Four-Patch Chain Block

"'Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.’ (Doctrine & Covenants 42:22) To my knowledge there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. Think what that means! This kind of love can be shown for your wives in so many ways. First and foremost, nothing except God Himself takes priority over your wife in your life–not work, not recreation, not hobbies. Your wife is your precious, eternal helpmate–your companion. What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions." – President Ezra Taft Benson

One More Scotty Dog

The 30-foot Smokey Mountain waterfall at the North Carolina Aquarium was never meant to serve as a wishing well. But there’s just something about water – any water – that makes us want to toss coins in. The aquarium has been closed this year since early spring. To save money on electricity, they shut off the power to the waterfall. The stilled water revealed fifteen years of accumulated coins in all denominations. Aquarium staff collected twenty 5-gallon buckets full of change, which they cleaned, dried and cashed in for more than two thousand dollars. The money will go toward general care at the aquarium. Because even when there aren’t any guests, the tanks still need cleaning. And all those fish still have to eat. A couple thousand won’t solve the aquarium’s financial issues, but it will certainly help. And getting all those soggy pennies back into circulation won’t hurt the coin shortage, either.

Floating Star

O Star (the fairest one in sight),

We grant your loftiness the right

To some obscurity of cloud—

It will not do to say of night,

Since dark is what brings out your light.

Some mystery becomes the proud.

But to be wholly taciturn

In your reserve is not allowed.

Say something to us we can learn

By heart and when alone repeat.

Say something! And it says, ‘I burn.’

But say with what degree of heat.

Talk Fahrenheit, talk Centigrade.

Use language we can comprehend.

Tell us what elements you blend.

It gives us strangely little aid,

But does tell something in the end.

And steadfast as Keats’ Eremite,

Not even stooping from its sphere,

It asks a little of us here.

It asks of us a certain height,

So when at times the mob is swayed

To carry praise or blame too far,

We may choose something like a star

To stay our minds on and be staid.

-          Robert Frost

Checkerboard Doll Quilt

Winslow was a cat with a problem. The rescue tabby in South Philadelphia was seriously overweight. On the advice of her vet, Winslow’s human Kate started feeding him only prescribed amounts, twice a day. Winslow, as you might imagine, found his new diet horribly restrictive. He would wander through the house loudly proclaiming his frustration. Kate realized if she only fed him in the morning and the evening, she would never hear the end of it. She also noticed her cat was interested in a toy piano. So, she worked out a deal with Winslow. Kate now splits the day’s rations into smaller portions. When Winslow wants a snack, all he has to do is play a few notes. You can hear his “tunes” on YouTube and Spotify, but Winslow doesn’t care about that. He’s just happy to have a bit more control over his mealtimes. And the really good news? He’s gradually losing weight.

Sixty-four Arkansas Crossroads

By this time of the year, I’m usually hard at work getting my state fair challenge quilt finished before the deadline. Not this year. The quilt has binding and a label, but the competition is just another casualty of COVID-19. By now I’d have submitted at least two quilt tops for the hospital quilters, and they’d probably need a third. But the senior center where they sew has been closed since early March. I’d normally be looking forward to playing in an orchestra for a musical at the local Catholic school, to attending the Greek festival, to going on an autumn vacation, or preparing for a holiday recital. But I’m not. I know I should be making good use of all this extra time, but so many of the things I really enjoy doing have disappeared. I’m feeling restless, and I keep remembering a Thoreau quote: “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.”

Monterrey Star

I’m still using fabric from my own stash – mostly. I’ve actually been inside a quilt shop a few times since March. The first time, there were so many customers and so few masks. I panicked and skedaddled. Another time I meant to buy some yardage, saw the line at the cutting table, and purchased a spool of thread instead. I’ve had these pretty colors nearly a year. They were a gift from a friend who’s decided she hasn’t time (or maybe patience) for piecing. I wanted to use them in a medallion quilt – something like the one in the movie “The BFG.” It took a while, but I finally settled on a pattern called “Monterrey Medallion” by Atkinson Designs. I thought it was an odd spelling for the lovely place on the rocky California coast. But Monterrey – with two R’s – is a mountain city in Mexico. If I need more background fabric to finish this, I’ll buy it online.

Forty-nine Arkansas Crossroads

“The Book of Mormon describes the power and resurrection of Christ in terms of two restorations. First, resurrection includes physical restoration of our proper and perfect frame; even a hair of the head shall not be lost. This promise gives hope to those who have lost limbs; those who have lost ability to see, hear, or walk; or those thought lost to relentless disease, mental illness, or other diminished capacity. He finds us. He makes us whole. A second promise is that, spiritually, all things shall be restored to their proper order. This spiritual restoration reflects our works and desires. Because He knows ours pains, afflictions, sicknesses, our temptations of every kind, He can, with mercy, succor us according to our infirmities. Because God is just God, the plan of mercy can appease the demands of justice. We repent and do all we can. He encircles us eternally in the arms of his love.” – Elder Gerrit W. Gong

King's Crown

I’m what you might call a logophile – a lover of words. I’m especially obsessed with the weird ones no one ever uses, like that lovely aroma that comes when it rains for the first time in a long while. Petrichor comes from two Greek words: petra, meaning “rock,” and ichor “blood of the gods.” Blood from a stone! When your stomach makes noise, it’s called a “wamble.” If you’re feeling queasy or hungover, you’re a bit “hagrid.” You should only put a pea-sized dollop of toothpaste on your toothbrush, not the big slurpy caterpillar across all the bristles like in toothpaste commercials. That little dollop is called a “nurdle.” If you’re tying your shoes and the little plastic end comes off the lace, you could say, “Oh, no! I’ve lost my aglet!” Even the little spot above and between your eyebrows has a name. It’s called a “glabella.” It comes from the Latin word “glabellus,” meaning “smooth.”

Three Dozen Arkansas Crossroads

“Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” - Pocahontas

“Things will look better in the morning.” – The Jungle Book

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” - Mulan

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.” – Mary Poppins

“The things that make me different are the things that make me ME.” – Winnie the Pooh

“The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” – The Lion King

“Always let your conscience be your guide.” - Pinocchio

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” - Bambi

“Fairy tales can come true. You gotta make them happen. It all depends on you.” – Princess and the Frog

“Your identity is your most valuable possession. Protect it.” – The Incredibles

Four Cats

BJ Ross of Altoona, Pennsylvania owns a tuxedo cat with an unusual hobby. Her cat, Jordan, likes to collect shoes. Jordan isn’t content with stealing BJ’s sandals. No, this kleptomaniac kitty roams the neighborhood every night, filching everyone’s footwear. It didn’t take Jordan long to amass a prodigious pile of shoes he’s nabbed from the neighbors. “Last year,” BJ said, “He brought me mice, snakes, and birds. Sometimes it would be garbage, like a chip bag or a rubber glove. Then the shoes started showing up.” At first, she threw them away. Then she realized people must be missing their shoes. So, BJ created a Facebook group to help people reconnect with their lost loafers. BJ posts photos of Jordan’s nightly finds, so they can get back to the right feet. BJ hasn’t been able to curb Jordan’s pilfering, but she has discovered an interesting way to get to know her neighbors.

25 Arkansas Crossroads

"Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed; we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination." – Robert Fulghum

Love at Home

One of my favorite words – it’s sad I don’t get to use it all that often – is mondegreen. A mondegreen is a misunderstood word or phrase, usually from a poem or a song. Sylvia Wright is the word’s creator. Her mother was reading “The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray” and Sylvia misheard “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen.” One of the best-known mondegreens is Justin Timberlake’s, “It’s Gonna Be Me,” which sounds more like, “It’s Gonna Be May.” When Elton John sings, “Tiny Dancer,” it sounds like he’s really asking Tony Danza to hold him closer. Every time I listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” I hear “Don’t go ‘round tonight. It’s bound to take your life. There’s a bathroom on the right.” But my favorite mondegreen is probably more intentional than any of these: “Peace and plenty here abide smiling sweet on every side. Time doth softly, sweetly glide when there's no one home.”

Sixteen Arkansas Crossroads

“Our Father knows that when we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear, what will help us the very most is to hear His Son. Because when we seek to hear – truly hear – His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance. The very first word in the Doctrine and Covenants is hearken. It means to listen with the intent to obey. To hearken means to hear Him – to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. In those two words – Hear Him – God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us! As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.” - President Russell M. Nelson

Musical Scotty

Twenty-eight years ago, Janet Fenner and Gregory Dabice stood together at the 50-yard line in Montclair State University's football stadium to be crowned homecoming king and queen. They knew each other, but they weren’t dating. Janet was a straight-A student, and Gregory was there to party. “She was too good for me, and I knew it,” he says. After college, Janet and Gregory went their separate ways. They got married (to other people), built careers, and started families. They were both divorced in 2016. Then last year they rediscovered each other on a dating app. August 1, after a year of dating, Janet and Gregory were back at Montclair’s 50-yard line. This time they were tying the knot with their seven children (Janet’s two and Gregory’s five) looking on. “When you're almost 50 and you come across each other, you know,” Gregory says. “This is what I've been waiting for my whole life.”

Nine Arkansas Crossroads

“I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his diploma, which had his full name. Suddenly I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class years ago. Could he be the same guy I had a secret crush on, way back then? Seeing him, however, I quickly discarded the thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked if he had attended Morgan Park High. ‘Yes, I did.’ he gleamed with pride. ‘When did you graduate?’ I asked. He answered, ‘1967. Why do you ask?’ ‘You were in my class!’ I exclaimed. He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, fat, gray-haired man asked, ‘What did you teach?’” – Alice Smith

Ring Around

Summertime is when salads really shine, and this is one of my favorites. It has a bit more sugar and fat than most salads, but I don’t care.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

10 cups torn spinach leaves

3 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/3 cup feta, crumbled

Combine oil, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl; whisk until well blended. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine spinach, berries, and bacon. Add dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle nuts and cheese on top and serve immediately.

Four Arkansas Crossroads

I was reading the news and happened across a story about “hate speech” inadvertently allowed to be published among the senior quotes in Highland High School’s 2020 yearbook. The school issued an apology, but people were calling for this kid’s head. My first thought was, “How sad someone so young should make an intolerant remark on a whim and it’s now part of his published legacy.” But honestly, given what happened to their senior year, can’t we be a bit forgiving? Then I read the actual quote, and almost laughed out loud: “There are two genders, and a lot of mental illnesses.” Which of these two statements isn’t true? Wouldn’t this student have learned both truths in biology class at that same school? (There are more than two genders in English class, but that’s beside the point.) Since when is telling the truth “hate speech?” I’m beginning to think the real intolerance is on the other side of the equation.

Grey Butterfly

Perseus was the greatest of Greek heroes; a demigod son of Zeus. He beheaded the gorgon, Medusa, and rescued Andromeda from a sea serpent. Perseus married Andromeda, and their union produced seven powerful sons who were called the Perseidai. Like every self-respecting Greek hero, Perseus is commemorated with a constellation. You can find him in the night sky between Aries and Taurus to the south and Cassiopeia to the north. Perseus is prominent (from the northern hemisphere, at least) in the early spring, but the meteor shower named for his sons occurs in late summer. The Perseids have been going on for some time – I’ve actually glimpsed a few shooting stars already. But the peak of activity is just beginning now, with as many as sixty meteors visible per hour. The bad news? You’re much more likely to catch the Perseids in action by waking up in the pre-dawn darkness than you are by staying up late.

Arkansas Crossroads

“The spirit of Elijah is changing the hearts of young and old, children and parents, grandchildren and grandparents. Temples will soon again be happily scheduling baptismal opportunities and other sacred ordinances. The desire to serve our ancestors and the bonding of parents and children are growing. The Lord saw it all coming. He planned for it, step by step, as He has done with other changes in His Church. He has raised up and prepared faithful people who choose to do hard things well. He has always been lovingly patient in helping us learn ‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.’ He is firm in the timing and the sequence of His intentions, yet He ensures that sacrifice often brings continuing blessings that we did not foresee.” – President Henry B. Eyring

Two Dozen Jars

Like lots of other people this year, I’ve been spending a bit more time in my garden than I usually do. I’m not sure the harvest will reflect the extra effort, but it does get me out of the house. I’m rather proud of my Japanese eggplants, which are nearly ready to pick. There was a steady stream of strawberries and cherry tomatoes last month, but I think the heat these past few weeks have slowed it down to a trickle. My radishes also had a good run, but we’ve eaten the last of them. There was one gorgeous beefsteak tomato that we turned into BLTs two weeks ago. I do hope that’s not all we get. The carrots are ready to harvest, but the turnips and beets are not. I don’t see a single sweet pepper, though the pepper plants look healthy enough. Onions are this year’s big mystery. I know I planted several. Where have they all gone?

Puss in the Corner

In mid-July, someone brought a stray calico into the Tooele City Animal Shelter. They’d been feeding the cat at least a decade, but they were moving and afraid the kitty might starve. The shelter scanned for a microchip and discovered the cat’s name was Mocha. She’d been missing since 2007. Mocha’s owner was in high school when her cat disappeared. She’d searched for a long time, but eventually came to the conclusion her pet was no longer living. She’s overjoyed that she and Mocha get to spend what’s left of Mocha’s life together. It’s not unusual for an indoor cat to live 17+ years, while outdoor cats seldom see more than five. A happy ending, to be sure. But how sad this person fed a stray for so long without reporting it. Mocha might have known safety and love her WHOLE life, instead of just the last few years. This is exactly why harboring a stray is a crime.

Fifteen Canning Jars

The deadliest animal in the world isn’t the lion, the rhino or even the shark; it’s the lowly mosquito. Because they can carry and transmit diseases like Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria, mosquito bites are responsible for more than a million human deaths worldwide every year. But not all mosquitoes bite. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar; only females need blood to produce eggs. Last month researchers at Virginia Tech announced an interesting discovery: by changing a single gene, they can convert biting female mosquitoes into non-biting males. Even more exciting, the change persists through several generations. Every summer I fall victim to these flying nasties. I haven’t contracted West Nile or malaria, but I’ve lost several nights’ sleep to scratching. I’ve imagined hundreds of creative ways to eradicate mosquitoes. But gene therapy and gender conversion never once entered my mind.

Broken Dishes

We’re celebrating a family birthday this weekend with a backyard barbecue. We’ll make BBQ ribs on John’s new grill, add a couple of summer salads like this one, and sing Happy Birthday over a big cheesecake. There’s another birthday the following week, when we’ll have hotdogs and bratwurst and a dip in the pool. For both events we’ll set folding tables in the shade, at least six feet apart. I’m not sure what we’ll do for those whose birthdays fall in the colder months. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Carrot-Raisin Salad

8 large carrots, shredded (If you use baby-cut, you’ll need to double it.)

20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup raisins (Golden raisins are fun, if you have them.)

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

A pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill at least one hour.

A Dozen Jars

I’m by no means an authority, but when I mentioned poke bowls in a post a couple of weeks ago, a few of my friends asked about it. So here goes: The word poke (when it doesn’t mean to jab or prod someone) is Hawaiian. It’s pronounced “po-KAY,” and it rhymes with the word okay. It means chunk, or to cut into chunks. As I understand it, the word used to refer to any meat or seafood coarsely chopped and marinated. These days it’s more often applied to seafood, especially very fresh sushi-grade bigeye or yellow fin tuna, served with soy sauce, sesame oil, red onion, and scallions; over hot rice or fresh greens. Before the pandemic turned everything upside-down, poke shacks were popping up all over (even in my little corner of the world) driven by an appetite for fresh ingredients and exciting flavors. It will be interesting to see how many are still here when the dust settles.

American School House

“As parents, we introduce our children to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We help our children say their first prayer. We offer guidance and support as they enter the covenant path through baptism. We teach them to obey God’s commandments. We educate them about His plan for His children, and we help them recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. We tell them stories of ancient prophets and encourage them to follow living ones. We pray for their triumphs and ache with them during their trials. We testify to our children of temple blessings, and we strive to prepare them well to serve full-time missions. We offer loving counsel as our children become parents themselves. But even then we never stop being their parents. We never stop being their teachers. We are never released from these eternal callings.” – Devin G. Durrant

Four Canning Jars

Welcome to August: the only month of the whole year without a single major holiday. August does have lots of minor holidays, though. Today is International Hangover Day, quite possibly because yesterday was International Beer Day. It’s also National Girlfriends Day, Campfire Day, Mahjong Day, National Mountain Climbing Day, National Mustard Day, and National Raspberry Cream Pie Day. I suppose you COULD try to celebrate all those events at the same time, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Tomorrow is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, International Forgiveness Day, Friendship Day, and Sisters Day. August is Family Fun Month, National Golf Month, and National Picnic Month. This is clearly a good time to get out and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. That’s something I heartily recommend. Because the carefree days of summer will be gone before you know it.