Floating Star

 

Violet Constance Jessop was a stewardess in 1911 aboard the RMS Olympic: the largest civilian liner at the time. In September that year, the Olympic left Southampton and collided with the British warship HMS Hawke. The Olympic was damaged, but managed to return to port. Violet continued to work on the Olympic until April 1912 when she was transferred to her sister ship. RMS Titanic left Southampton April 10 and struck an iceberg four days later. Violet was ordered up on deck to serve as an example for passengers who didn’t understand English. She watched the ship sink from lifeboat 16. During the first world war, Violet became a nurse for the Volunteer Aid Detachment. November 1916, she was aboard the third sister ship, HMHS Britannic, when it struck a German mine and sank in 55 minutes. She narrowly escaped death when the ship’s propellers shredded her lifeboat. Violet was 83 when she died in 1971.

Sew Very Spooky!

 

I’ve participated in the Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge every year since 2007. For the first decade or so, the fabric chosen for the competition was mostly novelty prints: bonbons, strawberries, musical notes, seagulls and cartoon farm animals. Then there were several years that left more to our imaginations: a red paisley, orange chevrons, a grey plaid, teal polka-dots, tiny green leaves, and 1930’s florals. This year’s challenge is an about-face. The theme is “Spooky Hollow” and the focus fabric is covered with skulls and autumn leaves, brooms and pointed hats, crows and owls. It’s been fun to work on a Halloween-themed wall hanging, but I’m worried all this year’s challenge quilts will come out looking more or less the same. I’ve done what I could to make mine stand out. I’ve added deep purple, which isn’t in the challenge fabric. And I don’t think many quilters could top my paper-pieced moon. Wish me luck!

Dragon's Head

In 1906, the Santa Fe Railway – a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe – purchased a 9,000-acre plot in southern California. Their plan was to use the land to grow their own railroad ties. Their tree of choice was Eucalyptus globulus, for a few reasons. Eucalyptus can grow up to 480 feet; even taller than the redwoods. It grows extremely fast, up to 125 feet in as little as three years. And, though eucalyptus can’t handle chilly temperatures, it’s extremely drought tolerant, only needing regular watering the first year or two. So, the railway planted 3.5 million eucalyptus trees over the next eight years. Then they learned those tall, beautiful, aromatic trees made terrible railroad ties. The young wood was far too soft. They ditched the plan and created a Spanish Colonial Revival village instead. Most of the 3.5 million trees are still there. The failed railroad ties have become a fragrant urban forest.

Chinese Hat

 

Does everyone have a story about that awesome sandwich they had on vacation and can’t stop thinking about? Mine’s a holiday turkey sandwich. We were at Disneyland in early autumn with most of the grandkids and their parents. We’d grabbed a light meal at Earl of Sandwich at the east end of Downtown Disney, and ate under the trees near the esplanade. The dish in question was essentially a handheld Thanksgiving dinner: lots of sliced turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, and whole cranberry sauce on a toasted ciabatta bun. There may have been a bit of gravy and mayo in there. There couldn’t have been much of either, because this sandwich didn’t require a knife and fork. I could always head to the nearest Earl of Sandwich and pick up another. In Las Vegas. If I’m going that far, why not push on to Anaheim? Or I could just hit the grocery store for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread.

One Dozen X Blocks

 

“Jesus thinks and acts out of pure love; He yearns to bless and lift others; He delights to do the will of God. With faith in Christ, we can pray the Holy Spirit will effect a mighty change in us to instill these same divine motivations in our heart. We can become the people God needs us to be. Adopting the character of Christ is not only a question of our personal preparation but a primary element of preparing the world for the Lord’s return and His glorious millennial reign. We tend to underestimate the influence of Christlike individuals in the world, but working one by one has always been Jesus’ approach to changing society and establishing His kingdom. The aggregation of individual choices over time forms and changes societies for good or ill. No one of us alone can change the world, but each of us can have an influence in the world.” – President D. Todd Christofferson

Four Pineapples

 

Not everything you know is wrong, but lots of it is:

If you’ve been told humans only use 10% of their brains, relax. Our brains are usually lots more active, even while we sleep.

Goldfish don’t have a three-second memory. They can remember tasks, cues and locations for days and weeks; even up to a year.

Vitamin A deficiency can diminish eyesight, and carrots contain vitamin A. That’s not the same as saying, “Eating carrots improves your sight.”

Blood in your veins may look bluish through your skin, but it isn’t really blue. Even deoxygenated blood is red as it returns to your lungs – a darker red, but still red.

Porcupines only shoot quills in cartoons. But the quills are barbed and detach easily. And a frightened porcupine will swing its tail.

Peeing on a jellyfish sting won’t make it hurt less. Instead, rinse the sting with ammonia or seawater. Better yet, seek medical help.

Half a Dozen Bird Houses

 

I have a confession: I despise Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. I know parents have been reading this to their children since I was five. I know generations of kids have grown up loving it. Not me. The book is about a tree who loves a boy. She gives him apples to munch, branches to swing on, and shade to rest in. The book says the boy loves the tree, but he seems to only love what she can give him. Eventually, the boy chops down the tree for lumber, and she is nothing but a sad, lonely stump. It seems to me if the boy REALLY loved the tree, he would have nurtured and protected her. His children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren could have enjoyed the tree for many years. This isn’t a cozy bedtime story. It’s a warning about dysfunctional, toxic relationships. And it should be called “The Taking Boy.”