Wednesday, June 7, 2017 – Mission Training Mtg, Planting FM Director’s Flowerbeds, Poison Ivy, Deadheading Lyon Drug Chives, “The Promise” with Dan & Mindy

At this morning’s Mission Training Meeting we greeted another group of 6 senior couples to the mission. Again we sang our adapted version of the “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” song titled “Welcome to Nauvoo. It’s a fitting way to welcome new missionaries to the mission. The mission is expecting one more couple in a week or two to arrive and that will bring the mission to its full complement of senior couples for the rest of the summer. 

At work we planted the last remaining flowerbeds for the summer. The home of FM’s Director has a flowerbed in front and a flowerbed in back and we got them both planted this morning. They will still need to be mulched but we will do that later. However there will always be some planting to do. For the next few months plants will die or be damaged so they will need to be replaced. Richard has a backup supply of a large variety of “Standby” plants he can us to replace and fill-in.

While we were at the home of the FM Director I discovered several large patches of Poison Ivy in the back yard and in the hedges. While the others planted the flowerbeds I was busy carefully digging up Poison Ivy plants roots and all. I have to be very careful as I handle the poison Ivy plants. Their leaves, stems, roots and all are toxic and very dangerous. I went through three pairs of rubber gloves as I dug up the plants and double bagged them for the burn pile.

 

Our next project was “Deadheading” the Chive plants that line the paths through the Lyon Drug Herb Garden. All of the beautiful purple flowers on the Chives have turned white with hundreds, even thousands of seeds that are quickly maturing. If the seeds were left on the plants they would sow tens of thousands of unwanted seeds in the flowerbeds and the gravel walkways where they are not wanted. So, the tops of the Chives had to be hauled away today

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This afternoon we had a special treat with our son Daniel, his wife Mindy and their children. We attended the show by the YPM’s (Young Performing Missionaries) of “The Promise” on stage in the Visitor’s Center. Seating is limited so we had to reserve our free tickets well in advance of today’s show.

 

The musical, “The Promise” by the YPM’s was absolutely great! The dramatized history in song and dance of the people, places and dates are based upon real events that Happened in Nauvoo in the 1840’s. These highly talented and versatile young people perform on stage with so much enthusiasm and energy it makes me tired just watching them perform. Did I mention “The Promise” by the YPM’s was absolutely great!