Friday, June 30, 2017 – Thank You Breakfast at FM, Cleaning Brick Yard & Land and Records, Tomato Hornworms, Manny Banda & Family

The Director of all Nauvoo shows, (Pageant, Rendezvous & Sunset, etc.) Elder Schultz, treated everyone at FM to a huge pancake breakfast after our prayer meeting this morning. Elder Schultz wanted to thank everyone at FM for their tireless work over the past few months in building, fixing, painting, preparing and setting up for the Nauvoo Pageants that start next week. Work for the 2017 Pageant season actually started last summer as soon as the 2016 Pageants ended. Since then there has always been ongoing projects to prepare for this year. Quite literally, it is a herculean task each year. Elder Schultz is very appreciative for all the hard work and getting everything done on time.

Our work day was almost identical to every previous day this week. We weeded and cleaned flowerbeds, grounds and sidewalks of the Historic Sites in Old Nauvoo. Today we worked first at the “Brick Yard.” It’s been months since we cleaned it last and the weeds needed to be removed from the planters & brick sidewalk and the whole place spruced up.

Next we were at the historic home of Heber C. Kimball. Here too, it’s been months since the last cleaning but our crew worked hard and fast in order to be finished before noon.

 

After lunch we finished our work day at the “Land & Records” office. Once again the weeds had overtaken the flowerbeds. We didn’t finish all of the grounds there before quitting time. We will have to come back early next week to finish the job.

 

How sweet it is to have surprise visits by our friends from Arizona. This evening Manny Banda and wife and family were at our “Sunset by the Mississippi” show. We have been friends with the Banda’s for over 30 years. They will be here in Nauvoo for two days to attend the sealing of one of their sons in the Nauvoo Temple.  

When we got home from work this afternoon I discovered Tobacco Hornworms on our Nicotiana plants (Ornamental Flowering Tobacco plants) in our garden. Tobacco Hornworms are exactly the same worms we call Tomato Hornworms when they are on the tomato plants. I knew I had an infestation problem with them in my tomatoes but I didn’t realize our pretty Ornamental Flowering Tobacco plants were inundated with worms too. In fact I found and disposed of over 50 worms in the Nicotiana plants this afternoon.

After we got home from our “Sunset” show this evening it was right at dusk and I was surprised to see a “Sphinx Moth,” the adult version of the Tomato Hornworm, sipping nectar from the Nicotiana plants. I probably should have killed her but she was too pretty. No doubt she will be laying her eggs in my tomatoes or Nicotiana plants soon. Oh well, just more worms to find and dispose of.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 – May Flies, Weed & Clean Vis. Ctr & Women’s Gdn, Lyon Drug, Dennis Sowards

Yesterday’s storm must have caused a lot of May Fly die off. This morning there were dead May Flies everywhere I looked. Most are dead but some are still alive on the sidewalks, in the gutters, near overnight lights, etc. May Fly season is only half over but there are dead May Flies everywhere.

Since we had a very strong storm blow through last night our first order of business was to clean up the mess at the Visitor’s Center and in the Women’s Garden. We not only blew the sidewalks and picked up downed limbs but we also finger weeded most of the flowerbeds. This time the finger weeding was much easier I think because we are keeping ahead of the weeds. The grounds and the gardens look GREAT!

On our way to our next weeding site we picked up lots of downed limbs on the grounds. The rest of our day, before and after lunch, was all at the Historic Lyon Drug & Herb Gardens. There, we are not ahead of the weeds. There are tons to pull and it took us most of the day.

 Overall, the Lyon Drug Herb Garden is looking great. Richard’s new arbor has gourds and other vines climbing the trellis works and they are all looking very good. At the rate these vines are growing the whole arbor will be covered soon. It’s going to look magnificent in another couple of weeks.

One bad thing we noticed in the Lyon Drug Herb Garden is all of the deer damage. The deer have not only been eating off the tops of many of the plants but they’ve also completely pulled the plants out of the ground as they’ve browsed their way around the garden. In one spot, a dozen plants were completely missing. Sis. Johnson was getting more and more angry as she continued to discover new damage. At one point I heard her exclaim, “I want a gun!”

Today we had another one of those unexpected meetings with dear friends we didn’t know were planning a trip to Nauvoo. This has happened to us a lot since we’ve been here and we love meeting and seeing our old friends. Our friend Dennis Sowards found us at the Lyon Drug while we were working today. Unfortunately, his wife Joan was under the weather and stayed at their accommodations today while the rest of the family visited the historic sites. Get well soon Joan, sorry we missed seeing you.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017 – Zone Trg. Mtg., Clean Family Search Ctr, 70’s Hall, Chancy Webb Home

Our Wednesday Zone Training Meeting was very good as usual. However this will be the last one until August after the busiest of the summer schedule is over. Fact is the missionaries are so busy in July there isn’t time for the regular, weekly Zone or Mission training meetings. 

After Zone Meeting we went straight to work on the sites and put in a full day’s work. We started at the Family Search Center across the street from the Temple. We don’t get to this site very often; in fact the last time we cleaned here was back in January. There were a lot of weeds to clean and rogue trees to kill in the shrubs, bushes and Liriope beds. I even found a Poison Ivy with five foot runners out into the Liriope bed. We had a good crew so the weeds, trees and Poison Ivy are all gone now.

Next we did a general cleaning at the 70’s Hall. There were some real tall weeds but overall the job was quick and easy. The 70’s Hall planters, flowerbeds and hedges all look great now.

 Our last stop of the day was at the historic home of Chancy Webb. Chancy was one of the Webb brothers – Chauncey, John, Edward, Edwin, and Pardon – built wagons. Of these brothers, Chauncey was chosen to make the wagon that carried Brigham Young to the West. The task of building wagons to move west the population of Nauvoo was monumental. Wainwrights, wheelwrights, and blacksmiths were on call day and night. Every available space, from the shop to the parlor was used to assemble wagon boxes and wheels. To accomplish such a massive task, the cooperation of Nauvoo citizens was required. Especially needed were skilled blacksmiths like Chancy Webb and his brothers.

Our last stop of the day was at the historic home of Chancy Webb. Chancy was one of the Webb brothers – Chauncey, John, Edward, Edwin, and Pardon – built wagons. Of these brothers, Chauncey was chosen to make the wagon that carried Brigham Young to the West. The task of building wagons to move west the population of Nauvoo was monumental. Wainwrights, wheelwrights, and blacksmiths were on call day and night. Every available space, from the shop to the parlor was used to assemble wagon boxes and wheels. To accomplish such a massive task, the cooperation of Nauvoo citizens was required. Especially needed were skilled blacksmiths like Chancy Webb and his brothers.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 – Doe & two Fawns, Sunset Stage, Diagonal Sidewalk, Poison Ivy

For the past few days we’ve been delighted to follow the movements of a doe and her twin fawns in our neighborhood. We got to see them again this afternoon on our way home from work. The doe was nursing her two fawns in the middle of our neighbor’s yard, out in the open and in full view of the street. 

Again today we pulled weeds and cleaned flowerbeds, planters and sidewalks. We started at the outdoor “Sunset Stage” where we perform two nights a week in “Sunset by the Mississippi.” There were large weeds tucked under the trees that needed to be pulled. We cleaned the steps, sidewalks and planters all around the stage and out on the street.

 

I have a personal vendetta against rogue trees growing where they don’t belong. If I can’t pull them completely out by the roots, I use an eyedropper to dispense a poison that will kill the roots of the little saplings after I cut it off at ground level. Around the “Sunset Stage” I killed dozens of rogue trees growing up through the hedges and in and around other trees and planned landscaping.

 

The big job we tackled today was cleaning the “Diagonal Sidewalk” of all its weeds. In the Liriope beds and at the base of all of the bushes and trees there were zillions of weeds. Here too there are rogue trees that have to be pulled or poisoned. In the time we were there I must have killed a hundred rogue trees.

 

At one point we were happily cleaning along and suddenly we came to a screeching halt, Poison Ivy! Sometimes it is easy to get caught up just pulling and pulling weeds and not paying attention to what they are. But that can be dangerous with the possibility of Poison Ivy and Stinging Nettle around. Luckily the patch of Poison Ivy was spotted before anyone got into it.