Four Chain Blocks

 

Forty-Nine Flags

 

I read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island in my early teens. It left me with a burning desire to become a pirate. I knew this career might mean I’d end up with an eye patch, a peg leg or a hook. But those were small concerns compared with the promise of treasure and the lure of the open sea. Alas, my buccaneer dreams never saw fruition. Maybe I was just born too early. Since the fall of 2011, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has offered a pirate certificate for undergraduate students who complete specific physical education courses, including archery, fencing, pistol shooting, and sailing. MIT is quick to point out the certificate is not a stand-alone credential and does not grant license to engage in piracy or related activities. The pirate program has a waitlist, but well over 300 students and alumni are already proud recipients. Matt Damon received an honorary certificate after the movie, The Martian.

Spring Checkerboard

 

If you’ve read Cheaper by the Dozen, or seen the 1950 movie, you know about Frank Gilbreth. But you don’t know Lillian’s story. Lillian and Frank were married in 1904. Together, they raised a dozen children. They also pioneered a field that is now known as industrial and organizational psychology. They studied how people do things in the workplace, and formulated ways to make work more effective. Frank’s focus was on mechanics; Lillian’s was on people: fatigue, error and human behavior. Frank died of a heart attack in 1924, leaving Lillian to support twelve children. Their clientele, assuming Frank was the brains of the operation, disappeared. So, Lillian turned her attention to productivity in the home. Lillian interviewed thousands of housewives to understand their needs. She invented the foot-pedal trash can. She rearranged refrigerator shelving to make it more ergonomically efficient. She designed the “kitchen work triangle” – stove, sink and fridge – still used in homes today.

Sparrow Block

 

Perks of being over fifty:

Kidnappers aren’t generally interested in you.

In a hostage situation, you’re likely to be the first one released.

No one expects you to run anywhere.

You no longer see speed limit signs as challenges.

If people call you after 8:00 p.m., they ask, “Did I wake you?”

People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

There’s probably nothing left to learn the hard way.

The things you buy now will probably not have time to wear out.

You can eat your supper at 4:30 p.m., and no one questions it.

Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the National Weather Service.

Your secrets are safe with your friends, because they can’t remember them either.

Garden Charm

 

“A testimony is not given for temporary use. This gift from our loving Heavenly Father is meant to be eternal because the giver is eternal. A testimony should not have an expiration date. It should not weaken or diminish because something in my life has changed or something in the world has changed. It should get stronger because, like the servant’s talents in the parable of the talents, my testimony is a gift to be multiplied—not buried. Looking back on the difficult days of testing and persecution I went through as a child has helped me get to the place where I now know for myself. I not only believe, hope, or trust, even though these are significant particles of faith on the pathway to a sure witness. I commend you for making your own way by asking questions, studying, praying, fasting, and pondering. Please don’t stop. It is worth every effort to pursue this path to testimony.” – Elder Kevin G. Brown

Chain Block

 

Today’s story is about an interesting woman – Oberon Sinclair. Until I discovered her, I’d only known Oberon as king of the fairies in Midsummer Night’s Dream, the last name of the actress who starred in the REAL Wuthering Heights, and Uranus’ outermost moon. Oberon Sinclair is a publicist. Apparently, one morning in 2011 she woke up and said, “I think I’ll get everyone to eat kale.” Until she did, I don’t think anyone ate kale. Ever. Remember when Pizza Hut was a dine-in restaurant with a salad bar? Kale was the decorative green cardboard stuff they crammed between the ice and the actual food. Ms. Sinclair invented the non-existent “American Kale Association.” Now suddenly it’s posh to nosh kale. It went from an inedible weed to a luxury superfood. People whip it up in smoothies. They bake crispy kale chips. They sneak kale into salads, muffins, and omelets. Amazing what the right PR campaign can do.

Thirty-Six Flags

 

The game of backgammon has been around for nearly 5000 years. It’s one of the world’s oldest games, and is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia. During the 16th century, the Catholic church banned the game, which instantly made it much more popular. People played in secret, and made foldable boards that could hide in plain sight. The name of the game may refer to the fact checkers can be “sent back,” or it may come from some very old words meaning, “game on a table.” The twenty-four points on the backgammon board represent twenty-four hours in a day, while thirty checkers (fifteen for each player) represent the thirty days of the month. Famous people who’ve loved playing backgammon include Lucille Ball, Omar Sharif, Hugh Hefner, Taylor Swift, Leo DiCaprio, Kiera Knightley, Chris Rock, and Toby MacGuire. I learned to play while I was still in my teens, and seldom go twenty-four hours without a game.