Whirling Pinwheel

 

There once were seven siblings from Casarsa in northern Italy: Giocondo, Frank, Rachele, Candido, Joseph, Gelindo and Valeriano. Their last name was Iacuzzi, but when two brothers emigrated to the U.S. in 1907, an immigration clerk accidentally changed their name to Jacuzzi. By 1910, all seven siblings (and other relatives) had come over from Italy. They formed a machining company, and made propellers for American aircraft in World War I. In the 40’s, Candido Jacuzzi had a son who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. One treatment that seemed to help was a hydrotherapy tank at the Herrick Hospital in Berkeley, California. To give his son relief between hospital visits, Candido developed a portable pump that could turn any bathtub into a spa. In 1968, Roy, a third-generation Jacuzzi, invented a whirlpool bath with jets to mix air and water. I can testify these spas work better on R.A. than any pill. And the only side effect is pruney fingers.

Bowdacious

 

Having a routine is a comfort. It can help you feel in control and reduce stress. Routines are important for all of us, but especially for individuals with Down Syndrome. For Christina Cavanaugh, a young Pocatello woman with Down Syndrome, renting from the local video store has been part of her routine for more than fifteen years. Christina’s almost nonverbal, but she loves to select a film – usually a Disney – take it home to watch it, and return it. But video rental shops have all disappeared, driven out of business by streaming services. The last one, Video Stop, shut down last month. The owner, David Kraning, liquidated most of the videos, but kept the ones Christina loves most. You can find them in a quiet corner of his adjacent convenience store, K & B Kwik Stop. Christina’s mother is beyond grateful. “How can your heart not melt when you see people in the community taking care of each other?”

Mexicali Rose

 

The following ad appeared in the Atlanta Journal: "SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship. Ethnicity not important. I'm a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, and cozy nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. When you get home from work, I'll be at the door wearing only what nature gave me. Call (404) 555-XXXX and ask for Daisy." Over 1500 men called and found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society about an eight-week-old Labrador Retriever.

UPDATE: The Atlanta Humane Society says they've been  getting calls about this ad nearly every week for years. Katherine Christensen, their public relations manager, says, "We never placed that ad." 

Forty-Nine Diversions

 

“Obstacles will come. Let us not wait for things to get hard before turning to God. Let us not wait until the end of our mortal lives to truly repent. Instead, let us now, no matter which part of the covenant path we are on, focus on the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and on Heavenly Father’s desire for us to return to Him. The Lord’s house, His holy scriptures, His holy prophets and apostles inspire us to strive towards personal holiness through the doctrine of Christ. And Nephi said: ‘And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man [and woman] can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’” – Elder Jorge M. Alvarado

Grandmother's Choice

 

If you’ve ever grown carrots, you know what comes out of the ground looks nothing like what’s in the store. Some carrots will be stubby, and some will be broken. Some have two or three “legs.” Some twist around each other. If you grow ugly carrots, you eat ugly carrots. They taste fine. But no one BUYS ugly carrots. Store carrots are pretty because all the ugly ones were thrown away. Mike Yurosek, a California carrot farmer, hated to see up to 70% of his crop going to waste because it wasn’t pretty. So, Mike repurposed a bean-cutting machine to chop his ugly carrots into two-inch pieces. He peeled them with a rough stone roller and polished them with a smooth stone roller, and packaged them as Bunny Luv Baby Carrots. That was 1986. A year later, U.S. carrot consumption had increased by 30%. Today, baby carrots account for more than 70% of all carrot sales.

Black String Block

 String quilting is a technique where long, thing strips of left-over fabric are sewn to a foundation to create a scrappy, free-form quilt top. These thin fabric strips are sometimes referred to as “strings.” String quilting is more than just a creative way to use up scraps. The easy, forgiving nature of this technique can be a very welcome break after working with a fussy pattern that’s difficult to read or to master. This year, the members of our quilt guild are working individually on quilts drawn entirely from our stashes. I already have a few projects underway that might fit that bill. Somehow, none are making much of a dent in my stash. Worse, digging through every box and bin to find just the right print has my sewing room looking like it was hit by a tornado. But if the finished product is anything like the quilt in my head, it will all be worth it.

Stitched with Love

 

The word quilting comes from the Latin culcita, meaning stuffed sack or cushion. By the 14th century, “quilt” referred to stitching fabric layers together. Dating back to 1360-1400, the Tristan Quilt is one of the oldest known surviving quilts. It features scenes from the tale of Tristan and Isolde and is housed in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The world’s largest quilt is the AIDS Memorial Quilt, weighing over 54 tons and covering 1.2 million square feet. Early American quilts were essential for warmth. They were used as bedding, but also to cover doors and windows to block drafts. Amish quilts, known for bold colors and intricate stitching, are considered valuable (and collectable) folk art. The civil war-era piece known as the Reconciliation Quilt is one of the most expensive quilts ever sold, bringing $254,000 at auction in 1991. Quilting is still a popular pastime in the U.S., with over 21 million engaging in this useful and enjoyable hobby. Happy National Quilting Month!