Love Note

I got home from the gym with Mary today and I saw a note on my car!

I was hoping it was from a secret admirer.

I opened it up, and on the half-sheet of lined paper I read,

"Hi. If you like to

Sell this car

Green Honda Civic

please call me

(phone number)

Rolando"


No, I'm not interested in selling my car.

And also, please don't steal it.


Thank you.


Also, I got a new wallet today that is, according to my cousin Laura, "Totally you."

I'm sure you can imagine it.

American Idol and Grandma

I always enjoy a good conversation about American Idol with my grandmother.

At dinner tonight I asked her if she had been watching the show and who she likes. She said, "Oh, I like that Afro American girl. She has a very good voice."

Mother says, "Her name is Lil. Lil Rounds."

Grandma, "Yes, well, you know all those Afro American girls, they all have good voices. You know Jessica Hudson?"

I just stare at her. Jessica Hudson? What?

Grandma continues, "Well she didn't win but she did real well for herself. The judges are mad, they don't want something like that to happen again."

Me, thinking, "Oh, Jennifer Hudson. And why are the judges mad, America did the voting, not the judges. Is there something else I don't remember?"

Grandma, "Well that Jessica sure is good, I bet that is why the judges are doing the "save" thing now. Where do you think Jessica got her start? Motown?"

Asparagus and SFG

Today Marie brought over asparagus from her garden. Woot woot! First asparagus bunch of the season! I'm so excited. We are having them with dinner.

In other news, Mom has become obsessed with Square Foot Gardening. Well, maybe not obsessed, but she has convinced Dad it is the way to go. Mother doesn't remember how she heard about Square Foot Gardening. I tried to ask her when she knew that the SFG method was the right method for her, but she had no idea. She obviously needed some help, so she went to the Atascadero Library and ordered All New Square Foot Gardening, Grow More in Less Space! by Mel Bartholomew from the Blanchard Community Library in Santa Paula, California.

I don't even really know where Santa Paula is located.

While we were waiting for the book to arrive, Mother was saying how she wants everyone to have a certain amount of square feet to grow whatever they want. I knew my parents would grow the fruits and vegetables. So I decided on flowers and peanuts. Hopefully I have chosen flowers that will work well in vases. You know, flowers with long stems, none of this Impatients or Petunia business.

Also, I decided it was time to grow some peanuts. It turns out you just need a few raw peanuts, and you are good to go. Apparently, you plant them now, and then harvest them in the fall. I can't hardly wait. I had found directions for the SFG method, but Mom informed me that she didn't want my peanuts mingling with everything else, so they have been cast out of the raised beds and into a wine barrel!

I hope my peanuts don't taste like wine.

I picked up my seeds at the store yesterday after work and was planning on planting them today. At breakfast Mom and I were reading out loud interesting bits from the SFG book. I was doing some dishes when she suddenly reads a passage to me:

Looking through a seed catalog is not the best way to decide what to grow. They make it all look so good and sound so exciting that you can easily get carried away. I recommend you review your shopping list from last week and last month. That eliminates the "Oh, I'd like to grow that!" or "Wouldn't it be fun to grow peanuts?"

Mother nearly passed out laughing.

Just so you know, I planted my peanuts this morning.


Mel Bartholomew did not start as a gardener. He started as a civil engineer and as an efficiency expert. He's all about efficiency. He tosses out the old way of doing things, and comes up with better ways. I like him, I'm excited for our garden this year. While he was promoting this idea, a main point was to help children understand how to garden, and to encourage parents to garden with their children, bringing them closer together and to improve the family's diet.

The last two paragraphs of his book state:

Well, here I am, on my soapbox trying to solve worldwide problems when you just want to learn how to have a better garden in your yard. But what this book is all about it how SFG can reach and help so many more people.

That's the significant and imperative message I want to bring to the world. Will you help me? You can--by encouraging others to have an SFG. Get involved in your community or stretch your involvement to the entire world. Anyone, anywhere in the world can now have a small square meter garden right at their back door. The nutritional value of the children's diet will improve dramatically and step-by-step, as they expand their garden, that family will be closer to self-sufficiency and independence from government and private aid programs. You know the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." The world hunger problem can never be solved until we help people help themselves, step-by-step, square-by-square. Then, maybe the saying will be, "Show a family how to Square Meter Garden, and they will feed themselves forever."

I don't mean to become obsessed with SFG, but I think it is an interesting idea. I can't wait to report on our experiences. I'll report on my peanut crop too, even though Mel is a hater.

Patriarchal Blessings

How often do you read your patriarchal blessing?


I probably read over mine about 3-4 times a year.

Look, I don't know.

I'm sick, and I'm really upset about it.

First off, I'd much rather NOT be sick. There are lots of things I would much rather be doing. Like, not passing out at work, not not getting a tan. I would also like to make sense. I get a little delirious when I'm sick, and I don't know if any of this will make sense. I'm willing to give it a try, though.

The other thing about me when I'm sick is my complete lack of control over my facial expressions. Usually, when I'm talking with someone, I can usually mask the fact that I'm thinking, "This person is an idiot," but when I'm sick, that just shows right up on my face. Usually, during a conversation when I'm feigning interest, I can pull it off pretty well. But when I'm sick, it's obvious that I stop listening. I've been known to walk away. I'm pretty sure I offended my Gospel Doctrine teacher one Sunday while at BYU-I. I don't think I even said anything. My face was saying enough. This is when I realized that perhaps I don't have control over my face while I'm sick.

On another Sunday that I was sick (but felt well enough to go to Church) I persuaded Tara to go home with me and make a sandwich during Sunday School. It was a great decision. I was starving. (It was like, 10:00 AM.) You may know that when I'm not properly fed, I get a bit crazy. Well, while I'm sick, my eating is all catawampus, so of course I get a bit crazy due to that. And add the crazy of being sick, and I guess I'm just an overall joy to be around.

I know I started this post with a "first off" and I'm not sure I have a "second" point to throw down.

I'm sick, okay?

Well, right now looks like a good time to tell you I attended a wedding this past weekend. I drove there and back with someone who had a cold (that punk) so I'm assuming I got it from her.

Sigh.

Anyway, Abe and Isabelle got married, and all I can say is Thank God. Like, for realz. This was her dream, and she was undaunted in the quest. So, I am sincerely glad she has found someone.

I chose that picture because Isabelle is showing off her fancy red shoes. The more I think about my wedding shoe choice, the more I realize that I can't come up with a shoe that I like. My foot doesn't look that fabulous in anything too strappy, and all of the white heels I've seen that are not strappy look rather old-fashioned. (Like, 1980's old-fashioned.) I'm not into that.

So, while driving back from the temple on Saturday, I made my decision: I will wear flats. I can easily find some cute flats. Piece of cake. Wedding cake.

Also while driving back from the temple I planned out my entire wedding. Well, kind of. A few things are up in the air of course, but the basic idea is there. I would tell you all about it, but I don't want you married folks telling it to your non-married friends, and I don't want you unmarried peeps to steal my idea. (I almost let it slip, because I'm sick, and my defences are down, but I caught myself just in time.)

Also, I realized that I usually get a cold in the spring time. That is lame. But perhaps it is better than getting a cold around Christmas, like so many other people I know.

Perhaps.

Not my best reporting, but it will do.

I think Marie beat her own record tonight. The meal started as normal with everyone trying to get Marie's food to her first. I tossed around the idea of competing with Marie, but decided I wasn't in the mood. This was a good decision.

Mary wasn't present for most of dinner, but she showed up just as Mom and Grandma had finished eating, I was nearing the end, and Dad was going for seconds. Marie, of course, was still eating with no end in sight.

Mary loaded up her plate, ate at the regular speed, finished her meal, and Marie still had not finished her dinner.

After Mary was done, we waited an additional 4 minutes for Marie to finish up. It was outstanding.

Reconsidering

I love my cousin Mary, but she just spoke during the last little bit of The Office.

I am seriously reconsidering my relationship with her.

Pulse is Rushing

While the troops were visiting, Elle and I hung out in the backyard a bit. Somehow she ended up pushing me on the swing. She did a great job.


We also played Ticket to Ride, my favorite game. It was Jodie's first experience with Ticket, so we didn't try any variations. She did a pretty good job her first couple of times, I think.

Boy, I do love a good game of Ticket. My pulse is rushing just thinking about it.