Tuesday, April 25, 2017 – Stone House, Covered Benches, Kiosk, Tulip & Daffodil Removal

It was a busy day for all of us on the Nauvoo grounds crew. We started by unloading all of the plants out of the basement of the “Stone House.” (See: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016) Last November we too all of the plants off of the outdoor shaded benches and put them in the basement of the Stone House. There isn’t room for all of the plants that need to winter-over in the greenhouses.  So the plants that are dormant or that can tolerate no sunlight are stored in the basement of the Stone House until Spring. 

Next we took a lot of plants out of the greenhouses and put them on the benches outdoors that have “Shade Cloth” over them. The idea here is to acclimate the plants, prepare them, harden them, etc. for the day they will be put out in the gardens. All of the plants in the greenhouses need some time to adjust to the cold evenings and the brighter sunlight. They will do much better after a few weeks outdoors under the shade cloth.

Our next project was to clean the flowerbeds at the “Tourist Information Kiosk” on the main highway coming into Nauvoo. Like so many of the flowerbeds, it had a lot of weeds that needed removal for the summer season.

 

Next we were back at the Visitor’s Center pulling Daffodil bulbs from two more flowerbeds. As is the case with so many of the bulbs we pull, they never make it to the compost pile. All of the bulbs we pull are available to anyone that wants them. These daffodil bulbs were on their way to a happy home as soon as we had them out of the ground. 

After lunch our last task for the day was pulling more weeds in the Women’s Garden. I think this is a job we will never ever finish. There seems to be a never ending supply of weeds to pull. Interestingly, one of the weeds we were pulling was a wild Onion and there were hundreds of them.

Today Richard told us of a family in Nauvoo with a 3 month old baby that died suddenly of SIDS. We were pulling the tulips out of the Women’s Garden and Sis. Johnson suggested that she make a bouquet of Tulips for the family and Richard could deliver them. 

Monday, April 24, 2017 – Carthage, Lyon Drug Bunny, Digging Tulips & Hyacinths, Dinner at Van Horn’s

Early this morning I was sent to Carthage to mow all of the lawns at the Visitor’s Center and at the Bushnell House. The grass is growing fast, the dandelions are out of control and the lawns need to be mowed at least every 4 to 5 day. I will probably be mowing there until the new couple, Elder & Sis. Nielsen finish their orientation and training here in Nauvoo. Elder Nielsen will probably take over mowing in a week or two.

While I was in Carthage, Sis. Johnson was with Richard and the two new interns and they split their work day digging tulip bulbs in the Women’s Garden and cleaning out flowerbeds at the Lyon Drug historic site. Lyon drug needs a lot of attention and all four of them spent half their day working there and got two garden plots done.

 

While they were cleaning the flowerbeds at Lyon drug they were surprised to come across a burrow full of four baby cottontail bunny rabbits. The bunnies were very young and they posed for pictures. After they were done posing they were all put back in their little burrow where they were content to wait for their mother to return.

Back at our home Sis. Johnson and I dug up our tulip beds. The tulips were beautiful while they lasted but they are done now. It’s time to put other annual summer flowers in the flowerbeds now. We’ll be doing that during the next week or so.

This evening Elder & Sis. Van Horn treated us to dinner. Homemade “Meat Lover’s” Pizza. I’ve never eaten such a thick pizza with so many good, rich toppings. It was Mmmm-Goood!

 

After dinner Sis. Johnson worked with Sis. Van Horn on her “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” bonnet. They added decorations of ribbon, feathers and fabric flowers Sis. Van Horn made herself. It looks really good. Elder & Sis. Van Horn will have their début in the vignette, “Noah & Sophia” this Wednesday night. 

Sunday, April 23, 2017 – Choir, Elder & Sis. Nielson, Cultural Hall Tours, New Videos for Mission Socialable

For the past month the “Emma Hale Cast” that Sis. Johnson and I perform with has been practicing a choir number. This morning was our Sunday to perform a piece arranged by Aubrey Taylor titled, “Tell me the Things Jesus Taught.” It was a Children’s Hymn medley of “Tell me the Stories of Jesus” and “I’m trying to Be Like Jesus.” I think we sang it beautifully. Our musical number added to an already wonderful sacrament meeting.

After church Sis. Johnson and I happened to meet Elder & Sis. Nielsen who are from Farmington UT. they just arrived in the mission on Friday. The Nielsen’s have been assigned to be the grounds keepers in Carthage this summer. This is the assignment Sis. Johnson and I had last summer. The Nielsen’s expressed their excitement and enthusiasm for the calling.

 

Elder & Sis. Nielsen feel exactly the way Sis. Johnson and I felt last year when the Mission President asked us to live on the grounds and take care of the lawns and flowerbeds of that sacred and hallowed place. It was such a privilege to live in the cottage next to the Carthage jail, to be able to look out our kitchen window and have a view of that most holy place. The Nielsen’s will be great grounds keepers there.

This afternoon Sis. Johnson and I were assigned to give tours at the historic site, “The Cultural Hall.” Back in the 1840s the Cultural Hall was the community center of Nauvoo. The three story building had at least 15 different uses.

Plays and concerts were held on the first floor. Under the direction of the nationally acclaimed actor Thomas Lyne, the local dramatic society put on “Pizzaro” just nineteen days after the hall was dedicated. Brigham Young was one of the actors. The first and second floors of the hall were used for Church and business meetings, funerals, court sessions, schools and various functions of the Nauvoo Legion and the local police. On the third floor the Masonic Lodge held meetings. Dances and banquets were also held on the third floor as the Nauvoo Brass Band performed from the balcony.

 My Great-great grandfather, Orville Sutherland Cox played the fife in the Nauvoo Brass Band, I imagined him being right there and walking across the same floor I was walking across. It was a special moment as I realized these were the very same floorboards my ancestors walked on 174 years ago.

In the winter of 1845 – 1846 the hall was used as a place to construct wagons for the Mormon exodus west. It is amazing to me that after the Latter-day Saints left Nauvoo in 1846 the building was sold at a sheriffs’ auction in 1851 for only $4.47!

This evening we attended a “Socialable” (That’s what they call a fireside in this mission) in the theater of the Visitor’s Center. We watched two new videos the Church has just released and this is the first time anyone has seen them. The first video was titled “A Day in Harmony” and the second; “A Day for the Eternity” Both covered the events of the restoration of the gospel. They were very good.

Saturday, April 22, 2017 – Goslings, Sis. Johnson’s Rendezvous Dress

You can tell spring in definitely here in Nauvoo. This morning on the River Road to go grocery shopping we saw a pair of geese with their new goslings.  The whole family was patiently waiting for a chance to cross the highway. I recall several times last year having traffic backed up waiting for the geese and the goslings to cross the road.

This afternoon Sis. Bowler came by our house with a new dress for Sis. Johnson. She’s lost so much weight that her old site dress didn’t fit anymore. Sis. Johnson exclaimed, “It’s nice to have a dress that fits!” Sis. Johnson will not only wear the new dress as she gives tours in the historic sites but it will also double as her performance dress in “Sunset by the Mississippi” this summer.

 

This evening after our performance at “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo” I got to meet and talk to one of the 13 new Senior couples that just arrived in the mission yesterday. They are Elder & Sis. Johnson #1 and they are from San Ramon, California. In two weeks another Elder & Sis. Johnson will arrive. They will be Elder & Sis Johnson #3. That will bring the total number of couples in the mission with the last name of Johnson to 4, since there already is an Elder & Sis. Johnson #4. To keep us all straight, we have to us our number on everything.

 

Friday, April 21, 2017 – Scott Higley’s Pennant, Visitor’s Center Tulip Beds, Browning Gun Banana plants Removed, Tulip Bulb Removal

It is the custom for Jordan Bodily, the Director of FM (Facilities Management) to present each departing employee or missionary with an FM commemorative flag. Today was Scott Higley’s last day on the job at FM so during our FM prayer meeting this morning Jordan presented Scott’s his keepsake pennant. 

Our first job this morning was pulling Tulip and Daffodil bulbs from the flower beds by the Visitor’s Center. All four flower beds have been magnificent and colorful this past month, Now it’s time for them all to go and make way for new bedding plants. 

Next we pulled the Banana plants out of the flowerbeds in front of the Jonathan Browning Home and Gun Shop. Last fall they were all cut down but now, with the warmer weather, the root clusters were all sending up new shoots. The Banana plants won’t be coming back to Browning Gun because they are too big and block the view from windows. 

While we were at Browning Gun we also pulled the tulips and hyacinths from the flowerbed there.  This flowerbed was particularly beautiful in its heyday but alas the beauty doesn’t last forever and it was time for the bulbs to be pulled.

 

We also pulled bulbs at the home of FM’s former Director, Casey Cluff, as well as in front of the FM entry sign. Both of these flowerbeds are relatively small and didn’t take much time. However next week we will be tackling the rest of the tulip beds here in Nauvoo and in Carthage. There are a lot of tulips left to be pulled.

One of Sis. Johnson’s favorite flowers, “Lily of the Valley” is starting to bloom in the flowerbeds all around Old Nauvoo. After lunch we were pulling weeds at the historic home of “William Weeks” and discovered the flowerbeds were full of Lily of the Valley. It was a pleasant and fragrant surprise.