Barn Cat

 

“President Gordon B. Hinckley taught the lives of our people must be the symbol of our faith. These considerations bring me to what may be the most important of all scriptural references to the cross. It has nothing to do with pendants or jewelry, with steeples or signposts. It has to do with the rock-ribbed integrity and stiff moral backbone Christians should bring to the call Jesus has given His disciples. In every land and age, He has said to us all, ‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’ This speaks of the crosses we bear rather than the ones we wear. To be a follower of Jesus Christ, one must sometimes carry a burden and go where sacrifice is required and suffering is inevitable. A true Christian cannot follow the Master only in those matters with which he or she agrees. No. We follow Him everywhere.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Air Castle

 

“What do you do if your child wants to quit a sport? Imagine your child comes back from practice and saying, ‘I hate karate! It’s too hard! I don’t want to do this anymore!’ Tell them: ‘Okay, you can quit. But not today.’ Then explain, ‘We all have bad days when we want to quit. When something feels hard, our brains and bodies resist because they want us to be comfortable. If we quit on a bad day, we’ll never become great at anything. We might regret it later. Here’s the deal: you CAN quit on a good day. If you have a successful day and you still want to quit, let’s talk.’ This approach normalizes struggle (building resilience) and honors your child’s choice if they want to try something different. We all have days when it’s just too hard. To build resilience, adopt this mantra: ‘Never quit on a bad day.’” – Nastia Liukin, Olympic Gold Medalist

Autumn Pumpkin

 

“Several years ago, a football shattered my basement window. I boarded it up, thinking I'd get to it someday. The plan was to upgrade to energy-efficient windows for the whole house, but the price was out of reach. The broken window ate at me for years. I had to address it, but I was paralyzed. Then my wife changed jobs and we had to move. I couldn’t sell a house with a broken window. I thought, "What the heck. I have to pay for it anyway." I sprayed the rusted frame with WD-40 and gave it a tug. To my astonishment, it moved. I pulled the window out and took it downtown. It was $12. I could have fixed it the day it happened. But I let it haunt me for years, shutting out light and letting in bugs. It didn't need to be the most efficient. It just needed to be a window. Doing a thing is often less painful than thinking about it.” – Nathan Howe

Wedding Cake

 

Macarons are my favorite cookies, but they’re hard to make well, and they require ingredients you won’t find in my kitchen. Gingerbread men and Christmas sugar cookies are usually easier than macarons, but they’re still work. I got pretty good at molded shortbread cookies when we lived in England, but my recipe doesn’t work well at high altitudes. Chocolate chip cookies are probably the easiest ones I make, unless they’re these:

 

Three Ingredient Cookies

 

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla (It’s optional, but yummy.)

Rainbow sprinkles (Okay, that’s five ingredients. But you can skip the sprinkles if you like.)

 

Cream together butter and 2/3 cup sugar (and vanilla); add flour and mix until well combined. Shape into walnut-sized balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet. Top with sprinkles (if using) and flatten with bottom of a glass. Bake at 325F for 15 minutes.

Leaf on Point

 

Camillus Sydney Fly – nicknamed Buck – was born in Missouri in 1849, but his family moved to California when he was a baby. Buck was a farmer in Napa Valley when he met and married Mollie McKie. Buck and Mollie were both skilled photographers when photography meant a lot more than point and shoot. They moved to the booming silver town of Tombstone, New Mexico Territory, where they set up a photography studio/boarding house on Fremont Street. Buck was one of the few photographers at the time who traveled with his equipment, capturing cowboys, miners and indigenous people. While he was away, Mollie ran the boarding house and studio, taking portraits at 35 cents a shot. Buck witnessed the shooting in front of his studio October 26, 1881 involving the Earps, the Clantons, and Doc Holliday. That’s right. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was actually The Gunfight at Fly’s Photography Studio. 

Rocky Mountain Chain

 

My favorite recipes are always the simplest. I’d rather enjoy whipping up a batch of made-from-scratch mac and cheese or oatmeal raisin cookies than slave over a dicey baked Alaska or beef Wellington. I have two dozen cookbooks in my kitchen, but the ones I love the most and use most often are the six that were written for children. They spell everything out, and best of all, they have pictures. My recipe for stuffed mini peppers didn’t come from a kid’s cookbook, but it would be right at home there. It has three ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds miniature sweet peppers, 12 ounces garlic/herb goat cheese, and a tablespoon of honey. You halve the peppers lengthwise, seed them and lay them cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon cheese into each one, then drizzle with honey. Bake at 400F 10 minutes, then serve. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Raven Chase

 

“We have been married for sixty years. It is because of that experience I understand the meaning of these scriptural words: faith, hope, meekness, enduring, seeking not our own, rejoicing in the truth, not thinking evil, and above all, charity. On the basis of that experience, I can bear testimony that apparently ordinary human beings can take all of those wonderful ideals into their daily lives as they rise through the buffetings of life. Millions of you listening know such people. Many of you are such people. All of us need such encouraging examples and loving friends. When you sit with someone as their ministering sister or brother, you represent the Lord. Think of what He would do or say. He would invite them to come unto Him. He would encourage them. He would notice and praise the beginning of the changes they will need to make. And He would be the perfect example for them to emulate.” – President Henry B. Eyring

Crazy Anne

 

You won’t find Martin Van Buren on Mount Rushmore. History doesn’t remember him as a great or even a good president. He was our eighth president, elected chiefly because he was friends with Andrew Jackson, his predecessor. He was the first president to be born a citizen of the U.S.: the previous seven were born subjects of the crown. He was the only president – so far – for whom English was a second language. In his home town of Kinderhook, N.Y. in the 1700’s, most people spoke Dutch. Martin continued Jackson’s harsh anti-Indian policies. He called slavery a great evil, but he did profit from it. During his presidency, the Sultan of Oman gave President Van Buren two tiger cubs. Martin wanted to keep them in the white house, but congress said no. They were eventually donated to a local zoo. My favorite Martin Van Buren quote: “It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't.”

Starry Nights

 

Mr. Nobody

 

I know a funny little man as quiet as a mouse,

Who does the mischief that is done in everybody’s house!

There’s no one ever sees his face, and yet we all agree

That every plate we break was cracked by Mr. Nobody.

 

’Tis he who always tears out books, who leaves the door ajar,

He pulls the buttons from our shirts and scatters pins afar;

That squeaking door will always squeak, for prithee, don’t you see,

We leave the oiling to be done by Mr. Nobody.

 

He puts damp wood upon the fire that kettles cannot boil;

His are the feet that bring in mud, and all the carpets soil.

The papers always are mislaid; who had them last, but he?

There’s no one tosses them about but Mr. Nobody.

 

The finger marks upon the door by none of us are made;

We never leave the blinds unclosed, to let the curtains fade.

The ink we never spill; the boots that lying round you see

Are not our boots. They all belong to Mr. Nobody. – by Anonymous

Forty-nine Jewel Boxes

 

Apple Cider Snickerdoodles

 

1 cup apple cider (We used apple juice. Cider is becoming rare as hen’s teeth.)

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon cream of tarter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tbsp sugar

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon all spice

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Bring cider to boil over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 1/2 an hour. Cool. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and cider reduction. Whisk together salt, flour, cream of tartar and soda. Gradually beat into butter mixture. In a small bowl, stir together last 4 ingredients. Shape dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll in sugar mixture and place on baking sheets. Bake about 10 minutes, until golden. Serve warm, with milk or more cider.

Maple Leaf

 

Ida May Fuller was born in Ludlow, Vermont in 1874, a descendant of passengers on the Mayflower. After graduating from Black River Academy (Calvin Coolidge was one of her classmates) she worked as a school teacher. Ida May learned shorthand and bookkeeping (the only word I know with three consecutive double letters) in Boston; then she became a legal secretary for Sargent, Stickney and Chase. When Sargent became Vermont’s attorney general, she helped him carry out the duties of his office. Ida May was active in her local Baptist church, where she served as auditor and treasurer. She never married or had any children. Social Security came into effect three years before she retired. During that time, she paid a total of $24.75 in Social Security tax. January 31, 1940, Ida May became the first American to receive Social Security: check number 00-000-001 for $22.54. She died at age 100, having collected a total of $22,888.92 in benefits. 

Four Dozen Jewel Boxes

 

Best Ever Tuna Melts

 

1/3 cup mayo

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 ounces canned tuna, drained (We like white albacore in water.)

1 ribs celery, minced

2 dill pickles, minced

1/4 cup red onion, minced

2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Pepper to taste

8 slices dense, sturdy bread

2 tablespoons butter

1 tomato, sliced (Optional)

8 slices cheddar

 

Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, stir together mayo, lemon and pepper flakes. Flake tuna with fork and add to mayo mixture. Add celery, pickles, red onion, parsley, and pepper; toss to combine. Butter one side of each slice of bread; lay half on baking sheet, buttered side down. Top each slice with about half a cup of tuna salad, tomato slices, and cheese. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, buttered side up. Bake, turning once, until cheese is gooey: about 6 to 8 minutes.

Thunder and Lightning

 

“I love you. I assure you that our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, love you. They are intimately aware of your circumstances, your goodness, your needs, and your prayers for help. Again and again, I pray for you to feel Their love for you. Experiencing Their love is vital, as it seems that we are accosted daily by an onslaught of sobering news. You may have had days when you wished you could don your pajamas, curl up in a ball, and ask someone to awaken you when the turmoil is over. But, my dear brothers and sisters, so many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns with power and great glory, He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Forty-two Jewel Boxes

 

I worked hard in grade school to learn to spell the name of our twentieth state: a skill I’ve generally avoided using, until today.

 

Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

 

3 pounds chuck roast

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pepper to taste

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet onion soup mix

1 stick (half a cup) butter

8 pepperoncini peppers, sliced

 

Sear the beef in oil on all sides in heavy skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients; cover and cook on low eight hours. Remove and shred meat with two forks. Return to slow cooker, cover and continue cooking about half an hour. Serve over mashed potatoes with extra pepperoncini peppers.

Curious Crow

 

I Did Not Tell Death Where I Lived

 

I did not tell Death where I lived –

But he has found me all the same.

I hear him knocking on my door

And calling out my name.

 

My Snapchat settings kept him out.

On Twitter I did block him.

Facebook friend requests were spurned –

Yet still he keeps on knocking.

 

Court injunctions were sought and filed

But still, I sit in fear.

Oh, my mistake. It is not Death –

I think my pizza’s here. 

- Brian Bilston

Three Dozen Jewel Boxes

 

Easy Butter Pecan Ice Cream

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

 

Toast pecans in butter and salt in skillet, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain and chill pecans. (You’ll want to save the butter for use in pancakes or waffles later.) In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Freeze in ice cream maker until thickened, about 40 minutes. A few minutes before it’s finished, add chilled pecans. Allow ice cream to “set” in freezer at least an hour.

Jack in the Box

 

One-Pot Mushroom Fettuccine

 

4 cloves garlic, crushed

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

8 ounces fettuccine

2 to 3 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

 

Sauté garlic in butter in a skillet for at least a minute. dd the butter and garlic to a deep skillet and sauté over medium heat for one minute. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until edges of mushrooms begin to brown. Add fettuccine and broth to pot. Turn up heat to medium-high. When broth starts to boil, cover and turn to medium-low. Simmer about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat; add cream and cheese. Continue to stir until cheese has melted. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a tossed salad.

Thirty Jewel Boxes

 

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel, was published in 1972, which means it’s fifty years old this year. So are Agatha Christie’s Elephants Can Remember, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Glass Elevator, James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, Richard Adam’s Watership Down, Judy Blume’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, and Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day. Seventy-five years ago, Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl was published. That same year saw the publication of C. S. Lewis’ Miracles, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague, and Marcia Brown’s Stone Soup. Among the books that became centenarians this year are The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting, Cecily Parsley’s Nursery Rhymes by Beatrix Potter, Kabumpo in Oz by L. Frank Baum, and The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Isn’t it about time you read a really, really old book? Or better yet, shared one with someone you love?

Four Knaves

 

“I think often of those of you who are suffering, worried, afraid, or feeling alone. I assure each of you the Lord knows you. He is aware of your concern and anguish, and He loves you—intimately, personally, deeply, and forever. Each night when I pray, I ask the Lord to bless all who are burdened with grief, pain, loneliness, and sadness. I know other Church leaders echo that same prayer. Our hearts go out to you, Our prayers go to God on your behalf. Today I expand my call for prayer to all people from every country around the world. No matter how you pray or to whom you pray, please exercise your faith—whatever your faith may be—and pray for your country and for your national leaders. This is not about politics or policy. This is about peace and the healing that can come to individual souls as well as to the soul of countries.” - President M. Russell Ballard

Twenty-five Jewel Boxes

 

In 1891, a New Orleans jury acquitted six Italian immigrants who’d been charged with murdering a local police chief. There were rumors the jury had been tampered with – either paid off or threatened – by the mafia. Within hours, armed vigilantes broke into the prison and dragged out the six men along with thirteen other incarcerated Italians. Nine were shot to death, and two were hanged. Most Americans at the time distrusted immigrants, especially Italians, and felt the mob violence was justified. But Italy (it was a kingdom back then) and Italian Americans were horrified. Diplomatic relations were broken off, and there was actually talk of war. President Harrison offered reparations to the survivors of some victims as an olive branch. He then urged congress to declare a national holiday to celebrate the 400th anniversary of an Italian explorer’s arrival in the New World. And that, boys and girls, is why we have Columbus Day.

Chickadee

 

Box cakes (regardless of what the package claims) tend to be dry and flavorless. This easy recipe fixes both problems.

 

Key Lime Poke Cake

 

1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup lime juice

Zest from 1 lime

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

 

Prepare cake according to directions in 9x13” pan. Cool at least 5 minutes, then poke it all over almost to the bottom with a wooden spoon handle. Combine milk, cream and zest in a bowl; add lime juice and whisk together. Pour mixture evenly over cake. Cover and chill at least an hour, or overnight. Whip cream and vanilla together. As peaks start to form, gradually add sugar. Spread over cake and serve.

Two Dozen Jewel Boxes

 

If you watched television in the early 70’s, you’ve seen Iron Eyes Cody. He was the crying Indian in the “Keep America Beautiful” ad. The PSA won two Clio awards, started a flurry of community clean-up campaigns, and supposedly reduced litter by 88% across 38 states. It might surprise you to learn the ad was paid for by the American Can Company, Owens-Illinois Glass Company, the Dixie Cup Company, and Coca-Cola, hoping to shift blame for pollution away from industries and on to consumers. But the most surprising thing about the crying Indian ad was the Indian himself. "Iron Eyes Cody" appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows wearing beaded moccasins and buckskin, braids and feathers. Cody dressed as an Indian in his private life, too. At various times he claimed membership in several different Native American tribes. After his death, it was revealed his real name was Espera Oscar de Corti, born in Louisiana to Italian immigrant parents. 

Grandma's Favorite

 

Prairie dogs are amazing animals. As far as we can tell, they have the most complex language of any animal. Not only can they tell each other, “Look out! There’s a human coming!” but they can also say, “He’s really tall and wearing yellow!” They have a reputation of breeding like rabbits, but their mating season is only about an hour long. They have three to eight pups in a litter, half of whom probably won’t make it to adulthood. They look like furry marshmallows, but they’ll fiercely defend their homes with sharp teeth and claws. Prairie dog burrows always have at least two entrances: one on lower, flat ground, and one in a raised mound, like a volcano. Their design makes clever use of the Bernoulli principle to pull fresh air through their underground tunnels. Even more impressive, they were doing it thousands of years before Bernoulli came on the scene.

Twenty Jewel Boxes

 

When I was ten, our home was in Otego, New York, but I attended school in Oneonta. I’d ride there with Daddy in the morning, then walk to his office after school. I did homework while waiting for him to take me home. I “read” Emil und die Detektive and Der kleine Prinz by looking up each word in his German/English dictionary. Once, only once, I was allowed in the chemistry lab, to see how sugar crystals formed. Daddy caught me licking the glass stirring rod after I’d dissolved sugar in water in a beaker. He laughed, but said terrible things could happen to chemists who sipped their experiments. Not long after that, a researcher with Tate & Lyle did just that. He was told to “test” a chlorinated sugar compound, and he thought he heard the word “taste.” He did so, and found it to be extremely sweet. And that’s how Sucralose – Splenda – came into being. 

Boxes and Baskets

 

"We are willing to help each other because we love each other, and my brother's needs become my needs and mine become his. No matter what language my brother speaks or what country he comes from, we love each other because we are brothers, children of the same father.” – Elder Hugo Montoya

"When we fix our sight on Jesus Christ, we recognise and we understand that He is the only source and way to receive forgiveness and redemption, even unto eternal life and exaltation."  –  Tracy B. Browning. 

“No matter how capable, educated, brilliant or strong we are, we cannot cleanse ourselves from our sins, change our bodies to an immortal state, or exalt ourselves. It is only possible through the Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite atonement.” – Elder Paul V. Johnson 

Sixteen Jewel Boxes

 

I read Sterling North’s book Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era when I was nine or ten. I don’t recall being awfully impressed with it. I have a better memory of seeing the 1969 Disney Movie Rascal on Wonderful World of Disney when I was thirteen. The film had a terrific cast: John Fiedler (Pooh’s friend Piglet), Elsa Lanchester (Bride of Frankenstein), and Billy Mumy (Lost in Space). I’m surprised this movie isn’t on Disney+. While searching for a way to stream Rascal, I found an article about a 1977 anime series loosely based on the same book. It’s called Araiguma Rasukaru (Rascal is HARD to pronounce). Araiguma, the Japanese word for raccoon, means “washing bear.” Like the name, the raccoon in the series is adorable. And though the book, the movie and the series show vividly why raccoons make terrible pets, Araiguma Rasukaru is the reason Japan is overrun with this invasive species.