April started off well with April Fools Day. For those who know us well, it was a great day with lots of fun surprises. It's always good to be in a new environment on April 1st because you have a fresh audience, and you can reuse some of the old tried-and-true tricks with the unsuspecting recipients. A good time was had by.....most.
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| These are real flamingoes, not April Fools Flamingoes |
We received church callings as a couple, so we teach the Sunbeam class of 3 year olds, which is a great experience. The day we were sustained in church we thought we'd drop into the classroom to meet the kids, but to our surprise, they threw us into the classroom without a manual or any hint as to what the lesson was supposed to be about, so of course we "winged it" and got along fine. We didn't raise 10 kids for nothing!
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Sunbeam Class
We are also Cub Scout Leaders working with the Wolf and Bears, which comprises ages 8 and 9. In the three weeks we have been serving we have carved soap with pocket knives, taught Ultimate Frisbee skills and hiked to a bird rookery. Fun, fun and more fun! |
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Before Hike, during drizzling rain
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| Middle of hike, right before deluge, with 1/2 mile to go. One of the dads is a Wildlife Biologist for the Ranch, so he went with us! |
Elder Fillmore spent several weeks with the other Elders at the Ranch swimming hole. No, they weren't swimming to get out of the heat, but they were replacing rickety wooden stairways, rotting platform boards and fending off the resident alligator who has been in the swimming hole since the rusted chain link fence was taken down. Elder Fillmore has also been working on renovating some ranch homes with the other Senior Elders, which is his main purpose for being here.
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| The hand railing came next |
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| The swimming hole had been partially drained for repairs, so normally water is everywhere...it is fed by a natural flow-well. |
Speaking of alligators, Elder Fillmore made a Gator Gauge so one can determine how long an alligator is by looking at his head. It was a gift for a departing Elder and his wife. It works great...if you dare get close enough to a gator to stick the protruding pin into his nose.
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| One inch on the gage equals one foot of the gator. Gus' snout is 12 1/2 inches, and he measures 12 1/2 feet |
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The bucket is to keep the gator from chewing off your hand...remember Captain Hook?
A couple of comments from local cowboys include "You need a much larger bucket!" and, "I just shoot 'em then pull out my tape measure to see how long they are." |
I have been busy with humanitarian sewing and crocheting. This month I made a number of t-shirt dresses and pillowcase dresses, as well as adult bibs for care centers and school bags for kids. I am so glad that I received a serger for Christmas that I can use along with my sewing machine.
In our spare time we visited the Kennedy Space Center, Gator Land and also a Serpentarium.
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| Kennedy Space Center |
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| Elder Fillmore & Snake |
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| Sister Fillmore and Snake |
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Gator Land
Mothers Day was great. Elder Fillmore made me a shelf to go in our laundry area. When you only have 450 sq. feet, you need all the extra storage you can get. |
As far as service goes, we've helped clean the church twice, fed the full-time Elders numerous times, and participated in a Day of Service at the high school.
We have been grateful for good health and favorable weather. Did we mention how wonderful senior missions are!
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| View from an air boat ride through a cypress grove |
