Last night as an Empty Nester activity, we had a dinner and a presentation. The presentation was called "The Book of Mormon's Mediterranean Biome:  A Compelling Confirmation of Authenticity." Our presenter was Kent Crookston. Kent started out by talking about how when he was in graduate school studying soil science (ultimately he did research on corn at the University of Minnesota for many years as a professor), he was really disturbed when he read in the Book of Mormon that the Nephites planted ALL the seeds that they had brought over from Jerusalem and they ALL grew and produced grain. At the time, he didn't believe that could have possibly been true, but after much study, he believes it is true. It turns out that seeds can be very area specific and seed growers have to sell you the seeds that will work for your area. If you plant corn seed in Texas that's specific for Minnesota, the summer nights in Texas will be too long for them, and they will immediately try...

 I recently listened a book called Hannah's Children:  The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk, and quite enjoyed it. The author's purpose was to explore the reasons why some small number of women (about 5% of the child-bearing population) choose to have a larger than average number of children. This is especially relevant as the low birth rate around the world gets more and more attention. Governments all over the world are wondering how to increase the birth rate and are exploring all kinds of incentives. South Korea's birth rate is at an astonishing .748 births per woman in 2024. The birth rate for the United States last year was less than 1.6 births per woman, a new low.  Pakaluk's research was done jointly with a BYU professor who has 7 children. Pakaluk is an economics professor at Catholic University and has 8 children herself in addition to raising the 6 children her husband had when they married after his first wife died. They conducted ...

 I had another birthday this week! It was a good day and I felt so much gratitude. Here are 10 things I'm thankful for: 1.  Being alive! Many people in the world's history have not had the privilege to live to be 57. I have been able to almost completely raise my children and enjoy many life experiences in my 57 years. Me as a baby 2.  My abundant life. I have a comfortable house to live in and a reliable car to drive. 3.  My dear husband.  Scott is a wonderful husband in many ways and I am truly blessed to be married to him. 4.  My children, children-in-law, and grandchildren. I am greatly blessed to have the large family I always wanted.  5.  All my musical opportunities.  I have had the opportunity to learn and frequently play the piano, the violin, and the organ. I could always practice more but it enriches my life in many ways. 6.  My garden! It's a lot of work but very rewarding. Just this morning I picked a tomato that weighs 1 lb...