Friday, June 16, 2017 – Rain Overnight, Pick up Limbs, Women’s Gdn, Burn Pile, Weeding Visitor’s Center

We had a very big and powerful storm overnight. We had 1.4 inches of rain at our house and the FM compound had 1.7 inches. That’s a lot of rain in only a couple of hours. With the rain came strong winds and that means we had a lot of limbs blown out of the trees all over Old Nauvoo. Storm damage, limbs and debris was everywhere.

Every time a strong storm blows though Nauvoo Sis. Johnson & I as well as the rest of the FM grounds staff always have a lot of cleanup to do. This morning we started at the Women’s Garden & Visitor’s Center by picking up limbs and debris and cleaning all of the sidewalks with the blowers. 

After we finished at the Women’s Garden and the Visitor’s Center we went south on Old Main Street patrolling the grounds for more limbs and blowing all of the sidewalks we came to. We made stops at the Family Living Center, Jonathan Browning Gun Shop, Brigham Young’s home and Lucy Mack Smith’s home just to name a few. But we effectively drove down every street in Old Nauvoo finding every down limb. Our large trailer was packed full of limbs and debris.

At the Burn pile we also came across the other dump truck that was doing exactly the same thing we were. That crew also had a full vehicle of limbs and debris to dump at the burn pile. Both crews were done cleaning, blowing and hauling at all of the major historic sites before they opened for visitors at 9:00am. It was a very good morning of cleaning after the storm.

We finished our morning by weeding all of the flowerbeds at the Visitor’s Center. It’s been several weeks since we planted them and the weeds are up and very abundant. There is no other way to get rid of the weeds than by “Finger Weeding.” That means we can’t use a hoe, a trowel or chemical. Each little tiny weed has to be pulled one by one with our fingers. It’s back breaking work but that’s why we get paid the big bucks! Well, actually we don’t get paid any bucks but I hear the benefits are “Out of this world!”

We finished our morning by weeding all of the flowerbeds at the Visitor’s Center. It’s been several weeks since we planted them and the weeds are up and very abundant. There is no other way to get rid of the weeds than by “Finger Weeding.” That means we can’t use a hoe, a trowel or chemical. Each little tiny weed has to be pulled one by one with our fingers. It’s back breaking work but that’s why we get paid the big bucks! Well, actually we don’t get paid any bucks but I hear the benefits are “Out of this world!”