You Come Too

On the Choose Something Like a Star Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD is a Robert Frost poem set to music (masterfully!) by Randall Thompson. The lyrical, longing melody and message has been replaying in my mind for a few weeks now.

The Pasture

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring;
I’ll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.

I’m going out to fetch the little calf
That’s standing by the mother. It’s so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha’n’t be gone long.—You come too.

I have a lot of thoughts relative to this small poem. I think of the Ardeth Kapp Young Women value talks on tape that I listened to as a young girl and her stories of clearing the irrigation ditch with her father on their farm in Canada. I think of what this poem can teach about new life, and the life-giving necessity of water. I think of Dad's early morning check-ups on the yard and garden in Iowa, of stewardship and responsibility. I think of (odd as it may sound) Anne and Matthew and Marilla and their Green Gables acreage on Prince Edward Island. I think of the pleasantness of being busy alongside Mother Nature. I think of those "simple gifts" that provide grounding in a hectic world. I think of the value and need for companionship; of the seemingly mundane tasks made better by accomplishing them with good company. But mostly, I have been thinking of invitations.

There is something really magical about extending an invitation. This form of communication says in effect, "you could, you might, you would be welcome, it would be an honor", but then the follow through is in the receiver's hand. The giver of the invitation requires no committment and expects no definite response. It is interesting that in his poem Frost states his invitation instead of asks it, "--You come too." It is similar to the Savior's simple invitation to, "Come and see." Is is because in both cases the giver knows what great blessings can come from choosing to come? Is it their definitive assurance in the quality experience that will result by accepting the invitation? Surely, it is an eternal principle that focuses on agency and personal desire. A favorite hymn teaches that Heavenly Father will "call, persuade, direct aright, and bless with wisdom, love and light, in nameless ways be good and kind, but never force the human mind." So, come if you would, come if you may, no compulsion, no forcing of the will, but worth it if you so choose.

On a smaller scale I think of invitations received and extended in my own personal life. On Easter Sunday of this year, for example, I initiated a little Sunday breakfast of waffles and eggs and invited all my roommates to watch the Jeffrey R. Holland youtube video, None were with Him. It could have been so easy to make my own breakfast and watch the video as my own personal Sunday worship. But, I would have missed the bonding experience and spiritual atmosphere of our entire day because of the conversations that followed.

In late April/May I received an invitation, which I graciously accepted, to be involved in the missionary discussions of a young man investigating the church. I had the great privilege of co-teaching, of sharing, and bearing testimony with this young man as he began that impressive journey of understanding the gospel. How easy it would have been to miss such sweet experiences if it had not been for a few simple words of invitation from a friend.

Kill with kindness

Since I am on an entomology kick, here's a fun find. I found this VERY interesting (smiling!) spider on the temple property and had to take its picture. I haven't the slightest idea what it is called, but talk about CREATIVITY! The wonders of nature never cease to amaze me; I love the excitement of discovery. Any ideas on this friendly creature's name?

Every little bit counts

Pollinator week (see next post) became more personal to me when I made this small discovery. Outside my office door at work is a little garden plot with a random assortment of interesting things to try and keep records on. This year I included a curly parsley plant that I allowed to go to flower knowing that it is the primary host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes. Swallowtails are some of the largest and most attractive butterflies, which are usually yellow or black, and have distinctive two-pronged wing protusions, like the swallow (bird). I hadn't thought much about the parsley or the promise of its symbiotic relationship with catepillars for several weeks, but just recently examined the plant and found six larvae carefully camouflaged amongst the flowers. Hooray for encouraging pollination and species survival!

So what can you do for pollinators?

• design your garden so their is a continuous succession of plants flowering from spring to fall.
• use plants native to your region that provide nectar for adults plus food for insect larvae.
• avoid pesticides
• supply water for all wildlife
• share fun facts, such as this one to add to your "gee-whiz" collection: Did you know that one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat and beverages we drink is delivered to us by pollinators?
  
  

In honor of the birds and the bees

This week (June 22-28) is the third annual Pollinator's week, sponsored by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and the Pollinator Partnership. These non-profit organizations assist with the research, awareness, conservation, and public education efforts for this vital life sustaining function. The research efforts are especially important in understanding the dramatic honey bee decline across the globe. Just for fun, I created a little quiz about the week (as part of a short training session for my employees). Here is a truncated version:

1. Who or what is pollination?

a. A peaceful omnivorous communtiy of people called the Polli-ites whose central New Zealand homeland was called the Polli-nation.

b. Bee and wasp anger dance in flowers to ward off predators

c. How pollen grains are moved between two flowers of the same species by animals within a single flower, by wind or animals

d. How pollen grains are moved between flowers of the same species by animals only.

e. None of the above.

2. Worldwide, of the estimated 1,330 crop plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, condiments, spices, and medicines, approximately 1,000 (75%) are pollinated by animals. True or False?

3. A tiny fly no bigger than a pinhead is responsible for the world's supply of chocolate. Midges, tiny flies that live in damp, shady rainforests, are the only animals that can work their way through the complex cacao flower and pollinate it. True or False?

How did you do?

Answers: 1. (d) 2. true 3. true

Five sisters in far-land-away wilderness...

...with the outdoor bug! (So one of the games we played during this most recent trip was Clue and I have the who-done-it verbiage on the brain.) Anyway, the WHOLE family (and not just the sisters) was in Flaming Gorge for a long weekend in early June and it was a lovely break from Georgia humidity. There was a ton of fascinating geological history from Vernal to the gorge as we passed through about a billion years of the earth's upheavals in about 30 minutes of driving. I am not so much a rock guru, but the changing rock strata was manifest through a constantly evolving plant palette. The changing ecosystems demonstrate the changing elevation and underlying rock and supporting soil that exist in a given place. For example, in quick succession we moved from an alpine community (short shrubs, flowering plants, grasses, mosses) to a subalpine community (Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir), to a Douglas-fir community, and so on. FABULOUS scenery! But, as it turns out, that was only the beginning...the Red Canyon Overlook was even more amazing, with its red rock cliff face and clear blue-green water--a very striking contrast. The weekend was filled with great vistas and fun hikes and wide open spaces, and more great scenery, especially along our rafting course down the Green River.

Whisk

Whisk--another favorite word--this one distinctly less glamorous than some of my other favorites, but still worthy of mentioning. Say it aloud, doesn't it have a fabulous sound--whisk, whisk, whisk. I love it! But there is more to this than just letters and sound, it is the whole idea of what whisking implies. Think of the tool: an artistic interweaving of fine gauge wire that is elegant and so effective. Say the word whisk and efficiency and simplicity come to mind. This is a tool that is no-nonsense and makes quick work of a given task. Need dinner is a jiffy? Crack open some eggs then whisk, whisk, whisk and you have the beginnings of an omlet or french toast batter. Sounds like my kind of tool.

In the Meantime

Motherhood, is, in fact, part of my life--or can be--on a regular basis. The latent qualities need to be stirred and utilized and strengthened and nurtured, like a seed in rich soil. The seed is indeed good, and will bear fruit, if given the opportunity. And, opportunity abounds for nurturing, which Julie B. Beck described as "to help to make grow." Growing a friendship, growing a testimony, growing greater understanding, intelligence, and intuition.

Sheri Dew gave a monumental address on the subject of the eternal nature of womanhood and motherhood, as our divine endowment. With great power she taught:

Eve set the pattern. In addition to bearing children, she mothered all of mankind when she made the most courageous decision any woman has ever made and with Adam opened the way for us to progress. She set an example of womanhood for men to respect and women to follow, modeling the characteristics with which we as women have been endowed: heroic faith, a keen sensitivity to the Spirit, an abhorrence of evil, and complete selflessness.

As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers.

We just can’t let the Lord down. And if the day comes when we are the only women on earth who find nobility and divinity in motherhood, so be it. For mother is the word that will define a righteous woman made perfect in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, a woman who has qualified for eternal increase in posterity, wisdom, joy, and influence.

Particular Delight

Recently, I rediscovered this picture (which I LOVE) and felt compelled to include it here with some comments. From left to right are my brothers Jared and Aaron, mom, and me, probably taken on a Sunday afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska.

First of all, I wish I could step back in time and with outstretched hand clutching a shiny coin ask mom shyly, "A penny for your thoughts?" I love the whimsy, the mystery, the secret thought, the tranquil and confident expression on her face. What was she thinking? What did her quiet heart hold in that moment, which seemed so captivating as to distract her view from the obvious task at hand? I like to think that her little reverie had everything to do with us and the joy of womanhood and motherhood. She seems so instinctively comfortable in securing Aaron's pacifier and holding Jared close. It is the natural outward expression of her divine, innate nurturing nature. The outward expression has been manifest in a thousand, no, a hundred thousand moments; moments as simple as wiping strawberry jam from pudgy cheeks, and as complex as weeping with and feeling for my personal sorrows.

Perhaps all these things have sunk in deeper because it is spring and a time or rebirth and renewal and the maternal instinct is seen by large and small, flora and fauna. Mothers of all kinds are nesting and prepping and cultivating a bit of sanctuary for their new arrivals. Perhaps it came from feeling this year on Mother's Day a heightened gratitude for my own mother. And, as a corollary to that, my own desires to embark on that high road of purpose and fulfillment.

I was talking to mom recently and she commented, sort of unexpectedly, "Being your mother has been my particular delight." And it is with particular delight that I look ahead with that same countenance filled with whimsy, mystery, and confidence to the fullest expression of femininity--motherhood.

Giving Liezel a Cookie...

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie is a children's book that describes a mouse who wants a cookie, and to go with his cookie, a glass of milk, his glass of milk gives him a milk mustache, so he has to go to the sink to wash up, while in the bathroom he notices he needs a haircut...etc.
And so it goes in my life, I start to do something, and in the process of doing that initial something, I go off on a tangent of other things, and on and on it goes. Here's an example, I pull my clothes out of the dryer and take them to the bedroom to fold, and in route from the laundry room I notice the dryer sheet, so I pull it out to throw away, but I have taken out the garbage and need a new trash bag. I go looking for a new trash bag, and find one, but as I pass the pantry on the way to the trash can my eye catches a can of pumpkin and I remember I have been wanting to make pumpkin bread, so I pull out the rough ingredients, but need to consult a recipe book for specifics. I find the recipe book, which is page marked with a ticket stub from a concert, and I decide to put it with my scrapbook stuff, where I find the scotch tape and remember I need to wrap a birthday present to take to institute, which reminds me that I need to print off a quote for class and on the way to the computer, I pass my laundry basket with clothes still waiting to be folded.
The good news is, I am burning calories and likely exceeding the daily recommended steps in a day. My question though is am I still carrying the garbage bag around with me? Where did the dryer sheet end up? And now that I have the scotch tape, how many rounds about the house will it take to get the present wrapped?

Cardinal Virtue

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) has a beautiful clear voice that starts early in the morning. Without seeing the flit of red feathers I know a cardinal is nearby because of its song. It seems to be saying to me, "Be of good cheer. Be of good cheer." I suppose you can hear what you want to hear in that four syllable song. I suppose you could hear, "Eat your broccoli" or "Take out the trash", but the point is, I choose to hear an encouraging message. Choosing to be of good cheer, choosing to hear the message of good cheer in little things and having the confidence that life offers things to be cheerful about is the high road...a cardinal virtue.

An Eternal Investment

This is the gem of truth from Gordon B. Hinckley's little book, Stand A Little Taller for today, the 9th of April. I love it!

"It is not a sacrifice to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is never a sacrifice when you get back more than you give. It is an investment. And the living of the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a greater investment than any of which we know because its dividends are eternal and everlasting."

p.s.--I took this photo of the Angel Moroni atop the Atlanta Temple earlier this week, great symbolism!

A New Apostle

This past weekend was the 179th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was sustained by the church membership. I have been impressed by many of his messages over the last few years and wanted to share a few of his thoughts:

"The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. The message is: Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes!...As we increase our understanding and love for the Savior, His light will illuminate everything around us. We then will see evil for what it is."
--“Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes,” Ensign, May 2005, 46

"How do we find our way through the many things that matter? We simplify and purify our perspective. Some things are evil and must be avoided; some things are nice; some things are important; and some things are absolutely essential. The Savior said, 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision. With prayer, study, obedience, and covenants, we build and fortify our faith."
--“It’s True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Matters?,” Ensign, May 2007, 74–75

"Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way...At times, the Lord’s answer will be, 'You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right.' Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith."
--“You Know Enough,” Liahona, Nov 2008, 13–14

Love is a many splendored thing

Spring has officially settled over Atlanta. The flowering dogwoods and azaleas are the sure sign that she has arrived (p.s.-in case you were wondering early April is the PERFECT time to visit). It's not just the plants though, that know spring has arrived. Creatures large and small have caught the twitterpated bug, and as it happens, so has a local resident at the property. I was working outside of the temple apartment building yesterday when an eldery man came walking down the sidewalk whistling this kind of enchanting tune with great gusto. We chatted a minute and I asked him about the song. It is an "oldie but goodie" called "Love is a many splendored thing", a 1955 creation that was quite the thing in its day. In honor of dogwoods in their glory and spring in the air carried by the tune of a classic love song, take a listen and relish in another lovely April.

Love is a many splendored thing - Google Video

p.s. again--I like Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole's version better, but this is nice, just the same.

Glorious Spring!

Here is just a sampling of Atlanta loveliness this time of year. The first Daffodils and Crocus start blooming in early February and by March things are in a fast and furious succession of blooming. Almost every day I come to work I can SEE the difference in leaf size or number of opened buds or flowers blooming. I love it!
Here are some of my favorite bulbs so far this year:

• Daffodil 'Jetfire': early blooming minature, with orange cup and yellow petals.
• Daffodil 'Tahiti': mid-season double blooming with hints of orange in the layers
• Daffodil 'Salome': mid to late blooming with an orange-pink cup and white petals
• Tulipa 'Purple Prince': early blooming short tulip that lasts a LONG time (for a tulip, anyway)
• Tulipa 'Retro Mix': yellow, orange, white mix, mid-season blooming
  And then there are always surprises, like the tulip close-up picture (white with magenta striping) it is the only one on the whole property and was probably mixed into a batch by accident. Quite a beauty. I wish I knew its name!

A New Skill

I have a Japanese friend here in Atlanta who recently taught me how to make homemade sushi rolls. The secret to getting a nice roll is using these funny little bamboo mats that you can find very easily at the local Buford Farmer's Market (they have easily five full aisles just for imported Japanese food). The bamboo mats are made slightly larger than a sheet of seaweed. You mix up your rice and other toppings and flatten it onto the seaweed and then roll the mat up like a sleeping bag and all the seaweed toppings roll up with it. Slice the roll, mix up some soy sauce and wasabi and break out the chopsticks!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

What marvy words! And the poem is full of them. Take for instance: gyre, gimble, mimsy, frumious, uffish, whiffling, burbled, snicker-snack, and galumphing. It is all jabberwocky, of course, (meaningless writing; nonsensical talk; jabber), but I love saying them outloud! Though the "real" words in the dictionary are not all quite so fun to say, I do keep a list of some of my favorites and thought I might share a few.

• blather: foolish talk; non-sense, and in conjunction with that, a blatherskite: one who blathers; a blustering person who talks much and says little.
• haberdasher: a dealer in the things men wear, such as hats, ties, shirts, and socks
• kooky or kookie: odd or silly; quaint, whimsical; crazy
• The "J" section of the dictionary has some fabulous descriptive words if you are having a good day. Take for example, jaunty, jocund, jollify, jovial, jubilant.
• Here are two "G" words that have distinctively different definitions by changing just a few letters, a fun juxtaposition--glutinous: like glue; sticky; viscid and gluttonous: greedy about food; having the habit of eating too much.
• perspicacious: keen in observing and understanding; discerning, shrewd, acute.
• whigmaleery: a fantastic notion; whim

Still A Monkey

My first thought as I sit to comment on these photos is a rebuke of Margaret Dashwood, the youngest of three daughters of that family from the Jane Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility, and subsequently made into a movie in 1995 (screenplay by Emma Thompson). Margaret is rebuked in these words, "That child must run positively wild, she is always up trees and under furniture." Perhaps I have run a little wild enjoying very much being "up trees."
Here is a little day-in-the-life of me doing one of my favorite things. I would guess that these trees are somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-70' tall and fabulous to climb. (Yes, I do have climbing gear and I am strapped in and very secure). These bald cypresses (Taxodium distichum) were in need of some pruning and my fellow co-worker, Elvidio, and I were happy to do the work. The work (or play as I would call it) needed was to remove any dead, diseased, crossing, or broken branches and do a general thinning just for good tree aesthetics. These photos were taken sort of unexpectedly by a missionary couple out on a walk who happen to always carry a camera with them. Their comment as they started snapping pictures of us was, "You never know what you might see out on a walk, best to keep a camera with you, just in case."
On this lovely day in February it was two monkeys.

My friend Daphne

Allow me to introduce you to Daphne odora, (fragrant winter daphne), a garden friend with the kind of unanticipated virtues that make relationships of all types wonderful. For the better part of nine months out of the year she has the pleasing, predictable consistency sought in every friend; the kind of "I am here when you need me" evergreen nature. And then, when you least expect it, she has the tenacity to bloom in January; the prima donna of the winter garden in both floral show and fragrance. It is her fragrance though that is worth highlighting.
Words cannot really articulate the combination of spice and sweet that permeates the air around her presence--a mix of honeysuckle and the tropics. She has the ability to turn heads and slow passersby and intrigue the uninterested. As if she would say with her fragrance, "Just when you thought there wasn't anything to be noticed, here I am, to contradict your pessimistic notions."
Alas, there is no virtual "scratch-and-sniff" function for blogging. I would love to share it with you, but I imagine that Bath & Body Works may soon capture her scent in a bottle and commercialize it as lotion for $10.50. I would prefer for her fragrance to stay mysterious, surprising, and uncommon--as the sweet reward of venturing out in the garden when most of the rest of the earth sleeps. Hers is the kind of resolute spirit to create cheer in a vacuum, a very endearing quality to be sure.

Looking back...

About one year ago this week Atlanta had snow! The snow came on two different days (Wednesday, January 16, 2008 and Saturday, January 19, 2008), and lasted both times for a day or day and a half. There was enough for making snow angels and miniature snow creatures, and for eating snowflakes and getting lovely rosy cheeks. It has been quite cold this week of 2009...cold for Atlanta (lows in the teens, highs in the 30s, with a wind chill factor making it feel like about 5 or 6 degrees). Alas, no precipitation, so instead I am reminiscing.

So Anxious to Bless

I arrived back in Atlanta yesterday evening and went out to the airport parking lot to my car and found it completely dead. No clicking, no lights, no beeping...nothing. So, I popped the trunk, pulled out my jumper cables (thanks Dad!), said a prayer, opened the hood to the car and determined to flag down the next passerby to get a jump. As I stood there in the gathering darkness and thick fog that was blanketing the city, I came to a beautiful realization. There was literally nothing I alone could do that would help my car to start. No amount of mechanical prowess or physical or mental exertion would rejuvenate my dead battery. Even though I had the necessary tools (jumper cables and my car keys) I had to have another person's help. The key to being able to start up my car and move from the spot I then occupied was in the hands of someone else.
A spiritual parallel seemed so apparent to me as I stood waiting. I have needs--every day--that I am incapable of meeting. Without the intervention of my Father in Heaven and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I will continue to stand and wait, unable to move beyond my present circumstance. I can wish and hope and try and exert effort and demonstrate dogged determination and overwhelming optimism, but ultimately, I can only be truly enabled when He is allowed into my life.
Someone did indeed stop and offered a simple, but for me, great service. I was surprised at how easily the car went from completely dead, to charged. The electrical current rejuvenated my battery instantly and I went from troubled and a little anxious to incredibly grateful. Again, I was reminded of the spiritual implications of such a simple act. In the Book of Mormon, Amulek teaches a people who are becoming humble in these words: "Yea, and I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, IMMEDIATELY shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you" (Alma 34:31). I was taught by this small and simple moment in my life of the IMMEDIACY of the Atonement. I am so grateful.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

My sister Molly made this amazing dessert over the Christmas holiday. It is rather labor intensive, but worth having if you are willing to devote a few hours to its creation. Thought it would be fun to share.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

The first thing you must do is to make a gingerbread. This is an extra spicy version that has flavor enough to stand up to the other flavors.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup dark molasses

1/2 cup apple juice

2 eggs

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Butter and flour a 10" Springform pan. Heat oven to 350°. Stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt in a container (I use a plastic measuring pitcher because it comes in handy later). In a large bowl, mix sugar with oil, juice, molasses, eggs, and fresh ginger in a large bowl. Mix in crystallized ginger. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Then bake for an hour. Cool this for ten minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely. (You could actually even stop right here and serve this warm with some whipped cream or a nice little Creme Anglais but resist my friends, resist, this is only going to get better)

Pumpkin Custard Ingredients

3 cups half-and-half

6 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups puréed pumpkin, or about 1 1/2 cans

Scald the half & half in a heavy saucepan (by scalding we mean to take it right up to the edge of boiling then remove it from the heat). In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix in pumpkin and warm half-and-half. When it is smooth and thoroughly mixed put it into a buttered baking dish which you then set into a larger baking dish. Fill the larger dish with hot water to about 1" below the rim of the custard dish. This is called a Bain Marie and will ensure that your custard bakes evenly all the way through. Bake this at 325° for 50 minutes and start to check it. You want a set, firm custard and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Cool and refrigerate overnight.To assemble your trifle get your trifle bowl out (visuals are important with this, so don't be a barbarian, get a trifle bowl) and make sure it is sparkling clean.Whip one quart heavy cream with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and set aside.You will also want about 1/2 cup of gingersnap crumbs.Spoon 1/2 of the Pumpkin Custard into the bowl and layer 1/2 of the gingerbread over that and 1/2 of the whipped cream over that. Do it again. Top the final layer of whipped cream with the gingersnap crumbs.

Culinary Capriciousness

Most every Christmas all the siblings receive a similar type gift. This year we all received aprons with our names...or the names that we are most often called (in my case, Liezel, rather than Alissa). Despite the uniform attire, personalities emerged as we posed--characteristic Haslam silliness. What did you expect? It was a bit like spontaneous combustion Clue...Lauren with the pie cutter at Sarah's rotator cuff; Sarah with the meat mallet at Liezel's earlobe; Molly with the fine weave sieve at Aaron's noggin...etc. All in jest, of course...or so we hope. In a kitchen the size of ours and the number of bodies trying to cook and clean in one space there was apparently a fair bit of repressed angst (he he).

December is always a fun time to be home--for a number of reasons--one of which is the food. Aaron and Kristen have December birthdays that we celebrate with special request dinners, plus our Christmas Eve homemade soup, our Cornish hen Christmas Day meal, and various other delectable creations by the ever innovative Mum.

...Like Nobody is Watching

Perhaps as a hang-over from high school band days, one of my favorite "in the privacy of my apartment and nobody is watching" activities is pretending I am the conductor of a symphony. Nerdy?--yes, I believe that fact has long been established. Sometimes the music of choice is Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring" or "Fanfare to the Common Man". Other times it is Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" or Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". Most of the time, though, it is Handel's Messiah--the entire thing. I have gotten to the point now, that when I read the scriptures in Isaiah and elsewhere, I hear the melody of the piece as I read. Recently, I went through the entire oratorio and marked every scripture reference that each section is based on, and it was quite the musical experience.
"O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion..."
"Glory to God..."
"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd..."
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates..."
"Hallelujah..."
"But thanks be to God..."
"Worthy is the Lamb..."

Winter Roses and Orange Blossom Air

Camellia japonica 'Jean May' is in bloom right now on the Atlanta Temple property--and that is normal! There are two types of camellias, the sasanqua and the Japanese, neither of which are native to the south, but perform very well in the dappled shade, and rich moist, acidic soils that are commonly found here. The sasanquas bloom from September to December and the Japanese types bloom from January to March. Both are often called "the winter rose of the south" adding wonderful color to the brown, dormant landscape. The leaves of camellias bushes are broadleaf evergreen with a highly polished luster. Someday, perhaps, we will have fragrance along with such perfection.

Tea olives, Osmanthus fragrans are also blooming at this time of year and have a wonderful fragrance as well (hence the name). Tea olives are in the Oleaceae family with other members such as lilacs, jasmine, forsythia, fringetrees, olives, and ashes. It makes sense, then that they have a lovely fragrance akin to orange blossoms. The individual blooms are only 1/2" long, but occur in clusters that collectively create a pleasant overall fragrance. I am often surprised by this plant and its determination to bloom continuously. Anytime we get a little extra rain or a few pleasant temperate days through the summer, fall, or winter the tea olive responds by blooming--how generous an offering for slight changes in the weather!

Oh Christmas stool, oh Christmas stool...

Before you think me stranglely crass, I speak of stool as in Webster's first definition: "a seat usually without back or arms supported by three or four legs or by a central pedestal."
This is my way of being being festive, innovative, and cheap all at once. Every year I decorate my bar stool with lights and ornaments in lieu of buying tree that will be enjoyed for only a few weeks before I go home to visit my family.
In our family we have a tradition of receiving a new Christmas ornament (or two) every year. So, by the time each child leaves home they have a collection of twenty or so that continues to grow with each passing year. Most of the ornaments are handmade by mom, or are a combination effort by dad and mom (dad cuts out the wood, mom paints it).
It would be a shame not to display these treasures and my rather silly solution is a Christmas stool. If nothing else, it gives me a happy heart to come home to during the Christmas season.

Magnifique!

My sister Lauren has become quite the little artist and I thought it would be fun to include here some of her creations. Her medium of choice seems to be oil and she handles it well--if I do say so myself! The pictures included here are: a silver bangle bracelet with stars, Kristen with her baby doll on Christmas Eve (probably age 3), herself on a summer afternoon making a very characteristic Lauren mannerism--shrugging her shoulders up close to her face and cocking her head, and smiling her cute bashful grin, with her adorable tousled curly locks, and me and my cousin Jennifer running in my aunt's backyard in Boise. These paintings were all for her AP Art class and usually were painted to fulfill some kind of assignment. The bracelet painting, for example, shows repetition, the picture of the two girls running shows motion, and Kristen and Lauren paintings demonstrate value changes.
Yea for my Lu-Lu!

Autumn Colors

These pictures were taken in mid-November around the Atlanta Temple and represent some of the amazing color displays from all the plant diversity. The north drive/stair area is by far the best spot for autumn color and is one of my favorite parts of the property. Fothergilla gardenii 'Mt. Airy' is a little deciduous shrub in the Hamamelidaceae family (others in this family are Corylopsis--winterhazel, Hamamelis--witchhazel, Loropetalum, Parrotia--ironwood, and Liquidambar--sweetgum. Fothergilla leaf color is an amazing mix of red, orange, yellow, and most of these shrubs are planted in masses of five or seven, so it is a nice swath of color in the landscape.
The leaf change in autumn is mostly brought on by the changing length of the days (shorter days, longer nights), which send a message to the plants to slow and eventually stop their production of chlorophyll. The green pigment in leaves from chlorophyll is broken down and destroyed and in its place carotenoid pigments, which have been present all along in the chloroplasts of leaf cells, but have been masked by the cholorphyll, become more apparent. Carotenoids make the yellow, orange, and brown pigments in various plants. The other pigment type, anthocyanins, (blue, purple, red) are produced in response to autumn light changes and sugar excesses in the leaves.
Day length is the strongest factor for leaf color change, but temperature and moisture are also factors. For example, the best autumn color will follow a warm wet spring, non-droughty summer weather, and warm sunny autumn days with cool (non-freezing) nights. The warm days produce a lot of light, and in turn, a lot of sugar, which brings about the most brilliant anthocyanin production. The red/crimson display, therefore, is variable from year to year, while the carotenoid pigments, which are always present, are essentially the same from year to year.

Some of the red/crimson autumn leaf plants on the property include: Dogwood (Cornus florida), Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Red maple (Acer rubrum), Burning bush (Euonymus alata), and Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'). Some of the yellow/orange/brown autumn leaf plants on the property include: Hickory (Carya spp.), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parvifolia), Sugar maple (Acer saccharum).

September in my garden

Okay, so technically it is not my garden, but as far as being personally invested and especially interested in its beautification, I am. My blogging couldn't really be complete without some plant geekiness coming out on occasion. And this is one of those moments, so fair warning, the horticulturist in me is going to take a little plant ramble, no worries...this too shall pass.
I wanted to highlight a few plants for September; things that are blooming or fruiting here on the temple grounds and are making quite a show right now.
First, a quiet bloomer of a plant, a little unassuming groundcover called (it's a mouth full) Ceratostigma plumbaginoides or more commonly known as Plumbago or Leadwort. The plant is virtually unnoticed for the first six months of the year...either it is extremely unhappy in its particular locale, or it is a lazy emerger...perhaps a little of both. At any rate, when it does decide to come out, the flowers are this striking electric blue that continue to bloom long past most any other plant. This plant requires absolutely NO care and has never had a disease or insect problem. It looks best in partial shade. On the temple property it grows half hidden under a Japanese Kerria and a Loropetalum on the south hill, which helps with its need for drier, well-draining soil. When I think of this plant, I think of a September garden. And I also smile to realize the virtues of the "late bloomer".
Second, a VERY dull plant for about eight months out of the year, and then fall and cool nights and all of sudden this little shadow emerges from the corner and you remember that you did indeed plant some Ilex verticillata or Winterberry holly. This is one of those funny DECIDUOUS hollies, but in this plant's case, all the better because it puts on an amazing berry show. September is only just the beginning of its merits. I like the look of the plant even before its peak because the multi-color scheme is so fun. It reminds me of fall and apple season and all the variations of color amongst that fruit. The berries on the winterberry holly, though, are only about 1/4" long, but they swarm the branches and hang in clusters. The berries will eventually all mature to Christmas red and persist through the winter after all the leaves have fallen off. (Oh, p.s.--hollies are dioecious, meaning that male and female are separate plants, so if you see a holly with berries you are seeing the female.)
And finally, something fun and kind of crazy looking. This is the Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), which is NOT the early spring showstopper dogwood (that is Cornus florida). This one is still very lovely, but blooms AFTER the tree has leaves, so it isn't quite as dramatic (blooming in May in Atlanta). The fruit is shown here and is what used to be the true flower (the showy white "petals" are actually just modified leaves, or bracts and are not part of the flower at all). Think of a poinsettia...it does the same thing. Anyway, after the bracts fall off, the flower, which starts out yellow and about 1/4" long, slowly expands to about 1" long and changes to a soft rosy pink. The fruit is edible, though not particularly palatable, it is very faintly sweet, but mostly just mealy, sort of the consistency of a mushy peach. We have a little chipmunk family, though, that relish these fruits. It is fun to see evidence of their feasting when I find carefully hollowed out skins scraped clean of pulp. The end...yea for September.

SURPRISE (he he)

On the evening of Thursday, August 21 I walked in the front door of my parent's house unannounced. I had flown in from Atlanta to help throw them a surprise party to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. It was great fun to plan (there is something really wonderful about doing something good for someone else secretly) and even more fun to see it all come together.
For about a month my sisters and I were scheming about all the great things we could do to honor mom and dad's accomplishment. There were many emails and phone calls in closets in hushed tones, which thankfully, were never intercepted. So, when I walked in the door with Aaron just behind me (my gracious chauffeur from the airport) mom and dad were absolutely stunned and a little confused. Unfortunately, there was no camera handy, the facial expressions were classic.
On Friday, August 22 we (everyone minus Jared and Sarah who were in Switzerland) went to Provo. We had dinner at the Tahitian Noni cafe (island grill cuisine, fresh pineapple comes with most every meal). Aaron and Molly work in the building nearby, which is how they knew about the place. The evening was PERFECT (I love Utah evenings with no humidity--a welcome change from the Atlanta summer sauna!) We ate outside in a little garden patio surrounded by vegetation, very nice. Afterward, we walked around their AMAZING grounds that were truly immaculate. Yes, I was looking for weeds--and there were none to be found. Kudos to their grounds crew! Aaron left after dinner and the girls and mom and dad continued on to the surprise for the evening--Pride and Prejudice: The Musical at the deJong Concert hall on BYU campus. (Isn't it convenient that there we were all together, the five daughters, to see the Bennett family and their five daughters! That was part of the reason why I bought tickets!) What a perfect Haslam women choice--and an obliging dad enjoyed it too...after a fashion. It was a little silly and bordering on cheesy, but the characters are so lovely; a fresh take on a well beloved story never gets old.
Saturday, August 23 the girls put together the big surprise for the weekend. Mom and dad were sent off to run errands and attend the temple together while we prepared. We had decided to prepare a dinner recalling all the places we have lived by representative foods. The states of Utah, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, plus Oregon and Idaho (Mom and dad's birth states, respectively) were represented. Ristorante deja vu offered a "Memory Lane Medley"--the menu special for the evening, which included the following homemade selections:

• Sirloin steaks, broiled to perfection (Nebraska)
• Twice baked potatoes (Idaho)
• Corn-on-the-cob (Iowa)
• Texas caviar with chips and shrimp dirty rice (Texas)
• Lion House dinner rolls and jello pudding fruit salad (Utah)
• Blackberry cobbler (Oregon) with BlueBunny vanilla ice cream (Iowa)

Kristen was table decorator extraordinaire/hostess/server and creator of great ambiance. The color scheme for the decorations was spring green and butter yellow--the colors at their wedding reception. The apple candles are Miss Kristen's genius. Molly and Emily were head chef and head assistant, respectively. Lauren did a good bit of the behind the scenes clean-up before and after and was our master pianist in residence playing a lovely version of "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof when mom and dad walked in the door. (The song was played and sung at their reception). And I just tried to help it all happen. It was a lot of planning, buying, preparing, fretting, (sigh) and then sitting back and enjoying! After dinner, Kristen shared her power point presentation of mom and dad and the family through the years and I shared my CD of songs representing songs from their generation as well as other love songs from more recently. The evening ended as it should have...with a dance party. What trip home to see the family could be complete without one! How good it is to be home. How good it is to have wonderful parents and amazing siblings and enjoy the blessings of life! And yea for thirty years, mom and dad!

Haircut

So I did something kind of crazy--well, crazy in my view of things. I chopped my hair off, about 4 or 5 inches and now have a sort of layered bob. My hair is more often than not unruly and sort of a interesting mix of wavy, curly, frizzy, poofball style, so I am hoping that having less hair to fix will help with that problem. I am still trying to figure out what to do and how to style it. It will likely be a process of trial and error. This picture is my attempt to tame the mane.

Alissa visits Charlotte

Now it's my turn to go on a roadtrip! I rented a car and drove up to Charlotte on Friday July 18 to visit Ruth (arrived late in the evening). We spent the weekend at her branch president's house and were blessed by their generous hospitality. Saturday was full of all sorts of fun activities. We had authentic Mexican tacos from a little mobile vendor that we ate in a park near Ruth's work (asada, barbacoa, lengua, etc). She gave me a tour of her office and then we got ice cream from a shop just down the street called the Elizabeth Creamery--all flavors are made homemade everyday. There are a lot of references to royalty in the city (The Queen City, Charlotte, Elizabeth, Queens College, etc.), in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg who had become queen consort to King George III the year before the city's founding. The locals hoped to gain the favor of the crown by honoring Queen Charlotte in this way. Charlotte is also a major U.S. financial center and home to Bank of America and Wachovia.

We visited an open air farmer's market with fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bottled products, fresh flowers, and arts & crafts. Ruth and I had planned a Sunday picnic so we purchased a variety of foods to snack on. She also bought several bouquets of fresh flowers as gifts for friends she has made here; we were little elves and delivered them secretly. Afterward, we went to the Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is amazingly enormous! The visitor's center was already closed, but we found an open gate and slipped in just to see the track. For dinner we had Eastern North Carolina BBQ (vinegar base instead of tomato base) at a place called Bubba's.

Sunday after church we visited the gardens and greenhouses at UNC-Charlotte and had a picnic in a little gazebo. They had a great display of pitcher plants and orchids and a beautiful Tibochina in full bloom. Another great weekend!