Echoes

Thirty-five years ago a gallon of gas sold for $1.19. Ronald Reagan was president, Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean was on top of the charts, and the only thing worth seeing in theaters was Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie. February 28, 1983 was a Monday. 77% of the country – myself included – watched the 150 minute final episode of the 11-year-old series M*A*S*H. I didn’t have much use for the show when it was in its infancy. I was never a fan of Larry Linville, Wayne Rogers or McLean Stevenson. Maybe the Korean War was a weighty subject for a 13-year-old. But as the show progressed it became more character-driven, and I did like Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan and David Ogden Stiers. I’m considerably older than thirteen now, but the thought of war still troubles me; especially when I remember the Korean Armistice of 1953 was a cease fire, not a peace treaty. Technically we’re still at war with North Korea.

Sixteen Propeller Blocks

The polar bear is the largest species of bear. Males can be up to 10 feet tall standing on their hind legs. (I was curious, so I checked. The smallest is the Malaysian sun bear.) Polar bears are found in countries ringing the Arctic Circle: The US, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. They don’t eat penguins, as penguins live at the opposite end of the world. Their diet consists mainly of seals, but they’ve been known to dine on walrus, beluga whale, bird eggs and (occasionally) vegetation. They’re terrific hunters; typically killing once every four or five days. When they’re not hunting, polar bears sleep – up to 20 hours a day! Mama polar bears can have as many as four babies at a time, but twins are the most common births. The collective noun for polar bears is “sleuth,” but they aren’t pack animals. Except for moms and cubs, they’re rather solitary. Happy International Polar Bear Day!  

Four Stardust Blocks

“This is a partnership; God and his creation. The Primary song says, ‘I am a child of God.’ Born with a noble birthright. God is your father. He loves you. He and your mother in heaven value you beyond any measure. They gave your eternal intelligence spirit form, just as your earthly mother and father have given you a mortal body. You are unique. One of a kind, made of the eternal intelligence which gives you claim upon eternal life. Let there be no question in your mind about your value as an individual. The whole intent of the gospel plan is to provide an opportunity for each of you to reach your fullest potential, which is eternal progression and the possibility of godhood.” – President Spencer W. Kimball

Nine Propellers

“The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” – Werner Heisenberg

“The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power.” – Nikola Tesla

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrase-mongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.” – Albert Einstein

“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal

Stardust Block

Yesterday was Walking the Dog Day. If you own a dog and didn’t walk him yesterday, shame on you. You should actually be walking him every day. Walking improves cardiovascular fitness, lowers blood pressure, strengthens muscles and bones, and decreases stress – for both you and the dog. Your furry friend has such a short lifespan to begin with. Most dogs don’t live to see the age of thirteen. Chances are he’ll spend most of that time wondering when you’ll come home. The very least you can do is share a pleasant walk with him. While you’re at it, you might pick up a package of dog biscuits for your four-footed companion. He’ll enjoy the treat, and it might even help to keep tartar off his teeth. Besides, February 23 is National Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.

Four Propellers

On this day in 1878, Frank Winfield Woolworth opened his “Woolworth’s Great Five Cent Store” in Utica, New York. Although the first few weeks looked promising, the store failed in its first year. A friend suggested he might have better success in a new location, so Woolworth pulled down the sign from his Utica store and set it up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The “five and dime” store quickly became an American icon. It’s hard to imagine a 20th century town – large or small – without one. Most of them disappeared at the beginning of this century. There was a Woolworth’s in operation in Harrogate, North Yorkshire early in 2009, but by Easter it, too had vanished. I’m told you can still shop at Woolworth’s in Germany, Austria and Mexico. Or you can visit the store’s successor right here. You see, Wooworth’s didn’t go bankrupt. It switched to sporting goods and changed its name to Foot Locker.

Variety's Crossing

Disney California Adventure has only been around seventeen years (give or take a week or two), but it’s already seen a lot of change. A Bug’s Land and Cars Land stand where Bountiful Valley Farm once was. They’re serving Girardelli’s sundaes in what was the Mission Tortilla Factory. You can ride Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters where Luigi’s Flying Tires used to be. A Starbucks has taken the place of the California Zephyr. The Whoopi Goldberg movie Golden Dreams is now Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! has been gone nearly twelve years. Muppet Vision 3D is a Frozen Sing-Along, Mulholland Madness is Goofy Sky School, and Superstar Limo is Mike and Sulley to the Rescue. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror closed last summer to make way for Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! California Screamin’ is getting a new Pixar theme and should open around the same time as the movie Incredibles 2.

Propeller Block

I suspect if you asked a dozen people on Main Street, USA for their favorite Disneyland food, you’d get a dozen different answers. I’ve heard friends crow about the Monte Cristo sandwich at the Blue Bayou, but I tried it and was unimpressed. Everyone seems to love churros, and I’ll admit they smell delicious. I bought one a few years ago. It was cold and soggy. Most of the food in the park is wonderful. I hate to leave Disneyland without sampling a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon. We make a point of stopping at Pooh Corner for a chocolate covered pineapple spear. Matterhorn Macaroons can be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery, and you can pick up a Boysen Apple Freeze at the Fantasy Faire. But the one taste that has us planning our next Disney trip is the Dole Whip Float near the Enchanted Tiki Room or in the Coffee House in the Disneyland Hotel. 

Big Dipper

“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world. Among the real heroines in the world who will come into the Church are women who are more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish. These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility.” - Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

Nine Altar Steps

Always keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Never corner something that’s meaner than you.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don’t interfere with something that ain’t bothering you none.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Letting the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in.

If you believe you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around. - Source unknown

Four Hartford Blocks

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” – Carl Jung

“Children learn through doing – play is how they explore their world, learn how to assess risk, try things out, and get to know themselves.” – Beth Almiras

“Play stokes the creation of imagination, autonomy and social skills. And it’s just plain fun no matter the age.” – Bradley Calvert

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play IS serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. When chilren pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A small child can be a superhero. ” – Fred Rogers

“The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.” – James T. Kirk

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw

Four Altar Steps

Have you ever been on an aircraft when the toilets were malfunctioning? I wish I could say I haven’t. On every transatlantic flight I’ve ever taken, by the time we reached our destination the TP, towels and soap had been spent, and the toilets themselves were backed up. The smell was beyond belief. (Of course, by that time none of the passengers smell that nice, either.) But bathrooms can cause problems on shorter flights, too. The morning of January 27, Flight DY1156 took off from Oslo headed for Munich. It only got as far as the Swedish border before it was forced to turn back because of an issue with the commodes. The irony is there were 85 plumbers on board. One reported, “We would have liked to fix the restrooms, but unfortunately it had to be done from the outside and we didn’t risk sending a plumber to work at 10,000 meters.”

Basket Weave

The first album I ever bought was “Songs in the Key” of Life by Stevie Wonder, in vinyl. It only had two songs I really liked: Isn’t She Lovely? and Sir Duke. It seems so silly now – paying for an entire album when you only want two songs. But that was pretty much how it worked then. You either bought the album or you waited for the radio station to play your tune. I read an article a week or so ago that said from now on Best Buy won’t sell CDs anymore. For the time being Target will only sell CDs on a consignment basis. They’ll wait for you to order one online, then they’ll buy one and sell it to you. Digital music is fine, but I think it’s missing something: album art, of course, and a physical THING you can hold in your hand that connects you in some small way with the artist.

Hope of Hartford

Our favorite place to stay while we’re visiting Walt Disney World is the Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter. Everywhere you look there are quaint cobblestone streets, magnolia trees, gas lamps and wrought-iron balconies. You can sample Cajun and Creole dishes and listen to cool jazz. You can take a horse-drawn carriage ride along the Sassagoula, or a 15-minute boat trip to Disney Springs. There’s a huge splash pad, a secluded hot tub and a swimming pool where King Neptune reigns from atop a huge sea serpent. Everything is painted purple, green or gold. It’s pretty much Mardi Gras there all year long. I live in a town where the closest thing you can find to Fat Tuesday is the andouille sausage omelette at Mimi’s. But when this time of year rolls around, I don’t long for Rio or even New Orleans. I wish I was in Orlando.

Steps to the Altar

“Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere. As a new presidency, we want to begin with the end in mind. The end for which each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God, that of eternal life. The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary. Your worship in the temple and your service there for your ancestors will bless you with increased personal revelation and peace and will fortify your commitment to stay on the covenant path.” - President Russell M. Nelson

Honeymoon Block

February 10 1899, Herbert married Lou Henry, a fellow geology student he’d met at Stanford. After they tied the knot the young couple embarked on a honeymoon cruise to China where Herbert had accepted a position as mining consultant to the emperor. Before their first anniversary Herbert and Lou were caught up in the Boxer Rebellion. They were besieged with 800 other westerners in the city of Tientsin. Herbert built barricades while Lou served as a hospital volunteer. After the rebellion was put down the couple divided their time between their homes in London and California. Herbert was secretary of commerce in the 1920’s while Lou presided over the Women’s Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation and helped build the Girl Scouts of America. Together they engaged in refugee relief work and raised two sons. March 4 1929, with Lou by his side, Herbert Hoover became 31st president of the United States. 

Eccentric Star

Americans eat lots of pizza, primarily because it’s cheap and convenient. More than three billion dollars worth of pizza are sold here every year. Our five top pizza-eating days are Super Bowl Sunday, New Year’s Eve, Halloween, the night before Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. Pizza’s the most popular food for kids between the ages of three and eleven. More than two-thirds of us prefer a thin crust. Fourteen percent like deep-dish, and eleven percent go for the extra thin and crispy. Pepperoni is the topping of choice here, accounting for more than a third of our pizza orders. Women are twice as likely as men to ask for vegetables on their pizza. My personal favorite, Pizza Margherita, is supposed to be named for Queen Margherita of Savoy. It consists of thinly sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves, and is supposed to reflect the colors of the Italian flag. Happy National Pizza Day!

Four Purple Rail Fences

When I began this project we lived in England. My Janome, fabric and quilting supplies fit on a shelf or two in the laundry room. Three or four days a week I’d pull everything out, spread it on the dining room table and get creative. A year later, as we waited for our tenants to move out of our American home (and for our furniture to show up) my work space was a small table in a suite at the Residence Inn. Then for for almost six years I had a sewing room all to myself. I stitched with a Bernina in a custom-fitted cabinet, and my stash quickly grew to fill an entire closet. At the moment I’m using my mother’s Eversewn Sparrow 25. When it’s not on the dining room table, it’s sharing a shelf in the laundry room with my fabric and quilting supplies. It’s a temporary arrangement, but it all feels so familiar.

Northridge

We planted a walnut tree in the back garden nearly a dozen years ago, hoping it would grow to shade the far too sunny kitchen and master bedroom windows. If there were nuts, we reasoned, they’d be an added bonus. We selected an English walnut because black walnut trees secrete a substance called juglone that kills other plants. It never once crossed our mind that the tree we’d chosen might be an English walnut grafted onto hardier black walnut roots. Of course that’s exactly what happened. Now we’re stuck with two choices: kill the tree (and the nuts and the shade, though it probably won’t bring the dead lawn back) or give up on the lawn and instead plant juglone-resistant plants like hosta, cinnamon fern, bleeding heart, lamb’s ear, coral bells, pansy, violet, purple cone flower, bee balm, Shasta daisy, anemone, iris, snowdrop, or yarrow. 

Purple Rail Fence

In honor of National Chopstick Day, here are a few fun chopstick facts:

The use of chopsticks involves more than thirty joints and fifty muscles in the fingers, wrist, arm and shoulder. (Whew! No wonder it’s so hard to learn!)

The Chinese use more than 45 billion disposable chopsticks every year, emptying forests and clogging landfills.

Almost one third of the world uses chopsticks every day, about as many as use a knife and fork. (Does this mean a third of us only use spoons?)

Chopsticks were developed between 3000 and 5000 years ago. Anthropologists suspect they were originally long sticks used for stirring fires and skewering food, not for transferring it to peoples’ mouths.

If you visit China or Vietnam, you’ll see long wooden chopsticks with rounded or blunt ends. In Japan, you’re more apt to use shorter, pointier wooden sticks. Koreans use shorter, blunt sticks made of plastic, metal or wood. 

Double Dutch

“As you examine your life during the ordinance of the sacrament, I hope your thoughts center not only on things you have done wrong but also on things you have done right—moments when you have felt that Heavenly Father and the Savior were pleased with you. You may even take a moment during the sacrament to ask God to help you see these things. If you do, I promise you will feel something. You will feel hope. When I have done this, the Spirit has reassured me that while I’m still far from perfect, I’m better today than I was yesterday. And this gives me confidence that, because of the Savior, I can be even better tomorrow.” - President Henry B. Eyring

Four Two-Patch Log Cabins

Today is Feed the Birds Day. I know things have been tough in other areas, but so far it’s been a very mild winter in our neck of the woods. We’ve seen a few magpies, but for the most part the birds have had better things to do than hang around our door. When there’s more cold and snow, we like to hang a few different kinds of food for our feathered friends: mesh bags of thistle seed for the finches, suet for the woodpeckers and meal worms for the bluebirds. As far as I can tell, everyone loves shelled peanuts and sunflower seeds. We like to keep cracked corn for the ducks and geese. It’s so much better for them than stale bread, cookies, doughnuts, etc. One thing we learned the hard way: when you’re storing seed for the birds, be sure it’s in a clean, air-tight, rodent-proof container. 

Starry Nine-Patch

While researching different diets, I ran across three terms that initially seemed to describe the same thing: vegan, vegetarian and plant-based. It took a while, but I think I have them sorted out. All three revolve around the use of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes. A plant-based diet avoids meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs and heavily processed foods. A vegetarian diet may or may not include dairy or eggs. There are vegetarian diets that allow for some fish or poultry, or even (on rare occasions) red meat. Vegan diets seem to be more about ethics than nutrition. For instance, a vegan won’t touch honey out of concern for the treatment of bees. (This puzzles me. I’ve seen what beekeepers do to keep their hives healthy, and am convinced domestic bees are far better off than their wild cousins.) Vegans eat Doritos, Oreos, Skittles, Twizzlers and Sour Patch Kids. Not the best choice for weight loss – or healthy teeth.

2-Patch Log Cabin

Before there was an Internet I used to wake around 2:00 a.m. I’d take the paper or a book to the sofa and read myself back to sleep. I still tend to wander out of bed at the same time in the morning. But now I have far more interesting reading options. The other night I was meandering on the web (no one would call what I do surfing) and stumbled on an article about a lost cow in Poland. She’d somehow escaped her pen and was spotted three months later, living with a herd of wild European wood bison. There are plans to separate her from the herd before mating season, when she might contaminate the gene pool of this endangered species. Meanwhile, she seems to be healthy and happy. She has (temporarily, at least) escaped her narrow cow life to become a bison. Who can sleep when there are such stories out there?