Wildflowers and the Botanical Garden

 

This week we went sightseeing along the Knik River North of Anchorage to see what was at the end of the road. We enjoyed the flowers but it was a bit foggy along the river and the clouds were low on the mountains. We enjoyed visiting along the drive though. We were rewarded with some fresh raspberries on bushes by the side of the road and lots of wildflowers. I don't know if you can see it in the pictures but leaves are just beginning to turn yellow. Fall is coming too soon. 

We stopped by a cemetery in Palmer. The tail of an airplane for a headstone was unique. The mound and tall crosses make it easy to find the graves in the snow. There were a lot of Russian names on the graves. We also like seeing the farms with big barns in Palmer. 

We bought a membership to the Botanical Gardens in Anchorage to go for a walk in the gardens after work and get some exercise. It is like a miniature Thanksgiving Point. There is a 1/2 mile walk through the maintained gardens with a few art features. There is also a wilderness nature walk along the perimeter to Campbell Creek that is an additional 1.5 miles. We have been wanting to get out and get more exercise after work so we are excited to go 3-4 times a week. It was raining when we first went but had cleared after a bit and we really enjoyed it. There are bears and moose on the wilderness section so they provide a lot of warnings about what to do if you see a bear. We didn't have bear spray the first time but will have it when we go again. We saw fresh bear scat on 2 portions of the trail and you could see in the grass by the creek where they walk. We played loud music on our phone to make noise. I think Elder Robinson was hoping to see a bear at least across the creek. 

We were also looking out for Cow Parsnip along the trail. There were some missionaries on Monday who were playing frisbee (in shorts) on their P-day that got into some weeds and found out it was Cow Parsnip. They developed a bad rash the next day. The sap from the weed causes photosensitivity to sunlight and 24-48 hrs after exposure you develop blistering burns wherever you have contact with the sap and sun exposure. I knew about Poison Ivy and Stinging Nettle but I had not heard about Cow Parsnip. It was a pretty nasty rash from such a pretty plant. So now the missionaries are warning everyone else what it looks like. Even really pretty flowers and plants can be very noxious. 

Another plant we have seen a lot of is the Devil's Club (I thought it 's name was Claw--more appropriate-- but it's not). It has spikes all over it. Even the leaves if you look closely have sharp spines. So the lesson is to look don't touch (because it will claw you).

It is also interesting to see so many plants that have medicinal uses. Several plants are used sparingly in tea for illness but if you use too much it is toxic. Who tries it out to know how much is too much? It is a puzzle to think of how natural remedies and their uses are discovered. Many plants are precursors to modern medicines. I was also surprised to find that moose and bear can eat the plants without problems but it can make humans very sick. So animal trials don't always work.

Lastly here is another Sunday Halibut dinner. Elder Tracy works in the office with finance and is a master fisherman and cook. He kindly came over to help us cook today. His recipe was so simple but he knows little tips to make it extra delicious. He trims the halibut of skin and dark spots and makes it a uniform size so it cooks evenly. Then melt 1 cube butter, 1/4c finely minced onion 1/4 tsp dill and sautee until the onion is translucent and the butter barely turns brown (great tip). We mixed the butter and a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers. Put the halibut in a buttered glass dish, a sprinkle of pepper on the filets and top with the cracker mixture. We baked it at 400 degrees for about 15 min (1-inch fillets). He checks it every 1-2 min and we cooked it a total of 18 min. It was Perfect!! I'm beginning to like Halibut Sunday.

Missionary work is still very busy. This week we found out there will be 6 more reassigned missionaries coming the next transfer so there are now 31 new missionaries coming on Aug 18. Usually there are about 15. Elder Robinson has felt so blessed to find apartments in areas that are hard to find. He found an apartment in Soldotna with a washer and dryer that is so needed. The missionaries have to pay about $6.00 a week to do laundry and they can't get enough quarters to do their laundry. They are so happy. It really is a miracle to find these apartments. Especially when there have not been any available and there are a lot of renters looking. Serving during COVID and a housing crunch has kept us on our toes. I am grateful though that most of the missionaries are vaccinated (66%).

Spiritual Thought: In church today a 16-year old boy spoke about how grateful he was for his family that adopted him. He is kind of a quirky boy and I think he had been through some hard things. His sincere gratitude to be a part of a family and to be loved by his family was so touching. It made me think of what there is about a family that is so important spiritually and temporally. Not everyone has a good family but that doesn't change the desire to have a happy family. This week take some time to think of the purpose of having families and the power of love in a family. I know for me, loving my family helps me to be less selfish and more willing to sacrifice for their good. Family motivates me to be a better person and to do good things for them and because of them. I feel blessed by my family. I like this quote about families:

                "None of us need one more person . . . pointing out where we have failed or                                                    fallen short . . . what each of us does need is FAMILY . . . who believe in us, and                                          who believe we're trying to do the BEST we can.   Marvin J Ashton

I hope you will feel greater love for your family and let them know this week. 

We love you!

Elder and Sister Robinson