Birthday Cake

I was born fifty-two years ago today. I like to celebrate my birthday by doing something I’ve never done before. Last year I had a luau. The year before, I rode Europe’s longest roller coaster. In 1901 Annie Edson Taylor celebrated her sixty-third birthday by becoming the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was a Civil War widow and former dance instructor. The daredevil stunt was meant to fund her retirement years. She had herself packed in a mattress-padded oak barrel and rolled into the water above the falls. Though she survived the drop with only a small cut on her head, she warned others not to follow suit. “I’d sooner walk up to a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall,” she said. Today I think I’ll help with spring cleaning at the church. Niagara Falls can wait for another year.

Poppy Fields

Today is Memorial Day, and also National Water a Flower Day. So I thought a Poppy Fields block would be appropriate on both counts. Memorial Day is dedicated to the memory of men and women who gave their lives in defense of their country’s freedom. (The word “defense” looks wrong to me somehow. I keep wanting to stick a letter C in there. Can it be that British spelling is contagious?) It’s also a great time to remember other loved ones who have passed away. It’s a good day to see a patriotic parade, to enjoy a Memorial Day pancake breakfast, or to place flowers at family members’ resting places. Because today is also the unofficial beginning of the summer season, it’s a very good day to have the first picnic or a barbecue of the year, or to spruce up your garden. However you spend it, I hope you have a nice Memorial Day.

Annie's Choice

A week ago today we took a trip to Haworth, home of the Bronte family. In a tiny stone cottage here, across a crowded cemetery from their father’s church, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte wrote Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. We wandered through the parsonage museum. We were treated to a slide show and a guided tour of the village. We dined on roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (on blue and white china) in a charming little tea room. Our last stop was the church that houses the Bronte chapel and vault. Anne isn’t buried here. In May of 1849 Charlotte took Anne to Scarborough out of concern for her health. On the way they visited York, where Charlotte pushed her sister about in a wheelchair. I’ve pushed a chair through the streets of York. It’s no mean feat. Anne died 162 years ago today. Her grave is near St. Mary’s Church in Scarborough, overlooking the bay.

Flying Geese

Our next home leave is a less than two weeks away. I’m looking forward to it. That is, I’m looking forward to seeing my family again. I keep in contact with them through facebook, Skype and email, but nothing comes close to sitting around the dinner table, playing board games or going for long walks together. I’ve an eight-month-old grandson I haven’t held since October. If it wasn’t for all that, I’d have a hard time steeling myself for another trans-Atlantic flight. I’m not looking forward to the ordeal of getting to the airport and through security. The flight will be completely booked. You never see empty seats on a plane anymore. The only people with room to nap on the 8 to 10 hour flight will be in first class. Long before we land the toilets will be clogged, out of toilet paper, or both. And two weeks later, we get to do this all over again.

North Star

At or near the equator, you’ll see 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness pretty much all year round. Honolulu, for example, has 13 hours and 26 minutes of daylight in June and 10 hours and 50 minutes in December. Anchorage on the other hand, gets 19 hours and 22 minutes of daylight in June, and only 5 hours and 27 minutes in December. Harrogate’s latitude is very similar to that of Anchorage. Today we’ll see the sun for 16 hours and 23 minutes. Because we’re so far from the equator, the sky is lit long before sunrise and after sunset. I don’t know which I dread more; the narrow dark winter days when the sun never seems to clear the tops of the trees, or the pale summer nights that rob me of my sleep. Maybe I should check the real estate prices in Honolulu.

Kansas Twister

At four feet and nine inches, I don’t often run into people who are shorter than I am. But it does happen now and then. I met Jerry Maren a few years ago while he was signing autographs in a Las Vegas shopping center. Jerry is one of a handful of surviving Munchkins from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. He was a scrappy three-foot-four teenager when he handed Judy Garland a really big lollipop. He’s in his nineties now, and he hasn’t changed all that much. He told me he took a bus from New York City along with several other little people. In Los Angeles they joined over a hundred other small actors from all over the world. He claims he was paid $50 a week while the movie was in production. Toto was paid four times that much.

Snail's Trail

Today is National Escargot Day. I suppose this day is best celebrated by eating snails. I’ve tasted snail, but it didn’t happen while we were in France. We were having dinner at the French restaurant at Disney World’s Epcot Center in Florida six years ago. Swimming in that much butter and garlic, boiled cardboard would have tasted wonderful. It isn’t on the menu there any more. Instead, you can order Cassolette d’escargots de Bourgogne au beurre persille; a snail and parsley-butter casserole. I will admit when I see what the snails have done to my precious rhubarb and cabbages, my head fills with creative forms of revenge. But I honestly don’t think you’ll be seeing snail on my menu in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, you won’t be seeing any of my homegrown rhubarb or cabbage there, either.

Chinese Coin

Today is National Lucky Penny Day. Most people see pennies as completely useless. The truth is worse than that. The U.S. spends roughly $140 million each year to produce $80 million worth of pennies. That’s right. It costs almost two cents to make a coin worth one cent. I’m a compulsive penny finder. At least once or twice a week I’ll find coins while I’m out walking the dog. I pocket them whenever I can. After all, “See a penny and pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck.” The best places to find lost coins are parking lots; especially ones where teenagers park their cars. Kids seem to simply dump anything that won’t fit in an arcade slot. Drive-through windows are also likely spots. I’ve always wanted to take a metal detector to the park after a carnival or fair. Do you think I’d find enough to make the metal detector pay for itself?

Interlocking Red Cross

In “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” Robert Kiyosaki describes two differing views on charity. His “rich dad” tithed ten percent of his income to his church and was generous in offering his time and talents. “Poor dad” refused to give, claiming he had barely enough for his needs with nothing to spare. Kiyosaki said it doesn’t work that way. He suggested that those who give freely see greater returns, and you should give the one thing you feel you need most. If you want friends, you should be more friendly. If you lack time, find a way to give more time to others. If you need cash, find someone who needs it more than you do. It’s counterintuitive, but I’ve tested his theory and it rings true. For years I was a monthly Red Cross platelet donor. I can tell you I’ve never enjoyed such wonderful good health, before or since.

Basket

I’m making a shopping list for our trip home. There are several things I want that I can’t find here. Godiva Pearls, for example. Harrod’s carries Godiva, but they don't have the little chocolate BB pellets in purse-sized tins. I’ll stop by the Dress Barn and grab a year’s supply of nylons. I’m sure if I made an effort, I could find pantyhose here that fits. But why bother when Dress Barn carries what I need? Altoids Gum is on my list as well. It’s sad the “Curiously Strong” English mints and gum are no longer sold in England. They're almost extinct in the US, too. I plan to stop by Pirate O’s and buy them out, just like last year. When we’re ex-expatriates Pirate O’s will find us very loyal customers, because they also carry McVities Jaffa Cakes, Bassett’s Licorice Allsorts, Wensleydale Cheese and the other British products I’ve become addicted to.

Shoo-Fly

The windows in our English house don’t have screens. I don’t think I’ve seen a single screen since we came to England. When we first moved here I worried that we’d have bugs in the house during the summer months. It’s very humid here, and in my experience more moisture means more insects. There have been a lot of insects outside. We've seen several ladybugs, moths, and butterflies. We frequently run into swarms of gnats when we’re out walking. A family of enormous bumblebees lives in our garden. But for the most part we don’t bother them and they don’t bother us. On rare occasions when I find a fly buzzing around the kitchen, I have two choices; I can grab my plastic fly swatter and chase him around the room, or I can simply open a window and let him leave. I usually opt for the latter.

Crossroads

I’m convinced we live in the most beautiful spot on the planet. This past weekend we watched a movie we’ve owned on DVD for some time but haven’t seen in years; the 1993 version of The Secret Garden with Maggie Smith. We didn’t get very far into the movie before we were struck with how familiar the scenery was; the heather-covered moors, the dry stone walls, the roses and lilies, the blossoming chestnut, cherry and laurel. Even the foxes, rabbits, little white lambs and English robins looked exactly like the ones we see every day. So we did a bit of research and found they filmed the movie less than eight miles from here. If I’m homesick for Salt Lake I watch Savannah Smiles, High School Musical, Mr. Krueger’s Christmas, The Sandlot,  Independence Day, A Hobo’s Christmas, or Forever Strong. When we move back to the states and I’m homesick for Yorkshire, I can always watch The Secret Garden.

Jacob's Ladder

Chapter 28 of the Book of Genesis tells the story of Jacob’s Ladder. When Jacob the son of Isaac was a young man, he journeyed from Beersheba to Haran. At the close of day he chose a spot to spend the night. He rested his head on a stone and began to dream. In his dream he saw a great ladder from Earth to Heaven, with angels travelling up and down. The Lord appeared to Jacob and told him that the land upon which he lay would be for Jacob, for his children, and for his children’s children. The Lord promised Jacob, “In thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed.” When Jacob awoke, he took the stone he had been using for a pillow and marked the spot. Thereafter he called the place Bethel, which means “House of the Lord.”

Moonlight Reflection

There will be a full moon tomorrow at precisely eight minutes and forty-two seconds after noon, London time. I love to see a full, round moon. It pleases me to watch it waxing, night by night, as it builds to a climax. For reasons I can’t begin to fathom, I feel a sense of loss when I see the moon waning. I am annoyed when an overcast sky makes me miss the full moon altogether. We were blessed with clear skies during the lunar eclipse last December. John and I awoke very early that morning, bundled up, fortified ourselves with hot cocoa, and took several photos of the event. There will be another eclipse next month. But it will be in Africa, and I will not. The next eclipse I’m likely to witness will be this coming December. I guess that means mittens, scarves and lots more hot cocoa.

Churn Dash

Today’s block is a very simple one. I chose an easier, faster block than I normally make because the fabric for the wedding quilt I’m piecing has finally arrived. I’m eager to get started on this new project. In Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, this block has no less than 20 names. One of my favorite names for it is Hole in the Barn Door. Another name is Monkey Wrench. According to Sue Bouchard and Eleanor Burns in the Quilt in a Day Underground Railroad Sampler, this block was one of several that were used to give secret signals to runaway slaves in the 1800's. A Monkey Wrench block in a quilt might be a sign for slaves to begin gathering tools for building shelters along the way, for defending themselves, or for directing their journey northward to freedom.

Lucky Star

Welcome to the only Friday the 13th this year. This is considered an unlucky day, but I can’t imagine why. Like Sherlock Holmes, I’m “an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles,” most of which are completely useless. I read somewhere that Cain supposedly killed Abel on Friday the 13th. This seems ridiculous, as the term Friday isn’t all that old. In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown claims our fear of Friday the 13th dates back to the 1300's, King Phillip IV of France and the Knights Templar. I’m not sure I buy that, either. Still, there are a lot of people with a fear of the number 13, a condition called triskaidekaphobia. It’s why you won’t find a thirteenth floor in most hotels. If you’re one of these people, I suppose you could stay in bed today. But you’d miss a perfectly good Friday; the day before the weekend. There’s nothing unlucky about that.

Merry Kite

Spring is here. There are kite boarders in the park again. In a few weeks Harewood House will hold their annual Kite Festival. They'll have face painting, biscuit (cookie) decorating, falconry demonstrations, puppet shows, a teddy bear parachute drop, and kites of all shapes and sizes. We were in the States during the festival last year, and we'll be busy again this year. But we saw it in 2009. We were surprised by the sheer number of kites. Some were bigger than our car. Many looked like things you’d expect to see in the ocean: a jellyfish, a lobster, a crab, a shark and several fishes. I think the biggest surprises were the living kites. The red kite is a large bird that lives here. It has a flared tail and a wingspan of nearly 6 feet. Towards the end of the festival, a pair of them made a brief appearance. I wonder what they thought of all the paraphernalia in the sky.

Lattice Star

You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. There's the sign post up ahead. Your next stop, the Twilight Zone. My daughter-in-law’s brother is getting married this summer. I elected to make eighteen blocks like this one for his wedding quilt. I ordered fabric to make those eighteen blocks in colors the bride and groom have chosen. If I can get the blocks made and set into a quilt top before our home leave, there should be time to have it quilted and bound by the big day. I’m eager to get started. But for now all I can do is wait until the fabric shows up in our mailbox. At the moment it’s in postal limbo. Ooh. Scary.

Pisces

Today is National Clean Up Your Room Day. No, honest. Okay, so it’s not like Congress voted on it or anything. But that’s no reason to live in a pig sty, is it? The most important thing to remember about cleaning your room is not to let it overwhelm you. For the moment, ignore everything else and start with your bed. Strip the sheets and toss them in the wash. Make your bed with a clean set of sheets, then step back and admire your work. Somehow the rest of the room doesn’t seem so bad when the bed is made. Next, grab three boxes. Label one “Put Away,” for items that belong in other parts of the house. Label the second one, “Give Away,” for objects you don’t need. The third box, “Throw Away,” is self-explanatory. Fill all the boxes, then do what it says on their labels. See? Wasn’t that easy?

Mother's Choice

Saturday night several of my piano students were involved in a school production of Annie. Of course I had to be there. John was working until roughly the time the play was over, so I took Heather with me and asked John to meet us before heading home. Annie isn’t my favorite play, but Heather adores it. It was all she could do to refrain from singing along with the cast. When the show was over, John completely forgot that he was picking us up. He would have driven home to an empty house if one of his coworkers hadn’t reminded him that the following day was Mother’s Day. Instead, he headed for the nearest convenience store to grab a last minute gift. As it was the only place (besides the pubs) open on a Saturday night, that’s exactly where Heather and I were waiting for him. Hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day, too.

Mother's Dream

All mothers are working mothers. The comic Phillis Diller once said, “It would seem that something which means poverty, disorder and violence every single day should be avoided entirely.” Then she added, “But the desire to beget children is a natural urge.” She was right, of course. The novelist Peter De Vries observed, “A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.” Comedian Groucho Marx said “My mother loved children. She’d have given anything if I had been one.” But I think my favorite quote about mothers comes from Mark Twain. It essentially sums up my own experience, both with my children and with my own mother: “My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.” Happy Mother’s Day!

Utah Block

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy said this about Utahns: If someone at Home Depot offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Utah. If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Utah. If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Utah. If you measure distance in hours, you live in Utah. If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Utah. If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Utah. If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit; if driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow; if you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Utah.

Mexican Star

I’m told Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal in the United States than it is in Mexico. As I’ve never actually been in Mexico on the fifth of May, I’ll have to take that on faith. It certainly isn’t, as many Americans believe, the Mexican version of Independence Day. I think that’s actually in September. Cinco de Mayo originally commemorated a victory for the Mexican army over the French in 1862. A more descriptive name for the holiday today might be “Hispanic Pride Day.” It’s a day for displaying the colors of the Mexican flag, whether you’re from Mexico or not. It’s a day for eating foods with tomatoes, chilies, cornmeal, beans, cilantro and the like. We had Chicken Enchiladas Tuesday, so I probably won’t be cooking Mexican food for dinner tonight. I am considering a Flan or a Tres Leches Cake, though. It’s been a long time.

Northern Star

My sons call today “Star Wars Day.” As in, “May the fourth be with you.” Actually, May 25 ought to be Star Wars Day. The original movie, “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” was released May 25, 1977. I was just days from my high school graduation when I first saw the film. I was absolutely blown away by the opening shot. It wasn’t just the soundtrack or the visual effects. Every movie I’d ever seen up to that point had begun by rolling credits. It was like reading the program before a play begins. But Star Wars didn’t start that way. The audience was just settling in their seats, a handful of popcorn halfway to their mouths, and suddenly we were all in space. A bit of back story rolled by and we were thrust into a heated battle. It's a bit trite now, but at the time it was ground breaking stuff.

Tea Rose

The pattern for this block calls for pink and green calicos. I thumbed through my stash and found I’m running a little low on pink. I made two quilts last year for neighbors with baby girls. I cut a pack of pink charm (5"x5") squares for a dear friend expecting a granddaughter. In a few months my next-door-neighbor will have her second child - another girl. I think I have enough charm squares left to make another scrappy pink baby quilt. But it’s clear I need to either be frugal with my pinks or go shopping for more. Shopping for fabric here isn’t nearly as rewarding as it is in the States. I can’t touch the folds rolling off their bolts. I can’t hold two prints together up to the light to see if they “like” each other. So I decided to be stingy with the pink prints I have. And I made yellow tea roses instead.

Spiderweb

I awoke this morning to spiders. Heather found one in her bedroom and complained loudly until I dispatched it. Her brother sent me a photo of black widows who’ve taken up residence outside his window. He also gave me news of Bin Laden’s death. The man who orchestrated the horrific events of September 11 is dead. I’m reminded of something he said: “I have sworn to live free. Even if I find bitter the taste of death. I’m fighting so I can die a martyr and go to heaven to meet God.” I’m also reminded of something General Norman Schwartzkopf reportedly said, “I believe forgiving them is God’s function. Our job is to arrange the meeting.” Not a Christian sentiment. But with spiders, a live and let live attitude is probably not the best approach. Like the black widows in my son’s window, they must be dealt with. The sooner the better.