More Signs of Spring!

South side of the Temple...daffodils and pansies

Flowering tree by Patty Sessions cabin

Wild flowers in the woods

Can you believe how many blossoms are on this tree!!

North side of Temple...another blossoming tree! There are many of these all over Nauvoo right now. I remember we saw them one year when we visited Rick & Donna in Kansas City, but I don't know what they are called :)

Just learned this is called a Red Bud

The flowers at the Women's Garden...also notice the leaves are coming out on the trees.

See the bird in her nest. There is another one right above the door of the Arrival Center.

Our apartment...the flowers are out here now too!

Love the colors of these tulips

Mushrooms or I guess toad stools growing in the woods.

View from Parley's Street...notice the leaves on the trees. Spring is such a wonderful time. A beautiful reminder of "rebirth" and a time to reflect upon the ressurection and our own "rebirth" someday!

A cardinal in the tree outside our apartment singing so joyously.

I captured his song! Enjoy, and be Happy!!

Burning the Prairie Grass!

We just got the word today that they were going to burn the prairie grass tonight at 6:00. They burn it every spring, and then by summer it has grown again, and is about 8-10 feet tall! We have been waiting for them to do this, and hoping it wouldn't be a time when we were in the Temple, but today was our p-day and the Temple is closed so we all could see this event. Most of the Temple missionaries were in the second story of the apartment building right by the field so we had a perfect view. The Wallentine's live in one side of the building and the other side is vacant so President Standifird opened it up so more of us could view the fire from there.

The first fire truck arrived

Then the second truck...

The people also start to arrive...

Ane more and more.

President and Sister Peterson arrive.

Brother Wallentine and Sister Jaussi taking pictures.

Some of the Sisters gathering in the entry way.

Starting the fire...

Look how fast it burns...

and higher!

It's hot, even up in the window where we are!!

The burning of the prairie grass!

It took less than 3 minutes to burn the whole field!

All burned

Even most of the smoke is gone, and it has only been minutes!

The Wallentine's apartment.  We were looking out the window that he is just closing.  You can still see the fire truck in the street.  President Standifird said it looked like "the great and spacious building", because all the upstairs windows were open on the second floor, and people were leaning out of them  calling below for others to come up and join them!  :)  It was fun!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!

It has only been a week since I posted the first pictures of "Spring is Coming"...but with temperatures in the 70's and even 80's one day and a couple of good rain storms, "SPRING IS HERE"! ...and it is beautiful!  I took all these pictures just this morning.  It is our p-day today, so I had a lot of time to enjoy the beauties of nature. 

The woods after the hard rain we had yesterday.

The drainage ditch that the early saints dug to drain off the swamp land on the flats

The trail in the woods.  It was a little muddy, and I even slipped and fell once...but it was worth it!

One of the other missionaries flower beds...mine are not yet blooming ,because I have a west exposure and this one faces south. Check out that green lawn too...It is amazing how fast it happened.

Don't know what kind of tree this is, the the blossoms are so pretty.

Joseph and Brigham by the river...just look how green the grass is!

A Duck sitting on her eggs.  We will soon see the little baby ducks and geese.

The  forsythia bushes are all out now...makes me think of my bushes back home.  I'm sure they are not in bloom yet, since we have been having snow in Salt Lake :)

Looking across the lawn towards the Seventies Hall...what a morning!

The tree by the Printing office is also in bloom.

And just look at this tree by the John Browning home...isn't that gorgeous!...and it smells so good too.  I LOVE this time of year!

Missionary Variety Show

Last Monday, we had another missionary variety show at the Visitors Center and the talent was amazing again! There were only two Temple missionaries who participated...the Cottrells and Sister Johnson





The Cottrells doing their skit...it was hilarious! It was called "No News!"

Sister Johnson...whistling...She is amazing! See the video clip below.

The Mechams...doing a skit about the outhouse!

President Hill, from Burley, giving a reading with Elder Veteto accompanying him on the harmonica.

Sister Johnson, just the end of her song, " I know Heavenly Father Loves Me". She also did "How Great Thou Art"! I can't even whistle two notes...let alone a song :)

Here are a few video clips of some of the talent. The entire show lasted an hour and a half, and was so enjoyable. I don't know where the site missionaries find the time to do all that they do! They are truly amazing people, and we have gotten really close to all of them too.

Sister Tolman doing the reading "Rindercella"! ...a take off of the story of Cinderella, where the words of flip-flopped....like instead of "dropped her slipper", she says "slopped her dripper " It is so funny. She did this last year in "Sunset by the Mississippi"! She is great!....this is just the ending.

The final number at the show was this male quarter consisting of Elders Boehmer, Clark, Guyman, and Henrickson, with Sister Steadman, a single sister missionary who just came a few months ago. Pretty good for "old people", huh?