December 11, 2015 - Friday in Nauvoo

This was another great day for us here in Nauvoo.  The morning temperatures were in the low 40's but our walk was very pleasant.  After we had our morning devotional and prayers, we started off on our walk around Old Nauvoo.  I saw some beautiful pictures of an amazing sunrise but, as I reached for my phone camera, I discovered that I had left it on the table at home!  Here is the picture I was able to salvage from our backyard once we got back to the house;

Sun rays filtering in from the sunrise!

The coloring of the clouds from the sunrise!

I know I did not capture the best shots, but you get the idea.  Our walk is early enough that we have very few cars, and it is extremely rare that we see other folks out walking.  That means these morning sunrises are pretty much all for us!  And we get exercise on top of that!!

Today we were working together in the Family Living Center.  Both mom and I got to work with some of our favorite people here, the Ramsey's.  They live in Burly, Idaho, and are here until next September.  Elder and Sister Ramsey are the site leaders here at the Family Living Center, so we got to work with them on these projects I am about to describe.

Elder Ramsey has become a master rug weaver.  We set up the loom to make ready for the weaving of about 30 or so 4' rugs that will be about 32" wide.  I found this information on the internet about the art of early rug making.  In Nauvoo, in the 1840's, the men were the rug weavers;

"The evolution of rag weaving is linked to that of the house. Rugs were impractical in homes where a single room served many functions. Before the 1700s, early American homes had wooden floors covered with straw, corn husks, and rush woven mats. In 1750,the first carpets appeared, but only the very wealthy could afford these imports. By 1816, painted floor cloths were very popular. 

However, rag rugs started as bed rugs.  They were warmer and padded the sharp points of the corn husks in the bedding fillings.  Thus the phrase, "snug as a bug in a rug"....

As the standard of living increased and houses grew larger, rag rugs moved from the bed to the table to the floor. The earliest woven floor coverings in America were made with straw wefts, which were later combined with rag strips. 

These first rag rugs were highly prized and reserved for use on holidays or other special occasions. As the standard of living improved in the first half of the nineteenth century, houses gained more rooms, such as parlors and drawing rooms, where prized rag rugs could be kept out of the way of everyday traffic. By the mid- nineteenth century, rag rugs became commonplace in many rooms of the house.

The development of the power loom in 1839 made commercially produced carpets available. Manufactured rugs were too expensive to be purchased by the general public, but they did have the effect of heightening the interest in attractive floor coverings. Thrifty but clever housewives were inspired to create a new craft for their homes: the handmade rug. The whole family helped in rug making. 

Men usually made the tools for making rugs, hooks and frames, while children were pressed into cutting up the old clothes that were saved throughout the year. The rug makers were usually women, although Scottish and English sailors made mats by pushing short lengths of yarn or rope through a canvas backing. 

These mats were used in the rigging of ships to prevent ropes from chafing. When the rug was finished, it would be placed in front of the fire in the best room while older rugs would be rotated around the house; the previous year’s best rug would be moved to the kitchen, while the kitchen rug would be moved to the back door, and so on.  A well-made rug is often reversible; if not reversible, rugs were often placed wrong side up and turned over only on special occasions." 

Here are some action shots of the rug makers in action, preparing the loom.  There is more that 75 miles of thread used in this set up today!  Isn't that a great looking rug rug maker?

Threading the loom in preparation for making the rugs.

The master weaver! 

Elder Ramsey has found a new hobby!  He is currently looking to buy a loom when he completes this mission!  We had some fun working together today!

And mom got to discover the art of bread making in the Bustle Oven of the 1840's.  We built the fire this morning and got the oven up to 470 degrees.  The coals and ashes were scrapped out and 8 loaves of bread were baked over the next hour or so!  Incidentally, we did have to taste the bread right after it was pulled out of the over for about 5 minutes or so....  Fresh butter and grape jam completed the gastronomical delight!

Mom working with Sister Ramsey

The Bustle Oven right next to the fireplace!

The first hot loaves of bread..... and a "hot" bread-maker!

Tonight we had about 20 people at Rendezvous.  The play has had no audience for the last few nights but tonight we entertained a family of eight and several missionaries and neighbors from Nauvoo and Des Moines.  I was grateful for the opportunity to play the part of the Editor.  As you can imagine, too many cancelled shows creates more "stupor of thoughts" than I care to mention!   

And there a message for me in this situation.  As with rehearsing and practicing my part as the Editor requires regular attention, so does our need to study the Gospel of Jesus Christ require regular attention.  I am amazed at how the Adversary works on us when we fail to regularly study, "ponderize", and practice our religion.  I cannot afford to let my guard down in rehearsing and presenting my lines as Editor any more than I can afford to let my guard down in living my religion.  

Another lesson for a senior missionary who needs all the help he can get!  Thank you for joining me tonight here in Historic Nauvoo, and for checking in on our experiences as reported here on the "Laoag And On to Nauvoo Blog"!