Owen & Jessie & the Mayflies

Mark has been working one day a week with the oxen rides.  He prefers the horses of course but he doesn't mind the oxen one day a week.  They take folks on a short ride in a covered wagon.  The Nauvoo oxen are Don and Duke and Owen and Jessie.  Oxen are more docile than horses and are easier keepers so they were useful to the pioneers.

Mark is here with Owen and Jessie.  They are a Hereford Ayershire cross.  Don and Duke are shorthorns.  We'll photograph them another time.

Mark and Owen and Jessie



The oxen with Mark



I didn't quite get the wagon in the photo.

I got most of the wagon in the photo WITH the oxen and Mark

Another one of Mark and Owen and Jessie.  Notice the teamsters don't have to wear vests for the summer.  They can wear suspenders instead.

The next animals to report on are the Mayflies.  I don't know how often they come, but they came in June.  Mark calls them June bugs, but everyone here calls them Mayflies.  I think they hatch and live 24 hours and then die.  The birds come and eat them and that helps get rid of them.  They really swirl about you when you leave the house but they don't get into the house too much.  They sure get on our car and in our car.   They are so thick that they make the road slick to travel on.  The Sunset stage used to be by the river and the dead flies would get all over the keyboard and make the keys slick to play. 

Here's the back wall of our house with Mayflies on the outside walls.  They were all over the house--especially on the shady sides.

The side of our house with a tree branch.

A close up of the Mayflies.  We hear that they are larger here than in the west.





Some people have snow drifts.  We have bug drifts.  This is the road in front of our house.  The black piles are dead bugs.



A tree in our back yard covered with Mayflies.

The Mayflies are now gone thanks to their short life cycle and the birds.  We are glad to have them gone.

I have been working in the sewing room once a week.  I have to get a show dress since I'm here longer than six months.  So I ordered one and they said I could make it when I work there.  It has taken me a while to get the dress and show collar done, but it is finally finished.  We can wear brighter and fancier dresses for the shows.  The site dresses have no lace, no big collars, and more muted colors.

Me in my new show dress.