A Silly Squirrel Story

Ron has really enjoyed the plentiful wildlife here in Nauvoo. We see raccoons, possums, deer, squirrels and lots of kinds of birds, every day. Last week Ron saw a squirrel that was being attacked by a cat. He rushed over and scared the cat away and brought the squirrel home. It had been bitten in the neck pretty badly and it didn’t look good. Ron put the squirrel in a cage in the basement and it made it through the night and next day but the second morning Ron went down to feed it and check on it and came upstairs holding it by the tail. It would be a shame to waste a perfectly good dead squirrel so he put it out on the squirrel feeder hanging in the tree just outside our side door.
Later that afternoon Sister Saville came over and she didn’t notice the squirrel on her way in but then she spotted it out the window and got very excited. She said, “There’s a squirrel in your tree!!!” she grabbed her ever ready camera and ran to the door. (The tree is only about 4 feet from the door.) The squirrel was facing the other way so she tapped on the glass and said, “Come on little fellow, turn around so I can take your picture”. I was biting my cheeks not to laugh and I suggested she go outside to try and get her shot. She was afraid it would run away, but then since he wouldn’t turn around for her she went outside. She kept talking to it as she carefully circled the tree. Finally she stopped and her whole expression changed and she looked at me and said “Is he dead?” I burst out laughing and then we were both laughing our heads off. Just then Ron arrived home and we were all cracking up when our neighbors, the Thompsons, came hurrying over from across the street with their new camera hoping for shot of the squirrel they had spotted in our yard before we all scared it away! Yes, a good time was had by all!
PS We named him Morty. That's short for rigamortis (sp?) Yeah, I know, it’s sick.

And more photos

A few photos

Nauvoo is gorgeous in the Fall

The days are busy and sometimes long but the weeks are sure flying by. I am shocked that I haven't added to this blog since the beginning of August!! Some exciting things have happened since then. Allison, Jim and their 5 wonderful children came to visit us Friday Oct. 9. They were here for 4 days and because of the way our schedule worked out we were actually able to spend quite a bit of time with them. It was so great to get to hug those kids! And we finally got to meet Madelinn! She's so perfect. What a nice baby she is. While they were here they had her blessing in the Seventies Hall. It was a wonderful meeting and a great memory for us. Another highlight for the kids was the wildlife. Ron was able to show them a few animals and then chase a few.

Since I last wrote I've baked over 25,000 gingerbread cookies. They are in Ziplocs containing 100 each in the mission freezers. I get to have 2 baking days a week and Sister Saville helps me one day and Sister Meline is there on the other day. I love these ladies and we have a good time in the kitchen. When Allison's family was here I got some help baking from the grandkids! Lots of fun!!

Pioneer Pastimes is now closed for the season. I'm really glad we got to serve there, it was a lot of fun. Now we just need to box everything up and put it away for winter. We've also been released at the site leaders for Nauvoo on the Road. We loved doing it but realized that when we were released we weren't sad, it was time for someone else to get to be in charge.
About 6 weeks ago Ron was called as the mission photographer! This means taking about a million pictures of people, nature, animals etc etc and then putting together a 1/2 hour slide show for Zone Conference each month. He did a great job getting pictures for the first one which was shown Oct. 11. However, putting it into a slide show was a real ordeal! If it wasn't for Holly and Allison we would not have had a slide show! Holly had to get into our computer using gotomypc.com and figure out what I had done and then fix it! We have been lucky in every way possible to have her in our family. Then, Allison spent several hours of her visit here working on it also. Then she and Holly were both working on it! Next month's should be easier. Allison came to see the slide show at Zone Conference and see the reaction of the missionaries. It went well and everyone said nice things. We're now working on the one for November.

Something else amazing happened while Alli and Jim were here. The morning before they came we had a mandatory combined prep meeting. We have prep meeting every morning but we aren't required to go if it's our P day (our day off). We are assigned to one of 3 groups that normally meet in 3 different locations. Well, Oct. 8 we were all together and President Ludwig came in and said, "I got a phone call yesterday and President Monson will be here tomorrow" There was a huge gasp from the audience!! Then he announced that the Z cast would be performing "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" for the prophet! There are 3 casts, and we perform every 3rd night. We're in Z cast and the President wanted our cast to do it. It should have been Y cast but they performed for the Mission President's conference a month or so ago. In Rendezvous there are several vignettes and there are 2 couples assigned to each one. We take turns. Ron and I do the "Pickle Barrel" scene as Peter and Abigail. We got to perform it for Pres. Monson and his daughter and granddaughter. It was quite a day. That afternoon we all closed our sites at 3:30 (instead of 5:00) and met at the Visitor's Center and Pres. Monson spoke to us for about 40 minutes. Unfortunately even though Allison's family was there they weren't allowed in - only missionaries "No Exceptions!" But, after the 7:00 show for the prophet and invited guests those waiting for the 8:15 show (including Alli's family) saw him exit the building and wave to us and tell us all that we did a great job and deserved an academy award! Then he called Elder Bill Dove, who has Down's Syndrome and is serving here with his parents, over and congratulated him on a job well done and gave him a hug. It was great. The only sad part was that we were all told to leave our cameras and cell phones home and even though Pres. Monson appeared to be waiting a few minutes in case anyone wanted to take a picture we had all been obedient and were unprepared. Dang!!
The beautiful flowers of summer are mostly gone but the leaves are turning and it's a whole new kind of gorgeous! This is really a beautiful place. There are so many kinds of plants and trees, and wildlife.....and bugs. Yesterday when we returned from our sites our door looked like something from a horror movie. Seriously! There were corn beetles EVERYWHERE!!! They look just like ladybugs except they're a little more orange and we've been told they bite. We couldn't even get into our house without about a hundred swarming in. There were hundreds more between the panes of the windows. They aren't as bad today. One thing that is strange is that they weren't even on the doors and windows of our neighbors who live in the other side of this duplex. Their doors and trims are painted red and ours are white. The same thing happened in the summer with the Mayflies. Our doors and windows were COVERED and theirs weren't. If you ever decide to live here, don't paint your house white!!
I'd better go vacuum up all the bug carcases in the living room. Hopefully I'll add to this sooner than I did this time.

The Nauvoo Pageant has come and gone

Things were very busy here with the Pageant in town. (It ran from July 7 to Aug 1) It was quite exciting. Every Tues-Sat night there were pre-show activities from 7-8:30 then the pageant from 8:30 - 10:30. We could all hear the pageant from pretty much anywhere in town. What a sound system! So, now things have slowed down a bit. Well, there are two Nauvoo "Especially for Youth" programs, one is this week and the other one is next week. Last night was our cast's turn to perform "Sunset by the Mississippi" and the EFY kids were in the audience, all 200+ of them. Wow, too bad they aren't there EVERY night. They screamed and cheered and danced in the aisles and gave us several (about 7) standing ovations. It wasn't so much that we did a great show they were just a great audience. However that much energy is contagious and we all gave our best.
One more thing about the pageant that is fun. There's a website to access that will tell the relationship to any of the characters portrayed in the pageant. For example Joseph Smith is my 5th cousin 6 times removed. How about that for a close relationship!! Anyway, here's the website in case anyone wants to play: NauvooPageantCousins.org

Anyone who has been to Nauvoo knows that one of the must see sites is the Scovil Bakery. Everyone who visits there gets a little gingerbread cookie. In the early Spring I got to help make those cookies. There was a stash of about 40,000 of them in the freezers. President Ludwig called me in again this week and asked me to be in charge of making the cookies for next year. I will need to make sure that we have at least 40,000 cookies tucked away in the freezers before Ron and I really get into our duties with "Sunset" in January. I was told to start in 2 weeks when the Young Performing Missionaries leave, since right now we are using the kitchen for their meals. Then, yesterday, Pres. Edstrom (counselor) came to find me at Pioneer Pastimes and I guess with all the visitors this summer we've got ourselves a cookie crisis! So, my schedule for Saturday has been switched and I will begin baking right away. This mission is so fun! I am so lucky! I just keep getting to do all the fun and interesting jobs! Between this mission and having Ron as my companion there's rarely a dull moment.

There is nothing as constant as change

Well, it looks like the last half of our mission will be VERY different from the first half. Friday July 17, President Ludwig called us into his office and after a prayer and a brief discussion we were called to be the directors of "Sunset by the Mississippi" for next year! AHHHHH!!!
Elder and Sister Cluff are the current directors and they are going home in September. The final performance for this year is Aug. 15. Before the Cluffs leave we'll meet with them and try and learn all we can about what is involved. Then I think we'll just get to work at the sites etc. like we're doing now until January when Elder and Sister Camp will come to Nauvoo. They have been called from SLC to be over Nauvoo Productions. Sister Pat Davis has done it for 9 years and this is her last year. So, in January the Camps will come and work with us for a couple of weeks and let us know what they want to have happen for next year. Then it will be our job to organize things and teach the songs and dances to the missionaries. Then the Camps will come back next summer to polish it up. Many of the missionaries who are here now will have gone home so we will have a new batch. We will be directing 250 missionaries who will be divided into 3 casts. So, next year Ron will still work in the sites and then do Sunset after hours and we'll spend our evenings having Sunset practices until May when we begin performing Sunset every night except Sunday. (No more nights off next summer) I will have an office in the Visitor's Center and my days will be spent working on Sunset. I don't have any idea what that means yet. President Ludwig said that I might be able to work in a 1/2 day a week working at the sites if I want to. (yes!) This also means that next year Ron and I won't be performing in Rendezvous anymore since we'll be at Sunset every night. I was so stunned when President Ludwig asked us that I just stared at him. As you all know, it's not often that I'm speechless! There are good things about it and then things we will miss. With this calling we will be able to get to know EVERY missionary and not just the ones in our cast. Elder and Sister Camp seem like wonderful people and it will be great to get to work with them. I know we are going to learn a LOT. (huge understatement) It looks like things won't change very much for us until January so for now I guess all there is to do is worry.
Yesterday at Pioneer Pastimes I met a man who directed the Nauvoo Brass Band for many years. The current band leader introduced me to him and told him that I would be directing Sunset next year. He said, "That's wonderful, tell me about your background" I said, "I have a testimony and I said yes". He looked a bit worried, I wonder why!!!

As scared as I am, the more I think about this, the more I realize that this will be a great opportunity and I know that if this is what Heavenly Father wants us to do then we will obviously have His help. I know that Ron is going to be great, he's a natural at this performing stuff, it will be fun to do this together. Pres. Ludwig said that one of the important parts of this calling will be to have fun at the rehearsals. After a long day of working at the sites the missionaries have to go to practices. It needs to be fun. Well, with Ron in charge, I don't think that will be a problem. No matter what assignment he is given on this mission, he does it well and still manages to have fun and help all of us around him have fun. He's a good companion!

Mission Musings and Random Thoughts

* There’s a huge difference between Mormon Standard Time and Mormon Missionary Standard Time. MST means that if you get to a meeting before they say “Amen” in the opening prayer, you’re on time. MMST means that if you’re not ½ hour to 45 minutes early for any meeting you’re late. Our Sacrament Meetings are at 8:00 am. When we’re assigned as greeters we have to be there at 7:00 am because that’s when the missionaries start arriving. By 7:30 all the soft seats are full and you’re doomed to the hard seats in the back. (There are 500+ people) We’ve decided that we’d rather spend an hour on the hard seats than 2 hours on the soft ones, so we arrive at a tardy 7:45.
* Sister Ludwig, the mission president’s wife, keeps track of how many grandchildren the missionaries have. She reports this number to us at each Zone Conference. She tells us how many grandchildren are praying for the missionaries in Nauvoo. I love this! The last count was 2314 (Since then there have been some missionaries who have gone home and taken their grandchildren’s prayers with them.)
* Our days blend together and we’re never sure what day it is. When we left a friend said, “Have fun on your 540 Sundays!” We had no idea how accurate that is. Not that Sundays are bad mind you; it’s just funny that the days don’t seem different. It’s hard to know what day it is.
* We don’t have a dishwasher which is just fine but I was really not too happy about not having a disposal but in true pioneer spirit I’ve learned to adjust.
* We love to get the Weekly Schedule. Every Friday we check the computer and print out our schedule for the following week. It’s so exciting to see what adventures await us!
* We’ve been taking our turn onstage as “Peter and Abigail” and I’ve learned that I can be terrified and not forget my lines. I’ve learned that I won’t have a heart attack and die, I’ve learned that when we do goof up the world doesn’t come to an end and the stage doesn’t swallow us up. I’ve also learned that the audience finds the mistakes very funny and even seem to feel that they got a little something extra. I’ve also learned that Ron is comfortable onstage and very good at adlibbing and charming the audience. I’m actually starting to have fun with it. Plus, I get to wear a great hat!
* Nauvoo has MANY bugs. Nauvoo has many different kinds of bugs. Most of the bugs here seem to like to fly around and into people’s faces. When we’re performing Sunset by the Mississippi on the outdoor stage in the evenings the bugs are just thick around the huge lights and around the performers. Several people have swallowed them. We’ve started keeping a broom outside our door so that when we arrive home at night we can sweep the hundreds of bugs off the door and doorstep and then rush inside.
* Testimonies can be born in many ways. This is a very unique mission. Is this like being called to Disneyland on a mission? I mean, here we are in a tourist attraction!! Is this a frivolous mission? Sometimes we wonder if we’re doing any good. One of my brothers referred to it as “that dress up gig you call a mission”. Yes, exactly how does singing and dancing help anyone??? Well, as I think about what we’re doing here I’ve decided that for starters it’s sure helping me. I’m learning so much about church history and I’m learning that I can do things I didn’t think I could do. I’m trying to do my best even in the smallest things. I’ve learned that I can bear my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many circumstances and in many ways. There is a spirit here in Nauvoo and visitors feel it. There must be a lot of good that comes from people’s experiences in Nauvoo or the Church wouldn’t continue the huge expense and man power to keep things going here. I love being part of it even though it’s just a small part. There are so many different assignments and my challenge is to do each one the best I can and feel that I’m contributing whether I’m telling a visitor about one of the sites and bearing my testimony to them or whether I’m spending the day pulling weeds around the Family Living Center or helping to make lunch for the 50+ young (wonderful!) performing missionaries. Each assignment is important to the whole Nauvoo experience. Our friends, the Densleys are serving their mission in Serbia and they are making such a difference in the world. When we spoke to them recently they told us about the hundreds of wheelchairs they took to people in Bosnia. They are doing amazing things there and we’re strengthened and amazed by their reports and experiences. The four of us have laughed that our missions couldn’t be more different! This is where the Lord seems to want us right now and we’re trying to give it all we’ve got. It’s funny about the singing and dancing part…on the nights it’s our turn to perform in the production of “Rendezvous” we see people who are touched by the Spirit as they watch a bunch of amateur old people on stage. They laugh and they cry, and of course I do too.
* Did I mention there are bugs…if you are outside it is best not to chew gum with your mouth open.
* Overheard from a senior elder, “Well, tomorrow is our P day, and you know what that means, I get to put on my suit and go to Walmart”.
* Wearing Vanilla helps keep the bugs away! Crazy but true!
* I’ve learned that after getting home from our shows at 10:00 pm getting to bed by 11:30, Ron actually gets up early for something besides hunting!! I’ve also learned that it’s best not to talk to him for the first hour after he gets up!
* Overheard from one of the young performing elders: “I guess it doesn’t really matter what your wife looks like because by the time they’re 70 they all look the same”

Random Photos

Nauvoo Weather

Nauvoo is so beautiful right now. EVERYTHING is green. We just keep taking pictures. As my friend, Sarah, from Washington State says, there's a price to be paid for this beauty. It rains here. It rains here a lot. The Cultural Hall, where we perform "Rendezvous", has flooded 5 times since we've been here. And the thunder!! It's called "Rolling Thunder" and it is LOUD!!!!

Our Days in Old Nauvoo

We seem to have settled into a nice Summer routine. Our schedules come out on Fridays and for the past month ours have been about the same each week. It's a schedule that we like. We are the assistant site leaders for Pioneer Pastimes so we are assigned there 3 days a week. That is really fun. Ron is NRI (Nauvoo Restoration Inc.) one day a week and that means that he is painting things, or fixing things, or sandblasting things, or build things (like a temporary dressing room for the performing missionaries next to the Visitor's Center). Then he has one day a week as a teamster. Usually he does the oxen rides which he really likes and last week he got to drive the wagon with the Nauvoo Brass Band. The horses pull the wagon all through Old Nauvoo and up into Nauvoo. They stop and play a couple of songs at various places. The band kids are wonderful and he had a great time with them. I have 1 or 2 days a week helping Sister Hardy in the kitchen. She prepares a wonderful lunch for the young performing missionaries and their leaders (50 people) Mon-Fri. I love learning from her and it's fun to be with her and the kids. Every couple of weeks I'm assigned a day in the gardens. This is great also. It's fun to visit with and learn from other sisters as we're pulling weeds and making Nauvoo beautiful. On Sundays we're assigned somewhere together. Today we were at the Brickyard.

We are the site leaders for Nauvoo on the Road and so a couple of times a month we head out. Yesterday we went to an event in Quincy, IL. We had 2 other couples with us and 2 young single missionaries. We had a great time and it was a good day.

Nauvoo on the Road

There's a great program here called Nauvoo on the Road. Four or five missionary couples are sent out with a van and a trailer to schools and community events. We set up 5 stations and teach about pioneer life and skills. At the schools we set up in their gym or lunch room and the kids are divided into groups and rotate through the stations. We teach them about baking in a bustle oven, candle making, rope making, brick making and pioneer games. When we're at the schools we don't wear our name tags and we call each other Mr. & Mrs. instead of Elder & Sister. The hope is that the kids will have such a great time that they'll bring their families to Nauvoo.

Friday and Saturday (April 24,25) we got to attend the "Battle of Pea Ridge" in Keokuk, Iowa. It's only about 1/2 hour away. Every year they reinact a couple of the Civil War battles. It's a big deal and they take it very seriously. On Friday we were in a big park with 15 other stations and we were spread out. We got to meet Abraham Lincoln and hear some great banjo music and some other neat stuff. On Saturday we were in our own area. Friday was school groups and we saw 898 kids. Saturday was more like a county fair with people wandering up to see what we had to tell them. 718 people visited our stations on Saturday. We met some very interesting people. It was a good day and even though the wind picked up a few times and we had to chase some of our props, it didn't rain hard until we were just loading up the last of our gear into the trailer.