Monday, Jan. 28, 2019

Brrrr!!! It's really cold!

  You would think that we would be used to it but, of course, it feels different here with the humidity.

 The Mississippi River is nearly frozen over....you can see a thin stream of open water out in the middle.  The log is frozen in the ice.  It went from above 0 degrees this morning to well below within a matter of 30 minutes.  A blast (micro-burst) of cold Arctic air hit around 9 o'clock this morning and froze everything solid in a matter of minutes.  It is really treacherous to walk around outside.  I don't feel so bad when the locals are struggling, as well.  Hahaha!

The water running off of the house next to us froze in mid-air forming this "killer" icicle !!  The teamsters have been offering sleigh rides during the cold (as long as it isn't too cold and icy for the horses) along with hot chocolate in the Visitor's Center after.  It has been really interesting to see how many local area people have been taking advantage of this.  One couple who were celebrating their 50th anniversary came and booked a sleigh ride and changed into period clothing (Top hat and coat for the man and long dress and cape for the lady) and had a photographer taking their pictures along the ride.   Another 80 year old lady came and said that it was on her bucket list !!  A fun part of winter! 

So... on Tuesday, Kevin Calder (Chris' brother-in-law) came down to Nauvoo and fixed my lip.  The muscle had been cut when I fell in October and it had rolled up under my nose giving me an extra smile.  When he saw it, he offered to fix it for free.  I really didn't expect that and I would have lived with it but I was happy to accept his generous offer.  He brought his son, Ethan, and their new puppy with him.  Jim entertained them both while he stretched me out on our couch and performed the surgery.  First, he numbed me (which really hurt ...he said that big tough guys cry when he does this..I didn't cry but I wanted to slap the needle out!) then he opened the scar and dug out the scar tissue and pulled the muscle down / stitched it together and closed up the scar with more stitches.  Needless to say, I did alot of swelling up and bruising but it is really healing well and will be better in the long run.

This next Sat. (Feb. 2) is the commemoration of the Exodus from Nauvoo.  This is a big thing that the community and surrounding area support.  I'll tell you about it next week but we had a fireside last night in the Visitor's Center which is the first of many events to honor the pioneers who left Nauvoo in 1846.  It was my responsibility to put this together and it was a real learning experience for me.  The program consisted of missionaries sharing: 1. An early ancestor in Nauvoo at the time of the Exodus. 2.  Three examples of modern day pioneers building the church whereever they are around the world.  These were presented by missionaries who had served previous missions in : Russia, Ghana & Phillipines.  Lastly, they presented how we are pioneers now as we serve our Heavenly Father and touch lives each day whereever we are.  It helped me realize --even more--how the decisions I make each day will have an effect on others especially my posterity.  It's NOT all about today...we need to consider the future... thus we are today's pioneers.  I love my family and my only desire for them is to see them truly happy by living the principles that bring peace and happiness.  Have a good week !!