12 Years A Slave (to this blog)

Dear Uncle George,

May 23, 1907

Rose about 5 am.  Not feeling very well.  After dinner, started for Haun's Mill.  Bowels troubling me.  Very warm and was an effort for me to work.  Made a general view of site of Haun's Mill sit from the north looking southwest, showing...timbers on the south side of creek, and it was from this direction and likely at this point when the mob came out of the timber.  After getting this view, I could not take any part in the coversation.  Weak under the knees.  

May 24, 1907

I spent a miserable night tossing and rolling about.  In the afternoon, had a chat with Dick Lane.  Lane has been here since 9 days after the battle (Haun's Mill Massacre).  One of those killed was not put in the well.  His name was Lewis.  He was on the fence and thought he was out of reach away.  Rockholt had a long-range rifle and said he could make him get off that fence.  He shot him throught the shoulder, and he died the same night and was buried on his brother's farm.  

The well where the bodies was put in was from 15-18 feet.  Just digging, never walled up.  There was about 3 feet of dirt on the bodies.  The next spring, there was a bad smell came from the well, and the neighbors filled the well full.  In time, it settled and you could plainly see where the well was.

May 25, 1907

Rose before 5:00 a.m.  Feel some better.  An egg and some rice tasted very good this morning.  Spent until about 9:30 am writing up diary.  Will be glad when I get where I can get a change of clothes.  These are sour.

Ok, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am sick of your mission work in Missouri.  While you were only here in 1907 for 19 days, I started this blog of photographs 12 years ago, in 2012.

TWELVE years.

Finally, today, our Missouri mission photo work together is coming to an end and we will be moving on to the East.  Kirtland, Ohio to be exact.  

No one has looked forward to the calendar of date of August 5th more than me, regardless of what year or century it is.

A lot has happened for me in the last 12 years.  

Our kids grew up, graduated from universities and both are married.  We buried our best friend.  The temple was dedicated.  I was a photography missionary for the Church for almost 8 years, photographing many, many projects. I served as a relief society president the same time I was the Rotary club president.  

Instagram was the new kid on the block and TikTok wasn't even invented until 4 years later, along with the lifesize replica of Noah's Ark...in Kentucky, of course.  Duh.

We all went through a pandemic, which would have been a perfect time for me to finish this blog.  But I was too lazy.

However, I used the time much more effectively by watching the entire series of 90210, finally catching up Law and Order SVU after 25 years, and riding an exercise bike 5,000 miles to nowhere.

I have thought about writing the blog for actually longer than 12 years.  I made a sticky note for the Kanban board, where it has resided everyday for over at least a decade.  Well, the first two notes disintegraded so I am on number 3.  I have to hand it to the 3M people.  They sure know how to make a Post It Note.

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Not my board, but pretty much sums up the last 12 years

Now that I am 12 years older and my soul is getting tired, I decided that I am the only one on the planet who has done this mission (maybe) and I should record it.  I will probably be the only one who ever reads it since my kids are too busy dressing up like a Jedi or wrapped in a silver fox Manalorian fur.

Oh yeah, I got two tattoos.  Which I love every single day.  They also helped me fit right in at the Sabaton concerts.

My parents randomly moved to Idaho but some things never change.

The big news is the two adorable fat dogs that now shed their hair everywhere on Forest Avenue.  Literally.

Haun's Mill isn't a good chapter in the LDS history.  It goes without saying.  It was a hard location for you and your health and I was feeling irritated.  Jack White irritated.

May 23rd 2013:  

I don't know why I was in the mist of some sort of insurance battle that I journaled more than once.  What I do know is that I didn't want to go to Haun's Mill.  It was the fourth and fifth day in a row I had to go north, HMill being the farthest. 

A five mile gravel road to nowhere.

Imagine my surprise that when I got to the nowhere land, there were others there.  Two vans to be exact.

I cannot go into detail because the people were under nondisclosure contracts.  Suffice it to say that it involved looking for the well of bodies you wrote about.  Cadaver dogs.  Church history employees and being recruited to submit my resume to the CH Department right there and then.

Which for a woman who was a tour guide at Temple Square for the CH Department for 7 years that was a huge thrill.

One burning question I had from that day that I am only now going to look up is why is the DQ called  Brazier?  I found it:  DQ Random Facts

May 24, 2013:

I was so mad when I figured out that I got distracted by the dogs and lost well that I forgot this last image.  :(  

So I had to drive back to nowhere land.

For whatever reason, I wore a dress like I had good sense to go out alone in the forest and tromp around with ticks and chiggers.

Here is the only sign of civilization out there with me:  Mrs. Fun.

I didn't stay out there long because there was someone walking out in the woods alone.  It was creepy.  

I also saw a snake.

The thought just occured to me that I was out there, walking around the woods alone.  So maybe I creeped that person out!  Nah, not possible.  I was in a dress and no one in a dress ever hurts anyone else in the woods.  Right?

So thus ends our Missouri portion of our adventure, 12 years and one pandemic later.

See you in Kirtland!  (finally)

Love,
Valsy