Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 – My Birthday, Carthage Tulip Bulbs, Clean Flowerbeds, Set up for Dinner, Rendezvous

It’s my birthday! I turned 67 years old, wow, what a busy and fun day. We started in the prayer meeting at FM with all of the Senior Missionaries and paid staff singing happy birthday to me. Of course, I had to make them stop so I could tell them a story. What could they do, I had them as a captive audience, they just had to endure my story about the Mesa, AZ resident the passed away:

I’m from Mesa, Arizona home of the Chicago Cubs spring training facility. A Mesa resident and long time Cubs fan passed away and arrived at the pearly gates. Saint Peter said: “No you don’t belong here. Take the elevator down to bottom floor.” When he got there he was greeted by Satan who said, we’ve been expecting you and we have the perfect place for you. Here take this shovel and shovel coal into the furnace until it is blazing hot. You will be doing it for eternity.

The next day the devil came back and the man was working hard shoveling coal into the furnace. The devil looked at him and said: “Why aren’t you sweating?” The man replied, this isn’t hot; this is like a winter day in Mesa, Arizona. So the devil thought, I’ll fix this guy. He went to the thermostat on the wall and turned up the heat. The next day the devil returned and the man was furiously shoveling coal but he only had a single bead of sweat on his forehead. The devil said: Why aren’t you sweating more?” The man said this isn’t hot this is like a spring day in Mesa, Arizona. Again the devil cranked up the heat on the thermostat as hot as it would go. The next day he returned and the man only had two beads of sweat on his forehead. The devil asked: “Why aren’t you sweating?” This isn’t hot, this isn’t any worse than a summer day in Mesa, Arizona.

This time the devil decided, I’ll fix this guy. He went to the thermostat and cranked it all the way the other direction, as COLD as it would go. The devil returned the next day and everything was frozen. There were ice cycles everywhere but the man was jumping up and down shouting with joy. Yay, hurrah, yahoo. The devil asked:  “Now why are you so happy?” The man replied: “Don’t you know what this means? . . . The Cubs have won the World Series!”

This morning we headed out to Carthage to plant tulip bulbs in the two large flowerbeds there. Richard had 2800 bulbs to be planted. We had a good crew too. We not only had Richard and his other workers but we also had two volunteers from the mission presidency. President Blair, first Counselor in the Mission Presidency and President Trythall, second counselor.  

With so much help we finished the planting in only two hours. Next March, April and May these flowerbeds will be beautiful. All of Carthage and Nauvoo will be ablaze with color again.

On our way to this evening’s performance of “Rendezvous,” Sis. Johnson and I stopped at the Stake Center to help our fellow cast members set up tables, chairs and decorations for tomorrow morning’s Mission Farewell Breakfast. All three casts take turns setting up and decorating for these breakfasts. This month it was our cast’s turn to set up.

This evening in our pre-performance rehearsal everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to me. The best part was the treat Sis. Johnson and I took for everyone to enjoy. We brought my favorite kind of pie “. . . round!” There was plenty for everyone; we had apple, pumpkin, cherry and pecan. Mmmm-Goood!