Three Dozen Delectable Mountains

 

To hear our tour guide tell it, Peter the Great was a visionary. He foresaw St. Petersburg as a destination for tourists, a “Venice of the North,” and a jewel to rival the many western capitals he’d visited. So, Peter built his palace there – she never mentioned he had to steal the land from Sweden first – and he began digging canals all over the place. I don’t think she bothered to tell us canals make much more sense in southern Italy than in places that are well below freezing several months of the year. But I suspect her dialog was as carefully restricted as the rest of our visit. Another thing the guide didn’t mention was the wildly unpopular taxation the Tsar enforced to make Petrograd happen. One of these was a tax on beards, along with forcibly shaving – in public – anyone who refused to pay. Maybe the visionary foresaw lots of Russians with clean-shaven faces.

Bloom & Grow

 

Valentine’s Day is fifteen days away. There’s still plenty of time to make a nice dinner reservation, or to pick up some lovely flowers or a box of chocolates. With a little creativity and some craft supplies, you could make a Valentine’s Day card that’s both unique and personal. But if that’s not exactly what you have in mind, there are other choices out there. For instance, the SPCA in Adams County, Pennsylvania has an interesting suggestion. For a donation of twenty-five dollars or more, they’ll name a feral cat after the ex-partner of your choice. And then, once the cat has a proper name, it will be neutered and released as part of their TNR (trap-neuter-return) program. At the end of every surgery day, Tuesday through Thursday until Feb. 14, the shelter will list the first names of the "exes" who got neutered that day. To submit your name and donation, go to www.adamscountyspca.org.

Four Red Houses

 

One of the casualties of this month’s California wildfires was the 31-room mansion that once belonged to Will Rogers (1879-1935). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion and the surrounding ranch have been a state park since 1944. If you have no idea who Will Rogers was, these quotes should give you a clue:

“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”

“I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

“I know worrying works, because none of the stuff I worried about ever happened.”

“Last year we said, ‘Things can’t go on like this,’ and they didn’t. They got worse”

“There are three kinds of men: the one that learns by reading, the few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”

Eight Barrel Cactus

 

Sharon Christa Corrigan was born in 1948. Her father was a college sophomore when she was born, and her mother became a substitute teacher. They planned to call her Sherrie, but decided her middle name suited her better. In fact, she didn’t know Christa wasn’t her first name until she was practically an adult. Christa married her high school sweetheart in 1970, and they had two children together. Christa taught American history, civics, and English in high school and middle school. In 1984, President Reagan announced the Teacher in Space program, and Christa applied. On her application, she wrote, “I watched the Space Age being born, and I’d like to participate.” The following year, Christa was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to become the first teacher in space. January 28, 1986, Christa McAuliffe was one of seven crew members lost when the Challenger broke apart. In 2004, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Two Dozen Diversions

 

“I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My heart aches for those who are mired in sin and don’t know how to get out. I weep for those who struggle spiritually or who carry heavy burdens alone because they do not understand what Jesus Christ did for them. Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ.” – President Russell M. Nelson

Lucky in Love

 

This is the last of the twelve 2024 Riley Blake door banners. I made ten of these wall hanging quilts exactly as their patterns directed. But the first and last (April and March) just didn’t suit me. So, I designed my own. For April, I re-drafted the blocks from The Buggy Barn’s Bunny Trail quilt (2005) so they’d each measure 10x12” instead of 11x14”. I used the prints from the April kit, and I’m very happy with the results. March was a bit more complicated. The original design had eight flowers, six stars and five diamond shapes, all in gold, grey and greens. I knew I wanted to replace them with Irish chain blocks, but there are so many different ones, with different dimensions. It took me a while, but I finally settled on simple 6” four-patch chain blocks using the kit’s solids, with seven intermittent sawtooth stars using the prints. The hearts inside the stars were just a lucky whim. 

Thirty Delectable Mountains

 

One of my husband’s favorite movies is Idiocracy (2006). I’ve never seen it. I probably don’t have to, as he’s so fond of quoting it. From what I can tell, it’s a dystopian sci-fi comedy about a librarian who’s put into suspended animation for 500 years. He wakes up in a world where for generations, only stupid people procreated. I read somewhere that the producers asked the movie’s costume designers to find “futuristic, but goofy-looking” footwear for the cast to wear during filming. They found a small, obscure company in Colorado that made soft clogs out of polyethylene vinyl acetate foam. The costume designers decided “nobody in their right mind” would ever wear these ugly shoes, so they’d be perfect for the movie. At some point, they were asked what would happen if these odd shoes ever took off, and they doubled down, saying there’s no way anyone would seriously buy these. The shoes in question were Crocs.  

Six Heart Stars

 

Randy Vitales is a sixteen-year-old sophomore at Dover High School in Oklahoma. Last Thursday, Randy’s high school basketball team had a tournament at Mulhall-Orlando High School, a forty-minute drive from Dover. About three minutes into the game, Randy went into full cardiac arrest on the court. Eighteen-year-old Magnus Miller, a player on the opposing team from Life Christian Academy, talks about what happened: “He just went to lay up, and I was getting the ball, about to dribble up the court, and I turn around, and he’s on the ground.” Magnus is trained as a lifeguard, so he stepped up. “I didn’t have any second thoughts about it. I just jumped in and took control.” He used a defibrillator and helped the coaches with CPR until the Guthrie Fire Department arrived. The first responders called Magnus a rock star and a guardian angel, and said “without a shadow of a doubt,” he saved Randy’s life.

Four Blue Houses

 

In 1907, Canadian P. L. Robertson invented a screw that could be die-stamped and used a square hole tapering to a point. The screw and its driver were called the Robertson. In 1913, Fischer Auto Body opened a factory in Ontario making parts for the Model T. Mr. Robertson’s screw offered an advantage for manufacturing and Fischer became one of Robertson’s biggest customers, using some 700 screws per car body. When he learned using Robertson’s screws in Canada saved $2.60 per car, Henry Ford came seeking a license to use the screws in all his US plants. But Ford wanted a say in production and an exclusive contract. Robertson stubbornly refused. When the deal fell through, Robertson also lost the Ford contracts in Canada; almost a third of his business. The Robertson is still used in Canada, but the US (and the rest of the world) chose instead the screwdriver patented by Henry F. Phillips. 

Four Aloe Veras

 

Cleveland isn’t one of the faces on Mount Rushmore. He’s not a president you learned about in grade school. The only reason I know anything about him is because I’m such a huge Disney fan I know the obscure films nobody else remembers, like The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band. The movie is about a politically divided family in 1888: the year Cleveland won the popular vote for reelection, but lost the electoral college and the presidency to Harrison. Four years later, Cleveland ran again and won, becoming the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms. Until now. Everyone loves a good comeback story, right? But this one didn’t have a happy ending. The plump, balding president was faced with circumstances he didn’t expect and handled badly. His second term was such a disaster, it hurt his party for years. You know what they say, right? Learn from the past, or repeat it.

Twenty Diversions

 

“As we do our best to teach those we love about the doctrine of Jesus Christ, some may still not respond. Doubts may creep into your mind. You might question whether you know the Savior’s doctrine well enough to teach it effectively. If you’ve already made attempts to teach it, you may wonder why the positive effects aren’t more visible. Don’t give in to those doubts. Turn to God for help. If you pray, if you talk to God, and if you plead for His help for your loved one, and if you thank Him not only for help but for the patience and gentleness that come from not receiving all you desire right away or perhaps ever, I promise you will draw closer to Him. You will become diligent and long-suffering. You can know you have done all you can to help those you love and those you pray for navigate through Satan’s attempt to derail them.” – President Henry B. Eyring

Eight Double Irish Chains

 

When we moved to England, I set up our renter’s insurance via a phone call. One of the questions our agent asked was, “What is your home’s construction material? Stone, or brick?” Those were the only choices. Like most of Europe, the UK builds homes with brick or stone. Our Yorkshire house was quieter than any we’ve experienced in the US, as well as warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Here, we build with wood because it’s cheap. But as I watch the news from the wildfires in California, I wonder if it isn’t time to consider concrete instead. The wood frame home we built three decades ago took six months, start to finish. A concrete house can be move-in ready in days. It can cost less than wood, and can be built to withstand earthquakes. Best of all, concrete homes are fireproof. And, like the stone and brick homes in Europe, they’re far quieter and more energy-efficient.

Twenty-Five Delectable Mountains

 

Shizo Kanakuri was born in Japan in 1891. His family lived on the island of Kyushu. Every day, Shizo would run nearly four miles to school and back. When he was twenty, Shizo set a marathon world record during the domestic trials for the 1912 Olympics. He was one of two Japanese athletes invited to compete in Stockholm. The journey to Sweden took an exhausting eighteen days. The Olympics were held during a record heat wave, and the sun never set during the entire event. Shizo had trouble digesting the local food. Several competitors dropped out with hyperthermia. Dazed and sick, Shizo left the race after sixteen miles. Embarrassed, he quietly returned home without notifying officials. In 1967, he was invited back to complete the race, finishing with a time of fifty-four years, eight months, six days, five hours, thirty-two minutes and 20.3 seconds. Shizo Kanakuri holds the Guiness World Record for the longest time to complete a marathon.

Four Heart Stars

 

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." – Aesop

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." – Mark Twain

"Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?" – James M. Barrie

"Remember, there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." – Scott Adams

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." – William Arthur Ward

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle." – Plato

"Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” – Eric Hoffer

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Anjelou

Three Yellow Houses

 

I started college expecting to fill the general requirements, then settle into a vocal music major. I’d always received better marks in vocal performance than on keyboard. A week on campus changed my mind. All the vocal students I saw seemed paranoid and hypochondrial. They’d walk about with woolen scarves up to their chins. If anyone were to sneeze or cough in their presence, they’d hurry home to their humidifiers and their honey/lemon concoctions. So, I switched to piano pedagogy. Daddy used to say he had a similar epiphany at roughly the same point in his education. He’d been undecided about whether to focus on organic chemistry (which deals with carbon-hydrogen bonds) and inorganic chemistry (which involves mostly metals and minerals). He reached his decision when he learned about Adolf Butenandt, the chemistry student who discovered testosterone by boiling down thousands of gallons of male urine. Daddy knew right away he wanted nothing to do with that.

Three Prickly Pears

 

Robert (Bob) Wade was born in New Zealand in 1921. He taught himself to play chess by reading books from his local library. After winning the New Zealand Chess Championship in 1944, 1945 and 1948, Bob traveled to Europe to improve his game. International chess was starting up again after a hiatus during WWII. Bob earned the title of International Master in 1950. The following year, Bob decided to play chess against thirty Russian schoolboys – all of them fourteen and under – in a simultaneous play exhibition. Maybe he didn’t realize Russians have been obsessed with chess for ages, or that the Russian government had been funding chess training for decades. After seven hours of play, Bob drew ten games and lost twenty. He ended up setting a record for the worst simultaneous exhibition given by a master. The moral of this story: you may only be a big fish until you leave your little pond. 

Sixteen Diversions

 

“We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications. This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs. In this conference four years ago, President Nelson gave us a prophetic challenge for our own day: ‘Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other?’ As followers of Christ, we teach and testify of Jesus Christ, our Perfect Role Model. So let us follow Him by forgoing contention. Let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful.” – President Dallin H. Oaks

Four Double Irish Chains

 

Margaret Eloise Knight was born in Maine in 1838. Young “Mattie,” as she was called by friends and family, was known for the clever kites and sleds she made. At twelve, she began working in a cotton mill. She had several jobs in her teens and twenties, including home repair, photography, ingraving and upholstery. In 1867, Mattie was hired by the Columbia Paper Bag company. The bags produced there were weak, narrow, and couldn’t stand on their bases. They were ill-suited for bulky or heavy items like groceries. Mattie invented a machine that cut, folded and glued the flat-bottomed grocery sack we use today. Charles Annan, a machinist who’d visited the shop where her machine was being built, tried to steal her invention and patent it first. When Mattie filed a patent interference lawsuit, Charles claimed “no woman could possibly understand the mechanical complexities of this machine.” Mattie responded with blueprints, journals, models and witnesses, resulting in victory.

Two Dozen Delectable Mountains

 

When we moved here, a friend from our old neighborhood gave me a going away gift: some chocolates and a nice card in a gift bag full of shredded paper. I was tossing the bag and shredded paper in a bin when I realized there was one more gift at the bottom. It was a 3-inch pot with a tiny succulent inside. I didn’t think it would live, but I watered it and stuck it in my new kitchen window. That was nearly a year and a half ago. Today, the plant is more than six inches tall, and it’s giving hints that it would like a bigger pot. It cheers me whenever I see it. Today is Houseplant Appreciation Day. This is the perfect time to pay more attention to the greenery inside your house. Christmas is well and truly over. Everything, inside and out, is looking slightly drab. Now’s the time to give your potted plants some extra TLC.

Heart Star

 

On the ninth of January, 1493, explorer Christopher Columbus was sailing near what is now the Dominican Republic. In his ship’s journal, he recorded he’d sighted three mermaids. Columbus described them as being “not half as beautiful as they are painted.” Mermaids have been a part of sea-faring lore since the time of the ancient Greeks. They were usually depicted as half woman, half fish. Supposedly, they were irresistibly lovely. They would comb their long hair and sing in such a way that they could lure innocent sailors to their deaths. Maybe Columbus had heard so much of these fantastic creatures he actually expected to find them. We do tend to see what we expect to see, whether it’s there or not. Most historians assume what Columbus mistook for mermaids were really three manatees. Sea cows, as they’re sometimes called, do live in the warm waters of the Dominican Republic. And they do actually fit Columbus’ disappointed description.

Three Red Houses

 

January 8 is National Bubble Bath Day. It’s easy to celebrate. If you have bubble bath, use it. If you don’t, make your own with a cup of light oil (almond, sunflower or canola), half a cup of honey, half a cup of mild liquid hand soap, and a tablespoon of vanilla. Stored in a covered Mason jar, this makes enough for four baths. If you’re a child, bubble baths are more fun with a few tub toys. If you’re not, adding a few scented candles, some soft music and your favorite beverage may be just the thing to help you unwind at the end of a stressful day. If you need more encouragement, remember soaking in a warm bath can burn calories. It can relieve congestion and soothe a cough. It can reduce tension, ease sore muscles and help you sleep better. It can stimulate serotonin production, improving your sense of well-being.

Flock Around the Block

 

Lassie came to live with us when she was a month shy of her first birthday. Like most Scotty dogs, she’s feisty, energetic, independent and in love with the sound of her own voice. She’s mellowed considerably over the years, but she’s still quite reactive around strange dogs. Even if the dog’s an old friend, he’d better give her a wide berth when treats are concerned. She tries to keep the yard clear of birds and squirrels, but the birds know she can’t fly and the squirrels know she’s rubbish at climbing trees. Lassie has cataracts, so chasing tennis balls isn’t as much fun as it used to be. She still tries to talk the grandkids into tossing one for her. She knows what time we should wake up, fix meals, go for a walk or get ready for bed. And she’s ready to remind us when we’re running late. Today’s her eighth birthday. Happy birthday, Lassie!

Thirteen Diversions

 

“We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. We are members of the church of joy! And nowhere should our joy as a people be more apparent than when we gather together each Sabbath in our sacrament meetings to worship the source of all joy! Here we assemble with our ward and branch families to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, our deliverance from sin and death, and the Saviour’s powerful grace! Here we come to experience the joy, refuge, forgiveness, thanksgiving, and belonging found through Jesus Christ! Is this spirit of collective rejoicing in Christ what you find? Is this what you bring? Maybe you think this doesn’t have much to do with you, or perhaps you are simply used to how things have always been done. But we can all contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence.” – Elder Patrick Kearon

Double Irish Chain

 

Scientists generally refer to them as pumas, but these big cats have lots of other names: including panther, mountain lion, cougar, catamount, painter, mountain screamer, red tiger, ghost cat, Mexican lion and American lion. Originally, 32 puma subspecies were recognized, but genetic testing in the 90’s proved there are only two. Their footprint looks a lot like a huge dog’s print, except pumas walk with claws retracted (something dogs can’t do.) Pumas prefer wild game, but they’ve been known to help themselves to small pets left unattended. There have been several news stories lately about pumas showing up on doorbell cameras, which probably has more to do with the proliferation of security cameras than with any recent change in feline behavior. If you happen upon a puma, don’t try to approach or corner it. Instead, face the animal, stand up straight and tall, and slowly back away. Most pumas will be happy to do the same for you. 

Twenty Delectable Mountains

 

Most of the year, this is my second or third favorite dish at Rumbi Island Grill. When I have a winter head cold, it moves to first place.

 

Copycat Bahama Mama’s Tortilla Soup

 

2 chicken breasts, grilled and cut into chunks

8 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup coconut milk

1 chopped tomato

1 cup mozzarella, shredded

2 cups tortilla strips

Juice from 1 lime

Salt, pepper to taste

 

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add coconut milk, carrots and chicken.  Let it sit a few minutes to heat the chicken. Get four soup bowls and place 1/4 of the tomato in each. Ladle broth mixture into bowls. Top with cheese, tortilla strips and lime juice.  Makes 4 bowls.

No Place Like Home

 

I bought this kit years ago, on sale at one of the stores in the Utah Quilt Shop Hop. It came with its own pattern and it was half price. A steal, or so I thought. When I got around to opening the kit, I realized half the fabric that should have been there was simply missing. Even if the kit was complete, the directions were vague and useless. By this point, my receipt was long gone, the fabric line was years out of date, and the shop was no longer in business. I couldn’t bring myself to toss the kit, but from time to time I’d “borrow” bits of it for other projects. Last month I decided it was time to fish or cut bait. I pulled out the kit and started hacking away. Here are the results so far. Last week I actually snagged a couple of yards of a matching border print online. Wonders never cease!

Three Blue Houses

 

This was the year that was not the year

 

This was the year that was not the year

I repaired the bathroom tap

And emptied out the kitchen drawer

Of a lifetime’s worth of crap.

 

This was the year that was not the year

In which I launched a new career.

A West End hit eluded me

And so did Time Person of the Year.

 

This was the year that was not the year

I became a household name.

Action figures were not sold of me

I wasn’t made a dame.

 

This was the year that was not the year

I spent less time on my phone.

Nights of passion did not happen

In boutique hotels in Rome.

 

This was the year that was the year

I didn’t get that much done –

Much the same as the year before,

Much like the year to come.

 

-          Brian Bilston