Showing signs of Spring!

It looks like this was the last snow of the season taken March 8, 2019.

 I won't miss the cold but fresh snow is pretty.

To commemorate the organization of the Relief Society, our missionary group did a reenactment of the first meeting in the red brick store. I got to be Sarah Granger Kimball and Peter was John Taylor.

Here is the group out in front of the store. It is owned by the Community of Christ Church but they graciously allowed us to use the upper floor.

So we decided it was time to go visit Sarah's home. The site missionary was actually driving away and saw us walking down the lane and turned around so that she could give us the tour. 

I thought that she was related to Heber C. Kimball in some way but it turns out that is not true. 

She married Hiram Kimball, a wealthy businessman in Nauvoo. He was not a member of the church at the time, but later was baptised. She was always faithful and engaged in a good cause such as making shirts for the temple workers that led to the organization of the Relief Society.

The glass jar in the center is a fly catcher. The bottom curves upward inside with a hole to let the fly go in. They put  a little honey inside to lure them in.

Since the ice melted the water level has risen quite a bit. We have had some rain, too. Water is seeping into the low lying areas, but nothing out of the normal for here. Unfortunately there has been significant flooding along the Missouri river in Nebraska and parts of Iowa.

One of the most fun things that happens here in Nauvoo is running into people that you know. We were at the Arrival Center a few weeks ago greeting people as they prepared to go into the baptistry. None of us recognized faces, but we did recognize the Stubblefield name.This is Josh, whom Peter taught in band as a child and grew up in Yuba City. It was so fun to visit a bit and meet some of his children

When we look out our kitchen window, we see the back of the Lucy Mack Smith home.  We finally got around to going inside and touring the home. She lived here for about a year with her daughter's family. She stayed down here and slept in this cut little alcove with a curtain for privacy.  The family lived upstairs (and they are the tallest and steepest stairs I've seen here) 

This is a four o'clock stove.  It was in the children's room upstairs and they put coals into it around four o'clock to warm the room for the night with out a full fire.

We went over to the Scovil Bakery, too. This is a picture and quote from him about being called to go on a mission just as his family was heading west with the pioneers. It was hard, but he was obedient.

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Last week I realized that when I wake up in the mornings I hear a beautiful loud chorus of spring birds singing their songs instead of the squawking honkers(well, there are still a few of those, too) 

I think spring has arrived!

March

We have been waiting to visit the Lyon Drug Store since it has been closed for some renovations. It is special to me since it belonged to Winsor P Lyon and Sylvia Sessions. Sylvia was my 3rd G grandmother with her 2nd husband  Ezekiel Clark. It was the 1st store built in Nauvoo and the biggest, I believe. 

Winsor was a pharmacist of the day(not necessarily formally trained), selling herbs and things that were used in medicine. His mother-in-law, Patty Sessions also had a knowledge of medicine, being a mid-wife throughout most of her life. I bet it was a family effort to grow, harvest and bottle the plants.  In the summer, the missionaries grow a garden around the store that represents what they probably would have grown. 

This is a pill maker

We also learned that Sylvia and Winsor buried 3 small children while they were in Nauvoo. We drove up to the old cemetery and were able to find their burial place. They had not only head stones, but foot stones as well. The stones were about 3 feet apart.

The headstone on the left is for 2 of the children.  The one on the right is for Marion. Right after she died, Joseph Smith was speaking at a meeting and changed his talk to speak some comforting words to the family and congregation.  So many of them had to bury babies and young children, including Joseph and Emma.

 This was in a little gazebo at the cemetery. On the walls are the names of those buried there.

On the way to and  from Keokuk we drive along the river and so we see it freeze and then melt and refreeze.  The frozen waterfalls are kind of fun.

On fast Sundays we gather in groups for dinner. This month we got to go to President and Sister Smith's, 1st counselor in the temple presidency.  They have a home south of town with a beautiful view of the river. Above is from the living room.  I never get tired of sunsets on the Mississippi.

On the first of March I looked out my kitchen window and thought I saw a hint of green. It was still pretty cold so it was probably my imagination.  Today is the 7th and there is a new blanket of snow on the ground. Winter isn't giving up yet!