DETOURS

Surprise --- no new weather stories this week.  The weather will always be high with humidity but as long as it is in the 80s we can endure, in fact, we even went for a walk last night and took a closer look at the prairie grass demonstration area.  This area gives one a snip-it into what the area would have been during the pioneer days.  Every March they have a Prairie Grass Burn program when the dry field is burned.

Prairie Grass Demonstrations

Elder Talbot next to the Prairie Grass Area that is full of grasses and wild flowers especially sunflowers.

We continue to enjoy the firefly show at dusk as they come up out of the grass to light up the area.  We have learned some very interesting facts about the insect.  The firefly is a nocturnal insect that belongs to the winged beetle group. While they don’t actually turn base metals into gold, they do create light as if by magic. “When a chemical called luciferin (note the same Latin root as Lucifer) inside their abdomen/tail combines with oxygen, calcium and adenosine triphosphate, a chemical reaction occurs that creates their spectacular light. (And then Mother Nature said, let there be bioluminescence!)”  There are fireflies in the Western States but they don’t all light up.  We have tried taking various pictures, but they are too fast to capture, however, we have now seen some up close.  The picture we have included isn’t ours but does show what they actually look like.

Firefly AKA Beetle

While serving at the Temple this week, we got two messages that a man (who was a retired policeman) and a young girl around 20 were looking for us.  It was quite a surprise.  Kevin Lieby (from Sparks) was passing through and had asked about us.  We did get to talk to him on the phone.  Then Friday morning while serving on the 4th floor, a familiar face came around the corner.  Kathy Dobbs (from Reno) had brought her kids to EFY and was doing some Temple work.  We had a good quiet visit.  I’m so glad that she had tracked me down.  It was so good to see a friend from home.

We have been busy learning our songs for the finale for the British Pageant and attending the practices.  We had dress rehearsal tonight and the pageants start tomorrow night.  The Nauvoo Pageant runs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights.  The British Pageant is Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.  It will be quite the experience.

We had some time this week to visit a few more of the sites.  Some we had been to before and some new ones.  At the print shop, we learned  a lot of the terms we use all the time came from the printing business.  For example:  Upper case letters were stored in an “upper case” and the lower case letters were stored in a “lower case”.  A “ding bat” is a pretty little thing that takes up space between words.  All the letters have to be secured in the “chase” upside down and backwards and is referred to “cut to the chase”.  When all the type is ready, the chase is carried to the press and “lay it to rest” on the “coffin”.  The printers were always reminded to mind their “p’s” and “q’s” or they would end up looking like the “d’s” and “b’s”.  Following are pictures that Laura took when the Henderson Talbots were here for a visit.

"Laying it in the coffin:

Upper and lower cases where letters were kept.

The Jonathan Browning Home and Gun Shop was a new site that we visited this week.  Jonathan Browning made the first repeater rifle.  As we stood in the log cabin he had built while he was adding on to home for his wife and nine children, we pondered at the choices they had to make since joining the church – whether they would follow the counsel of the Prophet Joseph Smith or stay in Quincy where they had a profitable business or move to Nauvoo.  They chose to move to Nauvoo.  They then moved back to Quincy and the choice came again whether to go West with the Saints as directed by President Brigham Young or stay in Quincy where they were safe from the mobs.  They chose to move West.  When they arrived in Far West President Young asked them to stay for five years so Browning could fix and supply guns that would be needed by the Saints for protection and to provide food for their families.  Again, the Brownings were faced with another major choice in their lives.  They chose to stay in Far West.  We also are faced today with making hard choices when trying to follow President Nelson’s counsel. 

Elder and Sister Talbot in the small Browning cabin.

Can't imagine what it would be like to cook for a family of 11 just using the fireplace!

80% of the homes in Nauvoo were like this cabin - not the red brick home that we live in.

Elder Talbot liked the moon on the outhouse!

The 4^th of July was just a little different.  We did attend an early morning Flag Raising Ceremony at the Visitors Center.  The Temple was open so then we served on our regular shift.  No fireworks in Nauvoo☹  But they did have fireworks after a community band concert on Saturday night at the end of Parley Street – our street.  So, we just drove down close to the river and watched the 30 minute show from there.  They were pretty good for a small town😊

Fireworks in the Nauvoo sky on the 7th of July.

Our Sunday drive to church proved interesting to say the least.  One of the bridges we cross just outside Bushnell is closed for repair.  As we came to the intersection we saw a Detour Sign and Elder Hales followed it.  We drove and drove and drove.  Just outside Macomb, Elder Talbot pulled out his phone and searched for directions to Canton.  The detour took us off our regular route but never did lead us back to our route past the bridge that is being repaired.  Using the directions from the phone, we finally made it to church in time for the opening prayer.  As we were traveling on the "scenic route", we discussed how easy it was for us to be led astray – just as easy as it is for Satan to lead us astray from the straight and narrow path and leave us stranded.  But, no matter how far we get off the straight and narrow path, Christ has provided us a way to come back to him.  We are so thankful for the Atonement.

We love and miss all of you, but we are also loving Nauvoo,

Elder and Sister Talbot

Pictures of the lanterns that shows the different patterns each family designed for themselves that we talked about last week.

Pioneer mouse trap that was made in the tin shops.  The bucket was full of water.  Maybe, we should try it in our garden to keep the mice from digging up our bulbs.