his has been quite an interesting spring. Cool season flowers have hung in there; worms and insects have arrived early; and, watering schedules are having to be adjusted weekly? On years like this I think “Mother Nature” is just letting us know she is still in control — she is just keeping us in our place. Cool season pansies and stocks are just now on their way out. You can still plant the hot weather color — just make sure that during especially high temperatures to make a water well around each plant and hand water for the first month or so. In high temperatures it’s a good idea to water newly planted flowers at least twice a day. The tiny root ball can’t hold much moisture and will require extra water until they have roots out in the soil. When planting in Bakersfield heat it is very important not to break the root ball. Simply take the plant out of the container and plant it “as is.” Keeping the root ball in place should help avoid shock and give that plant a chance to get reestab- lished. I like to use Superthrive when I plant to help root development. Every time you see a butterfly or moth, they are laying eggs. About two weeks later you will start seeing the damage these little critters do. There’s a lot of good sprays for worms — the key is spraying at least once a week for three weeks to break the cycle. Spider mites will also show up with the heat and are hard to see. Again, their damage is more apparent than they are. If you have questions on what’s going on in your garden, bring samples into Rob- bie’s Nursery in a plastic bag. We can check out the sample and then advise you. With a plan of attack you can stand up to some of what Mother Nature throws at you. Keep a special eye on the soil. Go out and dig down and see how much moisture there is and water accordingly. A nice deep soak in the early morning should be enough on an established yard. If it cools off again, then skip a day. I don’t remem- ber a year that I have used the OFF switch on my clock more than this one. I do suspect that the heat has arrived now and my clock can take over. Be sure to check your container plants and water them each morning. Also, if you have drips, check to see the soil is wet all the way around — you may need to add moe drips if the soil is not getting soaked. I’ve also noticed bumper crops of snails, slugs and mosquitoes. A good overall spraying of Mala- tion will help — followed up with snail bait. New Slug Away liquid also works well and is organic. I like these treatments about dusk, when all these pests are out. Put mosquito dunks in standing water and mosquito fish in ponds or water pots. Ok, Mother Nature, I can work with you! I know you are in control — I’m just hoping I can win a couple of battles. The garden has never been more beautiful and what a glorious spring we have just had! Here’s to a great summer and those wonderful Bakersfield evenings out in the garden! Bring it on, girl! Kathy Robinson is the owner of Robbie’s Nursery. 2 The Bakersfield Voice Sunday, July 3, 2011 Share stories, photos, blogs www. bakersfieldvoice .com ■ Submitting your stories for The Bakersfield Voice is simple and FREE! Just go to: bakersfieldvoice.com and create a profile. ■ Choose what you’d like to contribute (an article, letter, picture or community event listing) and post it yourself. ■ Still need help getting your contributions onto our website? E-mail Sandra Molen at smolen@bakersfield.com ■ Circulation: If you would like to receive our weekly pub- lication or cancel delivery, please e-mail: voicedeliv- ery@bakersfield.com or call 392-5777. Be sure to include your request, contact information and address. YOUR VOICE FROM THE BLOGS YOUR GARDEN T With a plan of attack, YOU can stand up to Mother Nature! BY OPAL MORLAND Community contributor am a graduate. Oh, you may think that I am talking about high school or col- lege but I am referring to my time as a foster youth. My time in the foster care system lasted about three years. I was afraid, ashamed, and never spoke about it to others. I didn’t want to hear whispers, be pitied, or tell others that my family was not functional. I have decided to share my story because so many perceive foster kids as trouble with a capital T! Today, I am a successful wife, mom, grandmother and hula teacher. Hula teaching is my love and I share it to help bring awareness to needy kids and families. I always wondered why God let this hap- pen to me — I mean, being a foster kid. Well, I now believe I was given a gift and I have been in training my entire life so that I could help and inspire others. Not just foster youth — but the foster parents in our community and anyone else interested in helping kids. You see, I have had a dream of being a mom since I was seven years old. I always knew that I would marry a wonderful man with dark hair and blue eyes; of course, I didn’t know he would be bald now! I am just teasing because he is the first to laugh when I joke about him. Our children include biological and fos- ter/adopt children. I tell this because I want everyone to know that even though I did not conceive some of my children, they are all our kids. We love them equally and I want society, and most importantly, our children themselves to know there is no shame in where they come from. As a parent, I want them to be all that they can be — and to follow their dreams. Most impor- tantly, I want our children to respect and love who they are and what they can be. I want them to be able to share without fear of being condemned or ridiculed over something they had no control over. I, as a foster child, was afraid the first day we were tak- en into custody. Nothing was explained to me and the fear of the unknown can make you go inside yourself. Next, I was fearful that kids in school would find out and I would not be accepted. But I was mostly fearful because I was the eldest of three siblings and I thought we were not going to be together. That is exactly what happened. When we were first taken into custody, I didn’t know they put the boys in a separate area. I was going crazy not knowing where my little brother was — and my sister was in a different section because of her young age. They did end up letting my sister stay with me because she would not quit crying — but I still did not know where our broth- er was. I finally found out recently, 40 years later, that he was having an adven- ture because he was with boys and not with his silly sisters! Besides my family, one of my most proud accomplishments is my hula class. These are young men, women, kids and seniors helping to bring awareness to fos- ter kids and families. Together we are a team helping others. It is such a joy for me to be able to teach my students the love of hula dance and love of others. I am so blessed with students who want to give back to our community. These past five years we have danced for cancer, abused children, the homeless shelter, made blan- kets for the Linus project, and brought joy to our seniors living in skilled living facili- ties. One of my fondest memories was shar- ing hula with young women held in custody at a Sheriffs detention center. We were very moved and proud that we could expose these young women to something they had never seen before. It was report- ed back to us that the Sheriff’s detention center did not have any trouble with these young people for weeks after. I believe we only do what we know or have been shown to do. One of my own dancers told me after the performance that she was on the same path and that when she joined us it changed her life and lifestyle. I am very proud to have made a differ- ence in her life. Recently, my hula students came up with the idea to host a summer luau to raise funds for foster children. This event will be held at the Kern County Museum on Satur- day, July 16, from 2 to 8 p.m. For informa- tion about the luau go to: www.JamminIslandHula.com. We are working together with our community to help make life a little better for foster kids, adopted kids, kinship families and groups that support needy kids and families. Our class is making a difference — and I am very proud of how far we have come. I Hula instructor, former foster child shares special bond with at-risk children Happy Fourth of July! Beat the heat and support foster children at this jammin’ summer luau Snow Road strawberries — a sweet sign of summer! YOUR PHOTOS YOUR CELEBRATIONS COURTESY PHOTO Opal Morland COURTESY PHOTO Jammin Island Hula dancers and other community members are sponsoring a summer luau on Saturday, July 16, at the Kern County Fair to help raise money for at-risk youth. WWW.FLOWERS.VG Snail eating garden plant. BY OPAL MORLAND Community contributor loha, friends! Please help support needy kids and families by joining us for a fun-filled Summer Luau Day at the Kern County Museum on Saturday, July 16 from 2 to 8 p.m. Our community working together is what this day is all about. Jammin Island Hula dancers and other community mem- bers are working hard to raise funds for at risk youth. You can help by sponsoring, being a vendor, a dance contestant — or most importantly, an attendee for this annual event. Pre-sale tickets are $10 each and includes one dinner, hula dance competition, and entry into the Kern County Museum. We are trying to sell 300 tickets to help pay for the food, venue and other items before this great Family Event! Please help us by pur- chasing early. The tickets will be $15 at the door day of the event. For more information or to sponsor, be a vendor, a dancer, or to buy tickets call: 319- 2423. To register online go to: www.Jam- minIslandHula.com. Mahalo! A FROM USERNAME: KAREN C. DAVIS-SOLOMON lthough the calendar is just now recognizing it’s summer, the signs have been all around us. Children at play during the day and well into the evening hours, little boys with their summer shaved heads, music at the Market Place, and Snow Road strawberries are all signs summer is HERE! I grew up eating local strawberries from nearby Cerritos College down south and I’ve sampled Ontario berries as well as strawberries bought at the Roadside stands here in town which marketed San- ta Maria and Watsonville delights. Last summer, I tried my first Snow Road strawberries (the stand is near Old Farm Road) and waited not so patiently the past year for them to ripen once again! On a recent Saturday morning, I stood with eight others as we happily waited in line for fresh berries to be picked. They had run out of the morning’s harvest and couldn’t pick them fast enough to fill our orders! I usually purchase a half-flat or a flat and share with my neighbors, but I gladly accepted a three pack this day with a promise to return for more the following week! While waiting in line, we all spoke about quality of our local strawberries. Someone mentioned that she thought there was another stand out off Panama Lane. Another mentioned the impor- tance of her purchase for her daughter’s graduation party later that afternoon. We all agreed Snow Road strawberries are the sweetest, juiciest strawberries we have ever tasted! As each person received their order, they smiled and wished a “good day” to the rest of us — and we all seemed to have a little skip to our step as we made our way to our vehicles. I am sure I was not the only one who couldn’t wait to get home before sam- pling a perfectly red, sweet, juicy Snow Road strawberry! Do you have have a favorite “sign”that signals summer is upon us? Tell us about it at: www.bakersfieldvoice.com. A KATHY ROBINSON Gardening columnist 2.BP.BLOGSPOT.COM Fresh strawberries PHOTO BY NAVDEEP SINGH “A horse and a sunrise” was taken on Wible Road south of Bakersfield. Drake Tate shows his patriotic spirit just in time for Indepen- dence Day! PHOTO BY ALLEN TATE Capture Kern is a photo contest that features the best of our county — with you in control. Photos, like the one featured here, are submitted by people like you as part of a summer long contest spon- sored by The Bakersfield Cal- ifornian and Tejon Ranch. Join the fun by visiting Cap- tureKernCounty.com to upload your own photos in more than 30 categories or to vote on the 11,000 images posted so far. It’s free, easy and fun. Capturing Kern ...