I remember as a young man working alongside my father each and every spring in the garden behind my house. My dad had a large garden that extended across the whole backyard behind the lawn area. I could see the excitement in his eyes and in his face as soon as springtime arrived. He would pull out his rusty old tiller, covered in cobwebs, and pull the cord to fire it up. Inevitably, it would take multiple pulls on the cord until it would finally sputter and smoke, and start up.
I still remember watching my dad push that roto-tiller back and forth through the garden while the soil turned from a dusty light, brown color, to a deep rich, dark, moist soil. I remember my dad letting me stand in front of him to help push the tiller while he stood behind me doing most of the work. I am glad my dad let me be part of the gardening experience every year. For me it wasn’t getting the garden prepared as much as it was being with my dad, working hard together and accomplishing something worthwhile. My dad instilled this love of gardening and hard work into me at an early age and it is still there.
I now have a wonderful wife and three kids of my own and often wonder how Dad had the patience and energy to work on that garden year in and year out. My wife grew up with parents who enjoyed gardening as well so we share our love of this hobby together. Over the years, I have felt that gardening has been more of a hobby than a way of necessity, but with the struggling economy, and the problems with produce being tainted with numerous pesticides, gardening has taken on a new importance in my life as well as for my family. Gardening is more than just a hobby, it is an enjoyable way to live healthy and enjoy the independence of growing your own food.
Not everyone grew up having the space or the time to grow a garden. Many people live in the city which can make it difficult to grow a large garden. As a child I couldn’t imagine not having a garden. For me it was a way of life and imbedded into the lifestyle of my family and where we lived. I grew up in Southern Utah County out in the country and enjoyed the vast openness of alfalfa fields and large cattle farms. Although I was in an area where we had the space for a large garden, those that do not, can still have smaller gardens of their own. Many people set up little garden boxes in their backyard and plant tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and other items. They can still enjoy the fresh vegetables and fruits that they have grown themselves. Be creative and find ways to grow your garden in big or small spaces.
There is great satisfaction in growing a garden. It takes time and energy to prepare the soil, as I did with my father every spring, plant the seeds, water on a regular basis, remove the weeds, harvest the crop, and clean out the leftover dead vines and plants when the garden is done growing for the year. There is great joy in the knowledge that you have helped in growing this garden. You will enjoy the wonderful taste of homegrown vegetables and fruits year after year as you plant and care for your garden.
Nothing compares to the juicy taste of a sun-ripe tomato picked seconds ago off the vine or the crunch as you sink your teeth into a freshly shucked yellow sweet cob of corn slathered in butter. One of my daughters loves to eat fresh peas out of the garden. As I look down and watch her eating those peas and see the delight in her face, I remember why I love to plant a garden and why I love to have my children right beside me while I do it. Each year as I prepare my own garden, I reflect back on those sunny spring afternoons with my own dad and know that a garden is more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life.
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
The 2009 NCAA Tournament 1st Round
The long-awaited NCAA tournament has begun this past weekend. The 1st round of the tournament took place on Thursday and Friday. Games began at 10am and ended at about 11pm each night. There have been a few big upsets and close games and small college heroes. I stayed up each night enjoying the games and sitting on the edge if my seat for most of them.
The Utah teams didn’t fare so well in this tournament. BYU played Texas A&M, Utah played Arizona, and Utah State played Marquette and each of them lost.
BYU played first on Thursday morning facing the Aggies of Texas A&M. The Cougars were cold at the start not being able to hit very many of their shots. Texas A&M on the other hand was hot and got off to a good start. The combination of these two factors put BYU in a hole early and they were never able to recover. Texas A&M was bigger, more athletic, and just a better all around team than BYU. The Cougars tried to recover in the 2nd half and as close as 8 points at one time, but the Aggies hit a couple of 3 point shots to stop BYU’s run. The final score was Texas A&M 79 BYU 66.
Utah State played their game against Marquette on Friday morning. The first half was not good for Utah State, just like BYU’s game. The Aggies were unable to hit many shots and Marquette took an early lead in the first half. Utah State came out in the second half and played like a different team. They were making their shots, played a strong zone defense, and made this game a great finish. The Aggies held in there with Marquette until the very end where they trailed by 1 point and barely missed a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left for the win. Utah State played tough, but lost to Marquette by a score of 58-57.
The University of Utah played against the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night. The Utes were unable to hold in there with the Wildcats. Arizona was just too physical, too big, and too fast for the Utah Utes. Utah’s big man, Luke Nevill, got in foul trouble early and was taken out of the game early. Utah lost to Arizona by a score of 84-71.
yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The Utah teams didn’t fare so well in this tournament. BYU played Texas A&M, Utah played Arizona, and Utah State played Marquette and each of them lost.
BYU played first on Thursday morning facing the Aggies of Texas A&M. The Cougars were cold at the start not being able to hit very many of their shots. Texas A&M on the other hand was hot and got off to a good start. The combination of these two factors put BYU in a hole early and they were never able to recover. Texas A&M was bigger, more athletic, and just a better all around team than BYU. The Cougars tried to recover in the 2nd half and as close as 8 points at one time, but the Aggies hit a couple of 3 point shots to stop BYU’s run. The final score was Texas A&M 79 BYU 66.
Utah State played their game against Marquette on Friday morning. The first half was not good for Utah State, just like BYU’s game. The Aggies were unable to hit many shots and Marquette took an early lead in the first half. Utah State came out in the second half and played like a different team. They were making their shots, played a strong zone defense, and made this game a great finish. The Aggies held in there with Marquette until the very end where they trailed by 1 point and barely missed a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left for the win. Utah State played tough, but lost to Marquette by a score of 58-57.
The University of Utah played against the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night. The Utes were unable to hold in there with the Wildcats. Arizona was just too physical, too big, and too fast for the Utah Utes. Utah’s big man, Luke Nevill, got in foul trouble early and was taken out of the game early. Utah lost to Arizona by a score of 84-71.
yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Brackets and Basketball
It’s official, March Madness has finally arrived and will be here to stay for the next 3 weeks. These 3 weeks will be filled full of awesome basketball games, intriguing story lines, incredible upsets, fantastic finishes, buzzer beaters, great announcers (Gus Johnson), and “Cinderella” stories. I look forward for these 3 weeks all year long and love to see the day when the brackets are released.
On Sunday March 15th the field of 65 teams for the NCAA tournament will be announced and where they will be seeded along with whom, where, and when they will be playing. 32 games are planned to be played at various locations throughout the US on Thursday March 19th and Friday March 20th for what constitutes the 1st round of the tournament. The second round will feature the winners playing each other on Saturday March 21st and Sunday March 22nd to take the field of 64 teams down to the “Sweet Sixteen” teams. These teams play each other until they get to the “Elite Eight”, the “Final Four”, and then the Championship game to see who is crowned the champions of NCAA Division I basketball.
Each year I fill out a bracket for the tournament, which for those who don’t know is basically the format of all the games to be played in the first round. You start with all the games in the first round and then you guess the winners of that round and write in those teams and then keep guessing the games until all t first round projected winners are determined. You then take all of these teams and project the winners for the second round and so on until you reach the final round which is the 6th round. You gain points by picking games correctly and the higher the rounds the bigger the points earned. You then join with a group of other players and compete against one another.
If you have never filled out a bracket and watched the tournament then you need to try it this year. It is easy to do, lots of fun, and puts much more excitement into the games that are on.
If you do try filling out a bracket this year, here a few of my own personal tips to help you do well (and if you’re lucky, maybe even win in your group):
Decide if you want to be serious or a casual “bracketeer”. I am very serious and my wife doesn’t even know half of the teams. This will help you decide how much time or effort you want to put into filling out the bracket.
Most of the time the Final Four teams will be the 1 or 2 seeded teams. I usually pick these teams to be in the Final Four and to be the Champion. Your odds are better by doing this.
Look at who the experts and analysts are picking to win and then formulate your own ideas and opinions. This really makes it fun and interesting when you have put time and energy into picking winners and you get a bunch right.
Pick upsets. The most exciting thing to do in the brackets is to pick pretty big upsets like 12 over 5 seed and 13 over 4 and then watch it really happen.
Sharpen your pencils, print out a bracket, sit in your easy chair, turn on your big screen TV, and prepare to see why they refer to it as “March Madness”.
yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On Sunday March 15th the field of 65 teams for the NCAA tournament will be announced and where they will be seeded along with whom, where, and when they will be playing. 32 games are planned to be played at various locations throughout the US on Thursday March 19th and Friday March 20th for what constitutes the 1st round of the tournament. The second round will feature the winners playing each other on Saturday March 21st and Sunday March 22nd to take the field of 64 teams down to the “Sweet Sixteen” teams. These teams play each other until they get to the “Elite Eight”, the “Final Four”, and then the Championship game to see who is crowned the champions of NCAA Division I basketball.
Each year I fill out a bracket for the tournament, which for those who don’t know is basically the format of all the games to be played in the first round. You start with all the games in the first round and then you guess the winners of that round and write in those teams and then keep guessing the games until all t first round projected winners are determined. You then take all of these teams and project the winners for the second round and so on until you reach the final round which is the 6th round. You gain points by picking games correctly and the higher the rounds the bigger the points earned. You then join with a group of other players and compete against one another.
If you have never filled out a bracket and watched the tournament then you need to try it this year. It is easy to do, lots of fun, and puts much more excitement into the games that are on.
If you do try filling out a bracket this year, here a few of my own personal tips to help you do well (and if you’re lucky, maybe even win in your group):
Decide if you want to be serious or a casual “bracketeer”. I am very serious and my wife doesn’t even know half of the teams. This will help you decide how much time or effort you want to put into filling out the bracket.
Most of the time the Final Four teams will be the 1 or 2 seeded teams. I usually pick these teams to be in the Final Four and to be the Champion. Your odds are better by doing this.
Look at who the experts and analysts are picking to win and then formulate your own ideas and opinions. This really makes it fun and interesting when you have put time and energy into picking winners and you get a bunch right.
Pick upsets. The most exciting thing to do in the brackets is to pick pretty big upsets like 12 over 5 seed and 13 over 4 and then watch it really happen.
Sharpen your pencils, print out a bracket, sit in your easy chair, turn on your big screen TV, and prepare to see why they refer to it as “March Madness”.
yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Spring Time Activities
Spring is right around the corner and day light savings is already here. After spending the last 4 winter months inside watching the TV and lounging around, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. If you live in Utah you might laugh at the idea of spring weather because many years it snows until May and I remember one time it snowed in June. Spring has a lot of variety in the weather patterns so you need to take advantage of the 60 and 70 degree days. They will come and go all through the next 3 months. We need to plan ahead what kind of work to do and also what kind of activities and fun we can have for this time of year.
As much I despise working, I know it is essential and spring is a great time to put on those work gloves and get outside and enjoy the weather while working.
Here are some jobs that you can work on during the spring:
Prune the fruit trees. I learned that this can be a big job, but it isn’t so bad when the weather is nice. Be sure to brush up on some pruning tips on the internet and sharpen your pruners. This will help your trees yield a bigger and better crop.
Prepare your garden soil. To help your garden grow better this year, try putting some turkey manure or new soil in and mix it into the existing soil. It is good to use a roto-tiller to churn up and soften the soil and get it all ready to plant your seeds. A good portion of how well your garden grows depends on the time and preparation you put into the soil.
Plant flowers. Late March and early April are the perfect time to start planting your flower beds. Check various websites on the internet for the best varieties to plant. You can also buy flowers at your local nurseries where they can also offer advice on flower planting. Flowers will brighten up your yard and house.
Life can’t be all work and no play. Here are a couple of ideas for activities that you can try this spring:
Fly a kite. Flying kits is a lot of fun for kids and adults. Go outside with your kids on a windy day and help them get the kite up in the air (It seems harder to do as you get older). Try buying some of the more fancy kites and have fun flying them. They have some pretty cool ones now days.
Go for a walk. This seems like a simple activity, but the fresh air and exercise will be very fun and give you more energy. Your children will like being outside and being together as a family. Walk around the block or to a local park to play. The main point is being outside together.
Play Sports. I put up a basketball hoop this past fall and my 5 year old daughter loves to play already. It is fun for the kids and adults. You can also try football, Frisbee, and baseball.
Spring time is a great time of year. Go outside and enjoy the warm days. Get some yard work done. Play some games with the kids. When it rains and snows stay inside and hunker down in the basement watching basketball or movies.
yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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