Sabbath Morning Walks

This morning's temperature was in the mid 60s.  I knew it would be a good day for a walk when I went to bed last night.  

              

When I came upon the Browning Gun home/shop I noticed these heads peeking over the fence.  It was a really interesting look from a bit of a distance.

                                                  

Whatever they are, they are really interesting.  Such a tall stalk with this big, beautiful bloom on top.

                                                  

And such a brilliant color!

                               
Behind the house, there is a garden filled with flowers and vegetables.  I'm told we will be able to share in the bounty when things produce.  I'm just looking forward to seeing it when it is more full and abundant.

There is something special about the quietness of a Sabbath morning in old Nauvoo.  There is no one around and the place is still.  I find such peace in it.  Since we arrived, we have been leaving just after 8am to head out to Hannibal to go to church.  When the Stay at Home order was issued and church was cancelled, it was pretty cool to go out for a walk.  But now it is perfect.

I imagine the bustle of everyday life back in the 1840's when this was a large city.  There's a sacred feeling here and I know that I take that for granted.  So on these quiet mornings when all is still and quiet, I find great joy in walking these grounds.  I loved seeing the sun shining on the Riser Boot Shop this morning.

There is fencing around so many of the homes.  I imagine there were flowers planted there as there are now.

There was an abundance of wildlife this morning as well.  I saw squirrels, birds, rabbits and this one deer.  Although I heard others in the thick of the trees on my way back home.

Fencing went up yesterday around some of the new temple district homes.  This is in front of the William and Esther Gheen home.  The pickets are flat on this fence.

Nearby on the Orson Hyde fence, the pickets are round.  I like these better.  Or at least I like the look better.  I have such a myriad of emotions as I gaze upon these homes.  I think of the work that I've been able to perform both on the interior and exterior.  I played such a small part but still my sacrifice is acceptable.

                             

Then I walked past the pageant stage and had very bittersweet feelings.  I love the pageant and I'm so grateful for the opportunity we had last year to be in it and help with security.  I feel bad for all those missionaries who came last fall and will not get the chance to do either of those things.  

Another view of the stage from across the field.  Everything is so green and lush and beautiful right now.  I cannot express in words how I really feel about this place.  So many memories.  Both from years ago and those from the last year are so dear to my heart.  Then there are the memories of our children being married in this place.  A sacred place where those eternal families began.  I feel so blessed to be able to serve a mission here and to serve an FM mission at that.  If we were site missionaries we would be home right now with no chance of coming back to finish.  Life is grand!

Peonies!

Last year when we left for this mission my peonies were big round balls on top of the stems in my garden.  When we arrived in Nauvoo, the  peonies were all finished.  I missed them!  This year I did not miss them.  

I saw them beginning to blossom at the Visitor's Center.  I heard that they were in full bloom at the Sarah Granger Kimball home as well so I went last week to take a look.

At home I have white, pink and purplish ones.  They bloom at about the same time but just days apart.  

I never dreamed there were so many varieties.  Not just different colors but different blooms!

This white one is definitely different from the white one below.

And this one is different from the next one!

I am amazed at God's handiwork!

And I thought there were a lot of different tulips and daffodils.

It really is sad that most people visiting Nauvoo do not go to this home.

Every time I looked at the next plant, it was different from the last.

I cannot say I have a favorite.

There was no way to get a really great photo of this garden.

Too bad the blooms are so big and they always end up falling over due to the weight.

So delicate.

They never last long enough for me.

And they always smell wonderful!

And ants love them.

It was the perfect thing to see on this rather dreary, rainy day.

These pink ones are what I always think of when I hear the word, peony.

Just so much color and splendor all in one place.

Ribs and Bocce Ball

We are finally in phase 3 of this pandemic here in Illinois.  That means that up to 10 people can get together socially.  That's exactly what we did on Friday evening.  We had the Carlsons and the MacGregors over for a picnic and Bocce ball.  Rick made ribs for us which were delicious!  

Then we taught them how to play bocce ball.  It was so much fun.  My husband put the court underneath a walnut tree.  Poor Elder Carlson hit a nut shell almost every throw.

Because Sherry works at a local tech school, she is in charge of taking temperatures of people coming into the facility.  She always tries to keep a good social distance.  Therefore, each of us women had a specific ball.

We played men against the women.  One of the throws was further down the court so Sister Carlson wound up to throw.

She began with that softball wind up pitch and ended with what looks like a bowling stance.

She did a great job.  We women won the first game.  The men started out strong, but we came back to take the victory!

That didn't last long as we got killed in the second game.  The men were victorious!

A good time was had by all.  We ended the night by sitting around a campfire and visiting.  What great memories we are making with wonderful friends we've already made!  The upside of not having the pageant or the Sunset show this summer is that we will be able to do more social things with those that are remaining.  I look forward to teaching this game to other couples and enjoying their friendship.

Out For a Walk

Last evening I went out for a walk all by myself.  I took my phone along and decided I would take some pictures of the things that I see.

I walked down Parley street and of course when you turn around you see the temple.  Oh how I wish it was open.

At the end of Parley stands the statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.  I really love  this statue!

I can't forget about the oxen.  Porter was the closest to the fence so he's the one I took a picture of.

It was really windy when I left and it surely looked like it might rain.  I heard some rumbles of thunder but the dark clouds were off to the east so I knew I wasn't going to get wet.  The cloud formations off to the west were quite interesting.

The sunset started off looking like it might be spectacular but shortly after I took this, the clouds covered up anything that might have been.

Walking down Parley is the best place to get some perspective on just how gigantic the FM complex really is.  

I rounded the corner and started walking up Water street.  I wonder what these yellow blooms are in the water.  Last year I saw the blossoms on the water lilies and this isn't it.

The irises are in full bloom at present.  They aren't my favorite flower, but I think they are very interesting. We have yellow ones across the street from our home and one yellow and one purple in the back yard.

As I came up to the Red Brick Store, I noticed a couple of deer.  They saw me before I could get my camera out so this one is a blur.  I saw three more as I walked further up the road but never got close enough to get a good picture.

I was lucky enough to see a barge coming up the river.  Then I heard the train across the river as well.  The train is quite loud and makes a good rumbling sound.  But then, when the barge gets close enough it is really loud too.

More wonderful clouds and it was still breezy enough that the water wasn't very smooth.  It's a river so it isn't ever very smooth.

I had to walk up the street where this cute little house sits as I painted the front screen door yesterday and just needed to document it.  I still have the door frame to do but the red looks great!

Making the corner and coming back on to Parley I had to get a picture of this tree.  It is so much more magnificent in person.  There is another one on north Durphey as well as a white one.  The white looks like little white Christmas trees stuck in the big tree.  I do not know what kind of tree it is.

Coming back up Water street I turned the corner and looked to my left to find this interesting creation.  The wonders of God are amazing to me.

Our little house sits on top of this hill.  On the right is Nauvoo State Park.  It is a pretty long and steep grade.  I thought about the many, many times that Tracy and I walked up the dump hill and how after a little time it got easier.  I need to walk up this hill more.  I did today pushing my bike and it made me pant.  

Finally, back to our home.  I love this little house!  It is truly home to us.  You can tell that the house sits on the hill as the concrete is on a slant.  It really does level out just past us.  It was a good walk.  Perhaps another one soon with a different route to get more photos of the loveliness around me.