Ora Carpenter Omerza journal, 9 Oct 1982 - 24 Apr 1983

9 Oct 1982 Saturday

Dan and Linda were here most of the day working on the house. Bertha and I spent the day cleaning house and preparing for Sunday.

10 Oct 1982

Today is Sunday. The meetings were very inspiring. Bishop Alder talked in Sacrament meeting. His message was counseling families. It was very good.

Tomorrow I am going back to Mesa. I have been here for 6 weeks. It has been very good for me. I have been very relaxed with no obligations or responsibilities. Bertha has been very good to me. I have enjoyed being here so much, but it is time for other things.

24 April 1983

It has been six months since I have written in my journal.

Bertha and I came to Mesa from Thatcher on the 11 October 1982. Marlene was expecting her baby on the 12th and I wanted to be here for that event.

Bertha and I did some Temple work and then she went back home.

The baby didn’t arrive until a month later 12 November 1982. They named him James Alexander Omerza. He is a big strong baby and we are proud and thankful for him.

On the 15 October I went with Ted and Nancy and children to Pine AZ for the weekend. Nancy’s folks had just built a beautiful mountain home there. We had the whole place to ourselves. The weather was beautiful, the leaves were turning. It was cook at night but just right in the day. The following day 16 Oct. was Ted’s birthday. What a lovely place to celebrate a birthday. The children and I went for walks and we drove around the country side. It was so still and peaceful there. It was a great week end.

After Marlene’s baby came in November I helped at their home a little. Marlene got along fine and was soon able to be up and going again.

Before I knew it Thanksgiving was upon us. I was staying with Madge and family at the time as the house I was getting wasn’t quite ready. For Thanksgiving I went with Madge and family to Show Low where they have a mountain cabin. It was a good time and we had snow, rain and sunshine. Our Thanksgiving dinner didn’t go exactly as planned. The boys and Melissa had gone out exploring the country side. They had a motor cycle and got stuck in the mud, so they didn’t get back in time for dinner and Madge and John had to go to their rescue. All in all it was a very enjoyable time. They have a lovely place.

I spent Christmas with Madge and family. It’s always exciting to be with children on Christmas.

My house was ready for me to move into on Wednesday, 27 Dec 1982. I moved into the house at 915 So. Daley in Mesa.

Madge and her family were going to Show Low for New Year’s. Jay and his family and Ted and his family came and spent New Year’s Eve with me. Nancy prepared the food. She even brought the table cloth and center piece. Everything was so pretty and the food delicious. After we ate we sat around the fire and watched the old year out and the new year in. It was so good to have them with me.

It takes quite a lot of doing to get used to a new house. I had been with Madge for two and a half months so it seemed a little quiet for awhile. I had the flu and wasn’t feeling too well at the time I moved. There was a lot to be done and I wasn’t feeling up to it. I had a cough I just couldn’t get rid of. The only remedy I hadn’t tried was going to bed. So I stayed on the bed most of the time for about two weeks. I finally got rid of the cough and began to feel better.

I went to my new ward (Mesa 40th) for the first time on 2 Jan 1983. It is a very friendly ward and I have felt right at home. I had visiting teachers come right away. They are Annie McDowell and Marva Little. I found I had gone to Gila Jr. College with Marva. In Feb. Sister Little was away so I went visiting teaching with Sister McDowell. In March Sister McDowell was ill so I went visiting teaching with Sister Little. It’s a good way to get acquainted with some of the Sisters in the ward. I was also asked to be a Visiting Teacher. My partner is Sister Mildred Cooper.

On 2 March I went to the Temple with Sarah and Rallen Dimick. Em and I had gone with them when they were sealed. This was in the 1950s, but due to the changes and the circumstances in their lives they hadn’t been to the Temple in many years. I was so happy to be able to go with them again. After the endowment session, Rollin had his father and mother sealed and then he was sealed to them. It was a very special day for them. They came and stayed overnight with me and then went back to the Temple the next morning before leaving for their home in Yuma.

My brother and sister and I had decided some time ago to sell our farm land in Thatcher. Joe acted as our Realtor. It finally went through and we got our first payment in Feb. We had planned a dinner for Joe and Florence to show our appreciation for all of Joe’s work. Floyd and Marie happened to come down from New Mexico the second week in March so we had our dinner while they were here, 9th of March. All we lacked was Reid and Ruth to have all the brothers and sisters together. We had a great time. We cooked steaks outside on the grill and had a very informal get together. Afton had written some poems for Joe about his work in selling the farm. They were very clever. Then Afton and Lorna had fixed up a simulated realtors license. We had a lot of fun. We were glad to have Floyd and Marie here.

I failed to mention that Aunt Rilla Carpenter passed away 19 Dec 1982. I went with Afton over to Thatcher for the funeral.

Uncle Ray and Aunt Rilla had planned a Temple session for the family for their 60th wedding anniversary in April. Uncle Ray decided to go ahead with the Temple Session. He and Uncle John are the only ones of their immediate family left. Most of his brother’s families were represented at the Temple on 9 April. He had his children and many of his grandchildren there. Uncle John was there. He was 99 on 7 March.

Bertha came over for the occasion. I had a short visit with her. Reid and Ruth were here for two days. They went to the Temple with us. We tried to get the brothers and sisters together with Reid but it didn’t work out. We all got together at my home but since we hadn’t contacted Reid before we met, he had other plans but we had a good visit. Reid came and visited with me the next day. The others were all involved in something else.

Marlene wanted to get the family together for Jay’s and John’s birthdays on the 15 April but John had a father daughter outing so the rest of us got together at Madge’s. It was a nice evening.

Madge and John are moving from their house on Brown Road. They have to give possession on the 30 April. The children have been sick so it is a trying time for Madge.