Strange times

Well hi Benjamin,

You know, this has been an unsettling week around here. We’re all okay, doing very well in fact. The weather is warming up, but otherwise gorgeous. Mom’s garden is looking especially nice. It just seems the world around us is getting stranger, more chaotic, less secure.

Yesterday there were riots in downtown Salt Lake City...MY Salt Lake City. It was down by the library and the City and County Building. A police car was overturned. A guy got out of his car brandishing a bow and arrow, the mob assaulted him, bloodied up his head, turned his car over an burned it. The guy got taken away in hand cuffs. It had started earlier in the day as peaceful protests of another black man killed by police in Minnesota. There were demonstrations in so many cities, with so much violence. I heard a guy was killed in Oakland. I wondered if you Elders were going to be put in double lockdown. 

I listened and watched the reports for too long yesterday. It put me in a somber state of mind. As I watched, it seemed that as it turned from protesters to mob the people changed. People were genuinely angry about the killing and wanted to be heard. But then as the police came in, it seemed that the people that stayed just wanted to either do violence or be perceived as protesting for peace. It was pretty ridiculous to see protesters in masks, and a large percentage of them seemed to be doing it more for Instagram than for protest (there were so many rioters taking selfie’s it was absurd). Most of the mob was white, we’re talking Utah white. I imagined some of them choosing their outfits to see which would make them look like real Instagram protesters on there feeds.

Salt lake is still under curfew. I thought the police did a pretty good job of staying firm without letting the violence escalate. Today an army of volunteers went into town to clean things up...that’s my Salt Lake City. 35 years ago people volunteered to fill sandbags to keep downtown from flooding.

In other sad news, my cousin Damon Martinez, who’s suffering from ALS, was admitted to the hospital yesterday. ALS, aka Lou Gehrig's disease, makes you loose control of you muscles. One of Damon’s kids found him unresponsive in the morning so they called 911. He has recovered somewhat, he’s conscious and responsive. He is in icu and can’t have visitors. His pneumonia is severe. I understand that when they intubated him, somehow he lost his front teeth. He’s younger than I am Ben, and he has small kids. And his dad, my uncle Moe, died of the same rare disease about 4 years ago. I can’t imagine what that family is going through. I pray for them, but that seems so little.

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Let’s change moods now.

Tomorrow is your brother Joseph’s birthday. He’ll be 15. Dang that went fast. As you are aware, Joey has a knack for extending his birthday celebration. Saturday we went with grandma and grandpa to Outback for lunch, it was pretty good, though my medium rare steak was actually pretty much just rare. Grandpa gave him a Chrome book as a birthday gift. Mind you, I think grandpa really bought it for grandma as he often gives her office products for gifts. She thought Joe may get better use of it. He seems happy with it, but it’s basically just a homework machine.

Afterwards Joey and Jacob suggested going go-karting for Joe’s birthday. It’s pretty expensive so I agreed if Joey wanted to do that in place of a present. He did so we went. Well, not mom surprisingly. We went to that place by grandmas house, K1. The karts are electric. I have no idea how fast they go, but it felt fast. In the first race I felt like I dominated, until I was flagged down to let others pass. Wow. I came in fifth that race despite having had fairly decent lap times. The second race I was sure I led the whole race, until the guy I thought that I was lapping got the checkered flag nearly a full lap ahead of me. And while I had slower laps in that race, I did manage third. We may go again for Jake’s birthday, they may want to go for yours too.

Today grandma and grandpa came over for Sunday dinner. It was the classic roast beef and mashed potatoes. Mom made Joe the Fat Boy ice cream cake.

In other good news, my Jeep should be ready to pick up tomorrow, I’m looking forward to it.

Well Ben, be well, stay busy and know that I love you,

Pops 

P.S. your aunt Patti wanted me to tell you how much your Facebook testimony meant to here.

P.P.S. In today’s mission correlation meeting, the Carver’s were surprised when I told them how busy you were. I guess jacob is not having the same experience in Atlanta. They asked for any pointers you might have.