Birthday Cake

 

“While the challenges of mortality will come to all of us in one way or another, let us focus on the goal of our pressing toward the mark, which is the prize of the high calling of God. My humble invitation to all of us is to never give up! We are called to ‘lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.’ It is not so much about what we are going through in life but what we are becoming. There is joy in pressing toward the mark. I testify that He who overcame all will help us as we look up to Him.” – Elder Edward Dube

Split Star Quilt Top

 

I'll turn sixty-two on Monday. I thought this might be a good time to share my favorite Ingrid Bergman quote: "Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!" Here are a few more timely thoughts:

"The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles!" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We are always the same age inside." - Gertrude Stein

"It's not how old you are. It's how you are old." - Jules Renard

"Age is something that doesn't matter... unless you are a cheese!" - Billie Burke

"Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been." - Jimmy Buffet

"Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional!" - Walt Disney

This last one is anonymous, but it might just be the best of all: “Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you!"

Four Allison Stars

 

Strawberry Crumble Bars

 

1 1/2 cups butter, cold and cut in cubes

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/2 cups strawberry jam

 

Grease 9x13” baking pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle in vanilla. Press half the crumb mixture into the bottom of pan, then spread on jam. Top with remaining crumb mixture, scattering them evenly over the jam layer. Bake for 40-50 minutes until light golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or chill and cut into bars.

Traffic Jam

 I had such grand plans. Last summer the neat rows of seeds I’d planted in our little garden fell victim to sudden, heavy rainfall: most of the beets and Swiss chard ended up crowded in a corner. I thought we’d avoid that mess this year with seed tape. After the delicate lines of seeded paper were down and covered with soil, we spread out a drip irrigation hose and turned it on. I hadn’t counted on our scotty dog. She thinks all hoses and sprinklers are for her own personal entertainment. While drip irrigation doesn’t spray like a hose, it does make a hose-like sound. Lassie heard it and dug up the bed looking for the source of the noise. I tried to repair the damage, but I’m sure the carrots will come up among the radishes, and the beets, onions and romaine have been mixed up, too. Maybe instead of five different signs, I should just make one: SALAD.

Allison's Star

 

I love this time of year. Everything is green and growing, blossoming, thriving. Even the weeds. Before you reach for something toxic to get rid of plants you didn’t plant, please consider a safer alternative. My personal favorite is boiling dihydrogen monoxide. That’s right. Water. I wait for a warm (or hot) sunny afternoon, fill my tea kettle and heat it until it whistles. Then I carry it outside and pour it – still boiling hot – right onto the weeds in the cracks of my front steps, sidewalk and driveway. Voila! Precise weed-killing, with no collateral damage. Unless, of course, I’m barefoot. For weeds cropping up in the lawn, I’ve an old-fashioned dandelion puller. You insert it into the soil alongside the root and use it like a lever to pop the weed, root and all, out of the lawn. If you’ve weeds that can’t be defeated with one of these two methods, you should put more thought into mulching.

One Dozen Ten Inch Blocks

 

I accepted the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge in early February, because I love samplers, I liked the colors involved, and I was desperately homesick for the bock-of-the-month classes I’d enjoyed before the pandemic hit. We were promised a new block pattern every Tuesday between February 2 and June 22, except for the last Tuesday each month, when we’ll “pause and admire our work.” Somehow, I feel we’ve missed a week. There were five Tuesdays in March, but I only remember three blocks. The biggest mystery is how these very different blocks will go together to make one quilt. Some have a 5-patch symmetry, others are 4-patch blocks, and some are irregular. Some have two colors, others have three. Beyond their size and shape, there’s almost nothing to tie them together. There are only a handful of blocks left. Usually by this point I have some idea of the finished project. Maybe I’ve just made a dozen orphans.

Forty-two Rail Fence Blocks

 

“I testify that if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. He is the light and the life of the world. Jesus Christ Himself declared, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’ I testify that through the redeeming Atonement and glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, broken hearts can be healed, anguish can become peace, and distress can become hope. He can embrace us in His arms of mercy, comforting, empowering, and healing each of us.” – Reyna I. Aburto

Nine-Patch Star Block

 

Generally, while I’m stitching these blocks, the little TV in my sewing room is playing DVDs of old favorite movies and shows. I’m not so much watching as listening, because my eyes are busy keeping my seam allowance precise. Last week I was “watching” an episode of Downton Abbey, where a kitchen maid and a footman go to the cinema to catch Lillian Gish in “Way Down East.” It suddenly occurred to me that I’d never seen the film they mentioned. I found a copy on YouTube. Some segments were a bit grainy, but you’d expect that from a 101-year-old movie. It’s nearly two and a half hours long; it’s a bit preachy, and not enough of it ended up on the cutting room floor. But the climax – a daring rescue from an icy waterfall – is absolutely riveting. Silent movies require more concentration than talkies: if you glance away, you’re lost. So, this week I’m back to Downton Abbey. 

Three Dozen Rail Fence Blocks

 

Long after working hours on April 19, someone broke into the Canfora Lakeside Bakery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The perpetrator grabbed what cash and equipment he could carry, and fled into the night. Karen and Eric Krieg, the bakery’s owners, reported the burglary to the police, but then they went one step further. They made dozens of sugar cookies, and decorated them with edible copies of the thief’s face. They gave the cookies away, hoping one of the tasty treats would jog someone’s memory. Their ingenuity must have paid off, because customer tips led to the arrest of Dominick Kolp for burglary and for jumping bail. The Kriegs have promised to express their gratitude with more free cookies – this time decorated with Kolp’s mug shot.

Nine-Patch Block

 

It’s lovely that those of us who’ve been fully vaccinated can safely appear in public without masks. I attended an orchestra rehearsal this week where I could hear what the conductor said, I could see my fingers on the keyboard, and I could lick my thumb to turn my pages. But it’s important to remember not everyone can go mask-free just yet. And the mask-less aren’t free to go everywhere they please. Hospitals, nursing homes and public transportation still require face coverings, as do some individual businesses. People with weakened immune systems (like cancer patients, pregnant women, the obese, and the elderly) should still take precautions, as should the people protecting immunocompromised loved ones. If you’re not vaccinated yet, I’d like to add my voice to the others urging you to do so, if not for yourself, then for everyone around you. And if you see someone still wearing a mask, please remember to be kind.

Twenty-five Rail Fence Blocks

 

I fielded a few questions about yesterday’s post, and thought this might be a good spot to share the answers. No, “Watergate Salad” didn’t come from D.C.’s Watergate Hotel the way Waldorf Salad came from New York’s Waldorf Astoria – at least not directly. In the mid-1970’s, Jell-O introduced instant pistachio pudding mix. (There aren’t many foods I actually dislike, but instant pudding is one of them. Homemade pudding is SO much better.) At roughly the same time, they also published the recipe I posted yesterday under the name of “Pineapple Pistachio Delight.” Jell-O certainly wouldn’t have deliberately associated its fluffy dessert with the Watergate scandal, especially while the unsavory events were so fresh in everyone’s minds. But the Watergate Hotel used to serve a pale green pistachio cake which carried its name. Jell-O’s recipe reminded someone of Watergate Cake, and somehow THAT’S the name that stuck.

Strings

 

I’ve been thinking about my grandma a lot lately. I remember her little house in Cottonwood, in the shade of walnut trees. I remember the things she liked to repeat, especially, “This too shall pass.” And I remember the things she cooked. This dessert masquerading as a salad was one of them, though I don’t think she added pistachios, and I’m not sure she ever called it by this name:

 

Watergate Salad

 

1 4-ounce package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple WITH juice

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

1 3/4 cups Cool Whip, thawed

 

Stir together first four ingredients until well blended; gently fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Sixteen Rail Fence Blocks

 

“The Savior’s infinite Atonement completely changes the way we may view our transgressions and imperfections. Instead of dwelling on them and feeling irredeemable or hopeless, we can learn from them and feel hopeful. The cleansing gift of repentance allows us to leave our sins behind and emerge a new creature. Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us. They can refine us. Like a musician rehearsing scales, we can see our missteps, flaws, and sins as opportunities for greater self-awareness, deeper and more honest love for others, and refinement through repentance. If we repent, mistakes do not disqualify us. They are part of our progress. We are all infants compared to the beings of glory and grandeur we are designed to become. If we earnestly keep practicing, always striving to keep God’s commandments, and committing our efforts to repenting, enduring, and applying what we learn, line upon line, we will gather light into our souls.” – Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Glint

 

If I find a coin when I’m out walking the dogs, I call myself lucky and pocket the prize. But once, only once, I found a good deal more than that. Heather and I had parked at the rec center to go swimming. I stepped out of my car and onto a wad of cash lying in the gutter. It was all twenties; enough to be someone’s rent or mortgage payment. I didn’t dare turn it in to the front desk. Instead, I told the attendant I’d found some money, and I gave her my number in case someone came back looking for it. When we got home, my phone was already ringing. It felt so good to return the money to its grateful (and relieved) owner. This past week I read three similar stories in the news, about people who found cash – lots of it – and returned it. I’m just so glad I’m not the only one.

Nine Rail Fence Blocks

 

Susie Lee done fell in love; she planned to marry Joe.

She was so happy ’bout it all she told her Pappy so.

 

Pappy told her, “Susie gal, you’ll have to find another.

I’d just as soon yo’ Ma don’t know, but Joe is yo’ half-brother.”

 

So, Susie put aside her Joe and planned to marry Will.

But after telling Pappy this, he said, “There’s trouble still...

 

You cain’t marry Will, my gal, and please don’t tell your Mother,

But Will and Joe and several mo’ I know is yo’ half brother.”

 

But Mama knew and said, “My child, just do what makes you happy.

Marry Will or marry Joe, you ain’t no kin to Pappy.”

- Author Unknown

Lady of the Lake

 

Snow White’s Scary Adventures in Disneyland closed in January, 2020. If it had stayed open one day more, we’d have enjoyed the 65-year-old dark ride one last time before its major upgrade. The original ride took guests through a Gustaf Tenggren-inspired creepy forest, the seven dwarfs’ house, and their diamond mine. You saw the wicked queen turn into an old hag before her magic mirror, you wandered through her dungeon, and then witnessed her demise. The new ride, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, gives the princess the happy ending she’s been missing 65 years. Not everyone is enchanted, though. There are people saying the kiss that breaks her spell is non-consensual; a poor example for children. It’s true this isn’t how the Brothers Grimm ended the tale. But I wouldn’t call their ending family-friendly. If you disapprove, I’ve the perfect solution for you: don’t ride this ride. There will be more room for those of us who love it.

Four Rail Fence Blocks

 

Pierre Boulez was one of the most influential musicians of his time. He died five years ago, but his impression on music - serious or not - will be felt for generations. His most famous work is his second piano concerto; a piece I’m smart enough to avoid. When played correctly, much of it sounds like two cats at battle on a keyboard. Boulez was at a party once, years ago, where he mistakenly called Paul and Peggy Simon “Al and Betty.” Did he hear their names wrong? Was he teasing them?  Paul Simon turned the anecdote into “You Can Call Me Al,” the lead single in his 1986 Graceland album, and one of his biggest hits. In all honesty, this is the only part of these lyrics that make sense to me. I can’t tell you what “roly-poly little bat-faced girl” means. But I noticed at the end of Disney’s Aladdin (1992) when Jasmine says, “I choose you, Aladdin,” he replies, “Call me Al.”

Milky Way

 

When our sons were very small, we lived in Idaho Falls. Another young mother with kids the same ages as mine lived a block away. We were visiting teaching companions, assigned to minister to elderly widows in our neighborhood. Some welcomed our visits, and others pretended not to be home (though the cookies or jam we left promptly disappeared). One of our ladies was dying – either from cancer or from cancer treatments. We’d sit with her and ask what she felt like eating. She’d ponder a while before telling us. We’d go home, make what she’d asked for, and bring it back. Often, whatever she felt like eating turned out to be the one thing she could hold down. I came to understand if you listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs. May 11 is National Eat What You Want Day; an excellent time to consider what your body has been trying to tell you.

Two-inch Rail Fence Block

 

“We see too much conflict, anger, and general incivility around us. Fortunately, the current generation has not had a Third World War to fight, nor have we experienced a global economic crash like the one in 1929 leading to a Great Depression. We are, however, facing a war that is not a fight to crush our enemies but a conscription marshaling the children of God to care more about each other and to help heal the wounds we find in a conflicted world. The Great Depression we now face has less to do with the external loss of our savings and more to do with the internal loss of our self-confidence, with real deficits of faith and hope and charity all around us. But the instruments we need to create a brighter day and grow an economy of genuine goodness in society are abundantly provided for in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” –  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Ann and Andy

 

A few weeks ago, a dear friend expecting her first child asked if buying a stroller is really necessary. “I can certainly carry the baby,” she said. “And I’m not really a ‘stuff’ person.” I didn’t answer. It sounded like she’d made up her mind already. She’s wrong, but she has plenty of time to learn that on her own. No one is a ‘stuff’ person to begin with. We get by with a cell phone, a credit card and our keys. But when a baby comes along, suddenly you need diapers. And wipes. And a pacifier, or two, incase you lose the first one. A spare change of clothes for when the baby poops through absolutely everything. Ziploc bags for the poopy clothes. Teething ring, bottle, snacks, toy, blanket; before you know it, you’re a ‘stuff’ person. As for the stroller, sure, she can carry a newborn. But sooner or later, she’ll want the use of her arms.

Nine String Blocks

 

Warrick Dunn’s mom served in the Baton Rouge Louisiana Police Department. Two days after his eighteenth birthday, she was ambushed and killed by three armed men. Warrick, a high school senior, suddenly became the head of his family. He raised his two younger sisters and three younger brothers while he attended college, graduated with a bachelor's degree in information studies, and joined the NFL. He played professional football for twelve years, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. Warrick created Homes for the Holidays, a program in partnership with Habitat for Humanity that helps single-parent families achieve first-time home ownership. Warrick believes that with a stable, positive home environment, children are more likely to thrive educationally, socially and economically. One of the hundreds of homes Warrick has helped to build went to the family of Deshaun Watson, who later grew up to play football for the Houston Texans.

Simplicity

 Alice Cooper – born Vincent Damon Furnier in 1948 – doesn’t like to mix politics with rock & roll. "I don’t look at Bono, Sting and Bruce Springsteen as political. I see them as being humanitarian. I’ll contribute to anything humanitarian; helping people who can’t help themselves.” Am I the only one who finds it disturbing that the godfather of shock rock is seventy-three this year? Maybe it’s because it puts my own age a little too close to seventy-three for comfort. He went on to say, “When musicians are telling people who to vote for, I think that’s an abuse of power. You’re telling your fans not to think for themselves, just to think like you. Rock & roll is about freedom, and that’s not freedom. I want my shows to take you as far away as possible from politics. It’s supposed to be an escape from the world we’re living in.”

Four String Blocks

 

I have several excellent lemonade recipes, but they all make enough for a crowd. Sometimes you just want a single glass of lemonade that won’t leave you with a mostly-full pitcher in the fridge. It’s a little work, but SO worth it:

 

Lemonade for One

 

2 tablespoons sugar (If you use a substitute, don’t tell anyone you got the recipe from me.)

1/4 cup hot water

3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice (About 1 1/2 lemons)

3/4 cup ice cold water

Crushed ice

Thin lemon slices (These are optional, but you can use up the last half lemon.)

 

In a 1-pint measuring pitcher, stir together sugar and hot water until it dissolves. Stir in lemon juice and cold water. Fill a large glass with ice and lemon slices. Add lemonade and enjoy!

Rey

 

Here are a few of my favorite Star Wars quotes, to observe “May the Fourth Be with You.”

“The ability to speak does not make you intelligent.” – Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

“Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

“Who’s the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him? – Obi-Wan Kenobi, A New Hope

“We’ll always be with you. No one’s ever really gone. A thousand generations live in you now.” – Luke Skywalker, The Rise of Skywalker

“Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

“Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn, The Phantom Menace

“Sometimes we must let go of our pride and do what is requested of us.” – Anakin Skywalker, Attack of The Clones

“Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our viewpoint.” — Obi-Wan Kenobi, Return of The Jedi

String Block

 

“Between 2016 and 2017, people in the Kasai region faced a terrible tragedy. It was a dark period because of a conflict between a traditional group of warriors and government forces. Many fled their homes for safety and hid in the bush. Brother Honoré Mulumba of the Nganza Ward in Kananga and his family remained hidden in their house, not knowing where to go because all the streets were transformed into firing ranges. A group of militiamen came to their home, pulled them out and told them to adhere to their practices or be killed. Brother Mulumba courageously told them, ‘My family and I have accepted Jesus Christ and have faith in Him.’ They told them, ‘Your bodies will be eaten by the dogs,’ and they promised to come back. But they never did, and the family never saw them again. Christ is the light we should hold up during the dark times of our mortal life.” – Elder Thierry K. Mutombo

Olaf

 

In fairy tales, the princes seldom have names, or even personalities. They’re more ideas than actual people; like the grand prize for having survived a poisoned apple or a wicked stepmother. I’ve read that Snow White’s prince was either Florian or Ferdinand. But you won’t hear either of those names in Disney’s first feature-length film. He shows up at the beginning of the movie and disappears until the end. He has a song, but almost no lines. Cinderella’s prince is only called charming. But the prince in Sleeping Beauty is different. He’s handsome and tall, honest and courageous. He’s faithful, devoted, and has a great sense of humor. When Walt and his team created a match for Princess Aurora, they looked to a real-life prince for inspiration. This is why the kiss that breaks her spell comes from a man who looks like a young Duke of Edinburgh. And why he bears the name Prince Philip.