Nine-Patch Block

Agatha Christie died in 1976. More than a year later, she helped save a nineteen-month-old girl from Qatar. The baby was barely conscious. She struggled to breathe, and her hair was falling out in clumps. She was flown to London’s Hammersmith Hospital, but the tests they ran gave no clue to what was killing her. Marsha Maitland, one of her nurses, had been reading Christie’s The Pale Horse and recognized her symptoms. The baby was suffering from thallium poisoning. In Qatar, thallium was used as a pesticide to eliminate cockroaches and rodents. (It's illegal now.) She was treated and eventually recovered. The Pale Horse saved other lives as well. A reader in Latin America was able to seek help in 1975 when her husband tried to poison her with thallium. And in 1971, a serial killer who’d murdered three people and sickened others was caught because a doctor consulting with Scotland Yard had been reading Agatha Christie.

Twenty-Five Stars en Pointe

“I may not understand everything, but I absolutely believe God sees you, loves you, and knows your story—a story that is both personal and purposeful! Your story is personal. So, you don’t need to look sideways and ask, ‘How come my life doesn’t look like theirs?’ And it’s purposeful in that it has meaning. Our suffering means something. It’s not a detour from the path; it gives purpose to our path. God is intimately aware of your experience and has a plan for all of it—for each one of us, even if we can’t see it right now. Consider this: Christ’s work in your life and His love for you are bigger than your present story. And He can fix what feels badly broken. We all have a choice right now. Let’s choose Christ, who can heal the wounds of this world while carving out room for joy!” - Tamara W. Runia

Framed Nine-Patch

 

In 2014, Rémi Fromont and Cédric Trentesaux – architecture students – climbed into Notre Dame’s attic and measured every beam. Out of sight above the stone vaults stood a 13th-century timber frame so dense Parisians called it "la Forêt" (the Forest). Each of the 1,300 beams had been hand-hewn. The students documented each one. Five years later, fire broke out in the roof. Within hours, the 19th-century spire collapsed, and two-thirds of the medieval frame was gone. Thanks to the 2014 notes, France was able to rebuild the Forest exactly as it was. Oaks were selected from forests across the country. Many had been planted under Louis XIV to supply masts for the French navy. Carpenters shaped the beams by hand, with axes, just as medieval craftsmen had done 800 years ago. Rémi Fromont, now one of France's chief architects of historic monuments, led the work. By 2024, the frame was back in place, this time protected by an automatic misting system.

Thirteen Floating Pinwheels

 

In 1981, Disney was sued by the family of a young girl who they claimed had been intentionally “struck” by the arm of a Disneyland cast member dressed as Winnie the Pooh. The girl had suffered permanent brain damage, the family said, and they were seeking $100,000 in compensation. The incident had occurred in 1974, when the child was nine. Today, Pooh is usually portrayed by a small woman, with soft, functional arms to hug the kids lined up to meet the silly old bear. But in 1974, Disneyland’s Pooh was a man. The actor’s arms were trapped inside the costume. His hands could flap a bit, and his head fit inside a honey pot on Pooh’s head. The actor in question, Robert Hill, wore the costume in court to demonstrate his inability to strike anyone. According to court records, the whole affair was declared an accident. Today, that little girl would be in her early sixties.

Brown Butterfly

 

Parenthood isn’t for sissies, either:

“Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.” – Paula Poundstone

“Be kind to your children. They’re the future of the world, and they’re the ones who’ll choose your nursing home.” – Dennis Miller

“When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.” – Rodney Dangerfield

“If you are not yelling at your kids, you are not spending enough time with them.” – Reese Witherspoon

“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.”—Erma Bombeck

“Kids are expensive, I didn’t realize how broke I was until last year someone stole my identity and it ruined her life.”—Kate Davis

“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I wanna move in with them.” —Phyllis Diller

Gold Star

 

Marriage isn’t for sissies:

“My advice to you is get married. If you find a good wife, you’ll be happy. If not, you’ll become a philosopher.” – Socrates (He may or may not have said this. If he did, it was in Greek.)

“If you want to be sure that you never forget your wife’s birthday, just try forgetting it once.” – Aldo Cammarota

“Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet service to see who they really are.” – Will Ferrell

“Never criticize your spouse’s faults; if it weren’t for them, your mate might have found someone better than you.” – Jay Trachman

“Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.” – Phyllis Diller

“Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a woman I don’t like and give her a house.” – Rod Stewart

“Behind every great man is a woman . . . rolling her eyes.” – Jim Carrey, from Bruce Almighty

Eighteen Rail Fences

 

Tuna Salad in a Tomato

 

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon

Fresh black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon chopped dill or parsley (They’re both great!)

2 5-ounce cans white albacore tuna in water drained (I found low-sodium and used that.)

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tablespoons red onion minced (Any onion works, but red is sweeter and prettier.)

4 large ripe tomatoes

 

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, and seasonings until well combined. Add tuna, celery and red onions. Gently stir until combined. Turn tomatoes upside-down and cut 3/4 of the way towards the blossom end, twice. Separate the four quarters to make a tomato “blossom.” Scoop salad into blossom center and serve.