Immigration and my state and state of mind

Seriously, I am completing a draft that has been on my post list since 11/18/10. It was really important to me that I get it right. I'm deleting most of it because things here in Arizona have only become more raw, more upsetting since November.

Some Arizonans take great pride in being a part of the rough and tumble Old West which is a part of our heritage. Historical sites include Tombstone and historical cavalry forts from Indian war days. They also include ruins left by the people who built homes and fortifications in the sides of cliffs thousands of years ago. And midway in time between Tombstone and Montezuma Castle, one can visit the ruins of Spanish colonial missions including San Xavier del Bac built in the late 1600's which is still a living vital center of worship outside of Tucson.

Arizona became a territory of the United States after the Mexican War in 1848. Some of my ancestors helped finalize that war as they marched as part of the Mormon Battalion through southern Arizona in 1846 - 47. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo was a bit fuzzy about the new border, so the Gadsen Purchase was ratified in 1854 after the purchase of the land south of the Gila River to the present border for $10,000,000. (I often wondered why they didn't negotiate that line a bit further south giving Arizona an ocean port near present day Rocky Point.)

Fort Tucson was built in the 1775, Arizona became a relatively new state in 1912, and Mesa where I live was founded by Mormon pioneers beginning in 1877 on land laced with an ancient canal system built by the Hohokam over 2000 years ago. That extensive canal system was the basis for the present one which allows for the habitation of this valley which receives only about 7 inches of rain per year.

Why the history? Arizona has been home to many different people for thousands of years. However, most of them came after the invention of central air conditioning in the 1950's. Thus, if you ever take a moment to read the obituary page, most births for those listed occurred somewhere besides Arizona. My youngest son is the only native Arizonan in our family having been born in Mesa. Those who count themselves as several generation Arizonans often take great pride in the fact. All Arizonans had someone who immigrated to Arizona at some point in time.

Immigration in Arizona has become one of international scope and interest because of immigration law SB 1070 passed last year. I had hoped that it would not pass. There are many in Arizona who hoped it would. But there were also many who hoped it would not. Now a new Arizona Senate president has proposed slew of new laws which are even more repressive. My concern is that because he is a "Mormon" some feel that all of his faith must feel as he does. That is not so.

My feelings are more in line with the Utah Compact. Here is the text of the Compact. There is a more humane way to approach this problematic issue. I feel that much of what has occurred in my state has more to d0 with retaining power and control.

When trying to understand a situation, I most often try to place myself in the shoes of those I am trying to understand. I know that my husband and myself would try to do whatever possible to make things better for our children and family. By the grace of God, we were born on the northern side of the border so I don't really know if we might have ventured a trek, risking our lives, across the desert. But I think we, or at least he, might.

I posted earlier about the privilege I had of hearing Condeleezza Rice at a BYU Forum in January. She also spoke of the importance of the Log Cabin Myth or our national myth that even those born in a log cabin (ie., Abraham Lincoln) can make a successful life for themselves in the United States. She spoke about immigration making the United States great. She said that there is an energy and constant renewal which comes through immigration. The Log Cabin Myth attracts those who have much to share and to give to our country.

We are a nation of immigrants. We are often interested in and amazed at the place of birth of our ancestors. As a child, I loved my great-grandma Lucy who had immigrated as a little girl by ship from Scotland. My life has been enriched by those who have been added to my family circle by marriage who immigrated from a different land.

The bottom line: Yes, we need immigration reform which would include an easier path to lawful immigration, but must we be so unkind and even hateful as we do so.

The real bottom line: We are all God's children and he loves us, everyone! Are we not then asked to love all as well?

Please read this article in the March 2011 Ensign. I heard Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi speak in person at a stake conference in August 2009. His is an amazing story. This article will touch your heart.

Gardening not blogging

The first four days of March have been glorious! I've spent a couple of hours each day out in the garden.

All the strawberry plants are in bloom.

The side yard flower bed is full of color.

The night blooming chocolate flower at the end of the bed smells so luscious!

And so does the Texas Mountain Laurel! If you have a hankering for a whiff of grape bubble gum or milk chocolate, come on by and sniff.

The pots by the lamp post out front are bursting with blooms.

The ranuncula bulbs I planted last fall are starting to bloom.

Who needs forsythia when they have this desert plant. (That's my car in the background.)

This may be rewarding bad behavior, but after cleaning up my tomato plants I set out a snack bar for the birds. Let them finish what they started! Glen brought me home $20 worth of netting in an attempt to reap the rewards of my labors!

I felt a bit like Benjamin Bunny today. The buttons on my Thomas Jefferson gardening shirt kept getting caught in the netting. This shirt, purchased in the Monticello gift shop at Monticello, is my gardening talisman. It's sewn from a pattern used by Jefferson for the work shirts of his gardeners.

Brainy fiction

Sometime ago I was made aware of a self-published book by Lisa Genova entitled "Still Alice." I purchased a copy and passed it around amongst my sisters and book club friends. The author lets Alice, through her point of view, tell her story as she begins the mental descent that comes with a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease. It is chilling and most realistic and I felt it gave me an idea of what my mother went through during the 8 years of her final life journey that was Alzheimer's.

Fictional Alice is a professor at Harvard University. Author Lisa Genova is a Harvard-trained Neuroscientist. This training gives her description of Alice's story an authenticity as well as practical, helpful information for the reader. Mesmerizing!

"Still Alice" was eventually picked up by Simon & Schuster and remained on the New York Times best seller list for months. Genova's second novel, "Left Neglected" has been on the Times list since being released in early January.

Once again Sarah Nickerson, as the main character, tells her story. Sarah is also Harvard educated in business and lives a very busy life as a vice-president of human resources at a major company, a wife, and a mother of three small children who have a nanny. She lives in a tony suburb of Boston and is constantly multi-tasking as she tries to do and be it "all." While on the telephone on the way to work she rolls her car which leaves her with a brain injury.

She is diagnosed as "left neglected." She thinks she sees and feels the whole picture, but her right side is all that is actually real. She can't find her left hand, finish the picture on the left side, read the whole page, or see someone standing on her left. Her life will never be the same.

As the book works its way through a year of her slowed down life, Sarah discovers that perhaps she has left neglected the things in life that are most important and worthy of her time.

The book is informational, a general wake-up call, and inspirational as we join Sarah on her journey through a recovery that is not total physically but is perhaps more than 100% emotionally.

Note: I find it interesting that this book was released to the public just one week before the shootings in Tucson and the resultant brain injury suffered by Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords. It opened my eyes to the rehab which Gabby may be experiencing in Houston.

Sally's girls

I had the great pleasure of spending Friday afternoon with Sally's girls. Sally was participating in a Ragnar relay race through the Arizona desert. I was part of a relay of child care providers.

In all, she ran 18.5 miles as her part of a team effort. I'm noticing that there are many young mothers who seem to be running these days in all kinds of events and races.

I'm glad that wasn't the thing to do back in my young motherhood days. I had a hard time just running the mile in PE.

Really, I'm quite in awe of their desire to be physically fit and of the satisfaction they must feel after challenging one's self to do difficult things and succeeding.

I just wanted Sally to see that even though her girls missed her, they were still showing their smiles, especially little Mae. She is a most delightful baby!

For pictures of the "Babes with Babes" Ragnar team doing their thing go here.

Spring garden time in Arizona

The lettuce and greens have gone to seed and its time for warm weather plants in Arizona.


I love to leave some of the greens to flower because the bees love them so much.

Tomorrow will be a planting day. Time to bring on the basil, cucumbers, and peppers. I'm also planting some warm loving tomatoes with a shorter time to maturity so they can beat the "killing" heat of our summer. I love "Arizona Sweet 100's" and I'm trying an heirloom called "Fireworks." I'll wait until it warms up a bit more to put in the bean seeds. It's also time to give the winter survivors a shot of plant food as well.

The tomato plants by the garage have been shrouded. Pesky birds are poking holes in them before they are fully vine ripened!

These rainbow brights taste more like the fruit that tomatoes really are. Sweeter, light, and fresh but still a tomato.

Things I love, Julianna

It's time to give Julianna a post of her own . She's still young for sleepovers so I was pleased when her mother asked if Julianna might come for a visit today while she was at the dentist. I wasn't pleased about Susan and the dentist, but I was so happy to spend some time with Julianna.

This morning she was serving tea in the grandkids room.

I love how she is starting to talk and how she is so full of joy that she skips instead of walks. She's a mover. I don't think I have many pictures of her without a blur or two.

It got really entertaining when talking Elmo came to tea. You would have really enjoyed their conversation.

Things I love, Grandkid sleepovers, part 2

Sunday evening the girls arrived with their American Girl dolls for their holiday weekend sleepover. I can hardly believe the fun the girls and I have with their dolls. I had made each granddaughter a coat from some gray fleece I got for a song from a remnant bin. Sister Lynette helped me knit a neck scarf and hat to accessorize each coat. The buttons were part of the remaining stash from my mother's button box. The pocket trims were just pieces found in my scrap drawer.


I couldn't wait to see their reaction to my latest project. Before they left the next day, I also made them each a pair of felt boots using Heather's new Josefina doll's boots for a pattern.

They were soon off to play with the dolls in the "grandkids" room.

I think our next sleepover might be an adventure in learning doll hair care . I won't let them touch the hair of my Kirsten doll (whom also serves as my dress form and model when I sew.)

I love watching how they mix things up combining a bit of this and that for a whole new outfit.

Side note: We are noticing that the dolls purchased a couple of Christmases ago are starting to have discolored vinyl arms and legs. This is not a problem with the older or newer dolls. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I plan to make a call into American Girl customer service. At the price, one assumes they are buying a quality doll. I don't think we should stand for inferior materials. Perhaps it is too bad that Pleasant Company sold out to Mattel.

There are always imaginations at work in the "grandkids" room!

This sleepover I pulled out the sketch books I had purchased at Deseret Book last December for 95 cents each! Bargain!

The girls loved having a bound book with a space for their names that they could draw and write in.

Sadie especially enjoyed hers.

They were soon off to share their drawings and stories with grandpa.

He found them to be most delightful.

And looked at every page - of all three books!

It delights my teacher's heart to see how their reading and writing skills are progressing.

Grandpa loves his girls!

Other highlights:

When grandpa announces bedtime and tucks them in they are asleep in minutes! Just like in the olden days with his own kids. Grandpa also came to the rescue when Sadie lost her blankie during the night.

They are becoming very good "cleaner uppers."

We made ebelskivers for breakfast again and as Ruby announced later, "Ate all of them except for one."

They loved playing in the front yard and "walking the wall" (the back yard was full of helpers pruning back all the frozen damage.)

They picked up the limes on the ground under the lime tree and practiced using their throwing arms as they aimed for the green barrel. They mostly aimed well. They also earned a little money.

They gave a great backyard garden tour later in the day (ala Grandpa Jensen style) to some boys keeping them entertained while Grandpa helped their mother with a letter.

They are growing up so fast! Sometimes I wish I could freeze time.