor of educational studies, said the issue is not one of rights, but one of ``what kind of community we want to live in.''    ``Social institutions are supposed to stand for something,'' Bullough said in an interview after Monday's senate meeting. ``The U. should support marriage.''    Bullough's remarks about community prompted history Professor Dorothee Kocks to say, ``We all live in numerous overlapping communities . . . In a democracy, we must always err on the side of greater inclusion.''    Anthropology Professor James O'Connell said questions of equity should go beyond domestic partners to single employees, who, because they are single, do not receive as many benefits as married employees. For example, the U. pays $2,500 more a year to a married employee with family than to a single employee.    Math Professor Don Tucker said the nepotism argument does not wash with him because his older son falls under the nepotism rule but is ineligible for most of the U.'s benefits.    Another concern expressed by faculty was the cost. Extending benefits to a larger number of people would mean that existing benefits or even salaries would have to be reduced.    Reagan, however, quoted an American Bar Association Journal article that showed fewer than 1 percent of employees at Brown University signed up for domestic-partner benefits.

8 January 1997 Wednesday

It’s the blah days of winter in Utah. The term ends in little more than a week and the school year will be half over. I’ve already said that before so it must mean a lot to me. There’s nothing  too exciting at school. Same old same old. I took the kids outside for kickball even though it felt like it was going to snow. The kids are tired of being couped up.  I was home by 4 for a change  and I took the dogs for a walk. There are lots of houses framed and getting their sidings put up in the neighborhood. There’s still about only four of us who have moved in already.  I fixed Salisbury steak  with pasta for dinner tonight . Then we watched the video clip that Rich Butler made for us to send to Mom and dad. It turned out pretty good.

9 January 1997 Thursday

Mike Pipkin of all people called this afternoon. He’s up from Moab visiting friends and staying withy Willy Marshall. I guess he’s been in Moab all this time. I thought he was out in San Francisco. Anyway I guess he’s been living with some woman who has kids now. I have a hard time understanding why he would do that but it sounds like he’s just being taken care of.  

10 January 1997 Friday

The weather is turning colder and colder. I’m glad this week is over. In the evening Michael and I went to the Greaser’s for a hamburger and fries. They were great and we hadn’t eaten there since last August when Michael’s’ niece Christine Taylor and her boyfriend came and spent the night with us before going off to California. Anyway we then went the dollar theater at Sugar House and saw “the Way Home.” It was excellent. About helping some Canadian Geese. We really loved that show. Before the show we went to Smith to get some milk and we bought some bulk chocolates  and were over charged about $4.00  I didn’t know it until I checked the receipt later.  

11 January 1997 Saturday,

We went to APS where Mike works this morning to pick up some doors that they were getting rid of. We went with Rich Butler. Then the three of us went to the Century 21 Theater  and saw the film Turbulence. It was really corny but kind of exciting in parts. A criminal kills people on a plane and a flight attendant has to land the plane.  After the show we went to Chinese Gourmet for dinner. I don’t know if I was coming down with something or what but the dinner didn’t sit as well on me as usual. Then we went out to Magna to look at model houses there. They were nice homes but I am glad  that we have our humble home in Salt Lake. It started to really snow this evening finally and we then just went home and snuggled in to stay warm.            The paper reported that some Gay group is paying rent at East High so the Gay Straight Alliance can meet there after school. GAY ALLIANCE RENTS SPACE AT EAST HIGH FOR MEETINGS State board considering new policy to allow such clubs to form at schools. Associated Press   Despite efforts of the Legislature, the governor and the Salt Lake City Board of  Education, the East High School Gay-Straight Alliance meets at the school.      Last spring, the district school board banned all clubs not related to school curriculum to prevent the alliance from meeting.     Yet there they were after school Thursday, meeting in classroom 308-A, talking, confiding and supporting one another.  "We are still meeting because we are a well-spun support system, and we need each other," said alliance member Julia Sartain. The Utah Board of Education is considering a new policy that could ultimately allow gay clubs to form as part of approved public-schools activities.     Officials from the state Office of Education believe the new policy would be a good compromise. It meets the requirements of the federal Equal Access Act while adhering to the law passed by the 1996 Legislature in a special session called by the governor that gives school boards authority to forbid clubs that "materially or substantially encourage criminal or delinquent conduct, promote bigotry or involve human sexuality."     Meanwhile, under the state's Civic Center Act, any group can rent space from a public school after hours. The Salt Lake City School District charges $6 an hour for such use of its facilities.     The Gay-Straight Alliance has met at East under that law. The group's rent has been paid for the entire school year by donors. Members of the Concerned Citizens for Gay Rights provide an adult supervisor as required by the district.     Only one other noncurricular group - the Key Club - does the same. Gone are the Native American, Polynesian, hockey, human rights and mountain bike clubs.     But when space is rented out after hours, school boards have no ability to guide or direct the activities of the group, said Doug Bates, attorney for the state school board. "And that is a detriment to both," Bates told the Granite Board of Education recently. Boards need to decide "which way do they want gay clubs to come in to school," Bates said. Granite is considering a request by Cottonwood High School students for a gay-straight alliance. Granite, like other school districts in the state, is waiting for guidance from the state school board. Under the proposed state-board rule, different kinds of supervision of clubs would be required depending on the age of students.  

12 January 1997 Sunday

It snowed and snowed all day and it was cold and colder.  We went to Smith and checked out 2 videos  “Airplane” and “Fog and Shadow”.  We also watched the Simpsons, King of the Hill, and the X-Files on television. It was a lazy day. Michaael cleaned the house  all by himself while I just read the Sunday paper. There was a homophobic rant in the paper by a bigot complaining about Hawaii’s legalizing Gay marriage kind of. COURTS THWARTING PEOPLE'S WILL Americans are defaulting on their civic responsibilities and bringing upon themselves, their children and grandchildren, the awful tyranny that will surely come if the federal courts aren't brought into conformity with the divine laws that overarch and undergird our national security.     Judicial autocrats are clearly thwarting the people's will. A recent assault on popular sovereignty occurred when the Hawaiian Circuit Court ruled that the state had failed to show a compelling interest in not issuing marriage licenses to homosexuals in spite of the fact that 73 percent of its citizens opposed legitimizing this moral corruption.     Hardly a week goes by without fresh evidence of judicial arrogance and usurpation. Recently the Supreme Court overturned an Arizona initiative to designate English as the official language for government business. In California, a federal judge has restrained enforcement of Proposition 209, approved by the voters in November that would halt reverse discrimination. Earlier in the year, federal jurists challenged the right of Californians to restrict services to persons illegally in their state. In overturning Colorado's Amendment 2 earlier this year, the Supreme Court absurdly held that a ban on special gay-rights laws was a denial of equal protection. In 1995, the high court told voters in 23 states that they could not limit service in their congressional delegations. This week Utah's ban on second-trimester abortion was overturned by the 10th Circuit Court as denying a woman's "right to choice."     Whose country is this? Does it belong to the sick minds at the ACLU and consorting judges or the people? Where does the raping of the Constitution end? The 10th Amendment clearly states that all powers not designated to the federal government shall be retained by the states. There is no vagary or maneuvering space in this simple language. Why then do we citizens allow judges, without protestation, to systematically slice away at the wise and divine calculations of its authors and replace concise, meaningful language with complicated jargon, convoluted and oftentimes unintelligible and incorrect rulings? Judicial muddling has become a brooder for endless and unnecessary constitutional challenges. It is time for Americans to insist that our congressional delegations impeach, as they are empowered to do, partisan jurists who arrogantly, ignorantly or willfully ignore the pure intent of the Constitution.     Write your congressman or congresswoman today. There is nothing that any of us have to do that is more compelling.     Lance Turner     Provo  

13 January 1997 Monday

It was bitterly cold today and the kids had to stay inside al the recesses. My having a headache didn’t help matters. I had a not that “ill get a new student tomorrow named Oscar. That’s the name of my dog ha! Anyways I had to throw Jill outside into the hall for being so surely. One of the few days all the kids have been here so we took a class picture. After school I went to a faculty meeting about bringing up our reading and language arts  test scores. That lasted until about 4:15 and then Mrs. Park called me into her office as she wanted to talk about Ian Doherty. The 5^th grade teachers don’t know how to handle the little Prima Dona. I guess they were asking the queer how to handle the queer boy. I just laughed and said well the school must provide him a safe environment since this is a public school. I did say that it was too bad there aren’t any 5^th grade teachers who like Ian enough that would really help with his acting out for attention. So I didn’t get home until nearly 5.  I then called Chuck Whyte and said I would pick him up for the Utah Stonewall Board meeting  but almost immediately Renee Rinaldi called and said tonight’s board meeting was cancelled so I didn’t have to go out at after all.  So I stayed home and snuggled with Michael.  I guess Brook Heart-Song  and Kim Russo’s pipes froze up so we will meet  on the 21^st . I called Chuck back to let him know.  

14 January 1997 Tuesday

It was a tough commute this morning with heavy snow falling. I made it to work okay but I guess it was a mess for a lot of people. At least the kids were able to be sent outside for recesses.  I went to a “Teachers As Readers” Inservice class tonight. I have to read a Newberry Award book each week for 6 weeks to get credit. I’m reading “Invincible Louisa”.  

15 January 1997 Wednesday

It’s not as cold as it was but it’s still the dead of winter. I talked to Chuck Whyte tonight about coming over this weekend to visit about the center. Mike wanted to go out tonight to take the dogs for a little ride. We went to Fred Meyers and there we cruised this hot Levi-leather man. Then we went over to James Connally to visit. We hadn’t heard from him in awhile. He’s got himself a little dog. We haven’t seen it yet because he said it was over at his sister’s. So glad to be in our home after seeing the apartment at the Riviera again. There we visited with Joyce and het her see Priscilla.  

16 January 1997 Thursday

The snow really dumped this morning and it was slow going  this morning to work. It’s the end of the term today , making the school year half over now, Judy Chelsey is doing a really good job as  student teacher and I am ready to give her more and more responsibility in the classroom. After school i went to Smith’s and checked out a movie called “The Sheltering Sky” with John Malkovich in it. It was dumb except for seeing his dick  but hardly worthwhile. I fixed chicken fajitas for dinner tonight.  

17 January 1997 Friday

It was Career Laddar Day so no kids. I worked getting all the grades recorded for most of the day. Shane Smith gave me a new computer with a CD Rom with it so I could play  music on it. That was really cool. I fixed enchiladas for diner tonight and after wards we went driving around to get out of the house. We stopped at the Stonewall Center to pick up a copy of the Piller and Cary Ferrin’s new publication the Xchange. Kim Russo is the editor. We went down then to Media Play where Michael bought the Indigo Girl’s CD and some other music. When we came home I finished reading  Invincible Louisa and now I am reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  

18 January 1997 Saturday

Mike and I fixed up the room downstairs to be Billy Cat’s room by fencing it in so the dogs can’t chase  him  We want him to have a safe space to eat  and use the kitty litter box without  being chased by Priscilla. She is still a puppy and thinks it’s fun to chase Billy . Then I mailed off the video that Rich Butler made of the house  for me to send to mom and dad. I also sent dad $20 for his birthday tomorrow. While I was out Jennifer Blake  called and asked if we wanted to go to Syraacuse to see the lot they picked out. We said sure since Rich, Mike and I were going into Ogden anyway to see the restored Egyptian Theater. We met Jennifer and Jay in Centerville and went to view a bunch of open houses  for sale in Layton. We got free lunch and drinks at the various places.  Then we drove  to see their lot in Syracuse which seems like  a long way to drive to school at Orchard.  Then Rich, Mike and I went on in to Ogden where we ate at a microbrewery called Roosters  on 25^th Street. It was really good as I had a BBQ Beef sandwich platter that was just delicious. We were home in Salt Lake by 6  and then I went to pick up Chuck Whyte to come to the house. We first stopped and bought some snack items at Albertson’s  and then came home where we visited and watched “Torch Song Trilogy until way in the morning.  Chuck spent the night.  

19 January 1997 Sunday

I fixed Chuck and Michael a scrumptious breakfast and then took Chuck home. He’s really enthusiastic about being on the Board of Directors for the Stonewall Center. Today is dad’s 72^nd birthday. I can’t believe he’s that old. Of course I will be older than that when the 30 year mortgage for the house is paid off.  

20 January 1997 Monday

            Today is Human Rights Day so it’s a holiday and there’s no school.  Utah refuses to name the holiday after Martin Luther King Jr which it is suppose to be.  

21 January 1997 Tuesday

I went to the Board of Trustee’s meeting tonight after picking up Chuck Whyte. He was selected to be a board member after interviewing him. The board is now made up of Chuck Whyte, Ron Johnson, Val Mansfield, John Watson, Richard Cottino, Annamaria Straight, Kim Russo, Brook Heartsong and myself. Ron Johnson and John Watson were no shows  and the meeting was so much better  with Nikki Boyer gone.  She resigned last year. There’s a feeling of purpose and vitality back now. I accepted the position of Chair of the Development Committee and Kim Russo is chair of the fund raising committee. I agreed to go with Chuck Whyte this Friday  to Bricks for a fundraiser from 9 to 10. I have to be back at the Center next Tuesday for a Volunteers Training Seminar.  The Board Retreat is scheduled for February 9^th. If Chuck would been selected for the board, I would have resigned as some of the others are  hard to work with.  I heard from Kim Russo my ex lover Jeff Workman did indeed quit teaching to become the Executive Director of the People With AIDS Coalition. That must have been hard on him to leave teaching.  

22 January 1997 Wednesday

I went to dinner at Lamb’s Restaurant on Main Streer  and then to the theater with Mike, Rich Butler and Bessie Larson. It was rather windy and cold out tonight. I really don’t like Lamb’s all that much as I think it’s a bit stuffy and pretentious and over priced. Even the food isn’t all that good, kind of bland. I had Pastrami and Mike had a feta cheese omelet. After dinner we went to the Grand Theater at South High to see Arsenic and Old Lace. The play was too drawn out  and needed to have been edited better as the pacing was slow. However Bessie had fun and that was the main idea.  

23 January 1997 Thursday

It was a yucky commute gain this morning but it cleared up in the afternoon. Nate Hare sure was on a toot today causing problems in class. In the evening I just stayed home and vegetated. I wanted to record some music for school but just didn’t have the energy. I just watched the Drew Carey Show,  Ellen, and Grace under Fire, the shows that I had taped from yesterday. I shoveled the walks today and there must have been 5 inches of new snow. I fixed a chicken pot pie for dinner. 

24 January 1997 Friday

It was an earlier out day for the kids thank goodness, I moved my desk and book case to the back of the room to accommodate Judy Chesley. I am teaching double digit multiplication and this is the first time I am not seeing a response back to my teaching as the kids are so low in skills.  I got my W-4 tax form today so I guess I’ll get my taxes ready to pay. Mike said Russ Bishop finally got a hold on him to come out to install a fence.  

27 January 1997 Monday

I am already slacking of about writing in my journal. What a miserable day. The weather was great but the kids were absolutely awful. About six boys were acting up while Judy Chesley was having her evaluation and I was so mad I kept them in from recess with their heads down on their desks. Ryan was acting up so badly that I finally said to him after he kept saying he had to go to the bathroom “Listen you little brat I don’t care if you do have to pee  you aren’t leaving this room until I say so.

 When I got home I saw that they had blue staked the lawn for the fence so I called Michael to see if he still wanted the fence. This morning Russ Bishop canceled his meeting with Michael which pisses us off no end, because Mike had mad plans to take time off from work to meet with him. It was a warm day around 50 degrees. I dropped some videos off at Video One store  then took Oscar and Priscilla on a long walk. I fixed spaghetti for dinner tonight and then just worked on recording songs for February to sing. There sure have ben a lot of avalanches in the canyons lately.  

 31 January 1997 Friday

            The poles for our fence was put in today. They have to set in the concrete for a while before the chain link can be put in.  This evening we went to the Comedy Circuit in Midvale  and his friend, and with Jennifer and Jay along with the couple who had he tickets. Mike was under the impression that they were going to provide the drinks and treats like before  but Michale ended up paying nearly $100 so he was really mad. Well we invited Jennifer and Jay because Rich said everything was going to be paid by the company  but it wasn’t so we ended up picking up the tab. The comedy Circuit was really good and had us laughing  really hard but it wasn’t worth $100  especially when we weren’t expecting to pay anything. I’m letting Michael keep $200 from last month so that should help him out some. I’m sure glad I was paid today. I was really, really broke with having to pay car insurance and the two  month’s electric bill. I hadn’t had a paycheck since before Christmas. That’s a long of a time to make it stretch.    

FEBRUARY

1 February 1997  Saturday

I am wiped out from staying up so late yesterday and I didn’t do a whole lot this morning however in the afternoon Mike and I did a lot because the weather had turned really nice. I dug up on e of my flower plum trees and replanted it in what will become my front yard now that the fence is dividing the property into a front and back. Michael’s friend from work named Tracy brought out four bales of straw  which we scatted all over the muddy area to keep the dogs from the mud when the fence is completely enclosed. The soil here is mostly river bottom clay and when its went it turns to mud.  We also went and bought some gravel to fill in some spots. We also found some pretty pink sandstone rocks to put in the front yard. We had a nice time working outside in the warm sun/ It was such a pretty day but it began to cool off a lot by the evening. I was afraid my back would be sore but it wasn’t. I think Mike I still upset about spending so much money yesterday when he wasn’t expecting to pay anything. I told him that I’d pay for it since Jennifer and Jay were my friends.         In the newspaper there was an article about sodomy at the state prison.  .PRISON RAPIST SENTENCED    Ricardo Rodriguez -- a 27-year-old Utah State Prison inmate -- was sentenced Friday to concurrent prison time for sodomizing a fellow prisoner. In January 1996, Rodriguez entered the cell of a 22-year-old inmate serving time for financial fraud and forced anal intercourse, according to charging documents. Rodriguez was initially charged with first-degree felony forcible sodomy but pleaded guilty to the lesser crime of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse, and 3rd District Judge J. Dennis Frederick went along with sentencing recommendations for concurrent terms. Prosecutors said the sentence was appropriate because it forced Rodriguez to admit his crime and because the Utah Board of Pardons can make appropriate adjustments to his prison time. Because Rodriguez was already serving two consecutive terms for theft and forcible sexual abuse, he can be held behind bars until the year 2019, if the parole board chooses.  

2 February 1997 Sunday

Today is Candlemas and Ground Hog’s Day and the beginning of the first Spring. However it was gloomy and overcast so Mr. Groundhog didn’t see his shadow. It had rained last night really hard  and it was a good thing we laid all that straw down yesterday because it would have been a really muddy mess.  We went to Target in Centerville because Michael wanted to look for a bile trailer to pull the dogs in this summer when we go bike riding. I said “Oh brother” and laughed We bought groceries up there so we didn’t have to go out again. In the evening we just watched the Simpsons, King of the Hill, and the X-Files before going to bed. My corn on my little tow us just killing me. I may have to go to a foot doctor to take care of it. The infection in my big toe’s nail also needs looking at. Ouch. Mom called tonight to say she received the video I sent her. I guess everyone is doing fine in California. Charline was hired on full time now so I know now they will never leave California  as long as Mom and Dad are there.             I had a phone call from Brook Heart-song and we talked a little about the retreat for next Sunday. I suggested that the Stonewall Librarian be included also and she thought that was good idea.  

3 February 1997 Monday

I fixed some hot cereal for breakfast and then drove off to work, My right foot is so sore. I have a corn on my little toe and the toe nail on the big toe is blackened. Today is Judy Chesley’s first day of teaching on her own although I’m still teaching art in Miss Blake’s class.  I went home for lunch to walk the dogs and to fix Michael a roast beef sandwich. It was a pretty day/ After work I made some Chili Verde for tomorrow and I had red chili for supper tonight. We went to the post office this evening to check on our mailbox  and there was a purple slip in the box showing That I had more mail that I will have to go back to get during regular hours. Michael has already done hos Federal and State Taxes and I haven’t even begun mine.  

4 February 1997 Tuesday

I have been out of the closet 11 years now and so much has changed since I was married 20 years ago. There must be a storm brewing in because the kids are just wacko at school. I wasn’t able to attend my In-Service Reading Class  because I told Elaine Day that I’d go to a DEA union meeting in Farmington for her. It was interesting  but I didn’t get home until after 7 in the evening. I put about 30 miles on the car doing Union business.  

5 February 1997 Wednesday’

A snow storm hit last night and the road were icy and slick for the morning commute. In the news O.J. Simpson was found liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in the civil trial. When I came home from work, I went the Post Office and the had a package for me from Don Williams and Mike West for Mike and me. It had the different publications for Florida and some pictures. When I came home however I found that the power was off and so I just took the dogs for a long walk. It will nice when the rest of the fence is up. I watched The Drew Carey Show and printed off Grandma Williams grandpa Theophilus Danforth life story before going to bed which I did early at 9:30. Billy cat is spraying downstairs . I don’t know what to do with him because he won’t go outside.  

6 February 1997 Thursday

The kids were awful today, especially Nate Hare who was terrorizing Kevin Holt and also Jill who is a little sneak. When I came home from work I called Community Shares and found out that Renee Rinaldi had signed me up for a Board Retreat for this Saturday without telling me so the weekend is totally shot. I went to the district office in Farmington for a Grant Writing Workshop.  

7 February 1997 Friday

 The kids were much better today. I talked to Pam Park our principle about the Artist In Residence meeting I went to yesterday at the district office. I told her I’d work on the grant next week. Chuck Whyte had an accident last week and he had been taking anti-biotics through an I.V. I told him to just forget about going tomorrow to the Community Shares retreat and that I would come pick him up for the Sunday Stonewall Retreat.  Michael had some guys from Montana  leaning the Dueling Banjo music from Deliverance on his answering machine.  That was kind of funny.  I thought our chain link fence would be up by now but it wasn’t. Michael worked on his Blazer this evening  changing the oil and the fan belt. I watched a little T.V, and then went to bed.  

8 February 1997 Saturday

 I fixed Michael me some buckwheat pancakes before rushing off to the University  for the community Shares Board of Trustees Meeting. It was held at the  Student Union  and lasted from 9 until 4. It was my first board meeting  so I didn’t know much about what was going on but it was fun socializing with other social conscious activists who I hadn’t seen in a long time like Barabara Toomer. Jeff Workman was at the conference as the Executive Director of the PWAC and Renee Rinaldi didn’t show up until much later.  Jeff said that Todd Bennett and Ron Hunt were basically  out of the Bear Club because they were turning it into a sex club. In fact none of the old steering committee of the Bears were reelected. I think Renee eyes were opened a little about me when people from Community Shares organizations were coming up to me and saying hi. Renee said “I didn’t know  you did Concerning Gays and Lesbians and I said I sure did for 5  years.” And then Barbara Toomer and I talked about old times at the Crossroad Urban Center with Chuck Whyte in the Citizen Congress and Michael Ortega the director of the Crossroads.  I also informed Renee  finally that it was me who  came up with the name for the Utah Stonewall Center in the first place. It was a long day of meetings and after wards I went to Smiths to buy groceries for the week. Michael was in a funny mood. He always get that way when I attend community meetings. I think he resents my being so active.  He threw Billy Cat outside today and Billy then tore the screen door trying to get back in. I wish he’s leave my cat alone and let Billy go out when he’s good and ready.  

9 February 1997 Sunday

Michael was being a real jerk to me this morning. I had fixed sausages, fried potatoes and eggs for breakfast but the said he did he said he didn’t want any so I took it all and shoved it down the garbage disposal. He had been acting like a jerk in bed and I felt like I had to beg for affection and that’s bullshit. Anyway I left the house mad abut went to pick up Chuck Whyte  for the Stonewall Retreat. First I had to take him to FHP hospital to get an IV put in for some anti-biotics for his leg which was suppose to only take a half an hour  but ended up being two hours so we didn’t get to the retreat until noon.  Kim Russo didn’t make it at all however the rest of the board was there  as well as Renee Rinaldi and the new volunteer Coordinator Alan Ahtow. The retreat lasted until 6 and we accomplished a lot of brain storming . I think the retreat was good for our moral.   

10 February 1997 Monday

I had to go to  Weber State University in Ogden  for most of the day as I was required to attend  classes on what to do with my student teacher. I left home at 7:30 and arrived about 8 but then the shuttle bus to take us to the education building  took forever so it was nearly 9  before I actually sat in on a class.  We were served lunch and all in all it was a good thing that I went as I learned a lot. I learned that the new education jargon phrase  of the day  is “metacognitive” which mean different ways of thinking.  It was 3 o’clock before I made it back to the truck. I stopped in Centerville and bought some dog food rather than going back to Orchard  as it would have been after the time the kids were let out so I just went on home. This years legislature  is obsessed with morality bills instead of finances. LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS FLURRY OF SEX-RELATED BILLS  By Bob Bernick Jr. and Jerry Spangler, Staff Writers  As spring approaches, the Legislature is turning to a number of sex-related bills. Included on the agenda are bills to confiscate the cars of men who solicit prostitutes; decriminalize sodomy among married couples and make forcible sodomy penalties the same as rape; outlaw nude dancing and make all exotic dancers put away their G-strings and wear bikinis; and classify as statutory rape having sex with anyone 18 years old and younger. - Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, says new federal court rulings lead him to believe Utah can crack down on nude and semi-nude dancers. Utah law prohibits any establishment that has all-nude dancers from getting a liquor license. So most "topless" dancing bars make the dancers wear pasties over nipples and G-strings over private parts. But now the group Citizens For Positive Community Values believes federal case law will allow local prosecutors to force all clubs to make dancers wear "bikini-type" clothing, says former federal prosecutor Brent Ward, who is working with Taylor on the bill. Taylor especially wants to go after the several all-nude, no-liquor clubs in the state, as well as escort services, where dancers or models take off all their clothes. "There are even some places where (patrons) can get a private session with the dancer," said Taylor, who has not pushed the bill yet because he was seriously ill for several days of the session. - Taylor also has filed a bill, not yet printed, that deals with illegal sex acts among minors. The senator declined to talk specifically about that measure, saying he hadn't decided the route he wants to take on the issue. Taylor made a name for himself last year when he carried the bill that outlawed gay student clubs in public high schools. Ward said Utah's lewdness law is too vague for prosecutors to use effectively. "Indiana has a tough (no public nudity) law that has been upheld" in federal court, Taylor said. Utah could model its statute after that law. The bill could also apply to bachelor parties, where a woman strips for the groom, Ward said. Local prosecutors would have to use good judgment, Ward added. Bills introduced in past legislatures had problems. How would you deal with art classes at the University of Utah that use live nude models? What about the rare artistic performances in which an actor or dancer appears partly nude? "As with all laws, you have to be careful with overzealous enforcement," Ward said.  A federal court ruling also prompted Rep. Steve Barth, D-Salt Lake, to introduce legislation that would allow police officers to confiscate the cars of those arrested for soliciting prostitutes. "People say prostitution is a victimless crime and that this (confiscation) is too harsh," Barth said. "I say it is not a victimless crime. All you have to do is talk to the families of the johns and visit the neighborhoods where prostitutes are conducting business to realize it is not victimless." Under current Utah law, officers can confiscate the vehicles, but they typically give them back. If Barth's bill becomes law, law enforcement will be allowed to keep the cars, whereas the "johns" will keep the responsibility to pay the loan. "If the car was used in the commission of a crime, they lose it," he said. Given that automobiles can cost between $20,000 and $30,000, it might seem a harsh penalty for the Class B misdemeanor of soliciting sex. "Those who say that are rationalizing away the fact it was used in a crime," he said. Salt Lake City is currently on a prostitution "circuit" involving about nine other cities. Prostitutes stay in one place until they get two or three tickets for prostitution and then move on. Attempts by police to thwart prostitution by arresting the prostitutes have proven fruitless. Consequently, Barth said it is time to attack the problem by attacking the customer. - Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, has a bill that would decriminalize sodomy for married couples and makes the penalty for forcible sodomy the same as forcible rape, a first degree felony. Ure's bill leaves in place Utah's prohibition on sodomy for unmarried couples; that would remain a Class B misdemeanor. Ure says he's carrying the bill for the Statewide Association of Prosecutors. Ure said there should be no penalty for sodomy between married couples, even if the law is not enforced. "What happens (in a married couple's) bedroom is between them," and the state should not be involved, Ure said. - Sen. Robert Montgomery, R-North Ogden, is concerned about the availability of pornography on the Internet, particularly to underage school children. The Senate approved Montgomery's bill proposing creation of a task force to look at ways schools can filter the pornography. Critics of the bill argue that the task force is an unnecessary duplication of efforts nationally toward that same end, noting there is little individual states can do to stem pornography on the Internet. Should the state pursue Internet legislation on its own, the state would likely be faced with costly First Amendment challenges. - Anything to keep Utah children away from sex typically has broad-based support in the conservative Legislature. But not always. A House committee killed a bill by Rep. Lowell Nelson, R-Highland, to make it statutory rape to have sex with anyone age 18 and under. Nelson said he wants to have some penalty for cases like that involving players on the Portland Trailblazers. Several years ago several members of the professional basketball team picked up some underage girls at a Utah mall and had sex with them. No charges were filed. Although Nelson's bill was killed, he may amend it and bring it back this year. "My bill was tough; a 16-year-old boy could get a prison sentence" for having sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend. He may change it "to find a way to get at older men who are running off with these underage girls," he said. A spin-off of such a law, Nelson said, is that gang prevention officers unable to pin crimes on the offenders could use the statutory rape provision against gang members who are having sex with their girlfriends and getting them pregnant.

11 February 1997 Tuesday’

I went back to school today and attended a teachers as Readers In service class after school let out. There’s only one more class  after this so I need to get hopping since I only got two book reports written although I’ve read four books so far. I took the class outside for P.E. because the weather was so nice. Kids are now practicing their play The Ghost of Plymouth Castle.  

12 February 1997 Wednesday.

            Today is Fran’s 52^nd birthday. I went to Sam’s Club and ordered a cake for Faye Romero’s birthday. I will pick it up at 4 this Friday. The dogs just love the fence. It was finished last Monday and it is so great to just let them out into the back yard  to run around. I was out in the backyard afterwork just playing catch  and keep away from them. Priscilla runs like a sprinter just leaping more than running. It makes this old heart  glad to see her run around being so happy outside . My foot is still so sore. I have a hard round knot on the ball of my foot and also my corn still really hurts. Even the pressure of blankets on my bed hurts my foot. I sat down and did my taxes  tonight. I should be getting about $799 back as a refund from  both state and federal government. I also call the doctor today but I can’t get in until the 18^th to see a podiatrist. I thought I better see a foot doctor  rather than Dr. Stoneburner my regular doctor.  

13 February 1997  Thursday

I’m not getting any help from my room mothers for the Valentines’ party tomorrow. I gave Shane Smith the In-Service document to scan into the computer so I can work on it next week. It turned kind of cold  again but can tell that spring is on its way. After Michael came home, we went to the downtown library to check out audio tapes for the trip to Rawlins this weekend.  Then we went Fred Meyers and also Barnes and B=Nobles Bookstore . We bought Mike’s mother a book on Hummel figurines since she has quite a few  and we also bought a coffee table books  about Santa Fe, New Mexico, a guide to Gay and Lesbian videos, and I bought the biography of Davy Crockett. His second wife was Elizabeth Betsy Patton and I think she may have been a relative to my families Patton’s.  

14 February 1997 Friday

Judy Chesley put together a Valentines Party for the kids right after lunch and before early out.  

15 February 1997 Saturday

We left about 8 this morning to head towards Rawlings for Mike’s mom’s birthday. I brought some egg McMuffins and then we were on our way. It was a beautiful clear day to be on the road. We listened to Al Franken’s audio book “Russ Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot” and also some of Ronnie Spectors’  book about her time with the Ronettes. It sure made the time pass quickly over the long miles. Michael drove all the way. When we arrived in Rawlings we first went to his sister Michelle’s house  where I helped make the potato salad and then waited for Mike’s brother John and his family to arrive. Faye came over about 2 p.m. and she was really surprised . We sang happy birthday to her and had fried chicken for lunch. The Sam’s Club cake I brought had at least a ½ inch of thick chocolate frosting  on it but it was still good.  Fay  had no idea we all going to be there. Anyway, we spent the rest of the day visiting with everyone. Mike’s grandmother Nora  looked well although John’s kids Traci and Carlos weren’t feeling  well.  In the evening Faye fixed some green chili and we all watched  “The Funny Farm” with Chevy Chase” It was cute  but I don’t care for Chevy Chase all that much. I went to bed about 9:30  as my foot was  just killing ne. Faye thinks I may have a planter’s wart.  

16 February 1997 Sunday

I was up fairly early because Michael had taken the dogs out walking and he said we were going to leave early but we didn’t. We had breakfast with Bill and Faye and John and Michelle came over to visit. John was staying at his wife’s Joyce’s parents.  We visited before going with John a d Michelle to Nora Trejos place to spend some time with her. I can’t believe  the huge hole Bill and Faye dug in their basement one bucket full at a time. It was a beautiful day in Wyoming with temperatures above 40 in Rawlins. The snow is fast melting. We ended up staying through lunch and then decided to leave for home  around 3:30 because we wanted to be back in Salt Lake tomorrow for President’s Day.  After saying our goodbyes , we hit the road and finished listening to Ronnie Spector. We then listened to a Philip Marlow detective story by Raymond Chandler. It was pretty good, although we didn’t get to hear the end of it before arriving back home by 7:30.  I watched a television movie called Asteroid before going to bed.  

17 February 1997 Monday

It was President’s Day so I didn’t have to go into work and Michael took the day off to recover from the quick trip to Rawlins. We really didn’t do a whole lot today. Michael cleaned the house and I caulked the bathroom baseboards  that needed to be done. My foot was hurting much if the day so I didn’t do much else. I finished watching Asteroid . The Special Effects were great  but the plot and the acting were very weak.  

18 February 1997  Tuesday

I finished my Teachers As Reader’s Inservice class  after school. I paid $10 for the Inservice credit and turned in my 6 book reports. Yesterday I called Shauna Owens and she hadn’t gotten a course number  from when she taught that Wet Project  class last May so I think we are just out of luck getting credit for that one.  Then I  went to see Dr. Rhodes at FHP at 4:30 to have him look at my foot. He said that moisture probably got beneath the nail of the bog toe and started a fungus there. Then there was an infection in my little toe caused by the corn  with now a wart on it. The on the ball of my foot I had another wart. Dr. Rhodes lanced my little tie and put fungus medicine on y big toe. I have to go back on the th of March to have the warts removed.   

19 February 1997 Wednesday

I left a message for Jeff Workman  that I’d write a history of Community Centers in Salt Lake . I also called Orlando Florica to talk to them about their community Center which was my assignment from the retreat.  I also printed out a biography of my great grandpa Mabry Danforth, I now have to write up uncle Ed’s  then I can take them down to have copies  made to send off to my second cousin Pam Damron and her kids.  

20 February 1997 Thursday

Nate Hare broke his arm today , horsing around on the stairs coming back from the school’s councilors office.  

21 February 1997 Friday

I guess Nate didn’t break his arm after all. That’s good. I worked on the artist in Residence proposal grant  for most of the day while Judy Chesley taught. The grant application is due  next Friday. I sent $10 to the Provo Art Conference today that I plan on attending.  I hope it gets there on time.  When Michael came home from work, I fixed dinner and the we decided to go to the movies at Sugar House. We saw Tim Burton’s Mars Attack which was wonderful and a strange movie. I really laughed a lot and so did Michael, We saw Todd Bennett and Ron Hunt sitting a few rows in front of us but we made no effort to greet them.  I read in the paper that the Utah Legislature morality bills have stalled. MORALITY BILLS PUT ON HOLD    Three bills dealing with illegal sexual activity have been killed so the Utah Sentencing Commission can study them this summer.    Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, Rep. Lowell Nelson, R-Highland, and Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, will hold their bills so the commission can study consensual intercourse and sodomy, defined as anal and oral sex.    Under current law, 14-year-olds can consent to sodomy but adolescents must be 16 to consent to sexual intercourse. House Bill 256, sponsored by Lowell, would raise the age for consensual intercourse to 18. Consensual   sodomy with an underage person is a class B misdemeanor while intercourse is a third-degree felony.    Ure's House Bill 134 would equalize the punishment between sodomy and intercourse, making sodomy a felony. As with the intercourse law, if the sodomy ``victim'' is 16 and the other partner is no older than 19, the crime is a class B misdemeanor.    Taylor's bill also discusses sex between minors.    -- Heather May  

22 February 1997 Saturday

We cleaned the house really good this morning since we haven’t been home for a while. I waxed and dusted the furniture and mopped and waxed the floors in the kitchen and bathroom. I really did a through job. In the afternoon I took Priscilla down to Pet Smart and had her nails clipped. We also went Home Base  and bought a lot if  things for the house such as a flat shovel, a hoe, 2 raspberry bushed, a rose bush, some cactus and also material to make a closet downstairs in the laundry room. The rose bush is called Arizona Sunset  because of it’s supposed color.  We were gone for much if the afternoon shopping  and at the end I was tired. In the evening we put up the clothes rack by moving things around downstairs. It looks really good and Michael did a really nice job. We just ate nachos  for dinner tonight. It was a cool day but still rather nice out. We listened to Raymond Chandler The Big Sleep tonight after getting all our hone improvements done.  

23 February 1997 Sunday

My grandpa Johnson died a year ago today. He was 95 years old. Today is also Rich Butler’s birthday but he’s off to Portland Oregon for the weekend. I went and picked up Chuck Whyte at 9:30 at his place over on 21^st South and about 24^th East so we could meet Erin Wisen the Librarian at the Stonewall center at 10. She is going to open the place for us  as Renee Rinaldi is really sick with some flu crud. Anyway, we worked all day straightening up the archives, moving file cabinets and desks. We hauled out 4 thirty gallon trash cans full of rubbish. I couldn’t believe the crap that people were putting in the archives using it as some sort of storage area. We mopped floors, swept out the hall way and Chuck even  cleaned up the cleaning supply area and toilets. Without Chuck’s help,. I never could have done it by myself, We took a lunch break and then went to Fred Meyers where Chuck bought a florescent light and some milk crates for the archives so people could put material donated in,  rather than dumping it on the floor. I donated a nice desk for the archives and got rid of the sewing machine desk that was impractical to work on that I had been using. We worked for 6 hours each and did not get done cleaning the place until 4 o’clock. I have four full boxes of items to file away  and lots of and lots of magazines to go through. The Restoration Church  meets now at the Center from 11 to 3  and I guess Larry Tidwell is the new branch president instead of Harold Jones.  I saw Brian Beasley there and I didn’t know he had become involved with the church.  Affirmation is meeting  at 5 pm, so we left the center open because a former volunteer who was there waiting for Affirmation to arrive said he’d lock up.  Chuck sure is a go getter and is really interested  in sprucing up the appearance of the center. By the time I had dropped Chuck off,  it was almost 5:30  before getting home. I fixed Michael and me some teriyaki pork and fried rice  and then finally was able to rest,  listening to Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. Around 9 o’clock Kim Russo called and asked if I was still interested writing a history piece for the Xchange. I said yes  and then she asked if I could have something ready for her by this Tuesday. I said sure. I always have something.  

24 February 1997 Monday

’It was really windy up here in Davis County last night blowing over trees  and roofs off of houses but here at West Point nothing . The point of the Mountain between Salt Lake and Davis Counties must deflect the  winds from us.. Typing up  y Artist in residence  grant application on the computer as I had Shane scan the forms  into the Microsoft program. I spent much of the evening down loading  the program on my home computer so I cam work on it  at home. I fixed chicken fried steak  and egg noodles for dinner tonight and finished listening to the Big Sleep. Its more risqué than the movie. I finished my first article for the Xchange  which is about the Stonewall Archives  before I went to bed.  They are building like gangbusters  in our neighborhood putting up houses . Last Christmas you could see our Christmas lights on my back deck from I-215 but no anymore.  There are tow down on Daleridge  so we aren’t the only house on the block now.  In the news the Premier Deng of China died on the 19th and scientist cloned a sheep in Europe. Some nut shot at people on the Empire State Building and some group is blowing up Gay and lesbian bars in Atlanta. However here at home Oscar, Priscilla, Billy Cat and Michael are all just fine.  

25 February 1997 Tuesday

It was a nice day out today. Mike went and picked up Rich Butler at the airport  during his lunch break so I didn’t get to see him when I came home for lunch. I took the kids out for P.E. because the weather was bit better to play outside. Nate Hare and Shaun Johnson are in trouble with the playground duty today. I guess they were throwing rocks and being smart alecks. I went directly from work up to Northridge High School in Layton for a meeting.  

26 February 1997 Wednesday

I had the councilor Mrs. Green come and evaluate Ryan Johnson. Actually I thought he was rather good for her but she thought he was a mess. I am still typing up the Artist In Residence Grant which is due this Friday. I came home for lunch and had a Greek souvlaki. There’s snow storm coming in tomorrow . I went to Great Harvest Bread and bought a loaf of Bread since all the proceeds went to a camp for children with cancer. I spent some time working on the Scholastic Book unit on the computer tonight. Yesterday Michael bought a little radio for the house for $20 at McFuggles so I put my stereo out in the front room. I was awfully tied tonight and was glad just to be home.  

27 February 1997 Thursday

It snowed during the night and I had to be at a faculty meeting at 7:45 this morning Ryan Johnson had school suspension for fighting Dalton this morning.  It was one of those mid school days. I fixed scrambled egg sandwiches for lunch then had to rush back to school. Mike gave me a check for $455 for his share of the  house payment and for the life insurance. I went grocery shopping at Smith’s and fixed spaghetti for dinner tonight. I am just tired tonight for some reason. Brenda Tau’a  checked my blood sugar levels on her diabetic  machine and I was fine at 117 but sill felt tired. I finished writing th e grant proposal and submitted it to Pam Park for her approval. I have to turn it in tomorrow. I read from Michael Quinn’s Same Sex Dynamics  of the 19^th Century some tonight. He quotes Rocky O’Donovan’s works pretty extensively and used some of the Stonewall center’s archives.  

28 February 1997 Friday

It’s the end of the month and I kept up my journal better than last month. It is cold today. I got paid today $1,700 which included Career Ladder money. Ryan Johnson was in trouble again today this time for mouthing off to the lunch lady. Pam Park and I discussed  the Artist in Residence  Grant some more today and she signed it so I took it into Salt Lake to deliver it by the dead line. When I came home  from shopping I saw that Priscilla had chewed up a corner of the carpet. I called Michael and told him to not get mad or go psycho  so he was prepared when he came home. He handled it pretty well. We went to Home Base and bought stuff to fix it. I’ve been  working on a time line for the Gay and Lesbian Community here in Utah from 1945 to the present. Well it’s the end of the month and we are ready for spring to get here. Something really odd  happened  for a couple of days. The old wall clock of Grandma and Grandpa Johnson that I brought home from Texas  and had left in the garage started ticking and chimed even  though the spring has not been rewound and had not worked since I had it. Then it stopped after a  few days. We felt like Grandpa Johnson may have visited us.  

MARCH

9  March 1997 Sunday

 I have been horrible at keeping up with things in my journal. So what is new?  James Connelly bought a small house at 164 East Herbert Street  and is going to move from the Riveria apartments.  On Friday the 7^th I bought about $100 worth of trees and shrubs to landscape  the front and back yards. I planted them today because yesterday it snowed when it supposed  to have been sunny.  I planted a Sajama Plum tree, an English Walnut tree, 2 raspberry bushes, 2 blackberry bushes, 2 grape vines, 2 lilies, 3 red dogwood trees, 3  purple  sand bushes and a lot more. I am anxious for spring I suppose. It was reported in the newspapers that on last Friday  that Gordon B. Hinckley disclosed in a newspaper article published in the LA Times that the church had made a commitment at the top levels to play an active role in the same sex marriage issue: “ Hinckley said, “We’re engaged right now in the same sex marriage problem in legislation in Hawaii.” We just made a decision today concerning the filing of a brief in that case.  That’s spreading around the country now pretty largely and we’ve become rather actively involved  in that kind of thing.”  

10 March 1997 Monday

This is the last week that Judy Chesley will be with me. Ugh! And its going to be a very long week. She’s been excellent and allowed me to concentrate on other school issues.  Mike West said he’s applying for a position with the Ft. Lauderdale Community Center as a Volunteer Coordinator, I called and gave him a good reference. After school let out I went to Freed Meyers and bought Judy a gift since I won’t be able to later in the week. I bought a nice picture frame for her. When Mike came home we went to Sutherland’s to buy a turn key pole  for the sprinkler system Rich Butler helped us put in last fall but didn’t turn on since we moved in last October. W also bought some garden hoses. At home some new neighbors bought down the street on Dale Ridge, Their names were D.J and Andrea  who were a young blue collar couple. He said that all the lots but two are sold now. His house is $124,000 and not quite as nice as ours.  

11 March 1997 Tuesday

It was a really long day with Parent-Teachers conferences and a Stonewall Center Board of Directors meeting. I gave the picture frame to Janet Parker to gift wrap it for me. I had the kids  autograph good sturdy paper with  magic markers to go with the frame to present to Judy. It looks really nice. Anyway Parent Teachers conference ran until 8  o’clock  but it went a lot smoother  than the first one last November.  I think because the kids mature so much  between November and March going from 4^th graders to 6^th graders kind of.  It also helped having two adults sharing our insights with the parents so they couldn’t gang up on me. I rushed from Orchard to the Stonewall center where I missed much of the meeting except for the fireworks between Brooke Heartsong and Renee Rinaldi. Renee resigned tonight effective April 1^st. She claimed she had the opportunity to go back to school. I for one am  glad she is leaving She doesn’t have the people skills to make the Center feel inviting and I think she was just a so-so administrator. Anyway Renee said she will still make sure that the DIG Awards  go off without a hitch on April 6^th at Memory Grove. Chuck Whyte said he’s check with Bruce Barton to see if he would like the job of director since he’s curranty unemployed.  We must hire an executive director by May1st.  The next piece of tonight’s drama was that Kim Russo almost resigned tonight because Brooke sent her a letter stating that her absence form the retreat was not excused and suggested that she resign if she is too busy to attend required meetings. Kim was so upset and I talked to her and hopefully convinced her to not resign.  

12 March 1997 Wednesday

It was a long, long day with another late night of Parent Teacher Conferences. I spent much if the day outside of the classroom working on a booklet to jive to Judy. I had all the students write a thank you note to her and pasted them on construction paper which I laminated so they could be bound in a booklet. I didn’t get home until after 8 after conferencing with parents. I am really wiped out but having Judy there really helped out. Pam Park said next year we be on a tri semester system  and will be conferences 3 times a year Ugh! No drama with parents tonight.  

13 March 1997  Thursday  

Everyone was dragging at school today fro two nights of late conferences. Pam Park was also having a shitty day as the workers tiling the ceiling in the Multi-purpose room made it impossible to do the school pictures  up on the stage.  Jennifer Blake is upset  about Jay Lewis selling his trailer so they can buy  their house. She heard that Mrs. Dalrymple had actually smacked Jordan so it was one of those kind of days. Michael went to dinner at Chinese Gourmet in West Valley with Rich Butler and Avy from Rock Springs for his supper so I didn’t see him  until late in the day. I watered the trees and shrubs with the hose tonight  because the sprinkler system has a leak somewhere.  The shrubs are budding out and the daffodil bulbs are trying to come up.

Gordon Hinckley said Gays are welcome in the church. He said, "Now, we  have gays in the church. Good people. We take no action against such people provided they don't become involved in sexual transgression. If they do, we do with them exactly what we'd do with heterosexuals who transgress". What a hypocrite. Heteroes can marry for sex but Gays can’t.  

14 March 1997 Friday

I was up by 6:30 so I could get down to the Spring Art Networking Conference in Provo and who did I see representing the Ririe Woodbury Dance Company? David Nelson from GLUD!  The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats  disbanded at the beginning of the Year after five years. David is now working  for the dance company as a public relations man. I told him about Renee Renaldi resigning last Tuesday to go back to school and updated him on what was going on at the Center. I wish he would consider the position of director. Today was Judy Chesley last day at Orchard. I wish I could have been there for her but Jennifer Blake and Janet Parker said they’d take of her for me.  

15 March 1997 Saturday

            I keep looking at all my plants outside to see which ones survived and which ones’ didn’t. Almost all the ones along the south side of the house are gone and Priscilla keeps digging up my raspberry and grape vines so will probably have to replant all of them.

            I bought three more rose bushes at home depot. My neighbors say this is the best time to plant them and they should grown in the sunny spot. I placed them I spent much of the rest of the day cleaning house.  

16 March 1997 Sunday

I went over to Beau Chaine’s pace  this morning to retrieve the boxes of old newspapers given to him by Ray Hencke years ago. Ray  ran the Gay Help Line for much of the late 1970’s  and early 80’s but when I knew him he in his 60’s and a bitchy old queen. Anyway I visited with Beau for a while. He’s still operating the Aardvark Cabaret on 4^th South near 3^rd West. He’s getting older like me but he’s in much better physical shape than me but not heath wise. He has a scar across his face where some tenant cut him for being Gay. He didn’t mention that to me but that is what Craig Hunter said. While visiting with Beau I looked to see if Billy Bikowski’s phone number was listed in Beau’s Directory At home I called him for  old times’ sake but  just an answering machine picked up. I left a message saying I hoped he was doing fine. Nothing more to really say. Anyway I talked with Craig Hunter yesterday and he said that Grant Cheever  bought a house here at North Point  Lot six facing 17^th North. So we are finally going to have Gay neighbors. I invited Craig over for dinner this coming Wednesday. I also called Mom this morning and she said she wasn’t feeling well.  

17 March 1997 Monday.

Well I’m back to work at Orchard without Judy Chesley. It sure was great having her as long as I did. When I came into the classroom I had a wonderful surprise as she bought me a comfortable office chair  for my desk. I couldn’t believe it. Its so comfortable. Today was a little like coming back from a  long vacation. Today is St. Patrick’s day so we did a  lot of leprechaun art in the afternoon.  I was miffed that the scholastic book people  sent a major revision o to our Utah pages  after I had already  mailed them in last Thursday.  I also had to sit down and send a one page summary of why I was requesting  money from the Utah Arts Council for the Artist in Residence.  Well here I am back into the swing of things. I spent much of the evening  typing p a chronology of events in the history of the Gay and Lesbian Community.  

18 March 1997Tuesday

After school let out I went to the Stonewall Center for a meeting to look at resumes. Only Ron Johnson and Brooke Heart-song attended. I brought the resumes that Brooke sent me and I was joking with Ron, lightheartedly about them when Brook got really offended. I couldn’t believe she’d get so tiffed over some innocent ribbing. I was upset and had her go into one of the back rooms and resolved a lot of issues between us and told her of my not feeling valued.  

19 March 1997 Wednesday

It’s the last day of Winter and of Candlemas. I had Craig Hunter come over for diner tonight and to see our house and show him where grant’s lot is. At it was Grant was over at the model home on the corner of Fernleaf and 1700 North also so we had him come home with us but he didn’t want to eat any dinner. We show them both all around and explained what we did to our house and what options he might think about. Anyway it was a pleasant evening visiting with both Craig and Grant. His base price on his Bridger Model is about what our mortgage is with all our options and add ons. He said the realtor was putting our house down because of our color scheme, telling Grant he should pick conservative gray colors. Just another Mormon prick  who doesn’t know anything. Grant said that Reliance has the option to build 16 more house  in another section of our subdivision  ate the end of Daleridge and Niles  to the west of us.  Norma Chaffin told Michael that the Slat Lake School District ahs the rights to the land at the far west near the freeway that could only be used as an elementary School. ‘ 

20 March 1997 Thursday

It’s the first day of Spring and mom and dad’s 51^st wedding anniversary. Strangely Grandpa Johnson’s clock started ticking again and chiming even though its never been wound and even the pendulum is not attached. I think grandpa is visiting again.  Anyway Michael will take work off tomorrow because he has to work Saturday doing parts inventory for Big A.  So we bought some sprinkler parts for the sprinkler system as its been leaking . We found that it was leaking at the manifold and out at the medium strip where the cable people crunched a  piece of the pipe. Priscilla has pretty much chewed up all my raspberry and grapes. Oh well. I should have put a fence around them . It really makes me happy to come home and water the plants and see new life remerging fro Winter’s slumber.

21 March 1997 Friday

It’s officially the first full day of Spring and John Romero’s birthday, Michael’s brother.  He took the day off and Judy Chesley is subbing for Mrs. Tau’a so I got to see her again. I asked of she’d work for me on the 10^th of April for my birthday.  I was elected DEA representative this year. Dan Unger and I were the only ones who ran for  it. My kids Shawn and Ryan have been off the wall in class today. I told our councilor Kim that I am sending them over to him on Monday to deal with because I can’t do a thing with them and they are constantly annoying the class. It was such beautiful weather. I have taken the kids outside for recess all week and P.E. because they are so antsy. It’s so hard to believe that the year is almost over. Yay!  At home we didn’t do anything tonight. Just kind of tired. Tomorrow Mike invited Lynn Gilman, her brother Terry, Tina and Diane and Shannon a friend of Lynn’s to come over for dinner. They are dyke friends of his from work and I know Lynn from the Library at the Stonewall Center. I think Terry Gilman is with the Youth Group.   Craig Hunter couldn’t make it as he was going to Escalante to check on his property  down there and Ron Johnson is going to San Jose after all.  I worked a little on Gay and Lesbian history tonight.             The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN) held its first national conference in Salt Lake City today.  Salt Lake was chosen because of Utah’s 1996 attacks on Gay clubs. The Keynote address was by Urvashi Vaid author of “Virtual Equality”.  The newspaper stated 277 participants came to the conference from 31 states and Canada.             Another article in the Tribune was on the Utah AIDS Foundation’s Oscar Night fundraiser. “Who Will Win (and Who Should Win) Oscars; Some Taking a Shine To Rush, But Don't Count Out Billy Bob Byline: BY SEAN P. MEANS THE SALTLAKE TRIBUNE AIDS Foundation Oscar Night   In what is becoming an Oscar tradition, the Utah AIDS Foundation will honor volunteers at its annual Oscar Night Gala on Monday.   About 2,000 partygoers are expected to attend the sixth annual gala, with the theme ``Cirque de Vie (Circus of Life),'' starting at 6p.m. Monday at the Grand and Horticulture building at the Utah State Fairpark.   At the party, one of 23 nationwide sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, revelers will watch the Oscar telecast on large screens. They also will enjoy live circus entertainment, a catered dinner, a silent auction, a raffle drawing and dancing.   ``Academy of Friends Awards'' will be presented to people who have worked to help people living with AIDS and HIV in Utah and who have fought the spread of the virus. Those volunteers are Glen Dimond, Sue Foster, Brenda Burton, Lou Arnold, Helen Forsberg and Kathy Lynch.   Tickets for the gala are $45 a person reserved table seating, $360 for a table of eight, or $1,000 for a corporate table of 10. Tickets are available at Smith's Tix, or by calling the Utah AIDS Foundation at 487-2323.  

22 March 1997 Saturday

Michael had to work this morning so I cleaned the house, mopped the floors and worked in the yard some. When Mike came home, we went to Fred Meyers and there I also bought 2 forsythia bushes and thirty dollars worth of perennials and pansies. I was cooking dinner of Spaghetti, making a Caesar salad, Garlic bread and Zuppe Anglaise for dessert along with stuffed mushrooms while also working in the yard right up until Lynn and Terry Gilman showed up. All the others did not show up so I had a lot food left but it was pleasant anyway. I asked Lynn to consider being on the Board of Directors of the Stonewall Center.  

23 March 1997 Sunday

It was a marvelous day outside  in the yard. I finished planting all my perennials and Michael was digging up the irrigation manifold  when Rich Butler  showed up. He  needed help in taking him back from West Valley after dropping off his truck for a tune up.  He stayed with us then and helped  repair the sprinkler systems. While they worked  on that I fertilized the grass, picked up some rocks from around the subdivision to make a border around the garden beds. I also had three wheel barrel  loads of dirt  to build up the bed  in front of the house. I was sunburned working in the yard all day but it was fu. The neighbor lady named Jenna complemented how nice our yard  looks. Priscilla sure likes to play with Cody, Norma and Lynn Chaffin’s  little pup. Mike calls him Priscilla’s boyfriend. Oscar sure acts  like a wild dog  charging the whirly birds sprinklers when they are on. Rich brought over his BBQ grill  for us to use and we BBQed  chicken on the back porch. The weather started to cool off  but it was our first BBQ of the season. That was fun/  Michael and Rich were getting loopy drinking cinnamon schnapps and Peppermint schnapps  between drinking beers. We finished off the evening  driving out to Tooele Valley to see the total eclipse of the moon and the comet Hale Bopp.  

24 March 1997 Monday

I had Shawn Johnson and Ryan Johnson over at Kim’s office all day so it was so much better in the classroom. It was windy as all get out today and this morning and this morning it rained and sleeted but by the afternoon things cleared up. The Gay teachers Conference was held last weekend and Doug Wortham is the power behind making that happen. He’s a French teacher at Judge Memorial High School. It was the first national Conference and was held in Salt Lake City. After school, I cleaned  up the straw we put down in the backyard  as it had blown all over and needed to be raked up.. Renee Rinaldi called and wanted me to attend the focus workshop this Wednesday and I said “No’ I’m tired of her constant short notices  because she is so inept. Michael watched the Oscars tonight while I typed up more information from the Newspapers saved form 20 years ago by  Ray  Hencke. Bob Waldrop sure swept in to Salt Lake City like a breath of fresh air back then and began to immediately kick butt. Salt Lake was really on the move  back then. I wonder how things would have been like without Ronald Reagan and if Jimmy Carter would have been President during the AIDS epidemic. The movie English Patient won the Oscar for best picture.

 25 March 1997

Orchard had a Mountain Man from Ogden come to the school  this afternoon. He played Hugh Glass in the Mountain Man movie they play in Zion National Park. Our special ed teacher Jeannie Wheelright [Roubinet] is upset that I set Ryan and Shawn  over to Resource. Well too bad they don’t do anything else for 4^th Grade. Shawn tried to be better  this morning but by afternoon was  wacky as ever. I’ve given up on Ryan settling down as I am not a trained therapist. Even Shane Smith was ready to throttle the pair of them. At home I fixed dinner of sausages, eggs and French toast and then Mike and I went to Home Depot where he wanted to buy more PVC pipe to build a shelf for his record albums in his closet. We also bought a leaf rake, pruning shears, a medicine cabinet  for the downstairs bathroom  for $35 and I also bought 5 mungo pines , 2 more rose bushes and 2 barberry bushes for the yard spending $116 in all. I want to go to Sauna’s nursey in Kaysville to buy some ground cover for the medians. It was too dark to plant anything when We came home so I just watched TV and typed up some of my journal from 1977 before going to bed at 10:30 Grant Cheevers’  Foundation for Lot 10 was dug today almost a year after ours was.  

26 March 1997 Wednesday

Today is the end of the 3^rd Term . We finished our Easter Eggs designs  and clean ed up our room which needed it. When I came home from work I planted the Mungo pines and the barberry bushes to get them into the ground. I didn’t do much ese  until the evening when I finished typing up The Open Door articles from the 1970s.  That was a chore. I’m going to write my next article for the Xchange  on the year 1977. The Heaven Gates Cult  all committed suicide to ride away of the Hale Bopp comet. Thirty-Nine people killed themselves in San Diego  

27 March 1997 Thursday

            It was teacher’s comp day so I was able to work in my classroom all day without any of the kids so I was able to get  all the grades done.  Jennifer Blake said she’s going to close on her house today because interests are going up. My hay fever has not kicked in , thank the goddess. It might not be as bad where we are far from the city where threes on Elm Trees.  Michael took Friday and Monday off also and we decided to stay home rather than go to Wyoming  for Easter. Rich Butler came over to go bike riding with us along the Jordan River trail.  

28 March 1997 Friday

Mike bought a ceiling fan for the kitchen at Fred Meyers and he installed it himself. He also put up the medicine cabinet we bought at Home Depot for the downstairs bathroom. In the afternoon I rented Come and See from the Tower Theater along with Cabeza de Vaca . Come and See is a Russian film  about the Nazi genocide which I saw years ago at Cinema in Your Face.  It was a pleasant day out .  read another AIDS obituary in the news paper  “Troy Pierce Jeffers, age 30 died in Salt Lake City. A native of Texas,. Troy loved the outdoors, gardening, cooking and people. He especially loved lilacs.   Special thanks to Dr. Kristin Ries, Maggie, Clinic One staff, Community Nursing Services, with deep appreciation to St. Joseph Villa.    

29 March 1997 Saturday

We drove to Kaysville this afternoon to met up with Shawna Owens at her nursery. I bought a flat of dragon blood and flat of periwinkle  for the median parking strip. I also bought a Globe Willow sapling from her. It was a pretty day out so we drove down to Little Baja Pottery in Sandu  but they were just closing up when we arrived so we didn’t get a chance to look around. I called John Reeves today and we talked for over an hour about the Heaven Gates Cult that killed themselves  last week in California so they could rendezvous  with a space ship behind Hale-Bopp  Comet. He said he was excited that he was also interviewed by Robin Willimas, the actor, for insights on his role  he was playing as a college profession. I also been speaking to people  lately about the history I am writing. I called Willy Marshall to get Bob Waldrop’s address  only find that he moved back to Oklahoma where he became a Catholic Priest in a monastery order. That sounds just like Bob. I also called Steve barker who lives in Ogden  because he was a former member if the Board of Directors for the Gay Service Coalition. He gave me a slew   of information also.  

30 March 1997 Sunday

            Today is Easter Sundy and such a beautiful day here. I invited Rich Butler over to spend the day and we barbequed chicken and ribs. Rich mowed our lawn for the first time since we laid it last  year. I planted the Dragon Blood and Periwinkle between the sidewalk and the curb. Michael worked on he sprinkler system, getting all the leaks  taken care of. It was about 74 degrees today and it was nice to sit on the back deck drinking iced tea with Mike and Rich with their beer. Michael gave away our beta fish today to Brandon the neighbor boy who lives across from us. So now we just have Bug Daddy and the grouper left in out tank. Michael and Rich finished off the schnapps and had a good time doing it.  

31 March 1997 Monday

This would have been Grandma Williams’ 95^th birthday had she not died in 1979 at the age of 76.  Michael and I cleaned  house all morning as the weather began to turn bad. In fact the wind  kicked up so much that tumble weeds were flying everywhere and the last of our straw  was blown all over our nice sod grass. It was 63 degree this morning but by noon it had dropped to 43 degrees and 3  it was snowing like in blizzard conditions. So strange. Yesterday we were enjoying a nice BBQ and today its like winter wonderland. I hope everything in the yard survives but its hard to tell. I wrote my article for the XChange today I need to call Kim Russo and drop it off to her. Well is the end of March and another April is just around the corner. It will be nice to have Gay neighbors here in this subdivision. Life Is full of circles. I can’t believe how much I enjoy being outside doing yard work. Absolutely hated it as a kid but seeing each new bud emerge on the plants is like a new affirmation of life.