X Marks the Spot

 

National Eat Outside Day is celebrated the last day of August, regardless of which day of the week it falls. It’s a simple holiday, really. All that’s required is to eat something in the fresh air. If you really want to enjoy this day to its fullest, you’ll want to put in a bit more effort. You might like to take a bucket of fried chicken to a quiet, shady spot in the park. You could make a few sandwiches and spread a blanket in your own back yard. Or maybe you could savor a loaded hot dog and a soft drink while watching a ball game. Heather and I decided we’ll have chicken tacos near the skate park. There are tables under an awning where we can watch dads teaching their kids to use skateboards. When we’re done, we can toss out our paper wrappers and leave the chicken, cheese, lettuce and tortilla crumbs for the birds.

Thirteen Nine-Patch Blocks

 

Red and Black Nine-Patch

 

Disney’s Mary Poppins was released August 29, 1964. I don’t think I saw it in the theater until much later, but I had a vinyl record of the sound track that I played until it wouldn’t play anymore. It might surprise you to learn Julie Andrews wasn’t Walt’s first choice to play the magical nanny. Both he and P. L. Travers were hoping to snag Bette Davis. They even considered Angela Lansbury for the role. The Sherman Brothers wrote thirty songs for Mary Poppins, but fewer than half ended up in the movie. “The Beautiful Briny” was repurposed for Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971, and “The Land of Sand” was given new lyrics to become “Trust in Me” for The Jungle Book in 1967. Walt Disney’s favorite song was “Feed the Birds.” He’d ask Dick Sherman to “Play that bird lady song again,” because, “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?”

One Dozen 9-Patch Blocks

 

“A dear friend who joined the Church as a young adult shared: ‘When the patriarch placed his hands on my head and spoke my name, everything changed, not just then but for the rest of my life. I immediately sensed that—through the power by which he spoke—I was known intimately and deeply. The words he spoke penetrated my entire being. I knew that Heavenly Father knew me, inside and out.’ Knowing who I really was helped me understand and desire to do what God expected of me. This led me to study the covenants I had made and the promised blessings in God’s covenant with Abraham. It gave me an eternal perspective that inspired me to more fully keep my covenants.” - Elder Randall K. Bennett

Daisies and Leaves

 

You’re looking at the back of my entry for this year’s Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge. I’m not ready to show you the front just yet, but I’m rather proud of the quilting, which can only be seen from the back. This will be the sixteenth quilt I’ve submitted to this competition in seventeen years. (There were no ribbon events in 2020. There was almost no state fair that year at all.) Every year, I read the judges’ comments, curious to see where I might improve in the coming year. The one thing the judges all seem to agree on is that I could have put more effort into the quilting. I’m always afraid to do that, because I don’t want the quilting to overshadow the piecing. This year, I threw caution to the winds and really went to town. If the judges still complain that there isn’t enough quilting, I’ll know they’ve been kidding me all along.  

Nine Nine-Patch Blocks

 

Spool

 

It was late September on Peleliu Island, in 1944. The men of U.S. Marine fighter squadron VMF-122 were bored. They were within a 10-minute flight of Japanese-held Palau, but the enemy was cut off from supply lines and posed no real threat. The squadron probably had access to local bananas, limes and pineapple, but other than that, they had only canned food and no refrigeration. Squadron commander J. Hunter Reinburg had an idea he thought might boost morale. He jury-rigged a water-proof can meant to store bullets, loaded it with five gallons of canned milk and cocoa powder, and took it on a high-altitude “oxygen system test.” The result was a really sloppy batch of chocolate ice milk, which the men immediately devoured. They experimented several times until the recipe and method were perfect. Eventually, their C.O. caught wind of their culinary escapades: “You guys aren’t fooling me, I’ve got spies. I’m coming tomorrow and get my ration.”

Four Nine-Patch Blocks

 

July 31 in a small family-owned zoo in Washington County, Tennessee, a baby giraffe was born. The event wouldn’t have been too remarkable, if not for this: the baby giraffe was born without spots. As far as anyone can tell, this is the fourth time something like this has happened in captivity. Spotless baby giraffes probably also occur in the wild, but it’s unlikely those babies lived very long. You see, a giraffe’s spots act as camouflage, hiding defenseless babies from predators. Bights Zoo says their unusual baby is healthy, and hasn’t been given a name just yet. They’re asking the public to help name the animal, and to consider donating to giraffe conservation efforts. They’ve posted photos on their Facebook page of the giraffe mom next to her all-brown offspring. Looking at them, it’s not hard to notice: it’s not the spots that are missing. It’s the PATTERN. This baby is just one big giraffe spot!

Fifty-four Forty or Fight!

 

There is a word in Turkish that means “fate,” “karma,” or “destiny.” The word is Kismet. It was adopted into the English language in the 19th century, where it’s taken on a more positive aspect, like “luck,” “providence,” or “serendipity.” In 1884 a town was founded just outside of Orlando by the Kismet Land and Improvement Company. Kismet, Florida quickly became a prosperous citrus town. A 50-room hotel was built there, and there were plans to extend a rail line. Walt Disney’s mom and dad met in Kismet, and were married in a local church. But December 29, 1894, a cold snap sent temperatures plummeting to 18 degrees, decimating the citrus crops. Anything that survived was killed February 9, when another hard freeze hit. Most Kismet residents lost everything and left for greener pastures. Today, Kismet is a ghost town, swallowed by the Ocala National Forest. Kismet is a knife that cuts both ways.

Nine-Patch Block

 

“The Lord encourages us to preserve our own family history, to learn from our ancestors, and to make the necessary arrangements for them to receive the ordinances of the gospel in the temples to help them to progress along the covenant path, which will bless them with an eternal family. That is a central focus of the plan of our Heavenly Father: uniting family for this life and for eternity. To those of you who don’t feel capable of doing this work, you should know that you’re not alone. We can all turn to the tools that the Church has prepared and that are found in the FamilySearch centers, which we used to know as family history centers. These FamilySearch centers have been designed so that almost everyone, with little help, can find their ancestors’ information and organize it properly so that they can take it to the house of the Lord.” - Elder Benjamín De Hoyos

A Quartet of Four-Patch Blocks

 

Jimmy Stewart, talking about the horse he rode in movies for twenty-two years: “I never was able to buy Pie because he was owned by a little girl, Stevie Myers, who’s the daughter of an old wrangler who used to wrangle horses for Tom Mix and W.S. Hart. He retired and he gave this horse to her. Pie was a sort of a maverick. He hurt a couple of people. Audie Murphy rode him a couple of times. He nearly killed Glenn Ford, ran right into a tree. But I liked this darned little horse. I got to know him like a friend. I actually believed he understood about making pictures. I ran at a full gallop, straight towards the camera, pulled him up and did a lot of dialogue and he stood absolutely still. He never moved. He knew when the camera would start rolling and when they did the slates. He knew that because his ears came up.”

Twenty Four-Patch Blocks

People who live in Springville, Missouri, call it the “Great Cobra Scare of ‘53.” It started Saturday, August 15th. One of the residents killed an odd-looking snake. He turned it over to a local science teacher, who declared it to be an Indian cobra. Over the next few weeks, nearly a dozen of these deadly, decidedly non-native serpents turned up. Terrified townsfolk huddled indoors or patrolled in groups, armed with garden implements. Someone even fixed a speaker on a truck and drove through town playing snake charmer music, hoping to lure out the vipers. They all relaxed at the first hard freeze that fall, knowing the cobras’ reign was finally over. But no one knew the rest of the story for another 35 years, when a man finally came clean. He admitted he’d released a cage full of snakes behind a pet store when he was a boy, in an act of revenge against the owner.

Tiny Four-Patch Block

 

Two weeks ago tonight, I was sitting in the orchestra pit at Murray Amphitheater, performing Seussical the Musical. We had a good house; the audience and cast were enjoying themselves. Suddenly, about five minutes before what would have been the intermission, an announcement came over the P.A. An intense electrical storm was headed our way, and we were evacuating. A lot of people seemed to think it was a joke. We could see clear sky, and it wasn’t even windy. Yet. By the time we made it to the parking lot, the wind and rain hit. I live eleven miles away, but that night it felt much farther. The traffic moved about ten miles per hour, with most of us following each other’s tail lights. The rain fell faster than it could drain, and all the roads became deep, fast-moving rivers. Somehow, we all made it home. I’ve never driven in weather like that before. I hope I never have to again.

Farmer's Daughter

 

August 16 is National Tell a Joke Day; a great day to pull your favorite funny story out of mothballs and share it with someone. If you don’t have a favorite, you can always look for jokes on the Internet. Here’s one to get you started:

So, a gorilla walks into a bar, sits down and orders a martini. At first, the bartender is surprised. But he thinks, “What the heck? I might as well make him the drink.” As he hands the martini over, the gorilla holds out a twenty-dollar bill. The bartender accepts the cash and decides to test his unusual customer’s intellect. He only gives the ape a dollar in change. The gorilla silently begins to sip his drink. “You know,” the bartender says, “we don’t get too many talking gorillas in here.” “Well,” the gorilla replies, “At nineteen dollars a drink, I’m not surprised.”

Fox and Goose

 

I’m not sure why, but I love stories about lost and found items. They all cheer me up; even the ones that seem more than a little unlikely. Today’s story is about Mary Strand of Minnesota, who accidentally flushed a diamond ring down the toilet. It had been a gift from her husband to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. “It was swirling around and I dove for it, and it went down the drain,” she said. Though her husband owned a drain and sewer company (an astounding coincidence) nothing could be done. The ring was well and truly lost. Fast forward thirteen years. Employees at a local water treatment plant were shoveling through muck when they caught a glimpse of something shiny. They posted their battered find on social media, and Mary was reunited with her long-lost ring. Mary is having it reset in time to wear it while she and her husband celebrate their 46th anniversary.

Tiny Nine-Patch

 

“In the scriptures, the word joy typically means much more than passing moments of contentment or even feelings of happiness. Joy in this context is a godly attribute, found in its fulness when we return to dwell in the presence of God. It is more profound, elevating, enduring, and life-changing than any pleasure or comfort this world can offer. We were created to have joy. It is our intended destiny as children of a loving Heavenly Father. He wants to share His joy with us. The prophet Lehi taught that God’s plan for each of us is that we might have joy. Because we live in a fallen world, enduring joy or everlasting joy often seems beyond our reach. Lehi continues by explaining that the Messiah came to redeem us from the fall. Redemption, by and through the Savior Jesus Christ, makes joy possible. The gospel is a message of hope, of good tidings of great joy.” – Elder Craig C. Christensen

Turned Around

 

I adore Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and I’m not alone. Whenever I play their tunes, people stop to thank me. Quite often they hum, sing, or dance along, and they occasionally leave tips. One thing that impresses me about these musicals is they usually have a significant role for a mature woman; one with a memorable solo. In Oklahoma, the role is Aunt Eller, who sings a large chunk of “Farmer and the Cowhand.” In Carousel, Nettie has the best song: “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” In South Pacific, Bloody Mary sings “Happy Talk” and “Bali Hai.” Lady Tiang sings “Something Wonderful” in The King and I, Madam Liang sings “Chop Suey” in Flower Drum Song, and the Mother Abbess has “Climb Every Mountain” in The Sound of Music. In Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother sings, “Impossible.” Even more remarkable, considering how few modern musicals have strong, mature female roles, while these were written in the 40’s and 50’s.  

Eight Hope of Hartford Blocks

 

Walt Disney was a consummate storyteller. He loved taking good tales and embellishing them until they were epic and sometimes even unrecognizable. It’s important to remember he also did this with stories about his own life. If you’ve ever strolled by The Rivers of America in Disneyland, you may have noticed a ten-foot-tall petrified tree stump. Walt said he and his wife Lillian were on a road trip in July 1956, when they happened upon Pike’s Petrified Forest in Colorado, two days before their anniversary. Walt left Lilly in the car while he explored the “forest,” and he was gone a long time. When he returned, he said, “Honey, I bought you an anniversary present.” It was a $1,650 5-ton piece of rock that had once been a tree. It sat in their garden until Lilly tired of it and donated it to Disneyland. At least, that’s the story Walt loved to tell. The truth is anyone’s guess.

Split Eight-Point Star

 

August 10 is National S’mores Day. Traditionally, s’mores are an outdoor treat, created and shared at the end of the day around a cheerful campfire. If you’re a purist, you start with a square of graham cracker and a segment or two of Hershey’s milk chocolate. You toast a marshmallow at the end of a stick until it’s the perfect shade of golden-brown, and you set it, still hot, atop the chocolate and cracker. Place a second cracker on top of the marshmallow and gently press together. Cool a moment or two so you don’t burn your tongue, and enjoy. There are variations, of course. We once made s’mores with “fun size” chocolates leftover from Halloween. If you’re out of graham crackers, several types of cookies make wonderful substitutes. And in the absence of a campfire, a microwave will do. Whichever way you like your s’mores, you won’t find a better day to make them than today.

Chickadee

 

Skunks occur naturally only in the Americas, but they’ve been a popular exotic pet in England for many years. In 2006, the UK banned surgery to remove skunks’ scent glands, as it was deemed inhumane to deprive any animal of its only form of self-defense. When that happened, breeders unable to sell their skunk pups simply abandoned them in the woods. But there are still some people willing to share their homes with fully equipped skunks. Michelle Cooper’s pet skunk, Barney, went on walk-about in July, shortly after they’d moved to a new home in Devon. Sixteen days later, Barney turned up thirteen miles away, in an outhouse in Somerset. The property owner called Secret World Wildlife Rescue to report a “badger.” When S.W.W.R. showed up, they reunited Barney and Michelle. I find myself wondering two things: How can anyone mistake a skunk for a badger? And which smells worse, an outhouse or a skunk?

Double Windmill

 

July 31 1997, Bob Penfield put in his final day of work. Bob was the last of the original Disneyland cast members who started work there on opening day, July 17, 1955. Bob’s first job at Disneyland was ride operator for the King Arthur Carrousel in Fantasyland. (At the time, the ride had only one white horse. Now, all the horses are white.) Three days later, on July 20, Bob was named foreman of Snow White’s Scary Adventures a few yards to the southwest. As soon as he turned 21, Bob was promoted to management. He later transferred into the Facilities Division, where he got the opportunity to explore and examine every square inch of the park. Bob also helped to open Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, and the New York World’s Fair. Today, Bob’s name graces a window in the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner on Main Street, U.S.A.

Triple Stripe

 

“Knowing by revelation that there is a living prophet on the earth changes everything. It causes one to be uninterested in the debate about when is a prophet speaking as a prophet or whether one is ever justified in selective rejection of prophetic counsel. Such revealed knowledge invites one to trust the counsel of a living prophet, even if we do not fully understand it. After all, a perfect and loving Father in Heaven has chosen the pattern of revealing truth to His children through a prophet, someone who never sought such a sacred calling and who has no need of our help to be aware of his own imperfections. A prophet is someone God has personally prepared, called, corrected, inspired, rebuked, sanctified, and sustained. That is why we are never spiritually at risk in following prophetic counsel.” – Elder Allen D. Haynie

Five Hope of Hartford Blocks

 

In honor of National Mustard Day, here are some fun mustard facts:

Mustard is the most popular spice in the world.

More than 300,000 metric tons of mustard are produced every year.

Mustard is a member of the family Brassicaceae, along with cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli rutabaga, turnip, kale, horseradish, wasabi and bok choy.

The United States consumes more mustard than any other country.

All parts of the mustard plant are edible: including seeds, leaves and flowers.

Ancient Greeks and Romans made a condiment from mustard seeds by grinding them and mixing them into a paste with wine or vinegar. They used it to flavor food, but also to ease toothaches, clear sinuses, and cure scorpion bites.

Mustard makes a terrific marinade for grilled chicken. It turns hard boiled eggs into deviled eggs. It’s wonderful atop hot dogs or bratwurst, and in a variety of sandwiches. Mustard is an excellent dip for hot pretzels.

Happy Mustard Day!

Lady of the Lake

 

Several years ago, a dry cleaner in Connecticut noticed their operation was part of a turtle migration route. Now, between May and September, the job description there includes cleaning and pressing clothes and toting turtles. Pameacha Pond is the site of a spring migration of Eastern painted turtles, who have to cross a busy two-lane road to arrive and lay their eggs. Later in summer, the turtle flow reverses. Tiny hatchlings no bigger than a quarter start creeping through Best Cleaner’s back door, heading for the road. “Every summer, we’re looking at our feet because we don’t want to step on them,” assistant manager Jennifer Malon reports. Jennifer and other employees at Best Cleaners routinely cross the busy road carrying the wee shelled creatures. After their story hit the news, neighbors started dropping by to lend a hand. “We’ve all helped bring at least one turtle across,” Malon explains. “We’re used to it now; it’s part of the job almost.”

Four Hope of Hartford Blocks

 

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” – Sam Gamgee from The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rolling Nine-Patch

 

We’re having chili and cornbread for dinner tonight, but I’m not firing up the oven. We’re not expecting a high in the 100’s today (that was last week) but I’m still not in the mood to work in a hot kitchen. So, I’ll load my slow cooker, plug it in outside, and let it do the cornbread for me.

 

Slow Cooker Cornbread

 

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (8.5 ounces each) You can also use a 15-ounce box of Krusteaz.

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup milk

 

Combine all ingredients and stir just until blended (batter should be a bit lumpy). Coat inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in batter and spread evenly. Place two layers of paper towels across the top of the pot and hold them in place with the lid. (This will keep cornbread from being too soggy.) Cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until middle is no longer doughy.

Hope of Hartford

 

“I’ve come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies,” writes Douglas Adams in The Salmon of Doubt.

“One, anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.” For me, this includes the automobile, the telephone, television, credit cards, magic markers, WD-40, bubble wrap, Spandex and weather satellites.

“Two, anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.” This is really dating me, but my list includes MRI, GPS, GUI, email, Post-It Notes, UPC, iPod, and the Space Shuttle.

“Three, anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.” This is a much shorter list: cloning, Netflix, drones, hybrid cars, self-driving cars, flat screens, DVDs, ISS, blogging, Bitcoin, Facebook and YouTube. What would your three lists look like?