Silent Night

 

I bought this kit three years ago, intending not to use it. I thought the starry light and dark blues would be the perfect foil for that year’s yellow state fair challenge fabric, but they were out of print. The only way I could buy them was in this panel kit. I never even bought the pattern. I just took what I wanted to make the challenge quilt (which pleased me but not the judges) and shelved the rest. For three years! Boredom is a wonderful thing. I’ve been bored enough this year to turn my efforts to projects that might otherwise never have happened. I pulled out the plundered kit and wondered if there was enough of the two blues left to make SOMETHING. I wondered if I was clever enough to make it without a pattern. The finished top isn’t EXACTLY like the original, but I like it. And there’s even enough leftover for another small quilt! Happy New Year!

Empire House

 

“Tonight, I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking. Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child's cry. A blazing star hung over a stable and wise men came with gifts. We haven't forgotten that night down the centuries. We celebrate with stars on Christmas trees, the sound of bells, and with gifts. Especially with gifts. You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha’s always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry can do with a new pipe. We forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. We’ve even forgotten to hang it up: the stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s his birthday we're celebrating. Don't let’s ever forget that. Let’s ask ourselves what He would wish for most. Then, let each put in his share: loving kindness, warm hearts, a stretched-out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.” – The Bishop’s Wife

Twenty-four Flying Geese

 

Maurice Hilleman almost became a Montana chicken farmer, because he had no money to attend college. His older brother and other family members, recognizing a talent worth nurturing, provided some of his tuition; the rest came from scolarships. He graduated first in his class at Montana State University and later received a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Chicago. In a career spanning four decades, Dr. Hilleman created 40 vaccines, including eight of the fourteen routinely given to Americans: the shots for measles, mumps, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, meningitis, pneumococcus and HIB. Hilleman was by all accounts a difficult man to work with. He swore like a sailor and ran his lab like a military unit. But he was also unfailingly humble. Not one of his 40 vaccines was named for him. You’ve probably never heard his name before. But chances are you and I are both alive today because of his tireless work.

Picture Window

 

“During this unprecedented year, when virtually every person in the world has suffered the effects of a global pandemic, there is nothing more important we can do this Christmas than to rivet our focus on the Savior and on the gift of what His life really means to each of us. Our loving Heavenly Father so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Son of God then promised us that whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. What unspeakable, incomparable gifts from the Father and the Son! I thank God for the gift of His Beloved Son. And I thank our Lord Jesus Christ for His incomparable sacrifice and mission. At His first coming, Jesus came almost in secret. But at His Second Coming, the Lord’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Nine Pinwheels

 

We met on a Sunday in May; it was either the 14th or the 21st. I’d just come home from college for the summer, and my mom introduced us at church. In the space of about two weeks, we went roller skating, to a rock concert, and a birthday picnic in the park. Then he left for summer semester at BYU, and I thought I’d seen the last of John. But he called a couple of times from the road, and sent letters – sometimes three or four a week. We were engaged on October 7 and married 82 days later. Monday will be our 42nd wedding anniversary, but we're celebrating a few days later. We've rented a theater for a social-distanced, mask-wearing family screening of Wonder Woman 1984. Because we’re really hoping to be able to celebrate our 43rd anniversary together next year. 

Echoes

 

"Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves." ― Eric Sevareid

"Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered." – Phyllis Diller

“One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.” – Albus Dumbledore

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime." – Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'." – Bing Crosby

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" – Bob Hope

Christmas Memories

 

When Robert Kirby was a boy, he began to question the existence of Santa Claus. Asking his parents brought less than satisfying results, so he decided to launch his own investigation: “Christmas Eve 1963 I put a sheet of cardboard on the darkened stairs leading into the house. Since we had no chimney, I reasoned Santa would have to step on the cardboard when he came into the house. He would leave evidence in the form of boot prints. Our parents crammed us in bed at 9 p.m. and turned out the lights. I was just dozing off when the silence of the house was shattered. Someone had stepped on the cardboard in the darkness, surfing it to the bottom of the stairs and into a pile of shovels and lawn chairs. Proof! Santa was not only real, but he also was clumsy and cursed like a sailor. I told all my friends. Nobody believed me.”

Four Crystal Stars

 

Tomorrow night, Heather will take the last of two dozen Lindor truffles out of its drawer in her cardboard advent calendar. She’ll open one of the presents under the tree – a pair of pajamas that she’ll wear while waiting for Santa to come. Before that, we’ll share a dinner of fettucine alfredo or penne pesto while we watch White Christmas. We’ll walk the dogs, because finding an accident on the carpet isn’t how I like to spend Christmas morning. But at precisely 6:00 tomorrow evening, the three of us will step outside and ring bells: cowbells, handbells, jingle bells, triangles, and a one-room schoolhouse bell that could wake the dead. You’re all invited to join us at 6:00 p.m. wherever you happen to be. If you don’t have any bells, you can always clang a couple of pots together, or sing a Christmas carol. Because now more than ever, we all need a little something to lift our spirits.

Eighteen Flying Geese

 

Mother Christmas

 

"Where art thou, Mother Christmas?

I only wish I knew

Why Father should get all the praise

And no one mentions you.

 

I'll bet you buy the presents

And wrap them large and small

While all the time that rotten swine

Pretends he's done it all.

 

So, Hail to Mother Christmas

Who shoulders all the work!

And down with Father Christmas,

That unmitigated jerk!"

-          Roald Dahl 1988

Chevrons

 

"Let us make Christmas real. It isn’t just tinsel and ribbon, unless we have made it so in our lives. Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values. It is peace because we have found peace in the Savior’s teachings. It is the time we realize most deeply that the more love is expended, the more there is of it for others." - President Thomas S. Monson, from "Christmas is Love"

Four Pinwheels

 

Yuzu is a citrus fruit native to East Asia. It’s a rare find in the western world; I’ve seen it for sale in England (at an outrageous price) but not in the US. It’s illegal to import fresh yuzu, though I’m told it’s cultivated domestically. (You can probably find it in California. Everything grows in California.) I’ve never eaten yuzu, but I once tasted an overpriced bonbon with a yuzu-flavored center. It had very lemony-limey-grapefruity vibes. Yuzu has an important place in the winter solstice celebrations in Toji, Japan. This weekend, Japanese will toss yuzu into their bath water to refresh body and soul, to ward off illness, and to soothe dry skin. Some alert zookeeper in Japan once noticed capybaras (huge rodents imported from South America) also like a hot yuzu bath. So, the caged creatures in Japan will enjoy a citrusy soak this weekend as well. I’ll have to be satisfied with a lemon bath bomb.

Ripples

 

If you find yourself in need of a good insult, you need look no further than The Complete Works of Shakespeare. The Bard had a barb for every occasion. In Much Ado About Nothing, you’d find: “You have such a February face, So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness.” Shakespeare didn’t like February any more than I do. In Henry V is this gem: “Thine face is not worth sunburning.” Maybe this appeals to me because mine seems to be worth the trouble. When a servant comes to tell Macbeth the English army is coming, he fumes, “The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon! Where got’st thou that goose look?” which is a colorful way of calling someone a coward. In Comedy of Errors, Menenius complains about Martius: “The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes.” But my favorite is from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “I am sick when I do look on thee.”

Christmas Crackers

 

My annual tradition of avoiding hustle and bustle the last week before Christmas seems a little superfluous this year. I haven’t been – and won’t be – hosting any Christmas dinners or caroling parties. I’m not attending any, either. I'm in no Christmas plays or concerts, and I'm not seeing any. I’ve only agreed to play in two worship services the Sunday before Christmas. If you know me well, you’ll probably find that a bit shocking. I know I do. I wrote a family Christmas letter, but only mailed it to the few people who still send me mail. My income this year was a fraction of what I’m used to, and my gift list reflects this. But all my presents are wrapped and under the tree. The presence of family and friends – even when we can’t be together – is more important than gifts will ever be. The first Christmas was a very simple affair. It’s okay if ours is, too.

Hunter's Star

 

Mary Elizabeth Hale Woolsey was born in 1899 in Spanish Fork, Utah; one of nine children. She graduated from Brigham Young High School in Provo in 1917. Just days after graduation, Mary married Parley Woolsey. They settled in Salt Lake City, where they raised four daughters before Parley divorced her and married someone else. Mary wrote songs, but often had a hard time getting them published. “I Have a Garden” was included in “Sing with Me,’ 1969 (where her name is spelled “Maryhale Woolsey”) but is missing from “Children’s Songbook,” 1989. Mary’s most popular work, “When It’s Springtime in the Rockies,” was rejected by 14 publishers. When it was finally put in print, Mary’s name was mysteriously missing. Mary lived to the age of 70; long enough to see her most notable lyrics attributed to Gene Autry, and even to hear Donald Duck sing them (if you can call what Donald does singing) in Mickey’s Trailer in 1938. 

Eight Flying Geese

I’ve shared several recipes here over the years: recipes to feed a crowd, to use up leftovers or garden produce, to fit a particular diet, or to put food on the table on a busy day. The recipes are a reflection of whatever my focus is at the moment. Currently, I seem to be into meals that don’t require many ingredients. I get pretty excited about dishes that use ingredients I already own. Sunday, we had beef enchiladas for dinner. I browned and drained a pound of ground beef, then stirred in half a ten-ounce can of enchilada sauce. I poured the other half can into a 9x13” pan, rolled up the beef in six whole wheat tortillas and put them in the pan, too. I poured a second can over the top, sprinkled it with two cups of shredded cheddar, then baked it at 375F for 20 minutes. Just four ingredients, very little work, and my little crowd was pleased. Success!

 

Twenty-five Crackers

 

“Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything. People have done the same with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its beginning. Those who look for the good will find a kind and compassionate people—a people who love the Lord and desire to serve Him and bless the lives of their fellowman. But it is also true that those who look for the bad will certainly find things that are not so ideal. We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find.” – Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Five-inch Pinwheel Block

 I had an electric kettle when we lived in England, and loved it. Electric kettles are ubiquitous there, but a bit harder to find here in the US. Matt gave me an American model a few years ago, and I’ve used it nearly every day since then. The instructions warned not to let water sit in the kettle between use, but I’ve ignored that. The other day I noticed hard water deposits were beginning to build up inside the kettle, so I filled it with equal parts of water and white vinegar and turned it on. I let it sit about twenty minutes after boiling, then rinsed the kettle out. I washed and reinserted the little filter near the spout, and the kettle was as good as new. If you own an electric kettle, I recommend descaling every few months. The kettle will last longer and operate more efficiently. And I suspect your tea will taste better.

Greek Chain

 

Tips for Seniors:

Talk to yourself. Sometimes you need expert advice.

“In Style” are the clothes that still fit.

You don’t need anger management. You need people to stop making you mad.

Your people skills are fine. It’s your tolerance for idiots that needs work.

The biggest lie you tell yourself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”

“On time” is when you get there.

Even duct tape can’t fix stupid – but it does muffle the sound.

It would be great if we hop in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?

Have you noticed how much older people your age are?

Growing old should have taken longer.

Aging has slowed you down, but it hasn’t shut you up.

If you haven’t learned to act your age yet, you don’t have to.

“One more for the road” means going to the bathroom before you leave the house. – Audrey Miller

Sixteen Crackers

 

I bought these prints (or most of them) in a kit called Cracker Crumbs. It’s part of the eighth installment of Kim Diehl’s “Simple Whatnots” series. It was meant to become a 20” finished quilt with every color of the rainbow. I’ve been known to change a pattern when something about it bothers me. But I almost never object to the name, until now. Cracker is a traditional quilt block, but it has nothing to do with those crisp biscuits you eat with your soup; the crackers that leave crumbs. Instead, it takes its name from the party favor that pulls apart with a bang, spilling confetti, a paper hat and other treats. When this quilt is finished, I’ll call it Christmas Cracker, in honor of the tradition I hope my family can observe together next year. I’ll use all the reds, creams and greens that came with the kit, and save the oranges, golds and browns for another day.  

Envelope Block

 

Chicken Tikka Masala

3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice

1 cup plain yogurt, plus more for garnish

1 cup oil

1 pound chicken breast, boneless and cut in small pieces

Mint leaves, for garnish

 

In a blender on high speed add the ginger and garlic: blend until you have a paste. In a large bowl combine the paste with the remaining ingredients. Add chicken and mix until evenly coated. Let marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Grill chicken over medium-high heat until it is fully cooked and tender. You could also bake the chicken in a 350 degrees oven. Spread the chicken and remaining marinade evenly in a baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with mint or yogurt.

Two Flying Geese

 

While you’re browsing the Internet, the Internet is pretty busy browsing you. It notices what you seem to prefer (even if you seem to prefer getting really angry) and gives you more of the same. That’s why I go to great lengths to find stories that are uplifting. If you look for it, you can find happy news from all over the world. And every now and then, you’ll find good news from your own back yard. Utah Department of Transportation recently completed a wildlife overpass in Parley’s Canyon. It’s designed to let deer, porcupines, cougars, etc. cross the road without danger to themselves or motorists. There are even boulders and logs placed at intervals, so smaller mammals can cross without becoming someone’s lunch. Utah State University placed cameras to monitor the bridge and reports a wide variety of wildlife is already making use of the new structure. Good news!

Nine Cracker Blocks

 

“President John Taylor warned us, ‘If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.’ And who of us can afford to be responsible for the delay of eternal life of a human soul? If great joy is the reward of saving one soul, then how terrible must be the remorse of those whose timid efforts have allowed a child of God to go unwarned or unaided so that he has to wait till a dependable servant of God comes along. The old adage is ever true: ‘Do your duty, that is best; leave unto the Lord the rest.’ Most service given by priesthood holders is accomplished quietly, without fanfare. A friendly smile, a warm handclasp, a sincere testimony of truth can literally lift lives, change human nature, and save precious souls.” – President Thomas S. Monson

Eccentric Star

 

Every year Heather tries to watch a steady diet of Halloween movies in October and Christmas movies in December. She usually succeeds, even though it means screening a few duds like Spooky Buddies and Call Me Claus. She’d like to do the same with November, but there just aren’t enough Thanksgiving movies out there to fill a month. Off the top of her head, she can only think of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Free Birds. I’m going to pretend I’m eleven months ahead of the game (and not a month too late). Here’s my list for next year: Miracle on 34th Street (1947 and 1994), Tower Heist, You’ve Got Mail, Sweet November, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Chicken Run, Home for the Holidays, Addams Family Values, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Grumpy Old Men. It’s only two weeks’ worth, and there are a few Heather won’t like. But if I’ve gotta watch Spooky Buddies and Call Me Claus, she owes me.

Crystal Star

When the Bank of England put Jane Austen’s picture on a £10 note, it was accompanied by a quote from Pride and Prejudice: "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!" It’s a lovely sentiment, but I suspect whoever selected it never read the novel. This particular line was spoken by the antagonist Caroline Bingley, and she meant exactly the opposite. She went on to say, “How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!” and “When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” And it is very clear to even the densest reader that she's lying through her teeth. If the Bank of England wanted a more appropriate Austen quote, they should have asked her many fans. I’d have chosen one from Sense and Sensibility: “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”

Four Cracker Blocks

I miss Moda Frivol quilt kits. They were a dozen tins, each containing 42 7” cotton squares and a pattern to turn those squares into a small quilt. I collected and pieced all twelve in 2015-2016. I gave Kindred and Vintage to my mother as quilt tops, and she finished them both. Heart went to my hairdresser. She’s also a quilter and appreciates the work that went into it. Bread ‘n Butter hangs in Heather’s bedroom, and Heritage is always on the dining room table. The rest take turns adorning the wall above the piano. I’ve often wished Moda Fabrics would revisit the idea, or that I could find another Frivol kit on eBay or some far-flung online quilt shop to buy and make again. Alas, they sold out years ago. Still, I’ve kept my twelve tins and their original patterns. Maybe I should use the patterns to remake these twelve quilts with prints from my own stash.

The House Next Door

 

If you’ve lived in upstate New York, you know to avoid the woods during deer season. Novice “city folk” hunters will shoot at anything. Farmers paint “cow” on their livestock in day-glow orange, and they still get shot. Gary and Debbie Morgan of Troy left their 16-month-old white golden retriever Meadow with a friend near Delhi a few days before the deer hunt started. The last thing they wanted to hear was that she’d gone missing. They offered a $500 reward, and several volunteers braved the bullets to help search. But Meadow was still missing ten days later. That’s when Brian James - hiking guide and drone pilot - joined the hunt. He surmised a white pooch would be more visible before snowfall, and she’d be easier to spot from the air. He was right on both counts. Meadow wouldn’t follow him out of the woods, so Brian had to carry her back. But neither of them got shot.

Broken Dishes

 

An old man calls his son and says, "Listen, your mother and I are getting divorced. Forty-five years of misery is enough." "Dad, what are you talking about?" the son screams. “We can't stand the sight of each other any longer,” the dad says. "I'm sick of her face, and I'm sick of talking about this, so call your sister and tell her," and he hangs up. Now, the son is worried. He calls his sister. She says, "Like heck they’re getting divorced!" She calls their father immediately. "You’re not getting divorced! Don't do another thing. The two of us are flying home tomorrow to talk about this. Until then, don't call a lawyer, don't file a paper. DO YOU HEAR ME?” She hangs up the phone. The old man turns to his wife and says, "It worked. They’re both coming home for Christmas and they’re paying for their own airfare.”

Three-inch Cracker Block

 

The greatest blessing that will come when we prove ourselves faithful to our covenants during our trials will be a change in our natures. By our choosing to keep our covenants, the power of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement can work in us. Our hearts can be softened to love, to forgive, and to invite others to come unto the Savior. Our confidence in the Lord increases. Our fears decrease. In the mortal experience, we will have ample opportunity to prove ourselves, to pass tests hard enough to become ever more like the Savior and our Heavenly Father. In addition, we must notice the tribulation of others and try to help. That will be especially hard when we are being sorely tested ourselves. But we will discover as we lift another’s burden, even a little, that our backs are strengthened and we sense a light in the darkness.” – President Henry B. Eyring

Another Community

 

I don’t do the Twitter thing. I CAN limit myself to 280 characters, but I seldom feel the need to. A lot of my friends do tweet. Some of them forward messages to me that they’ve seen on Twitter. I’ll share this one with you, on the off chance you haven’t already seen it several times. It comes from Chris Scheetz (There’s a radio personality by that name who once drove a Zamboni from Calgary to Edmonton, but I think this Chris Scheetz is an adventure capital fund manager – whatever that is – in Austin): “Okay, I have a question. How did the movie Ground Hog Day finally shift to the next day for Bill Murray? Have we tried that yet?” The best answer comes from Shelley Delayne, (also of Austin): “He breaks the cycle when he shifts his focus from himself to devoting himself to helping others. And yes, that’s EXACTLY how we get out of this. All of this.”

Four Pine Trees

Every autumn, Melissa Buescher and her family make a pilgrimage to Red Lodge, Montana. This year she brought her dog, Leo. (I’m not sure what breed Leo is, but he looks like a big, fluffy lion. So, maybe a chow-chow?) Near the end of their trip, they visited Mystic Lake. Melissa and Leo decided to hike to the summit, while the rest of the family stayed near the beach. At some point, Leo ran off. Melissa thought he'd gone back to the beach, but he hadn’t. The family searched for hours, but Leo was simply gone. That was early in October. Melissa returned to her home in Minnesota, wondering if she’d ever see Leo again. Meanwhile, residents of Fishtail, Montana noticed a stray dog. They offered Leo treats, but it was several weeks before Leo let them get close enough to catch him and reunite him with Melissa. I know I’ve shared stories like this before, but I’m a sucker for lost-and-found tales. And for dogs. 

 

Apple Baskets

“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-time takes twelve minutes. This is not a coincidence.” – Erma Bombeck

“Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.” – Johnny Carson

“You can tell you ate too much for Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.” – Jay Leno

“After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” – Oscar Wilde

“When asked if my cup is half full or half empty, my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup.” – Sam Lefkowitz

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

Patchwork Pine

 

Four years ago, I wrote about the world’s most famous Christmas tree; the one that graces Rockefeller Center in New York City. In 2016 the tree was an 80-year-old Norway Spruce from Oneonta, New York. This year’s tree is from West Oneonta – just yards from the chapel that hosted our wedding reception. Its branches were wrapped up tight for the journey and the tree was cut down last week before it made a two-day journey to the Big Apple. Somewhere along the way, a tiny northern saw-whet owl was discovered hiding in the bundled evergreen boughs. The bewildered bird was taken to the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in Saugerties, NY, where he was given fluids and all the mice he can eat. He’ll be released as soon as his vet gives the okay. Meanwhile, his former home is being decorated in preparation for the virtual (no in-person spectators allowed) tree lighting ceremony a week from today.

Four Corner Trees

 

“Why do I read? I can't help myself. I read to learn and grow, to laugh and be motivated. I read to understand things I've never been exposed to. I read when I'm crabby; when I've just said monumentally dumb things to the people I love. I read for strength to help me when I feel broken, discouraged, and afraid. I read when I'm angry at the world. I read to find hope. I read because I'm made up not just of skin and bones, of feelings, and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm also made up of words. Words are alive. When I've found a story I love, I read it again and again, like playing a favorite song over and over. Reading isn't passive; I enter the story with the characters, cry with them, laugh with them. Reading for me, is spending time with a friend. A book is a friend. You can’t have too many.” – Gary Paulsen

Twenty Split Stars

 

“Since my service as President of the Church in 2018, one of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will. The marvelous privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children—available to every one of us. No matter who you are, you can pray to your Heavenly Father for guidance and direction in your life. If you learn to hear the Lord through His promptings, you may receive divine guidance in matters large and small. I am grateful for the awakenings I have received in my life that have helped me to know that the heavens really are open today. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the greatest example of both heeding the will of His Father and giving thanks in all things.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Corner Tree

 

I’ve written in this space about holiday greenery and how dangerous it can be for pets. Poinsettias, holly, mistletoe, amaryllis and even pine trees can be bad news for fur babies. But not all greens are evil. In fact, I’m currently planning an indoor garden for my cat. I’ll start with a wide shallow terracotta bowl that will be hard for her to tip over. I’ll fill it with potting soil, catnip (of course), wheatgrass, rosemary, mint and parsley. (I’ll be sure to choose curly parsley or Italian parsley, as spring parsley is poisonous to cats.) The wheatgrass I can sprout on my own, the rest I can find at a DIY store or where I buy pet food. They can even be found online by searching for “pet greens.” I’ll stick it in a sunny window; one she already seems to prefer. Then I’ll step back and let her discover the garden for herself.

Sixteen Split Stars

 

“I am an omnivorous reader with a strangely retentive memory for trifles.” I read this years ago in The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and knew Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was talking about me. I read all sorts of things, and the oddest, most useless bits get stuck in my head. For instance, did you know oranges were originally green? In some countries, they still are. In the movie The Impossible, Tom Holland shares a green orange with Naomi Watts. In Thailand, where the movie was filmed, oranges are green when ripe. (So why don’t we call them greens?) Also, did you know Antarctica has no one time zone? It has them all. That’s because all the longitude lines meet at the south pole. Stations there use the time zones of the countries that own them. Here’s one more: walnuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews aren’t really nuts: they’re seeds. And peanuts are legumes. True nuts include hazelnuts, chestnuts and acorns.

Four Baskets

 

“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. Sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone 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. For the waitress to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the pickup truck to let us pass. We have so little of each other, now. So far from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. They are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, ‘Have my seat,’ ‘Go ahead—you first,’ ‘I like your hat.’” – Danusha Laméris

Nine Split Stars

 In 1959, when he was nine, Ronald McNair tried to check out some books from a segregated library in South Carolina. The librarian told him to leave and called the police when he wouldn’t. When the officer arrived, he asked, “Why don’t you just give him the books?” She reluctantly complied. Eight years later, Ronald graduated high school as valedictorian. He received a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics – magna cum laude – from North Carolina A&T, and a PhD in physics from MIT. In 1978 Ronald was selected for NASA’s astronaut program. In 1984 he became the second African American to fly in space. Ronald was one of the seven astronauts killed in the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986. Several schools have been named for Ronald McNair. There’s a building at MIT and a crater on the moon that carry his name. And the library that once tried to kick him out is now the Ronald McNair Life History Center.

Two Dozen Girls

 

This pandemic has cancelled so many things I’d looked forward to doing – things I really enjoy – things that gave me a sense of self-worth. It looks like we’ll be getting more of the same well into 2021. If, like me, you’re feeling a little lost, there are things you can do:

You can still give blood, even if residents in your area have been told to stay home. Donating blood is meeting essential needs. To find out how and where, visit  https://www.redcrossblood.org/ .

You can donate to a food bank. Find a donation center near you by checking https://www.feedingamerica.org/ .

You can help someone stuck at home. Older people and those with underlying health issues shouldn’t be out in public right now, so they’ll need someone to run errands for them. You can offer to run to the store or the pharmacy for someone who shouldn’t. I believe that’s how to get through this: by helping each other.

Four Split Stars

 

“The culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a Gentile culture or a Judaic culture. It is not determined by the color of one’s skin or where one lives. We rejoice in distinctive cultures. Our members and new converts often come from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. If we are to follow President Nelson’s admonition to gather scattered Israel, we will find we are as different as the Jews and Gentiles were in Paul’s time. Yet we can be united in our love of and faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans establishes the principle that we follow the culture and doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the model for us even today. The ordinances of the temple unite us in special ways and allow us to be one in every eternally significant way.” - Elder Quentin L. Cook

Community

 

It’s the season of pumpkin spice everything. If you’re in the mood for spiced pumpkin tea bread but you don’t want to work for it, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. It only has two ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry: a boxed spice cake mix and two cups of canned pumpkin. Stir both together until well blended, then spoon the batter into a buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing. If you don’t have spice cake mix, you can always substitute a yellow or white cake mix. Just add a teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of nutmeg, and a quarter teaspoon each of ginger, cloves and allspice (or two teaspoons of “pie spice”). You can also add a cup of chocolate chips before baking. But then, of course, it would be more than two ingredients.

Split Star

 

For my husband, who’ll be five years older than me (again) in less than two weeks!

 

Top Ten Advantages to Getting Older:

 

10. Your clothes have come back in style – twice!

9. You can no longer be cut down in your prime.

8. There’s nothing left to learn the hard way.

7. You have plenty of time to catch up on your reading – in the bathroom.

6. In a hostage situation, you’ll probably be released first.

5. You repeat yourself without knowing it.

4. You’re allowed to take a nap to prepare for bed.

3. You repeat yourself without knowing it.

2. You’ve made lots of good memories, even if you can’t always remember them.

And the number one advantage to getting older: it beats the alternative!

Apple Basket

 

“When I was fifteen, I spent a month working on an archeological dig. I was talking to one of the archeologists and he asked, ‘Do you play sports?’ I said, ‘No, I do theater, I’m in choir, I play violin and piano, I used to take art class. He went, ‘Wow. That’s amazing!’ I told him, ‘I’m not good at any of them.’ And he said something I’ll never forget: ‘I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. You’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.’ That honestly changed my life. I went from a failure, someone who hadn’t been talented enough at anything to excel, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them.  I’d been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, I thought it was only worth doing things if you could win at them.” – Devon Baker

Treasure Island

 

Do you need a few more?

“I never thought the comment ‘I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole’ would become a national policy, but here we are.”

“I hate it when people ask me what I’m doing next month. C’mon, guys! I don’t have 2020 vision.”

“What if 2020 is just the trailer for 2021?”

“Chuck Norris has been exposed to the coronavirus. The coronavirus is now in quarantine for the next two weeks.”

“I still haven’t decided where to go for the holidays. I’m debating between the bedroom and the living room.”

“What’s the best way to avoid touching your face? A taco in each hand.”

“Back in the day, you would cough to cover up a fart. These days you fart to cover up a cough.”

“I’m going to stay up on New Year’s Eve this year. Not to see the new year in, but to make sure this one leaves.”

Twenty King David's Crowns

 

You can either laugh, or you can cry:

“If I’d known in March it would be my last time in a restaurant, I’d have ordered dessert.”

“Having some states lock down and others not is like having a peeing section in the pool.”

“There was a big X near the register to stand on. I’ve seen too many Road Runner cartoons to fall for that.”

“They said a mask and gloves were enough to go to the grocery store. They lied. Everyone else wore clothes.”

“The buttons on my jeans have started social distancing from each other.”

“The dumbest thing I ever purchased was a 2020 planner.”

“Until further notice, the days of the week will be thisday, thatday, otherday, someday, yesterday, today and nextday.”

“No matter how much you eat, your earrings will still fit.”

“I still can’t believe people’s survival instincts told them to grab toilet paper.”

“When does season two of 2020 start? I don’t like season one.”

Our House

 

"Unity doesn’t magically happen; it takes work. It’s messy, sometimes uncomfortable, and happens gradually when we clear away the bad as fast as the good can grow. We are never alone in our efforts to create unity. Jacob 5 says, 'The servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them.' Each of us is going to have deeply wounding experiences, things that should never happen. Each of us will also, at various times, allow pride and loftiness to corrupt the fruit we bear. But Jesus Christ is our Savior in all things. His power reaches to the very bottom and is reliably there for us when we call on Him. We all beg for mercy for our sins and failures. He freely gives it. And He asks us if we can give that same mercy and understanding to each other." - Sharon Eubank

Thirty-six Picket Fences

 

The first Saturday of November is Book Lovers’ Day. In the interest of full disclosure, August 9 is also Book Lovers’ Day. But when I picture myself enjoying a good read, it’s chilly and dark outside and I’m in a cozy armchair, under a warm quilt or next to a cheerful fire. In August, I’ve so many other interesting things to do. At the moment, I’m about a third of the way through The Tower of Nero, the last installment of Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series. When I’m done with that, I’ll start Champion of the Titan Games, Brandon Mull’s fourth Dragonwatch book. I was rereading Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving, but there was something about this book Heather found offensive. She repeatedly snuck into my room, pulled out my bookmark (!) and hid the book where she thought I couldn’t find it. Eventually I hid it from her, and I haven’t seen it since.

Friendship Block

 

I was cleaning out our little garden the other day when it hit me: we had no slugs or snails this year. We planted carrots and radishes, beets and turnips, strawberries, peppers, onions, tomatoes, Swiss chard and Japanese eggplant. And no one munched on our produce but us. Was there a mysterious snail blight? For the most part, our root vegetables did very well this year. We also had a bumper crop of berries. Though our youngest granddaughter fed several to the dogs, we still had plenty for cereal, pie, ice cream and even jam. All summer we nurtured four large potted tomato plants, imagining BLTs in the fall. But their output was disappointing; possibly because every pot fell off the deck at least once. We didn’t get a single pepper, though the pepper plants were lovely. Don’t worry – we didn’t starve. Our neighbors’ gardens prospered, and their veggies periodically showed up on our doorstep.

Thirty-six Turning Leaves

 

In my youth I attended Percy I. Bugbee Normal School, which from 1933 to 1975 operated as a training school for student teachers at SUNY Oneonta. The building is still standing where it’s been since the 1890’s. A few faculty members there left big impressions. We had an art teacher who wouldn’t let his children own toy guns. Our history teacher reminisced about landing on Utah Beach on D-Day. The science teacher made us all want to grow up to be meteorologists. The home economics teacher taught us to loathe everything about her subject. And we had a librarian with a thick Long Island accent who kept us all enthralled at story time. One of the books she read to us was Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We were so excited to hear it would soon become a movie, and so disappointed to find the film – as fantastic as it was – couldn’t hold a candle to our imaginations.