Thaw & Straw

 Thaw - First week without snow

Pussy Willows at FM

This week started out still cold, but not so cold that we couldn't go outside. So the grounds crew pulled out the new(ish) van, all outfitted with new tarps and rakes.  Thanks Elder Dare for giving us shelves to organize things and even a place to keep the gas cans outside the van,  on the trailer. 

Our first project on Monday morning was to clean up the Smith Family cemetery.  While we were there we asked the Community of Christ maintenance man if we could clean up around the Red Brick Store, where we would be meeting on Saturday for the Relief Society Re-enactment.  He welcomed the offer.  So our morning took on a sense of service that we sometimes don't feel on our own property. 

Cool shadows on the wall.

Snow geese on the thawing river

Straw - Monday afternoon

The church historians are coming to town, and FM has been instructed to take all of the straw out of the foundation of Edward Hunter's house by tomorrow, so that they can start planning for it's reconstruction.  No one knew why there were straw bales in the house foundation, which had been covered with a tarp the whole time I've been here, but they had to be removed.  Sister Christensen worried that there might be snakes or other creatures hiding in the bales - and for good reason.  So after break, we headed over to see if we could be of assistance.  

First the van got stuck in the mud.

Foundation filled with soggy bales of straw. 

Adam finds a critter.  Follow the stick. 

Louis pulls the possum out. 

Fun on the straw - it was not that fun. 

All cleaned out. 

Artifacts uncovered

 

Later that week

 One afternoon I saw a rainbow out our front porch.  Can you see it just behind the temple? So I called my photographer friend, Elder Cornwell and told him to about it.  Scroll down to see what he saw.

                       This was taken from the FM parking lot.  The white building is the temple.