Gretchen

For their honeymoon getaway, Walter and Gracie Lantz rented a romantic cabin in the woods near Sherwood Lake, California. The place was absolutely charming. At dawn, though, an acorn woodpecker started pounding on the roof. The noise made sleep impossible, and it happened every single morning. Worse, when it started to rain, the Lantz’ discovered the woodpecker had given them a very leaky roof. Walter was ready to shoot the menace. But Gracie suggested that her husband make a cartoon of the bird instead. And just like that, Woody Woodpecker was born. Walter was the illustrator, Gracie was the voice. When interviewed on their fiftieth anniversary, Gracie called the woodpecker that spoiled their honeymoon “the best thing that ever happened to us.” But she’s wrong. The best thing was what they did about it.

Eagles' Nest

Generally speaking, I don’t approve of tattoos. I don’t care where you put them or how pretty they are; they’re not an improvement on unblemished skin. Besides, they’re just so permanent. I knew a fellow in college who spent years and thousands of dollars removing a large letter D (his first initial) from his bicep – a painful mistake he’d made in his teens. But last week I read about Gabriel Marshall and his dad, Josh. Gabriel, now 8, had undergone surgery for a brain tumor and was left with a nasty scar above his right ear. “My son was very self-conscious,” Josh reported. “He felt like a monster. I said, ‘You know what, I’ll get your scar tattooed. That way, if people want to stare at you, then they can stare at both of us.’” Now father and son have identical scars. And they’re both turning heads.

Hen and Her Chicks

Early this spring, after receiving a call from canal workers about a dog in need of help, Sergeant Corey Clark and Officers Brady Benson and Robbie Done responded. They found Max with a broken leg, trapped in a dry irrigation canal just outside of Pleasant View City limits in Box Elder County. Max was cold, in pain and terrified. He growled at the men and wouldn’t let them get near. Officer Benson spent an hour calming the dog and gaining its trust. The three men were then able to slide a sheet under Max and pull him to safety. Max was taken to a vet and reunited with his overjoyed owners. The canal workers who’d found Max were getting ready to fill the canal. If the policemen hadn’t taken the time to help him, Max’s story wouldn’t have had such a happy ending.

The Big O

“To all the rising generation, we say, wherever you rank your own father on the scale of good-better-best (and I predict that ranking will go higher as you grow older and wiser), make up your mind to honor him and your mother by your own life. Remember the yearning hope of a father as expressed by John: ‘I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.’ Your righteousness is the greatest honor any father can receive. To my brethren, the fathers in this Church, I say I know you wish you were a more perfect father. I know I wish I were. Even so, despite our limitations, let us press on. Let us lay aside the exaggerated notions of individualism and autonomy in today’s culture and think first of the happiness and well-being of others. Surely, despite our inadequacies, our Heavenly Father will magnify us and cause our simple efforts to bear fruit.” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Pop Goes the Weasel

You can file today’s post under the heading of Things You Never Knew You Needed to Know. According to a BuzzFeed survey from last August, four out of five of us admit to having occasionally used our shower as an alternate urinal. That is to say, whilst already taking showers, most of us have chosen to simultaneously relieve our bladders. When asked why, many responders said they thought the practice might save water. It’s a valid point. The average adult pees roughly seven times a day. Most of us have toilets that flush the same way whether we’re talking number one or number two: a colossal waste of water. If multitasking in the shower can reduce our waste by a single flush per day, that’s a savings of almost 15%. Of course there are people (like James Hamblin of The Atlantic) who say ditching showers altogether would save even more. But I’m not ready to try that.

Twelve Crowns

While we lived in England I read the New York Times online. I was addicted to their daily crossword and a digital subscription was the only way to feed my habit overseas. And, well, it seemed silly to pay for the news and only do the puzzle. Now that we’re stateside again, Words with Friends satisfies my craving to fill grids with words. I still get most of my news online, but lately it’s more likely to come from The Guardian. You can get news that incenses or depresses you just about anywhere. But if you want nice news, The Guardian is the place. Last week I read about a British Nana whose 25-year-old grandson caught her typing “please” and “thank-you” when she Googled something. She thought she was dealing with a person, and was being polite. The grandson posted about his Nan’s Internet manners, and it was retweeted more than 11,000 times. See? Nice news.