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.

Wonky Split Nine-Patch

 

While vacationing in Long Island in 1906, a wealthy banker’s family contracted typhoid. Concerned for the reputation of his summer home, their landlord hired a sanitary engineer to pinpoint the source of the infection. His conclusion? Their cook, Mary Mallon, had prepared fresh peach ice cream. If she'd baked peach pie or even washed her hands, things would have ended differently. “Typhoid Mary” was responsible for more than 51 cases and at least 3 deaths – probably many more, because she used several aliases. Mary had contracted the disease and spread it without ever having symptoms. Initially, the New York Health Department confined her on North Brother Island. William Randolph Hearst (who loved any controversy that would sell his newspapers) paid for her legal defense, and she was released after promising she would never work as a cook again. Mary was unable (or unwilling) to keep her promise, and was returned to the island for the rest of her life.

Sixteen Crowns

 

“If I had my child to raise over again, I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less. I'd do less correcting, and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I would care to know less, and know to care more. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging, and less tugging. I would be firm less often, and affirm much more. I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love. It matters not whether my child is big or small. From this day forth, I'll cherish it all.” – Diane Loomans

Winged Square

 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hardly a Western society or an American cultural phenomenon. It is an international church, as it was always meant to be. More than that, it is supernal. New members from around the world bring richness, diversity, and excitement into our ever-growing family. Latter-day Saints everywhere still celebrate and honor their own heritage and heroes, but now they are also part of something far grander. The culture of Christ helps us to see ourselves as we really are, and when seen through the lens of eternity, tempered with righteousness, it serves to increase our ability to fulfill the great plan of happiness.” – Elder William K. Jackson