NEWS FROM LILA

I talked with Lila on the phone this afternoon, after she had been to dialysis in the morning. She had received the draft memoirs, "Lives in Motion," and said she had already really enjoyed reading all of the early chapters, up through my college years. She wanted to know how I could remember all those details. I told her that we had done a lot of research from mother's scrapbooks, the Cartwright history book that was prepared some years ago, and lots of other sources. Marie and I have kept our newsletters and other records over the years, enabling us to reconstruct much of what has gone on in our lives.

Lila says she gets cramps during dialysis and had to use a wheel chair to return to her apartment because she couldn't walk. Otherwise, she says she feels better in some ways because of some new medication.

She had a bountiful garden in front of her apartment, but is being urged to remove the vines because mice are hiding under them and invading the apartment complex. Tim is hunting this weekend in Newtown, but she thought Cindy and the kids might be able to help her remove the overgrown plants.

Jennie is getting married in June, and is planning a big wedding in Miles City. Her fiance is also from Miles City. She has been teaching Special Education in Bozeman.

Marilyn and Issy stopped by to see her on their trip to Minnesota to visit Carol and Susan and Harvey.

Bill

BELGIAN POLITICS, BY HEDWIG

Hello Bill and Marie,

Glad to hear that your eye surgery has been successful. We hope you have a less blurry sight again.

Some days ago you were asking some on-the-spot information about the political situation in Belgium at this moment, after you had been informed about an alarming situation over here.

Be sure, we won't get a civil war, but the situation is not very simple either.

I think it is useless, even impossible, to inform you about what is going on here, without giving you an idea about how things have become the way the are right now.

I therefore went digging in some books and on the internet, and also from my own knowledge and experience. I typed down, translated, cut and pasted and so I came to what you find in the attachment to this e-mail.

The document I made is in "Word".

Enjoy the reading and just learn a bit about your grandfather's homeland and what has become of it.

All the best from "Flanders",

Hedwig and Herna

PHOTOS AND A NOTE FROM THE WHITNEYS

Was going to put a photo on the lasseyclan website, but the password didn't work.
So I have email them instead.

We had a birthday party for Dustin. We just had to take a 4 generation photo for
each side. Here it is.

Great Grandma Lyla, Grandma Karen, Shawn, Tracy, Jamie, Brett, Grandma Donna
Schmit, and Great Grandma Marie Jacobson.

There is also a second with Brett and Alex.

MOUNTAIN VIEW FROM OUR CONDO

VIEWS FROM OUR CONDO

Report on Labor Day Celebration

The Lassey Reunion went really well. Everybody had Powder Keg Pizza on Saturday Night. Mavis fixed dinner on Sunday--a great meal of Halibut (That Luke and Tara had caught fishing in Alaska) and BBQ Pork Loin. Everybody ate with enthusiasm and then we all went down to the river and spent the afternoon and evening playing games and visiting. Cindy and her four kids; Tim; Linda & Dallas; Tara, Luke & Abbie; Shawn, Tracy and kids; Mavis & Ron; Dad; Issy & I; Julie, Dennis, Ashley and Dan; and four of Dennis' brother Kenny's children. Everybody had hot dogs; roasted over the fire; and smore's. Stayed until dark! We lucked out with a beautiful day. Everyone really enjoyed it.

Monday I brought lunch over. Charlie and Terry joined us. More visiting, and of course everyone was getting ready to go home.

Linda and Dallas, and Charlie and Terry, had been in Bismarck to see Lila; They stopped at Dad's on their way back. They said Lila is not very well and is in a lot of pain every time she goes to dialysis. It takes her a whole day to recoup and then she has to go back again. She is apparently having trouble with her good eye also.

Issy and I are taking our trailer, leaving Sunday, to visit both Carol and spend Susan's birthday with her on September 12. In between, we are going to Hutchenson, Minn. to visit some dear friends and play some pinochle.

Hope all is going well with you.

Love,

Issy and Marilyn

A NOTE FROM STAN AND MARILYNN

Stan and Marilynn wrote us a very nice note, and wanted us to send their greetings to the rest of the family. They like reading the blog and "seeing what folks are up to." They also wanted to know the status of the Cayko accident, wondering if it involved Andy and Sharon Cayko. Both continue to work but are planning to retire in 2008 so they "can do the other things they want to do." Maybe we'll see more of them after that!

Bill

NEWS FROM YELLOW SPRINGS

Hi everyone,

It's so good to hear about what you all
are doing. I thought I should update you on our
goings-on. I am finishing a second Master's Degree in
Special Education (my first Master's was in Art
Therapy). I have gotten interested in working with
gifted students after volunteering at Mollie's school
where she is in the gifted program. I lucked into a
job teaching gifted students at a middle school only a
15 minute drive from home and starting working August
20. I am actually finishing up my student teaching in
Special Education and teaching gifted at the same
school, so I am working with students at both ends of
the spectrum. I suppose I am taking after Gramma
Lassey after all! It is really interesting and I'm
enjoying it quite a bit.

Mollie is starting 5th grade this year and is really
looking forward to her year. Her school is a National
School of Excellence and provides a lot of great
opportunities for the students. She'll be going to an
overnight weeklong outdoor education camp this fall
with her 5th grade class, and will also participate in
the gifted program in math, fine arts, and reading.
She is crazy about Harry Potter and has read all the
books through twice. She is nearly through with the
7th book for the second time. She reads all the time,
in addition to Harry Potter, and has a stack of about
10 books that she is currently reading. At the Open
House to start school the principal told Saul that
Mollie had the highest score on the achievement tests
(you know we have to brag a little!). She will be
playing soccer this fall and has chosen to play the
flute in the school orchestra. It promises to be an
interesting year, as I'm sure is the case with all of
your children and grandchildren.

Saul continues to act as Chair of the Special
Education Department at Antioch University/McGregor
which is right here in Yellow Springs. You may have
heard that Antioch College, a somewhat famous and
notorious small liberal arts college located here in
Yellow Springs was closed down recently. Antioch
McGregor where Saul teaches is a separate branch of
the university, so all is well for us for now. And,
Antioch College may stay open after all as people all
over the world have donated money to keep it open.
Antioch was on par with Harvard many years ago, but
its reputation has gone down over the years. However,
many famous people have come through here including
Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s wife, so
there is a lot of support to keep it up and running.
There has been a lot of national media attention to
this over the past month or so. Saul stays very busy
teaching, advising students and administrating the
department. I work with a number of his former
students at my school and he is a much loved and
respected teacher.

We were in Montana over the summer, but spent our time
with my mother up at Flathead Lake. Her husband of
over 25 years passed away last December, so we had a
memorial service for him in July. His children came
from the east and west coast along with Maureen and
me. My family (Saul, Mollie, me) then spent a few
days on the island with my mother. The island is
still pretty much the same a s it always has been for
those of you who visited over the years. Flathead
Lake is truly a beautiful place. It was really fun to
do the same things with Mollie that I used to do as a
child - swim, skip rocks, gather rocks, read, cook on
the beach....We had a nice time.

Best to all of you. Hope all is well and keep in
touch.

Love, Dione

SOME WORDS FROM BELGIUM

We know this posting will appear on the Blog at a moment that a number of the Lassey Clan will be enjoying the get-together at the farm in Cartwright. Have fun there !
To those who cannot attend because of health reasons, we wish a quick recovery.
We went through a bad Summer here in different aspects. We had the worst weather one can "dream" of: lots of rain and very low temperatures. We hope that September may still bring us some nice and sunny days.
We could not have our yearly two weeks holiday in Germany. We had booked for the first half of July, but had to cancel because Herna's mother's health was very unstable. She was almost 88 and stayed with Herna's sister. She went in and out the hospital till she passed away in all peace and painlessly in the early morning of August 24. The funeral was the day before yesterday, August 30. She survived her husband by almost 34 years.
Both of us, except for the grief, are in fairly good health and are continuing our activities as usual.
On February 1, 2008 Herna will leave the unemployment status and have here retirement, while Hedwig will retire on the same day, thus getting off health insurance. Gosh, are we getting old ?
This will be it for this time folks. Take good care of yourselves en enjoy everything you do.

All the best from Flanders (Belgium)

Hedwig and Herna