Six Dancing Stars

 

Ian Fleming described his James Bond as a tall man, and most of the actors who’ve played the fictional agent fit that description. Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, and Pierce Brosnan were all six feet and two inches. Roger Moore was half an inch shorter. David Niven was 5’ 11” and Daniel Craig is five foot ten. When “You Only Live Twice” was filmed, Toyota produced two custom-built 2000GT Roadster convertibles, because without the open top, Sean Connery couldn’t fit in the hard-topped version. At least one of these two cars is in someone’s private collection. If you want a chance to see it, it will be on display later this month at the Peterson Automotive Museum in L.A. Incidentally, most famous non-Bond creation was about a racecar with a life of its own: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And the fellow who wrote the screenplay for “You Only Live Twice” was children’s author Roald Dahl.

Twenty-Five Flags

 

The Niantic was one of the first whaling vessels to bring gold-seekers to Yerba Buena (later named San Francisco). The ship was run aground and abandoned during the gold rush, where it was repurposed as a storehouse, saloon, and hotel until it was ultimately destroyed in an 1851 fire. The Niantic was rediscovered in 1978 during excavation for the Mark Twain Plaza Complex near the Transamerica Pyramid – six blocks from the current waterfront. At least forty and as many as sixty ships lie under the buildings, streets and sidewalks of San Francisco. The Euphemia, a ship once used as a jail, was found in 1921 under Battery and Sacramento Streets. The whaling ship Candace was excavated under Spear and Folsom streets in 2005. The General Harrison located under 425 Battery Street at Clay, was discovered in 2001. Archeologist James Delgado calls the area “a site that to the rest of the world is a Pompeii; a gold rush Pompeii.”

Half a Dozen Song Birds

 

You probably remembered to set your clocks ahead Saturday night. I hope you replaced your smoke/CO detector batteries while you were at it. This is also a good time to switch fans from winter mode (pulling air upward) to summer mode (pushing it down). Now’s a great time to rotate or flip your mattress so it wears more evenly. At least check to see if your mattress needs replacing. You should replace your toothbrush every three months. If you haven’t done that, replace it now. Unless you live in Texas, you probably haven’t used your A/C yet. You’ll want to replace the furnace filter before you do. It’s hard to remember tasks that don’t happen daily, weekly or monthly – like cleaning trash bins and pet dishes, washing pet toys and the hat you wore all winter, or buying new underwear. Take advantage of this biannual reminder to get these jobs done.

Pink Bloom

 

Have you ever whipped cream by hand? It takes more time and energy than you’d expect. Once you’ve made it, you have to use it right away. It can’t be frozen or refrigerated and used later. This was the sort of problem William H. Mitchell found fascinating. To solve it, he invented a concoction of water, hydrogenated vegetable oil and sweeteners that you know as Cool Whip. One of Mitchell’s first inventions was in answer to a tapioca shortage during World War 2: a grain starch/gelatin mixture soldiers called “Mitchell’s Mud.” Early astronauts complained about metallic-tasting stored water. To improve the flavor, they used another Mitchell invention: sugar, orange coloring and vitamin C branded as Tang. In the 50’s, Mitchell looked for a way to combine carbon monoxide with Kool Aid and invented Pop Rocks. The explosive candy didn’t hit the market until 1975, so for several years, only his immediate family enjoyed them.

Four-Leaf Clover

 

Salt Lake has been the capital of Utah since 1856. It’s hard to imagine it anywhere else, but it hasn’t always been this way. The original territorial capital was Fillmore, chosen in 1851 for its central location. Brigham Young favored the idea of St. George for the capital of his proposed state of Deseret, as it was mid-point between Salt Lake and the southernmost city, San Diego. What may surprise you more is the capital of the U.S. hasn’t always been Washington, D.C. During the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress was a moveable feast, meeting in secret to avoid capture. George Washington was inaugurated in New York City, our first capital. Philadelphia served as capital for a decade, while the current capital was under construction. After the Civil War, there was a serious push to move the capital to a more central location: St. Louis, Missouri. I often wonder what our country would be like if they’d succeeded. 

Tulip Toss

 

“To all of you who serve, and especially to the over 4,000 young service missionaries, we love you! If teaching missionaries are the Lord’s mouth, then service missionaries are the Lord’s hands. Each of you is vital to the gathering of Israel. President Nelson taught ‘anytime we do anything that helps anyone to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.’ You service missionaries gather Israel in so many ways, and your service changes lives. Often you don’t know who the beneficiary of your service is, but God knows. Always remember that inasmuch as ye serve one of the least of these, ye serve Him. We hear your voices as you volunteer at Church call centers; we see your smiles as you help in community organizations; and we feel your light as you serve in temples. You feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give drink to the thirsty.” – Elder James E. Evanson

Four Maple Stars

 

When I first came across the story of the eleven nuns of Nowogródek, I was sure it was fiction. I take everything I read on the Internet with a grain of salt. There was a time when stories published works carried the reputation of the publisher. But the Internet allows publication without risk. And AI makes the spread of lies ubiquitous, even expected. But, after some research, I’ve come to the conclusion this actually happened. The Nazis arrived in Nowogródek, Poland in 1941. They executed 9,500 Jews and sent 550 to labor camps. In 1942, they executed 60 more townspeople, including two Catholic priests. The following year, 120 men were arrested and slated for execution. Their wives and mothers pled the nuns for help. The nuns prayed, “If sacrifice of life is needed, accept it from us.” Shortly thereafter, the nuns were rounded up and shot. The 120 men targeted for death survived the war.