Bouncing Betty

“Every day we choose where we want to live eternally by how we think, feel, speak, and act. Our Heavenly Father has declared that His work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. But He wants us to choose to return to Him. He will not force us in any way. The precision with which we keep our covenants shows Him just how much we want to return to live with Him. Each day brings us closer to or farther from our glorious possibility of eternal life. We each need to keep our covenants, repent daily, and seek to be more like our Savior. Then and only then can families be together forever.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Red and Blue Patch

Heather and I got to ride the FrontRunner train to Provo and back several times last week. We had a marvelous time. It’s a much more picturesque trip than on the freeway, and not taking the car meant we could read, listen to music, watch a video or chat with the other passengers. On one of those trips we met a young waiter with a ukulele. He said he’d spent three months learning to play, and he was taking it to work to impress his customers. Two young women seated beside us asked for a demonstration, and he cheerfully obliged. First, he put on a pair of headphones. “Because I play by ear,” he said. Then he proceeded to sing an ABBA song while strumming his four open strings. I thought of showing him the three chords necessary to actually play that song, but I stopped myself. Learning is impossible when you already know everything.

Tam's Patch

The leaves are finally starting to turn, on the mountainsides and in my neighborhood. Is it just me, or have they really been taking their time getting to it this year? When our kids were youngsters, we used to set aside a day or two to appreciate the autumn colors before they were quickly replaced by grey and white. We’d take a drive – and sometimes a picnic – into the canyons, to spot red sumac and yellow aspen. Or we’d wade through drifts of oak leaves on the green inside President’s Circle at the University of Utah. Several buildings there have been standing more than a century, and many of the trees have kept them company for nearly that long. I read somewhere about a study that showed surgery patients who could see trees through their hospital windows recovered twice as fast as those who couldn’t. How much better for your health would it be to actually walk among them?

Sister's Choice Table Runner

As further proof that not all news is scary, frustrating or depressing, I'm sharing my favorite news story for the week – maybe for the whole month. Here it is in its entirety, just as I found it on ThePoke.co.uk: “A group of tourists spent hours Saturday night looking for a missing woman near Iceland’s Eldgja canyon, only to find her among the search party. The group was travelling through Iceland on a tour bus and stopped near a volcanic canyon. Soon there was word of a missing passenger. The woman, who had changed clothes, didn’t recognize the description of herself, and joined in the search. But the search was called off at about 3:00 a.m., when it became clear the missing woman was, in fact, searching for herself.” You’re welcome.

Charm School

Whether you catch news on TV, read it online, or have a paper delivered to your doorstep (Does anyone still do this?) you’ll see stories that make you scared or mad or sad. There’s nothing new about this. The media always focuses on the negative, primarily because of the way we react to it. It’s not that bad things are the only things that happen; it’s that bad news is more likely to keep us glued to the screen. Happy or funny stories make us smile and then move on. We hear bad news and we press for more details. We write an angry letter and post it, spreading more negativity. There’s a cure, of course, but it takes a bit of effort. Always read the comics first. Read only as much of the mainstream news as you feel necessary, then move on. Search for happier news, and when you find it, share. We'll all feel the better for it.

Five Sister's Choice Blocks

How often should you change your sheets? From what I’ve read, most experts (Interesting concept. Exactly how does one become a sheet expert?) say it should be done about once a week. You may be able to get away with doing it less frequently if you don’t sleep in the same bed every night. (I’m not asking, and I won’t judge. Much.) You might consider washing sheets a bit more often if you or your partner sweat profusely, if you’re don’t wear pajamas, if you’re allergic to dust or pollen, or if a pet sleeps with you. I highly recommend having more than one set of sheets per bed, so you can remake the bed while last night’s sheets are in the wash. There are few things more pleasant than falling asleep on freshly washed, line-dried linens. But few things are less pleasant than heading to bed and finding your only bedding is still in the washer – dripping wet.

Twenty Nine-Patches

“My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope! But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ.” - M. Russell Ballard

Four Sister's Choice Blocks

“I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone else will help you pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot, and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile at them and for them to smile back. We have so little of each other, now. So far from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.” - Danusha Laméris

Big Storm

In the blink of an eye we’ve gone from “too hot to open the windows” to “too cold to open the windows.” Suddenly I’m noticing everything I dislike about the way my house smells. I’ve cleaned the kitty litter box, but you can still smell it. I’ve done the laundry and emptied the kitchen garbage to no avail. The lovely steamed broccoli and salmon cakes we had for dinner are still hanging in the air, and I’ve had it. It’s time for a pumpkin spice scented candle, or maybe for:

Simmering Autumn Potpourri

3 to 4 cinnamon sticks

4 whole bay leaves

3 to 4 tablespoons whole cloves

1 orange, sliced in rounds

1 lemon, sliced in rounds

4 cups of water

Dump all ingredients into slow cooker. If you’re feeling particularly bold, add a chopped apple, a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries, and star anise. Cover and cook on low until your whole house smells wonderful.

Sister's Choice

When I was a girl my parents called a family council. It was time for a new car, they said, and we’d all get to vote on the selection. Okay, all I remember choosing was the vehicle’s color. But it was thrilling to be given a voice in the final decision all the same. When you make plans together as a family, it turns a mundane chore into a teaching and bonding moment. Regardless of how young your children are, they can help decide how to spend the next weekend or what to have for dinner. Now that my children are grown, we have almost as much fun planning a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World together as we have on the trip itself. We’re currently considering a road trip to view the 2024 solar eclipse. Should we drive to Dallas? Little Rock? Indianapolis? Cleveland? Buffalo? Should we ditch the cars and take a cruise to Mazatlán instead?

Sixteen Nine-Patches

I had a great uncle who planted vegetables like tomatoes and squash near the foundations of his home and around the edges of his lawn, where most people would put decorative (but useless) bushes and flowerbeds. The result was pretty and productive at the same time. For years his brother-in-law kept a prolific apricot tree behind the house that did double duty as a shade tree. You don’t have to have several acres to grow some of your own food. You just need a bit of imagination. Carrots, potatoes, beets and strawberries do well in pots on the patio. I’ve even grown herbs, salad greens and cherry tomatoes in my kitchen window – in the dead of winter. I don’t know if “growing my own” saves me any money. But my diet is more varied and healthier than it would be without a garden. I’m more self-reliant. I’m getting more exercise, and I’m having fun.

Garden of Eden

One of life’s simple pleasures is to compile a playlist of your (current) favorite songs and to play it. Okay, so they’re two of life’s simple pleasures. My current playlist is more than a little sentimental, but I’m enjoying it:

Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

Autumn Leaves – Nat King Cole

Dream – Roy Orbison

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City - Sinéad O'Connor

I Love Being Here with You – Peggy Lee

I Want to Hold Your Hand – The Beatles

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning – Carly Simon

Make Someone Happy – Jimmy Durante

Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwoʻole

Remember – Harry Nilsson

See You in September – The Happenings

Sentimental Journey – Doris Day

September – Earth Wind and Fire

September Morn – Neil Diamond

September Song – Frank Sinatra

She – Elvis Costello

Shoefly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy – Dinah Shore

Stardust – Nat King Cole

Try to Remember – Jerry Orbach

The Twelfth of Never – Frank Sinatra

What a Diff’rence a Day Makes – Dinah Washington

Nine Nine-Patch Blocks

“In a coming day, you will present yourself before the Savior. You will be overwhelmed to the point of tears to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for paying for your sins, for forgiving you of any unkindness toward others, for healing you from the injuries and injustices of this life. You will thank Him for strengthening you to do the impossible, for turning your weaknesses into strengths, and for making it possible for you to live with Him and your family forever. His identity, His Atonement, and His attributes will become personal and real to you. But you don’t have to wait until then. Choose to be one of His true disciples now. Be one who truly loves Him, who truly wants to serve and lead as He did. We are His people! We are under covenant to carry the message of the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Red's Row

From the moment we’re born our family’s touch teaches us that we are loved. We’ve known for nearly a century babies don’t thrive if they’re deprived of physical attention. Would it surprise you to learn that we never really outgrow this need for human contact? Getting a hug from a loved one can be helpful before a stressful event, like a big test or a job interview. Being hugged promotes the production of oxytocin, which can reduce anxiety and stress. It can lower your blood pressure and your risk of developing heart disease. It can even strengthen your immunity. But the best thing about hugging is you get all these benefits whether you’re the hugger or the huggee. So hug your kid, whether he’s a cuddly newborn or a prickly teenager (The ones who are hardest to hug need it the most). Hug your parents and grandparents. Hug your spouse. You’ll all feel better.

Four Small Nine-Patches

Breakfast at our house used to have a lot more variety than it does now. Pancakes, waffles, toast with jam, hot buttered scones, muffins and coffee cake aren’t impossible on a low gluten diet, but they’re rarely worth the effort. Most of the time my daughter and I have eggs; they’re fast and easy. We could have oatmeal, of course. But Heather always calls that “gruel.” She says it’s what Oliver Twist had, and that he was crazy for wanting more. So we have omelets, or poached eggs, or fried or scrambled or shirred. We usually have a little juice or fresh fruit on the side. The best part of the meal is a hot beverage: herbal tea or spiced cider or hot cocoa with whipped cream. Hot drinks won’t be hurried. They force you to wait until they’re cool enough to sip – to inhale the rich fragrance and to just enjoy the moment.

Three Little Pigs' Row

I’ve always been a morning person. I love the idea of a fresh, unspoiled new day. I hoard it for myself, like a package of Mint Milano cookies that no one else knows is there. My favorite thing to do just before dawn is to pull on a pair of jeans and sneakers and take the dogs for a walk. I don’t even bother running a comb through my hair. If I do happen to run into anyone – and it’s a rare event, really – they always look like they just pulled on their jeans and sneakers, too. I savor the morning smells: fresh air with a hint of Russian olive, maybe a wildfire burning in the next county, and the cookie factory already hard at work down the road. If the dogs and I are quiet, we’re sometimes rewarded with a glimpse of a blue heron, a hummingbird, a pheasant or even an occasional deer. Surely that’s worth a little lost sleep.

Three Inch Nine-Patch Block

I once heard a therapist describing how he works with recovering drug addicts. He tells them to ignore the years – sometimes it’s decades – of lies they’ve been telling themselves about themselves. That they’re trash. That they’re not worth saving. He asks them to remember what they were like when they were children; their hopes, their passions, their potential. He tells them that’s who they REALLY are. They just need to rediscover themselves. It reminded me of an Emily MacDowell quote: “’Finding yourself’ is not really how it works. You aren't a ten-dollar bill in last winter's coat pocket. You are also not lost. Your true self is right there, buried under cultural conditioning, other people’s opinions, and inaccurate conclusions you drew as a kid that became your beliefs about who you are. ‘Finding yourself’ is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you.”

Granny's House

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   Last time I used my oven, one of my apple pies bled out. I wiped it up as quickly as I could, but the next time it fires up, the residue I couldn’t remove will burn and set off the smoke detectors. So, I simply won’t turn it on until I have time for a thorough cleaning. Meanwhile, I’m getting pretty creative about baking stuff without an oven.
   
   
   Slow Cooker Cornbread                                                                                           
   1 cup cornmeal
   1/3 cup sugar
   1 tablespoon baking powder
   1 teaspoon salt
   3/4 cup flour
   2 eggs
   3/4 cup milk
   1/3 cup oil
   3/4 cup corn (optional)
   
   
   Butter inside of slow cooker. In a large bowl whisk together cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and flour. Set aside. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, and oil. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine. Pour batter into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 90 minutes or until set. Cool before serving. 
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Providence Star

President Russell M. Nelson spoke in Argentina of the unusual tranquility he felt as his plane spiraled toward the earth: “I was falling to my death. I was surprised I was not afraid to die, I remained calm. Why? Because I knew my wife and I had married in the temple. We had been eternally sealed to each other and our precious children. I realized our marriage in the temple was more important than any other achievement of my life. Temple clothes were more important than any other uniform I had worn. The temple covenants were more important than any other commitments we had made." His plane landed safely. "My life and your lives have been preserved for a short season. With that time, we have the privilege of working, living, loving and choosing. Part of that choosing is making the decision to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple. These opportunities have eternal consequences.”

Bow Ties

Most of the animals at the zoo make some sort of noise. Lions roar, zebras bray, elephants trumpet, and monkeys express themselves with a wide range of sounds. Giraffes are nearly silent – in the daytime, at least. That makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, if you were a large and tasty animal without fangs, tusks or claws, wouldn’t you try very hard to be as inconspicuous as possible? As it happens, though, they’re not so quiet at night. A team from the University of Vienna in Austria reviewed over a thousand hours of nighttime recordings from three European zoos and learned the long-necked animals spend the whole night softly humming to each other. The sounds are very low – around 92 Hz – like the second lowest F# on a piano. No one knows if it’s a form of deliberate communication, or if humming is their equivalent of talking in your sleep. Maybe it’s just a giraffine lullaby.

2019 Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge

I usually have a tough time waiting the week between dropping off my challenge quilt at the fairgrounds and finding out what the judges thought of my quilt when the state fair actually opens. Not this time. I was pretty disappointed with the way this year’s quilt turned out. I figured if I was lucky, I’d get a white ribbon for third place – I have lots of those already. There was a strong possibility the new quilt wouldn’t be awarded a ribbon at all. I should have taken pictures of the other quilts. If you’d seen them, I’m sure you’d agree than many of them put my poor efforts to shame. Don’t get me wrong; I’m REALLY happy the judges liked my entry better than I do. I’m just convinced I owe this ribbon less to any talent or skill on my part than to sheer dumb luck.

Little Red Riding Hood

The year before I learned to ride a bicycle, I was given a small transistor radio. It felt so grownup to be able to listen to songs of my choice instead of the vinyl my parents and grandparents owned. The Beatles had so many big hits that year. I liked them all, though I was many years too young to be part of their screaming fan club. I loved The Mamas and the Papas. “California Dreamin’” and “Monday, Monday” seemed somehow written just for me. I adored the retro sound of New Vaudeville Band’s “Winchester Cathedral.” I thought Johnny River’s “Secret Agent Man” and Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walking” were hilarious. Another song I found amusing was “Li’l Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. I knew the fairy tale, of course. I just thought Red would have to be pretty dim to fall for a wolf who goes, “Baa.”

Island Living

I suspect I’m a much more active person than I would be if I didn’t own dogs. Even if they didn’t require walks every morning and evening (regardless of bad weather and joint pain), there’s all that bending over to pick up dog toys and hand out treats. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not on my hands and knees at least a few times, fishing out tennis balls that have rolled under the sofa. The other day I read about preliminary results of a study of 2,000 people in the Czech Republic that started five years ago. Researchers gathered health and socioeconomic information with follow-up evaluations for every five years until 2030. So far it looks like pet owners – especially if those pets are dogs – are more physically active, with better diets and blood sugar levels. Looking after them is a nuisance, but if my pets help me live a longer, healthier life, who am I to complain?

Four Nested Ducklings

I don’t believe in karma. I don’t buy that my misfortunes are punishment for bad deeds in a former life. But instant karma? That’s a different matter entirely. At 6:00 a.m. Sunday, August 25, the police department in Kennewick, Washington got a call about a stolen truck. When police arrived on the scene, William Kelley told them a bicyclist had stolen his 1992 Chevy pickup. Kelley had left his keys on the seat, so the theft was a simple matter. There were security cameras running in the area. (These days, you have to assume cameras are EVERYWHERE.) When detectives reviewed the footage, they determined Kelley had parked his truck there so he could steal from a business across the street. They quickly booked him into the Benton County jail on a burglary charge. They never did find the bicyclist or the missing getaway vehicle, but William Kelley won’t be needing his pickup truck for a while.

Christmas Matt

“We can stand firm in our beliefs and have a loving relationship with those who hold differing opinions. For example, I believe drinking alcohol is a violation of God’s law. What do I do when I’m hosting friends who don’t believe as I do? We go to a restaurant where they can order as they choose. When they order wine with their meal, I don’t get in their faces and call them out as sinners. Similarly, can I be friends with individuals who are living together without the benefit of marriage? Absolutely. When I’m with them, do I stand up in great indignation and call them to repentance, even though they are presently engaged in behavior I do not agree with? No, of course not. We can stand firm in our beliefs and have a loving relationship with those who hold differing opinions. Let us not forget that the plan of salvation offers the love and mercy of our Savior Jesus Christ to all.” – Elder Dale G. Renlund