Arizona Star

“Is every Christian expected to bear witness? A man content to bear no witness to the truth is not in the kingdom of heaven. One who believes must bear witness. One who sees the truth must live witnessing to it. Is our life, then, witnessing to the truth? Do we carry ourselves in bank, on farm, in house or shop, in study or chamber or workshop, as the Lord would, or the Lord would not? Are we careful to be true? Do we endeavour to live to the height of our ideas? When contempt is cast on the truth, do we smile? I do not say we are called upon to dispute, and defend with logic and argument, but we are called upon to show we are on the other side. We are not bound to say all we think, but we are bound not even to look what we do not think.” – George MacDonald

Dealer's Choice

There are times when I suspect my appliances are laughing at me behind my back. Friday February 9 our dryer threw in the towel, moments after the appliance repair shop closed. I’d been doing laundry all afternoon. I tossed the last load into the machine, added a dryer sheet and turned it on. Nothing happened. The repairman came the following Thursday, said it was a failed thermal fuse, and set everything right. For almost two whole months. Friday April 13 the same thing happened. We waited six more days for the repairman, who said this time it was a failed door sensor. This repair lasted two days. Another five-day wait (and another, bigger repair bill) and the dryer is working again. Sort of. Now the thing squeaks - really loud - as it runs. Should I put the repairman on retainer? Or turn the dryer into a planter?

Joining Star

When I was a girl my dad told me about the mining town of Bingham Canyon (about twenty miles south of his home town of Magna) that the copper pit had swallowed up. At the time I’d pictured a cluster of 1800’s frame boarding houses, an assayer’s office and maybe a saloon or two; something out of a John Ford movie. But a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a YouTube video – I think it was originally a 1940’s newsreel – that challenged my preconceptions. It showed a bustling and modern metropolis with a steep, narrow Main Street much like Park City. There were brick buildings: bars (of course), but also restaurants, shops, banks, schools and churches. There were power lines, paved roads lined with sidewalks, and so many cars! I guess I’d imagined a makeshift little village because it’s much harder to picture an open pit mine devouring a city that was once home to 15,000 people.  

Four Promenades

Max is a seventeen-year-old blue heeler, deaf and visually impaired. But the Queensland police are singing his praises today. When three-year-old Aurora wandered away from her family into the bush last Friday afternoon, Max followed the little girl. He stayed by her side all night as rain fell and temperatures dropped to 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit). By Saturday morning there were a hundred police, state emergency service workers and members of the public out searching for Aurora. Max led them right to her. The toddler had walked about two kilometers from home, but was still on family property. She suffered a few minor cuts and scratches, but otherwise she was just fine. Good dog, Max!

Nine Susanna Blocks

I’ve mentioned Erik Estrada before, when I learned he serves as a reserve officer in the St. Anthony Idaho police force. (http://mombowe.blogspot.com/2016/08/cocks-comb.html) In addition to time and talents, the actor contributes money and materials to the agency. Last week his contribution included a German Shepherd/Malinois narcotics dog. It makes me smile to know a guy who used to play a TV cop is now a real one. It reminds me of the Disney movie Planes Fire and Rescue. One of the characters in the film was an actor on a TV show until his costar was accidentally killed and the show was cancelled. He went from saving lives on television to saving lives for real. Estrada’s TV show was cancelled after 139 episodes when the actor was was seriously injured in a filming accident. At first I thought it was art imitating life, until I realized Planes Fire and Rescue came out in 2014. Estrada became an officer in 2016.

Promenade All

April 24 is Pig in a Blanket Day. As far as I can tell, there are as many different ways of enjoying pigs in blankets as there are people who enjoy them. One of my favorites is to fry up some link-style breakfast sausages. While they’re sizzling, make an equal number of small pancakes (just a bit larger than silver dollars). Roll the pancakes around the sausages and serve warm with maple syrup. Another is to wrap a hotdog with a thin slice of swiss or cheddar and a triangle of crescent roll dough, then bake and serve with catsup and mustard. Or you could wind a slice of streaky bacon around your favorite sausage, toast it in the oven and serve it with barbecue sauce. Or you could invent your own way of making pigs in blankets. If you come up with a winner, share your recipe with me.

Four Hartford Blocks

“I join with you in saluting every block teacher and ward teacher and home teacher and visiting teacher who has loved and served so faithfully throughout our history. Our prayer today is that every man and woman—and our older young men and young women—will leave this general conference more deeply committed to heartfelt care for one another, motivated only by the pure love of Christ to do so. In spite of what we all feel are our limitations and inadequacies—and we all have challenges—nevertheless, may we labor side by side with the Lord of the vineyard, giving the God and Father of us all a helping hand with His staggering task of answering prayers, providing comfort, drying tears, and strengthening feeble knees. If we will do that, we will be more like the true disciples of Christ we are meant to be.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Four Garden Squares

I have two grandsons who will start kindergarten in about four months. I remember kindergarten as a happy time, and I’m excited for both of them. Have you ever wondered how such an obviously German word found its way into the English language? (I should probably point out that no one in the UK goes to kindergarten. There, it’s called “nursery.”) It all started with a German pedagogue named Friedrich Fröbel (April 21, 1782-June 21, 1852). Fröbel recognized that young children are unique individuals with enormous potential for learning and development. He created the first kindergarten (child’s garden) in 1840, because he believed that children should be cultivated and nurtured “like plants in a garden.” His institution and those that followed prepared young children for traditional school using games, songs, social interaction and practical activities like finger painting, building blocks and modeling clay.

Four Susanna Blocks

September 1999, everyone was wondering if Jar Jar Binks would ruin the Star Wars franchise or if the Y2K bug would ruin everything else. Our little community was staging a production of Sound of Music in the auditorium of what used to be the Old Park School. My husband and oldest son were in the cast on stage, and our other two sons played in the orchestra pit with me. Our daughter Heather entertained herself (and much of the cast) during rehearsals and performances in the dressing room, the green room and the library that was below the stage. Until closing night. The director and costume mistress decided to surprise us all by dressing Heather in a dirndl, braiding her waist-long hair into a blonde crown, and letting her hand out the music festival awards in Act II. Her smile lit the whole room. After nearly two decades, it’s still one of my happiest memories.

Reversed Hope of Hartford

Harold Holland and Lillian Barnes first met in a restaurant in Salt Lick, Kentucky. They tied the knot soon after on Christmas Eve. Harold was 20 and Lillian was just sweet sixteen. They had five children over the next eight years, but their marriage fell apart; primarily because of Harold’s work schedule. “It was 100 percent my fault,” Harold admits. “I just left her with too much to take care of.” They stayed friends after the divorce, initially for the sake of their children and later for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Harold and Lillian each remarried, but three years ago both their second spouses passed away. This week, fifty years after their divorce Harold and Lillian were married again – to each other. “Love has a way of making itself around again, and never really dies,” Harold explains. “I've been saying we want to walk the last mile together. We’re just excited about it.”

Garden Square

Whether we’ve read the poem or not, what most of us know about Paul Revere comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” written nearly a century after the events of April 18, 1775. The poem is well worth reading, even though Longfellow got several important points wrong. Revere didn’t make his midnight ride alone. There were as many as 40 patriots covertly spreading the word “through every Middlesex village and farm.” Revere never actually reached Concord. He was captured and temporarily detained in Lexington. He was released without his borrowed horse and had to walk home while a companion, Samuel Prescott, continued on to raise the alarm. So why did Longfellow, who surely knew the facts, make up his own version of the tale? Maybe because there just aren’t a lot of good words that rhyme with Prescott.

Susanna

My dad was never what you’d call a connoisseur. He loved beef tongue, Limburger, liver and onions, head cheese, and pickled eggs. He thought boiled hot dogs, instant mashed potatoes and canned cream corn was an excellent meal. But we did share one foodie passion: Morrison Scottish Meat Pies. Morrison made lightly spiced pork pies here since 1883, before Utah was a state. That’s longer than Campbell’s has made soup; longer than Heinz has made ketchup. I bought their meat pies in the freezer section at Harmon’s or Pirate O’s until they simply disappeared. I did a little sleuthing and found the company’s owner had taken out a large expansion loan to accommodate a growing South Korea market. He expected to be repaid by the Utah Pork Producers Association, but the money never came. Instead, the director of the UPPA was charged with pocketing the cash. After 133 years, Morrison’s simply folded. Daddy would have been so disappointed.

Purple Butterfly

“Even though we may not have seen our Savior with our physical eyes, we can know that He lives. As we draw closer to Him, as we seek to receive a personal witness through the Holy Ghost of His divine mission, we will have a better understanding of our purpose; the love of God will dwell in our hearts; we will have the determination to be one in the kaleidoscopes of our families, wards, and communities; and we will minister to each other in newer, better ways. Miracles happen when the children of God work together guided by the Spirit to reach out to others in need. Let us continue on our journey together in purpose, each of us with our own attributes and contributions, working to make this a more beautiful and fruitful world—one small step at a time and in harmony with God’s commandments.” – Reyna I. Aburto

Sixteen Bear Paws

We took our first cruise as a family nearly a decade ago. It was only a four-day trip; barely long enough to get our sea legs. The ship was about to be refitted so anything broken was pretty much ignored. The library where you usually find books, DVDs and games was nearly empty. But there was this fellow who’d make you a fresh Caesar salad to order, any time of the day or night.

Easy Caesar Dressing

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Dijon

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 cup olive oil

Lemon juice

Combine garlic, mustard, vinegar and two pinches of salt in a blender and mix thoroughly. Add the mayonnaise and blend together. In a slow stream add the olive oil. With a spatula, scrape dressing into a bowl and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Toss with torn Romaine, croutons and Parmesan.

Nine-Patch Quilt

On our last trip to the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World we were introduced to paper straws. Maybe reintroduced is a better word. When I was very young, all the straws were made of paper. As we sipped milk through paper straws at the Harambe Market, I was strongly reminded of snack time in kindergarten. We asked and were told plastic straws could harm the animals in the park and even be dangerous for the environment. Like most soft plastic, straws can’t be recycled. They can take up to a thousand years to break down. Because straws are lightweight and easily airborne, many never make it to the landfill. They get together with their friends, clogging waterways, polluting beaches and endangering wildlife. Americans go through 500 million single-use plastic straws daily. Kudos to Disney for banning them – in the Animal Kingdom, at least.

Linda's Puzzle

I’ve mentioned before when I make a quilt I throw the leftover scraps into a “bone bag.” It comes in handy if I mess up and need just a tiny bit of a particular print to set things right. When I finish a project, I challenge myself to make a quilt – usually a table runner or wall hanging – out of the bone bag scraps. When I’ve done that, there are still generally little odds and ends with no particular purpose. For the past three or four years I’ve been hoarding these little trifles, unable to throw even the smallest away. Most of them are Civil War era reproductions, but there’s really a bit of everything in here. The larger pieces became 168 half-square-triangles and the smaller ones were turned into 210 two-patches. These I stitched into forty-two Jacob’s Ladder blocks, because forty-two is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Nine Nine-Patches

Oh! Stay, dear child, one moment stay, before a word you speak,

That can do harm in any way to the poor, or to the weak;

And never say of any one what you’d not have said of you,

Ere you ask yourself the question, “Is the accusation true?”

Yet even then be careful, very; pause and your words well weigh,

And ask it it be necessary, what you’re about to say.

And should it necessary be, at least you deem it so,

Yet speak not unadvisedly of friend or even foe,

Till in your secret soul you seek for some excuse to find;

And ere the thoughtless word you speak, ask yourself, “Is it kind?”

When you have ask’d these questions three: True, Necessary, Kind,

Ask’d them in all sincerity, I think that you will find,

It is not hardship to obey the command of our Blessed Lord,

No ill of any man to say; No, not a single word. - Mary Ann Pietzker

Dresden Plate

A week ago one of my four-year-old grandsons asked if I had any cake. “No, I don’t,” I replied, “Besides, it’s almost lunchtime.” “But do you HAVE any?” “Of course not. We don’t have dessert EVERY day.” I couldn’t understand why he was obsessing about cake. “TAPE, Nana,” he said, “I need some TAPE.” It turns out I was the one obsessed with cake. Here’s one we could bake together.

Simple White Cake

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups white flour

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 9” pan. Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in milk until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Four Nine-Patches

As we participate in family history and temple work, we lay claim to healing blessings promised by prophets and apostles, including:

Increased understanding of the Savior and His atoning sacrifice;

Increased influence of the Holy Ghost to feel strength and direction for our own lives;

Increased faith, so that conversion to the Savior becomes deep and abiding;

Increased understanding of who we are, where we come from; a clearer vision of where we're going;

Increased refining, sanctifying, and moderating influences in our hearts;

Increased ability to feel the love of the Lord;

Increased family blessings, no matter our family situation or how imperfect our family tree may be;

Increased power to discern that which needs healing and thus, with the Lord’s help, serve others;

Increased protection from temptations and the intensifying influence of the adversary; and

Increased assistance to mend troubled, broken, or anxious hearts and make the wounded whole. - Elder Dale G. Renlund

Four Churn Dashes

Bob missed his first date with Edna. He stood her up to go deer hunting. If John had done this to me there wouldn’t have been a second date, but somehow Edna forgave Bob. Not long after, Bob and Edna Huntley were married. Bob worked as a millwright in Oregon and Washington state. Together they raised two sons and three daughters. Later they moved to Idaho to be closer to family. They’d been married 63 years when Edna was diagnosed with cancer. She told a friend, “When one of us dies, they’re going to wrap the hand of the other and take them along.” And that’s exactly what happened. March 20 Edna died peacefully in her sleep. Less than an hour later, Bob followed, leaving five children, 20 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. I don’t think spouses love each other any less when one lives on alone, but something about these stories still touches me.

Tiny Nine-Patch

You know you’re a quilter if...

You have more fabric in your home than food.

You know “fat quarters” are not used in chicken recipes.

You leave your ironing board up all the time, but never iron clothes.

You plan your vacations around quilt shops.

You pet fabric.

Your first thought when hearing someone’s pregnant or engaged is, “What quilt shall I make?”

People are always picking threads off your clothes, even on days you haven’t been sewing.

Your mailman says, “More fabric?” every time he drops off a package.

You’re planning your next five projects and  you haven’t finished the one you’re working on.

You are able to measure a quarter of an inch without a ruler.

Your guest room looks like a fabric store.

You hear the word “Featherweight” and you don’t automatically think, “boxer.”

You believe that U.F.O.’s are not from outer space.

Your stash can’t be flushed down the toilet during a police raid.

Churn Dash

I’m on the food committee for our quilt class next month. We were thinking of serving chicken salad sandwiches a nice fresh seasonal salad. I should probably try out a few recipes at home before then.

Strawberry/Spinach/Pasta Salad

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tablespoon dijon

3 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

8 ounces penne, cooked and drained

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup pineapple chunks

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup salted cashews, pecans or walnuts

Combine the first seven ingredients in a jar, cover, and shake well. Set aside. Combine penne, spinach, fruit, and nuts in a large bowl and toss with the prepared dressing. Serve immediately or cover and chill for an hour.

Goose and Gosling Quilt

Lisa Wadsworth lives in Florida with her two children: Lauren, 13 and Quin, 11. Last month they were adopted by a stray orange tabby. The Wadsworths assumed he was young cat because he was so small. He was emaciated and walked with difficulty. They fed him, bathed him and named him Ginger. Lisa suggested taking the tabby to the Humane Society, but Quin insisted Ginger needed to be seen by the family vet. He even offered to pay for the visit. The vet checked for a microchip and discovered Ginger’s real name is T2, and he’s sixteen years old. Perry Martin was thrilled to be reunited with the kitty he’d lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. It’s not unusual for an indoor pet to live so long, but a cat in the wild has an average lifespan of five years. So how did T2 manage fourteen years on his own? He’s not saying.

Four Double Pinwheels

In the 1980’s a forty-something Carl Sagan told school children we’d have proof of planets beyond our own solar system within their lifetime. Now those children are grown and his prediction has come true. In March 2009 NASA launched Kepler, a deep space telescope with a mission to to find Earth-sized planets orbiting distant stars. Kepler has collected tons of data and sent it back to earth. Earth-bound stargazers, sifting through this data are finding planets – to date, nearly 4,000. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get in on the act. In fact, an auto mechanic in Australia just discovered a star with at least four orbiting planets. NASA expects Kepler will run out of fuel in the next month or two. But by then a new planet-hunter will have launched. TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) will search for evidence of planets among the 200,000 stars nearest our own.

Nine Goslings

"Mistakes are a fact of life. In fact, it’s the way the Lord teaches his children. Those who fail may wonder why God can’t aid them and help them avoid failure, but there are four reasons he doesn’t.

1. The Lord knows failure will give people experience and shall be for their good.

2. Failure allows individuals to taste the bitter so they can know to prize the good.

3. Failure will prove that the battle is the Lord’s and it is only by his grace that individuals can accomplish God's work and become like him.

4. Failure helps people develop and hone scores of Christlike attributes that cannot be refined except through opposition and in the furnace of affliction.

In a life full of stumbling blocks, each is grateful for second chances. Repentance is God's ever-accessible gift that enables people to go from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm. Repentance isn't His backup plan in the event we might fail. Repentance is His plan knowing that we will." - Elder Lynn G. Robbins