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Show Feature SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 27. 1994 -- g I A.AJ . baaaaaaack! Theyre The waitress raised one eyeBy Barbara Pyles Spring is when most people brow and looked at us with disgussy up their houses, hut for approval. You're the grandme "pring means sticky walls, parents. aren't you''- Jim ret ickv floor, sticky ki"es. sticky frained from answering her with colorful language. By this nildren. everything. Yes. they're back. time he found out children are When w e picked upourgrand-- t copycats. nildren in Las Vegas for their My grandchildren have very annual spring visit, the children easy names to remember. By had already spent five hours in the time we arrived in Kanab. I the car driving from southern was calling them Whats his California. The kids slept most name. The spooky part was they of the way, said my smiling son. answered to it. Each darling child insisted on Finally, we arrived home. havinga window seat. David sat Among the three of them, they up front and played with his had asked, are we almost there and all. I sat in yet, two hundred and twenty-tw- o police in the times. back, middle, with my feet tucked under my chin and read Itdidnttakethechildren long to Jamie until my eyes were to comprehend that every morncrossed. Michael occupied himing Grandma drinks coffee and self by watching Grandpas bald stares into space for thirty minhead turn red. utes before anyone gets breakForty five minutes from the fast. I dont know much about raisnearest bathroom, David began I have to go around. bouncing ing little girls, but I believed real bad, Grandma. Grandpa Jamie when she said she has to grumbled and pulled over on the eat a candy bar while havingher shoulder of Interstate 15. hair combed. I else? asked. No, Anyone Speaking of hair, I was on the Grandma. I looked at their telephone and Jamie found my - -- car-sire- n 1 their grandparents. This little old grey haired granny always had every thing under control. It The Pyles grandkids. David. Jamie and Michael visited their grandparents made me want to throw up. Michael is staring at me, recently. Now Barb has more material for her writing. yelled David. David touched me, hollered Michael. I hate being bald, cried Jamie. Whats your plan? asked my Bantlin retires after 25 years with phone company husband. w w, - pouM. about grandchildren visiting she remained for several years. By Barbara Pyles After working 25 years for the After a break in service, she To look for the lady who ofI anmoved to Tucson, AZ, and went fered to buy the boys, telephone company, Jeanne swered. And to buy Jamie a Bantlin retired. I retired April back to work for the Telephone 1 from U.S. West and hat. thought Co. She worked as a service repwould the to We took a children farm the scissors. Grandma, screamed company say April resentative. and then an inbut didnt. her concerned brother. Michael, to pet the animals. When taking Fool, they laughed staller. Her last assignment with the Im on the phone. This went on three children from the big city Bantlin. Bantlin has spent the last nine phone company was central offor about ten minutes before I to a farm there are things that should be considered, like teach- years of her life on the road. On fice technician. She worked in looked up. My daughter-in-laAZand helped to mainme! weekends, she commuted from Win.-loMv darling ing them where to walk. is going to kill Tucson from to Kanab. tain the otfice in Jo.M-pOur children drove to Kanab herjobin City granddaughter, who had beautiful blond hair down to her to get their children. There w ere Flagstad to Kanab ami from and SamitT". AZ. When "he firt "tarted workwaist, was aimot bald. many hugs and kisses between Winslow to Kanab. Bantlin started her telephone ing for the phone compain .there children and parents. Then, nn remo ed career w uh the Wisconsin Tele- were oid electrical mechanical daughter-in-laJamie's hat. Yes, she screamed. phone Co. as a telephone opera- switches that had to be physitor. She moved on to become a cally worked on. It was a very Not Me." I declared. Our wonderful family left at 3 service assistant, training new labor intensive kind of job. A ear and a half ago. the offices a.m. They took Jamie's hat. Jim operators. Later, she worked a I I a service and business represen- were converted to digital and looked at each other and switches. says Bantlin. We did haw led. Dont w orry Mom. we ll tative. In enwere son. said 1978, them companies back, everything from power maintemy bring women to nance routines to special serenter worried Thats what Im couraging I decided Bantlin vices like maintaining FAA cirmumbled. Everyone about, knew I was kidding. Those chil- to move into one of those jobs. cuits and lottery circuits. We dren are building memories and She became the first female in- also worked with fiber optics. staller in Eau Claire, WI, where I want to be in them. Bantlin says the one nice thing about working for the telephone company was that you could be mobile. I never got tired of any one job. During my 25 year ca- beautiful innocent faces and believed them. After several more bathroom stops, we arrived at a restaurant. Mv husband ordered hamburgers. french fries and icecream out no drinks. Bring the : first.- murmured my -- grandchildren brought a friend from California named Not Me. So of course, it was Not Me who cut her hair. Anyway this is what Ive decided to tell her parents. One day we took the children to Pizza Hut. A lady asked me if one of the boys was for sale. (I suspected, she didnt like bald girls). See me in the middle of the week, I joked. Later, David told his dad I tried to sell him! We watched a TV program My nodded. w Paula's Gold Dust Cafe will Tuesday, May 3rd! We look forward to greeting our old friends and welcoming new ones. Try re-op- en our Fresh fruit & reer, the opportunities were there. Retirement is not the end, but the beginning of something new for Bantlin. She is creating new challenges for herself. Besides helpingher husband, Frank, run the Nine Gables Inn, she will work on her family history, and in her garden. Bantlin also plans to go back to school to get her degree in Horticulture. Salad Bar - $3.95 Roast Turkey, Soup, Salad & Dessert - $4.50 Health Food Specials Fried Brown Bice with Vegetables Stir Fry Avacado Sandwiches Natural Cheeses Special Sandwiches on Home-mad- e Herb B re ad Serving from 7 a.m. - 3 - p.m. Tuesday Saturday Closed Sunday & Monday H 161 South 100 East 644-593- 8 -- - Subscribe to the Southern Utah News Only $22! -- Jeanne Bantlin is congratulated by her boss after she retired, having worked fer phone companies for 25 years. Photo by Barbara Pyles. |