I've decided to post all the talks I've given in church over the years, at least the ones done on the computer. I like having another repository for them. I've always enjoyed preparing and giving talks--it gives me a chance to organize my thoughts and research different topics. I'm not very articulate off the cuff, since I'm an extrovert who talks and thinks at the same time, instead of mulling things in my head first and carefully choosing words. Writing helps me to do the necessary mulling. That means I read my talks, but luckily, I inherited my dad's enthusiasm and oral reading ability. I'm always a bit nervous sitting up on the stand and when I first get up to the mike, but that fades quickly as I engage with the audience. I'll post them in reverse order chronologically.

Win some, lose some garden

The drought and heat have not been kind to my garden this year. Still, there have been some successes:

Best stuff: kale (still producing since February!), mint, and marigolds (see below)








Good stuff: lettuce, spinach, basil, strawberries, onions, cherry tomatoes, summer squash; winter squash and pumpkins aren't plentiful, but they look good.

Not so good stuff: not very many peas (too hot, too soon); Early Girl tomatoes gave out too soon, Fourth of July and Brandywine tomatoes pitiful; zucchini plants (transplants bought after losing all the ones I planted from seed to earwigs) are few and far between; green beans coming on slowly after 3 plantings (earwigs, again); peppers (too soon to tell); parsley, tarragon, French thyme (spot too shady)

Disaster: My poor potatoes looked fantastic until just a few days ago. Now the vines are wilting and browned, many of the tubers are covered with scabby stuff, and the insides are messed up. I'm trying to find out what the disease is and if I should dig them all up now, before they all get infected.

2012 garden plans

My niece, Kristine, asked me on Facebook about my garden plans for this year and this is what I told her:

This warm March has kept me out playing in the dirt a lot! I have 2 raised beds with sugar and snap peas poking out of the ground, and waiting for the potatoes that will join them in the next couple of days. Another raised bed has spinach and kale that came thru the winter under glass, and are gorgeous and tasty. The reseeded greens are popping out too. One other raised bed is planted with onion transplants I ordered and also waiting for peppers and basil. The last raised bed will have tomatoes and marigolds. The squash patch will have zucchini and summer squash, as well as some winter squash and pumpkins, as will as green beans. The rhubarb is coming up, the peppermint in the big pot came thru the winter. I'll put some French thyme, parsley, and tarragon in other pots (the perennials don't always make it thru). The sage, oregano, and lavender in the front are still alive and kicking. My little raspberry plants made it thru the winter, and my strawberries did too. Not sure about the asparagus.

I need to go out and take pictures for my 2012 garden journal. Every year I discover new things to plant and give up on others, so it helps to keep track over the years. I've kept my garden plans on graph paper now for several years, and it's fun and helpful to see the layouts and seed/plant varieties I've used. I still get excited every time a seedling pops thru or a baby vegetable appears! Thank you Mother Earth!!!!

Mormon May Day

Mormon May Day

32: Heavenly Mother in Today’s Mormonism | Mormon Matters

32: Heavenly Mother in Today’s Mormonism | Mormon Matters

Fantastic podcast! I can't wait to read the article, and I'm excited that it's published for the mainstream in BYU studies.

YouTube - One month old Natalia

YouTube - One month old Natalia

YouTube - Natalia Enters the World March 17, 2011

YouTube - Natalia Enters the World March 17, 2011