Tim in English

Sunday, August 30, 2026

"Tevaga" Joseph Vailolo Maua'i

This man has a curious connection to my family.

Here is his obituary. Here is his FamilySearch page. If you would like to know more, email me at elephantnavel@gmail.com.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Juanita Brooks Photograph Collection, 1928-1981

Check it out.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Entrevista: Teresinha Landeiro - Será que lhe descobres a Poesia?

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Line from William Butler Yeats' "The Second Coming"

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Friday, July 24, 2026

Eastlake Stake Float "Learn the Melodies, Live in Harmony"

You can see our float at 55:00!

Friday, July 17, 2026

The back of my head is famous

Go to 5:16. There's the back of my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocoCury6TsM

Friday, April 03, 2026

Why Are the Portuguese Genetically Different from Spaniards?

I like this:

Why Spanish and Portuguese are So Similar but Sound So Different

I love this video:

Monday, December 29, 2025

Phyllis Stutzman's album "At Peace"

I recently found a record at a thrift store, Phyllis Stutzman's At Peace. I love this album! Released in 1972, it is peaceful and simple, with heartfelt, faith-filled lyrics. It is mostly Phyllis and a guitar, with occasional bass and/or light drums. She sings her heart out.

She wrote six of the thirteen songs, including "At Peace" and "It Would Have Been Much Easier."

Why have I never heard of Phyllis Stutzman? I did some investigating. The back of the album gave some clues. A Jerry Weaver of Hesston, Kansas' Whitestone Mennonite Church wrote a tribute to her, so I searched for any info on a Phyllis Stutzman somehow related to Hesston and Mennonites.

I found her obituary and her FamilySearch page. She died in 2018. It doesn't mention anything about her music. She was a mother and a nurse.

To my knowledge, At Peace is the only album she ever recorded.

Finding little-known gems like this one is one of the reasons why I like vinyl records. You can't find everything on Spotify!

Here is more info about the album on Discogs. If you would like to hear her music, click here.

Thank you, Phyllis, for recording a great album.

Friday, July 11, 2025

Nancy Lynn Diehl Williams (1936-2017), "My Lady's Things"

Several years ago, my wife and I acquired this painting from a lady who said it was painted by her mother-in-law:

On the back of the painting, it read, "My Lady's Things," the name L. Diehl Williams, and her address in Brigham City. I admired the photo for years. Yesterday (July 10), the idea occurred to me to photograph the painting in case the painting were ever to get damaged. After taking the picture, I grew curious. Who was the artist? What else did she paint? So I googled her name.

I found her information on Family Search, an obituary, and the Springville Museum of Art website. To my amazement, I discovered that she was born and died on the same calendar day… July 10! That was the same day in which I was learning about her for the first time.

Coincidence? I don't think so. I'm curious to see what more I can learn about her. If you know of any of her relatives, or know (about) her, please reach out to me: elephantnavel@gmail.com.

Tuesday, January 07, 2025

Elder Bednar on Choosing Reality

Here is a talk from Elder Bednar 2009 about technology. He told the Young Adults of the Church to read this talk in preparation for him speaking to them on Sunday. His talk will be called "Things as They Really Are 2.0" Here are a couple of paragraphs that I think you will love:

"Sadly, some young men and young women in the Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment … : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13)."

"You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain." ...

"If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And, if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."

Transcript: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2010/06/things-as-they-really-are?lang=eng

Video: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/things-really/