Camping

Braden's visit to be

Bad news. We couldn't get Braden out on the days that we had talked about. The only day that they could offer us was the 4th. I sent his whole itinerary for you to see. I thought that it might be easy to see if one of the siblings, if not you could pick up him up after the parade, then you could be in Nephi for the fireworks. Let me know if that isn't going to work and we might be able to fly him out earlier, like the weekend before the 4th. I just didn't want to have him gone forever. He will be there from the 4th to the 11th, then at EFY from the 11th to the 16th. On the 16th he will need someone to pick him up at BYU, then he will be with you until the 28th. Please help him to help you out with babysitting, yard work, helping Jim, anything that will keep him busy. He loves to serve, but doesn't always know the best way about it. He hates being in Massachusetts, and I figure that he will be okay being back here after he has been away for a little while--absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Braden graduates from the eighth grade tomorrow night. It should be and interesting program. It is supposed to be in the eighties tomorrow, and we are having the ceremony in the gymnasium at the Middle School. Fun!

I hope that I get to talk with you soon.
Melanie

Do you know who is going to pick him up? It would make sense to have Shawn pick him up, if Shawn is coming down to the fireworks for the evening. If not, Amy and I can go get him.
Todd
Dad can go get him if you want to come down to Nephi. If Dad goes alone, I will need a ride to Nephi so I can start getting food ready. Whatever is best for everyone is fine for me. Shawn and family are at Woodbadge training. 
Love, Mom

Picking up the children. . .

This is what David and Bree went through to pick up the kids on Sunday after our keeping the kids for a visit. A fire closed I-15, threatened a town.

Winds, high temperature still hampering firefighters 

 By Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News 

      

ST. GEORGE — Dry winds and hot temperatures continued to hamper firefighters Sunday as they battled two major blazes, including one that threatened a small town and again closed I-15.
An air tanker drops fire retardant Sunday next to I-15 at exit 33 north of St. George.
Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News (photos)
Today's forecast for the St. George area called for more wind and sunny conditions with highs in the upper 90s.
      

The lightning-caused Blue Springs Fire consumed more than 8,000 acres within the Dixie National Forest on the west side of I-15, forcing the Utah Highway Patrol to close down the freeway in both directions several times Sunday.
      "It's a waiting game. We watch the flames on the ridge up there and hope the line holds," said UHP Lt. David Excell, as he looked toward the western slope of a steep hillside across the freeway at the Pintura exit.
      

I-15 was closed between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 a.m. Sunday, forcing hundreds of motorists to make alternate plans. Dozens of semitrailer trucks were parked overnight along frontage roads in the St. George area after the freeway was closed, and motel rooms were hard to come by.
      

St. George Police Sgt. Rich Farnsworth said the department chose not to ask truckers to move their rigs since the drivers had "no other choice" than to park where they could.
      

Clair Jolley, Bureau of Land Management line operations supervisor at the Pintura location, said his crews were standing ready to protect a single home tucked away in the pine trees. Firefighters also cut numerous firebreaks and kept hot spots from reigniting once the active fire passed an area.
      

Heavy air tankers continued to make aerial passes over the flames, dumping fire retardant along the fire lines. Several massive power lines in the path of the Blue Springs Fire were burned, although Jolley said the power had already been diverted.
      

A helicopter carrying a water bladder also flew overhead.
Traffic is stopped north of St. George as crews work to keep fire from crossing I-15.(photo)
Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News      

Several miles away, on the west side of the county, the Westside Complex Fire consumed another 10,000 acres overnight and into Sunday, bringing its total to 68,264 acres.
      

"We made some good progress against the Westside," said David Boyd, BLM fire information officer. Boyd said winds calmed Sunday in the area, helping the firefighting effort considerably. That fire, also caused by lightning, is 70 percent contained and is expected to be fully contained at some point on Tuesday.
      

The evacuation order for folks living in Gunlock also was lifted on Sunday, allowing those who left the town of 200 residents to return home.       

Residents of New Harmony could face the same kind of evacuation order, however, if the Blue Springs Fire continues its northern push, Boyd said.
      

Lea Twitchell and her family were told to leave their New Harmony home if flames reached a ridgetop three miles away.
      

"At church today, the bishop told us all to go home and get our valuables together, just in case," she said. Church members were calling everyone on a phone tree Sunday, and visited other neighbors who weren't on the list or don't have phones.
      

Her husband, Craig Twitchell, and son, Greg Barnes, were mowing high weeds near their house, and her 17-year-old daughter, Christie Barnes, was gathering food for three horses, three dogs, five ferrets, a hamster and a guinea pig in case flames reached the ridgetop.
      

She said smoke and ash had already built up a layer on the cars. "It's a little bit irritating to breathe," she said.
A crew from central Idaho waits on standby near I-15 at Exit 33 as the wildfire burns near the freeway.(photo)
    Fire crews began a burnout around 7 p.m. Sunday in an effort to push the head of the Blue Springs Fire back into the rugged mountain terrain and away from the open, grassy flats where New Harmony, population about 200, lies.
      

"We are developing trigger points for the fire so that we know when we would need to put an evacuation order in place," Boyd said Sunday evening. "The fire is about six miles from New Harmony, however, and evacuations are not imminent."
      

Max Lasley of Cedar City was one of several people who drove down to see the wildfire before heading back home.
      

"I fought fires for three years with the Red Eye engine crew," said Lasley, who now works in another business. "I really miss it. I guarantee you any firefighter that comes to see this is just aching to fight it."

Kevin Childs About His New Home

Kevin Childs wrote:

Hello,

As I had promised most of you all that I would get some pictures sent so here at last they are.  

The first is of the flood that happened that day the house we put on the market.  (lucky us) and the very strange weather we had a week ago, and some of the new house that is coming along well.   It should be all done and ready to move in around the first of Aug!!

Photos must be viewed via computer at Photo E-mail.

Braden's Time Schedule

Date: 04JUL - MONDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 1113
Departure: BOSTON 9:00 AM
Arrival: DALLAS FT WORTH 12:07 PM
MR BRADEN BOLTON
SEAT 18B
COACH
FOOD FOR PURCHASE
 _____

Date: 04JUL - MONDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 491
Departure: DALLAS FT WORTH 2:05 PM
Arrival: SALT LAKE CITY 3:43 PM
MR BRADEN BOLTON
SEAT 11F
COACH
 _____
Date: 28JUL - THURSDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 1980
Departure: SALT LAKE CITY 11:55 AM
Arrival: DALLAS FT WORTH 3:29 PM
MR BRADEN BOLTON
SEAT 10F
COACH
 _____
Date: 28JUL - THURSDAY
Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 690
Departure: DALLAS FT WORTH 5:02 PM
Arrival: BOSTON 9:35 PM
MR BRADEN BOLTON
SEAT 20C
COACH
FOOD FOR PURCHASE

Melanie, we will work out who picks him up. We will be glad to have him with us. Mom

new addresses‏

We are finally in the age of high speed internet instead of dial-up. We have two new addresses:

Bolton family information can be sent to:

hbolton20@comcast.net

cellmel@comcast.net

Hope to hear from you soon. We will have the AOL account open for a few more weeks, but after that, it will only be Comcast.

Melanie

Congratulations to Brigitta

Myrna wrote: Well! Congratuations!!!! We always knew you were very bright so this just confirms it. Love, Grammy

Brigitta wrote: Thanks!

AnnMarie Not Feeling Well

Has AnnMarie ever been tested for Lyme Disease? Some of the symptoms that she describes remind me of the symptoms of one of our church friends who didn't discover they had Lyme Disease for twenty years. The symptoms are similar to AnnMarie's. Just a thought.

Mel

I don't know. I'll ask her tommorrow. I just found out that Lyme Disease can also be an autoimmune disease. I didn't know that. Love, Mom

Lyme disease
Borreliosis; Bannwarth syndrome
Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease spread through a tick bite. Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi). Certain ticks carry these bacteria. The ticks pick up the bacteria when they bite mice or deer that are infected with Lyme disease. You can get the disease if you are bitten by an infected tick.

Lyme disease was first reported in the United States in the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975. Cases have now been reported in most parts of the United States. Lyme disease is usually seen during the late spring, summer, and early fall.
There are 3 stages of Lyme disease.
	Stage 1 is called primary Lyme disease.
	Stage 2 is called secondary Lyme disease and early disseminated Lyme disease.
	Stage 3 is called tertiary Lyme disease and chronic persistent Lyme disease.

In most cases, a tick must be on your body for 48 hours to spread the bacteria to your blood.
Symptoms of early Lyme disease are similiar to the flu and may include: Body-wide itching, Chills, Fever, General ill-feeling, Headache, Light-headedness or fainting, Muscle pain, Stiff neck. There may be a "bulls eye" rash, a flat or slightly raised red spot at the site of the tick bite. Often there is a clear area in the center. It can be larger than 1 - 3 inches wide.

Symptoms may come and go. Untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the brain, hearts, and joints. Symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease may include:
	Abnormal muscle movement, Joint swelling in the knees and other areas, Muscle weakness, Numbness and tingling, Skipped heartbeats (palpitations), Speech problems, Unusual or strange behavior.

Note: Deer ticks can be so small that they are almost impossible to see. Many people with Lyme disease never even saw a tick on their body.

A blood test can be done to check for antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The most commonly used is theELISA for Lyme disease test. A western blot test is done to confirm ELISA results.

A physical exam may show joint, heart, or brain problems in people with late-stage Lyme disease. Other tests that may be done include: Electrocardiogram, Echocardiogram to look at the heart, Spinal tap (lumbar puncture to examine spinal fluid, MRI of the brain.

Anyone who has been bitten by a tick should be watched closely for at least 30 days. A single dose of antibiotics may be offered to someone soon after being bitten by a tick. A full course of antibiotics is used to treat people who are proven to have Lyme disease. If diagnosed in the early stages, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotics. Without treatment, complications involving the joints, heart, and nervous system can occur.

Rarely, a person will continue having symptoms that can interfere with daily life. Some people call this post-Lyme disease syndrome.

Advanced stages of Lyme disease can cause long-term joint inflammation (Lyme arthritis) and heart rhythm problems. Brain and nervous system problems are also possible, and may include: Decreased concentration, Memory disorders, Nerve damage, Numbness, Pain, Paralysis of the face muscles, Sleep disorders, Vision problems.

Two Bolton Poems

These two poems were recently discovered in our house. Mel

Mother Dearest--Ben Bolton
My Mom is like a spring day.
Beautiful and sunny.
My room is like a war-torn country.
Screwed up,
Two cultures attacking.
Two brothers.
Mom arrives stat.
Two brothers.
One apart from the other.
Mom is like a peace treaty
Solving a war.
My Mom is like a maid,
Cleaning our messes and more.
She is my Mom.
She loves me.
Sometimes I don't know why.
She is my mother,
And nothing less.


Braden--by Mikaela Bolton
Braden likes games.
Where is Braden?
All day he plays.
Discovering how to play.
Everybody loves Braden.
Nobody thinks Braden is not nice.

Myrna/Barbara

Barbara, could you send me a few things the kids are doing? We are trying to get a family newsletter together and need some things. David is the only one who doesn't have his stuff in. I am nagging but he is not doing. I know that he is incredibly busy right now and he may not even have read the emails. All we need is a couple of paragraphs. If you want to participate, put in some stuff about you and we will send you a copy. If not, I understand. Why would you want a bunch of stuff from my kids. But if you would. . .Myrna

Friday, 24 Jun 2005 13:12:57  
Myrna, I am so sorry, I have not checked my mail for a while. I have been so busy that I don't seem to have time to do anything. I told Leonard the other night that I am a "bad weather" friend. If I had read the mail earlier I would have let you know that I didn't have anything anyway. Everything seems pretty mundane or just flat uninteresting with my life. No one seems to want anything to do with me, except for free babysitting, or if I'm paying for camping trips, then they are right there.
By the way, I feel that since I am watching the kids three nights a week, have them overnight on Friday night and watch them all day Saturday, so that the parents can both work, those working parents should pay me. I have been doing it forever anyway, for nothing, and I would take the kids without any compensation permanently if I could. 
This last year has been a rough one. I feel better but. . .
Let me know what you think about the "paying me" thing. Bree told me that David thought it was incredibly unnatural, that Grandmothers in his culture just do that (babysit grandchildren) for nothing. All of them.
Write me, I will get better about reading my email.
Love Barbara
6/27/05
Barbara, I don't know what to tell you. My curcumstances are different from yours. I do not work full time, as you do.  
I do not charge for babysitting my grandchildren. I consider having them in my life payment in full. They are my treasure: the gift I received to compensate me for growing old. I know grandmothers who do charge a babysitting fee (mostly to pay for groceries used by the kids and for other supplies also used by the kids) and I also know grandmothers who do not charge. I guess it is up to the family.  
AnnMarie and I go through this every fall. She wants to pay and I refuse to let her. From time to time she does something nice for us, like taking Leonard and I out to dinner or taking us somewhere with the family. I tell her that I enjoy having kids around, they keep me young. 
I don't think your own kids ever give you the respect that you think you have earned. I think that is something that your grandchildren give you. I had kids because I enjoy the wonderful joy of being a mother of young children. I enjoyed being a mother of old children. I just liked and like being a mother. I didn't, and don't, expect much back. My children who are now getting older, some turning 40 and 42, are now are beginning, from outward appearances, to honor me and respect me. Mostly my kids are busy with their own lives and have little time for anyone else. What little time they do have they spend with their own families. I think that is the way it is supposed to be. I may think differently when I am a senile 90, if I live so long, but I now think that they should concentrate on their own families. 
I think about my dad and I guess I treat him the same way. He has called and left me two messages, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Neither time was I home. I will call him today and talk for awhile but he doesn't know that I am waiting until I know his "coffee buddies" have gone home. (He and a group of old guy friends go for a walk every morning and then stop by his house for coffee and a chat.) He is 86 and if I don't start visiting him more it will be too late and I will have another regret to add to the list I keep in my head.  
Sorry that I have been no help to you with your problem. I just don't know what to tell you. I do know that the problem with some of my kids is caused by me because I have spoiled them. But then, if I were to do it all again, I would probably still spoil them. I always considered my kids my blessings. (Of course, there were, and are, times. . .) The problem with children is that by the time you have figured out what you are doing wrong, they have grown up.
My grandmother used to tell me to do better than she had. That way, she said, each generation would be better than the last. I am counting on my kids being better than me and my grandkids being perfect. 
I also know that the whole time Erin was here it was "my grandma" this and "my grandma" that. I was almost jealous of the great time you have together. She told me that when she was with you next time she was going to ask you to "make panacakes and eggs." Donovin also loves you dearly. You must be doing something right to earn that love and respect.