Odd Fellows Cross

 

Our quilt guild occasionally invites quilters to show and discuss their work. Once, when they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel, they asked me to provide what they call a “trunk show.” It was harder than expected, because my best quilts have all been gifted to family or friends, or donated to Quilts of Valor, Quilts for Kids, Project Linus, Festival of Trees, Intermountain Medical Center, etc. This month, the trunk show was provided by Ione Vanwagenen, who used to own one of our favorite quilt shops, Elaine’s Quilt Block. She brought her own creations, and some her mother had made. Several were African designs, and some were Native American. They were all amazing, but the ones I found most inspirational were antique quilts she’d bought, including this one from the mid-1800’s. I’ve made this block, but never with Civil War prints, or reversed color values. Can't wait to start!

Turnstyle

 

I used to have a recipe for a quiche that called for skinny Japanese eggplant. It was delightful, but so complicated I only made it once. I make a mean ratatouille, and once in a blue moon I try my hand at eggplant parmesan. But this is the easiest and possibly the tastiest eggplant recipe I’ve made so far. You take just about any variety of eggplant – globe, Italian, Asian, whatever – and cut it up into one-inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the cubes with a splash of olive oil, coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the eggplant on top. Roast in the oven at 450F for half an hour, until they’re golden-brown and tender. You can eat them as is, or seal and store them in the fridge a few days. Roasted eggplant is a delicious and nutritious addition to salads or savory bowls. 

Eight Friendship Stars

 

Today is Constitution Day. The Continental Congress of the United States of America was tasked by representatives of the 13 colonies with coming up with a constitution for our newly formed country. The group’s final meeting was on September 17, 1787. The meeting’s purpose was to sign the Constitution of the United States of America, a document they’d painstakingly labored to create and perfect. Eventually, they realized more laws and a set of declared rights were also needed. Subsequently, the Bill of Rights and the first ten Amendments were adopted December 15, 1791. After the meeting, there was still much to do. Individual states then had to meet and vote on it. The U.S. Constitution did not go into effect until two years later on March 4, 1789. The Constitution is what makes our country what it is. It’s why our President, members of Congress, federal officials, and new citizens all take an oath to support and defend it.

Butterfly

 

The lyrics to the 1958 song go, “Splish splash I was taking a bath.” It was Bobby Darrin’s first big hit. You probably know all the words, and there’s a chance you’ll have the tune stuck in your head the rest of the day. But I’ll bet you’ve never asked yourself, “Why splish-splash? Why not splash-splish?” There’s actually a rule governing these things. It’s not one you were taught in school, but you KNOW it. If the vowel order reverses, it just sounds WRONG. We say, “criss-cross” and never “cross-criss.” Someone making sharp turns is “zig-zagging,” never “zag-zigging.” Clocks don’t go, “tock-tick.” We don’t complain about “raff-riff,” and Mary Poppins never says “spot-spit.” If you can’t make up your mind, you might be called “wishy-washy,” but never “washy-wishy.” Or you may “flip-flop,” but not “flop-flip.” The phenomenon is called ablaut reduplication, and it isn’t strictly an English thing. Evidently the Japanese, Chinese and Turks do this, too.

Orange Pinwheel

 

My best advice for young adults: learn to cook five inexpensive, easy meals that you like. Yours will be different, but here are mine:

Mac & cheese. No blue box: macaroni, milk, butter, flour, cheese. It doesn’t have to be cheddar. What a yummy way to use up odd bits of cheese!

Fried rice. Here’s a fun way to 86 leftover rice and veg. Toss in scrambled eggs, bacon or ham if you have them. If not, it’s still a delicious, filling meal.

Jacket potatoes. Poke and bake at 400F one hour. Add butter and salt and you’re set. If you have cheese, sour cream, tuna and sweet corn, chili, leftover meat and veg, even better.

Buttered noodles. Any pasta will do. Toss with butter or olive oil, minced garlic, and pepper flakes. Add a little pasta water, too.

Creamed eggs on toast. Just chopped hard-boiled egg, toast points and white sauce: the ultimate comfort food.

Six Friendship Stars

 

“Feeling we don’t belong, struggling with doubts, or being limited by traditions are just a few of the reasons we don’t immediately answer the call to come home. But life’s deeper questions do not go away. As President Nelson taught, ‘The truth is it is much more exhausting to seek happiness where you can never find it!’ President Oaks declared the journey home starts by reanchoring on the Savior. Only Jesus Christ can fully restore that light and joy into your life. We all struggle. We need patience, service, and love from others. To those who are trying to help those they love, hold on to the truth. Keep your covenants. Helping others requires you to stay in your covenants. To those who are struggling to come home, know it is your Savior calling you back. In the end, everyone must make their own choices to come home.” – Elder Clark G. Gilbert

In Session

 

Early Wednesday morning, August 26, there was a glacial collapse that caused a catastrophic flood along the Trishuli River in the border area between Nepal and Tibet. Rajendra Dawadi, the principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, Nepal, was teaching a class when a colleague rushed in to tell him the news. At 9:10 a.m., only the older students (ages 11 through 18) were in the school. But the younger ones would soon be there. Rajendra knew he had to act fast. He rang the school bell and told everyone to evacuate the area for higher ground. He called the bus drivers who were still on their way to tell them to turn around and avoid the danger zone. Roughly ten minutes later, a wall of mud, rocks and debris destroyed the entire area. Rajendra’s quick thinking saved over 900 people: every student and all but two of the faculty and staff.

2026 Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge

 

We hit the state fair on opening day yesterday. We should have bought tickets online first, because the ticket booth line was easily an hour long. We checked out the quilts in the Pioneer Building. I was surprised (but really pleased) to see mine wearing a blue ribbon. I guess I’ll find out what the ribbon’s for after the fair closes. We visited the dairy cows and goats, and admired the 4H displays and the butter cow. The rides and games were still setting up, but there was lots of fair food. We had curry mac & cheese with brisket burnt ends, chicken fried rice, and crab cake corn dogs with seviche. It was over $60 for three rather small servings, but the food was good and absolutely unique. We hit a pineapple Dole whip food truck on the way out. That wasn’t exactly fair food, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Double Sawtooth Star

 

Ron Swanson is a fictional character from Parks and Rec. He’s based on a real person: a Libertarian government official working in Burbank, California. As Libertarians believe government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of citizens and the free market, he’s a bit of an oxymoron. This is just part of what makes him so funny. Here are a few of my favorite Ron Swanson quotes:

"The less I know about other people's affairs, the happier I am. I’m not interested in caring about people."

“There’s only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk. Which is water that’s lying about being milk.”

“You choose a thankless job. You can’t be upset when nobody thanks you.”

“Fishing relaxes me. It’s like yoga, except I still get to kill something.”

“When people get too chummy with me, I like to call them by the wrong name to let them know I don’t really care about them.”

Four Friendship Stars

 

The first time Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning, he was a Virginia park ranger. The bolt burned along his right leg and blew a hole in his shoe. The second time, he was driving his truck. His eyebrows and lashes burned off, and his hair caught fire. The third time, Roy’s right shoulder was scorched in his front yard. The fourth strike happened when he was inside a ranger’s station. His hair caught fire again, and he had trouble putting the flames out. Afterwards, Roy carried water, just in case. It came in handy when he had to extinguish his hair again a year later. The sixth lightning strike happened as Roy tried to run from an oncoming storm. The seventh time, Roy was fishing. Lightning burned his head, chest and abdomen. A bear approached to steal Roy’s catch, and Roy beat him off with a stick. While his hair was on fire.

Double Churn Dash

 

Isabella Lucy Bird was a clergyman’s daughter, born in North Yorkshire in 1831. From early childhood, she suffered from a painful spinal condition, fatigue, insomnia, and depression. She was frequently bedridden. When her doctor suggested a sea voyage, her father handed her £100 and said to stay away until the money ran out. The letters she wrote as she traveled became her first book: An Englishwoman in America. Isabella visited Australia, Hawaii, the Rockies, Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaya. Having decided her initial ventures were pointless, Isabella studied medicine and photography. As a missionary, she traveled to Tibet, Iran Kurdistan and Turkey. In Kashmir, she helped to build a hospital and dispensary. Wherever she went, she wrote about what she saw and heard and did. Her photos and stories captured a world that was quickly vanishing. When Isabella died in Edinburgh at the age of 72, she was planning another trip to China.

Fifteen X Blocks

 

“We anticipate our marriage with faith and confidence because we conscientiously prepare for the covenants we make in the house of the Lord. But even with our preparation, we of course each have weaknesses, and we realize that our lives will require more unselfishness, more repentance, and more forgiveness. Kathy and I had engraved on the paper napkins for our wedding reception these words of William Shakespeare: ‘Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds.’ In those first months as she got to know me better, I kept the leftover napkins all around our apartment. While embracing the happiness and sorrows of life’s experiences, we etch our covenants indelibly upon our souls, and we keep our eyes focused heavenward, toward the glorious destination awaiting us. We know the divine attributes we seek will not all be perfected in this life. Eternal marriage is an eternal journey.” – Elder Neil L. Andersen

Modified Friendship Star

 

Last week we were invited to a neighborhood pot luck picnic. We usually bring something fussy in a glass dish. Then we have to talk people into trying it, and we have to carry that heavy, fragile dish home again. Not this time. Instead, I bought a disposable deep aluminum lasagna pan. Into the pan went two bags of hearts of romaine lettuce. On top, I placed chopped dry salami, chopped English cucumber, bite-size provolone, small peperoni, diced red bell pepper, marinated mozzarella balls, sliced pepperoncini, and sliced red onion. John said it looked like a charcuterie board over lettuce, and it did. I covered the pan with foil and brought a 16-ounce (plastic) jar of Italian dressing to mix in when we arrived. There were zero leftovers. In fact, the salad disappeared before dinner was half over. If we’d brought disposable utensils, we could have walked home empty-handed.

Floating Star

 

Violet Constance Jessop was a stewardess in 1911 aboard the RMS Olympic: the largest civilian liner at the time. In September that year, the Olympic left Southampton and collided with the British warship HMS Hawke. The Olympic was damaged, but managed to return to port. Violet continued to work on the Olympic until April 1912 when she was transferred to her sister ship. RMS Titanic left Southampton April 10 and struck an iceberg four days later. Violet was ordered up on deck to serve as an example for passengers who didn’t understand English. She watched the ship sink from lifeboat 16. During the first world war, Violet became a nurse for the Volunteer Aid Detachment. November 1916, she was aboard the third sister ship, HMHS Britannic, when it struck a German mine and sank in 55 minutes. She narrowly escaped death when the ship’s propellers shredded her lifeboat. Violet was 83 when she died in 1971.

Sew Very Spooky!

 

I’ve participated in the Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge every year since 2007. For the first decade or so, the fabric chosen for the competition was mostly novelty prints: bonbons, strawberries, musical notes, seagulls and cartoon farm animals. Then there were several years that left more to our imaginations: a red paisley, orange chevrons, a grey plaid, teal polka-dots, tiny green leaves, and 1930’s florals. This year’s challenge is an about-face. The theme is “Spooky Hollow” and the focus fabric is covered with skulls and autumn leaves, brooms and pointed hats, crows and owls. It’s been fun to work on a Halloween-themed wall hanging, but I’m worried all this year’s challenge quilts will come out looking more or less the same. I’ve done what I could to make mine stand out. I’ve added deep purple, which isn’t in the challenge fabric. And I don’t think many quilters could top my paper-pieced moon. Wish me luck!

Dragon's Head

In 1906, the Santa Fe Railway – a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe – purchased a 9,000-acre plot in southern California. Their plan was to use the land to grow their own railroad ties. Their tree of choice was Eucalyptus globulus, for a few reasons. Eucalyptus can grow up to 480 feet; even taller than the redwoods. It grows extremely fast, up to 125 feet in as little as three years. And, though eucalyptus can’t handle chilly temperatures, it’s extremely drought tolerant, only needing regular watering the first year or two. So, the railway planted 3.5 million eucalyptus trees over the next eight years. Then they learned those tall, beautiful, aromatic trees made terrible railroad ties. The young wood was far too soft. They ditched the plan and created a Spanish Colonial Revival village instead. Most of the 3.5 million trees are still there. The failed railroad ties have become a fragrant urban forest.

Chinese Hat

 

Does everyone have a story about that awesome sandwich they had on vacation and can’t stop thinking about? Mine’s a holiday turkey sandwich. We were at Disneyland in early autumn with most of the grandkids and their parents. We’d grabbed a light meal at Earl of Sandwich at the east end of Downtown Disney, and ate under the trees near the esplanade. The dish in question was essentially a handheld Thanksgiving dinner: lots of sliced turkey breast, cornbread stuffing, and whole cranberry sauce on a toasted ciabatta bun. There may have been a bit of gravy and mayo in there. There couldn’t have been much of either, because this sandwich didn’t require a knife and fork. I could always head to the nearest Earl of Sandwich and pick up another. In Las Vegas. If I’m going that far, why not push on to Anaheim? Or I could just hit the grocery store for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and bread.

One Dozen X Blocks

 

“Jesus thinks and acts out of pure love; He yearns to bless and lift others; He delights to do the will of God. With faith in Christ, we can pray the Holy Spirit will effect a mighty change in us to instill these same divine motivations in our heart. We can become the people God needs us to be. Adopting the character of Christ is not only a question of our personal preparation but a primary element of preparing the world for the Lord’s return and His glorious millennial reign. We tend to underestimate the influence of Christlike individuals in the world, but working one by one has always been Jesus’ approach to changing society and establishing His kingdom. The aggregation of individual choices over time forms and changes societies for good or ill. No one of us alone can change the world, but each of us can have an influence in the world.” – President D. Todd Christofferson

Four Pineapples

 

Not everything you know is wrong, but lots of it is:

If you’ve been told humans only use 10% of their brains, relax. Our brains are usually lots more active, even while we sleep.

Goldfish don’t have a three-second memory. They can remember tasks, cues and locations for days and weeks; even up to a year.

Vitamin A deficiency can diminish eyesight, and carrots contain vitamin A. That’s not the same as saying, “Eating carrots improves your sight.”

Blood in your veins may look bluish through your skin, but it isn’t really blue. Even deoxygenated blood is red as it returns to your lungs – a darker red, but still red.

Porcupines only shoot quills in cartoons. But the quills are barbed and detach easily. And a frightened porcupine will swing its tail.

Peeing on a jellyfish sting won’t make it hurt less. Instead, rinse the sting with ammonia or seawater. Better yet, seek medical help.

Half a Dozen Bird Houses

 

I have a confession: I despise Shel Silverstein’s book, The Giving Tree. I know parents have been reading this to their children since I was five. I know generations of kids have grown up loving it. Not me. The book is about a tree who loves a boy. She gives him apples to munch, branches to swing on, and shade to rest in. The book says the boy loves the tree, but he seems to only love what she can give him. Eventually, the boy chops down the tree for lumber, and she is nothing but a sad, lonely stump. It seems to me if the boy REALLY loved the tree, he would have nurtured and protected her. His children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren could have enjoyed the tree for many years. This isn’t a cozy bedtime story. It’s a warning about dysfunctional, toxic relationships. And it should be called “The Taking Boy.”

Forty-Nine Butterflies

 

The first Tyrannosaurus Rex (the name means tyrant lizard king) skeleton was discovered in 1902 in Montana (There were T. Rex teeth and bone fragments unearthed long before this, but they were misidentified.) From time to time, smaller skeletons that LOOKED like T. Rex would pop up, and they were usually classified as juvenile T. Rex specimens. Eventually, though, paleontologists studying the growth rings in the ancient bones realized the smaller dinosaurs were fully developed at half the length and a tenth the body mass of the T. Rex. It had bigger forearms, a narrower mouth and a LOT more teeth. They’re calling this “new” dinosaur (the phrase always makes me giggle) Nanotyrannus Lancensis. The prefix nano- means “one billionth.” It’s a catchy moniker, but not very helpful, if the purpose is to show these weren’t just little T. Rexes. This may be further proof that scientists shouldn't always be trusted with naming things.   

Three Pineapples

 

Jesse Delos Jewkes was born in Orangeville, Utah in 1895. He used the money from his first job – delivering milk – to buy a violin. When he served a South African mission in 1915, the violin came with him. World War I travel restrictions sent him back to Salt Lake, where he worked as a music salesman and then as a deputy in the State Auditor’s office. He sang with the Tabernacle Choir as a basso profundo soloist. Delos’ distinctive deep voice led to roles in opera, theatre, vaudeville, radio, records, movies and television. He was the voice of God in The Ten Commandments (1956). He was in four episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, where he loaned his voice to a lip-synching Barney Fife during a choir performance. Delos played a member of the old home guard in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. He’s the fellow with round glasses and a helmet strap across his chin. 

Forty-Nine Pine Trees

 

When Henry VIII died in 1547, clerks catalogued his belongings. There were jewels, furs, tapestries, and the contents of fifty-five houses, castles, palaces and hunting lodges. And there were musical instruments. Henry owned at least 76 recorders. They were hand carved from ivory and boxwood, stored in velvet-lined cases. Some were tipped with silver. They came in all sizes from the tiny sopranino to the massive great bass. The instruments were there in part to be played FOR the king, and in part to be played BY the king, as he was an accomplished musician. Beyond the recorders, he owned at least forty flutes, along with crumhorns, cornetts and shawms. There was a set of ivory/purple velvet bagpipes, dozens of viols and lutes, and several keyboard instruments. Most were kept at Westminster in the care of Flemish composer Philip van Wilder, “Keeper of the King’s Instruments.” Because someone had to keep everything dusted.

Nine X Blocks

 

“Elder Holland and I had the privilege of escorting various groups of people—including Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Rabbi leaders, as well as secular Jewish leaders—through open-house tours in temples here in Utah. At the baptismal font, I had the opportunity to explain the doctrine of baptism for our deceased ancestors. This relates directly to Malachi’s promises of turning the hearts of children to their deceased fathers. I read to them from 1 Kings 7:25, where Solomon’s temple is described. The baptismal font sits on top of the hinder parts of twelve oxen representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This brought both recognition and tears to some. They realized they were essentially looking at certain aspects of Solomon’s temple, which has sacred significance to both Jews and Muslims. A few years later, Jewish leaders requested we celebrate the 175th anniversary of Orson Hyde’s historic dedication of the Holy Land in Jerusalem.” – Elder Quentin L. Cook

Two Pineapples

 

David Hahn was born October 30, 1979 in Royal Oak, Michigan. His parents divorce when he was nine. David stayed with his dad, who remarried. He developed an interest in chemistry, fireworks and model rocketry. His family encouraged him to join the Boy Scouts, and David became obsessed with achieving a merit badge in atomic energy. He read everything about it he could get his hands on. He began collecting smoke detectors (they contain americium), lantern mantles (for thorium), and old glow-in-the-dark clock hands and dials (radium). He used it to create a reactor in a potting shed in the backyard. When David was 17, a routine traffic stop put an end to his fun. Police found suspicious material in his car and traced it to his backyard. The EPA showed up in hazmat suits. The shed was dismantled and buried as nuclear waste. David never did earn that merit badge.

Five Bird Houses

 

When he was thirteen, Gabriel García Márquez walked up to the prettiest girl on the dance floor and said, “I just realized all my poems are about you. Marry me.” Most girls would have laughed and walked away, but Mercedes said, “Alright. But I have to finish school first.” They married thirteen years later. Gabriel’s dream was to write an epic novel. He shut himself in a room and wrote while Mercedes dealt with the real world. After 18 months, Gabriel’s enormous manuscript was ready to ship to a publisher. The only problem: there was no money for postage. Mercedes pawned the last two things she owned – a hairdryer and a blender – and the rest is history. That manuscript became One Hundred Years of Solitude; one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. After it came Love in the Time of Cholera, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold. And a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Four Dozen Butterflies

 

Insulting people is a dying art:

“He had delusions of adequacy.” – Walter Kerr

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” – Winston Churchill

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” – Oscar Wilde

“I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here.” – Stephen Bishop

“He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” – John Bright

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” – Irvin S. Cobb

“He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” – Forrest Tucker

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” – Mae West

“He has Van Gogh’s ear for music.” – Billy Wilder

“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” – Abraham Lincoln

“There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure.” – Jack E. Leonard

Pineapple

 

We had these Sunday, with cheese burgers. Honestly, they’d be a great accompaniment with any grilled meat.

 

Marinated White Beans

 

2 (15-ounce cans) white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I chose fresh basil.)

2 roasted red peppers, finely diced

1/3 cup finely diced shallot (Out of shallots; substituted red onion.)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

 

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours; preferably overnight. Will stay fresh in the fridge 3 or 4 days.

Four Dozen Pine Trees

 

More thoughts about a 13-month year: If each month had only 28 days, some holidays wouldn’t fall on the same days they do now. New Year’s Eve, for instance would happen on the 28th of the month – either December or March, depending on which came at the end of the year. Thanksgiving would always be Thursday, November 25. Valentines Day would always be a Sunday, like Mother’s and Father’s Days. I’ve read the Kodak company used a 13-month calendar from 1924 to 1989. Their extra month was called Sol, and it came between June and July. Leap day, when it happened, was December 29, and it was an extra weekend day. For years, George Eastman (Kodak’s founder) tried to promote worldwide acceptance but was unsuccessful. I’m not awfully surprised. We’ve been trying for ages to do away with Daylight Saving Time; something absolutely EVERYONE hates. Yet here we are, still adjusting all our clocks twice a year.

Four X Blocks

 

“Each Sabbath we invite all to come worship Jesus Christ in the community of His restored Church. In the sacramental ordinance, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. He promises we can always have His Spirit to be with us. As we witness and remember Jesus each week, we abide and walk with Him. Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus ask Jesus to abide with them, Jesus Christ promises to abide with us. In the Gospel of John, chapters 14 and 15, Jesus teaches His disciples and us how He can remain, belong, walk with us. His faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death. When we have a question, problem, or joy, Jesus Christ says, ‘I am your answer—your way, your truth, your life.’” – Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Four Bird Houses

 

Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax was an inventor and musician from Belgium. Adolphe was the eldest of eleven children, only three of whom survived to age 13. He studied flute, clarinet, harmony and solfège at the Royal School of Music in Brussels, but he abandoned a career in performance to create musical instruments in his father’s workshop. Adolphe made changes in the design of the bass clarinet that are still in use. His most famous invention is the saxophone, which combines elements of both woodwind and brass instruments. Adolphe designed a massive family of saxophones in 14 distinct sizes, from the tiny sopranino to the massive contrabass. Only four sizes are commonly used today: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. The saxophone may be made of brass, but it’s classified as a woodwind instrument because it generates sound with a reed. Adolphe also invented the saxotromba, saxhorn and saxtuba, but somehow, none of them caught on. 

Twenty-Five Leap Frogs

 

Every year should have thirteen months. With thirteen months instead of twelve, every month would have exactly four weeks instead of 4.257. We could stop memorizing “Thirty days has September, April, June, and November, All the rest have thirty-one, Save February at twenty-eight, But leap year, coming once in four, February then has one day more.” Months would start on Monday and end on Sunday. Friday the 13th would disappear. I propose our 13-month year should start April first, the way it did until 1582. We’d still need an occasional leap day. It could happen at the end of March, and be an extra weekend day. The thirteenth month could fall between August and September, so September, October, November and December would go back to being the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months, as their names imply. The new month could have the Latin name for 6th month: Sextilis. Or, we could name it for some Roman god.

Five Gold Stars

 

Samuel Augustus Maverick was born in South Carolina in 1803. Because he was christened with his father’s name, his family called him “Gus.” At Yale University, he was known as “Sam.” Sam dabbled in law and in politics. He owned a gold mine and a plantation, then he bought a lot of land in and around San Antonio, Texas. Sam was involved in the siege of the Alamo, and he was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Sam served in the legislature, as Bexar County Chief Justice, and Mayor of San Antonio. He refused to brand his cattle. He said he didn’t want to inflict pain on the animals, but his neighbors believed he just wanted to collect and claim any unbranded cattle as his own. Because of Sam, the word Maverick – meaning a person with a stubborn streak of independence, and also any wild, unbranded range animal – became a part of the English language. 

Three Bird Houses

 

In 1971, the Robertson family spent their entire life savings on a 50-year-old schooner – the Lucette – to sail the world. There were six of them: mom and dad (Lynn and Dougal), their 18-year-old daughter (Anne), 16-year-old son (Douglas) and a pair of nine-year-old twins (Neil and Sandy). Anne ended her trip in the Bahamas. In Panama, they picked up a 22-year-old student on his way to the Pacific. June 15, 1972, three orcas rammed the Lucette and it sank, leaving six people adrift in a small dinghy and an inflatable life raft. Anne’s sewing kit kept the crumbling life raft together 16 days until it couldn’t anymore. Then all six were crammed into the 10’ dinghy. The castaways survived on rain water, sea turtles, dorado and flying fish. The 38th day after the Lucette sank, the Robertsons were rescued by a Japanese fishing trawler. Their dinghy is on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall.

Twenty-Five Kitty Cats

 

Marion Clifton Davis was raised in a trailer on a dirt road. Starting at sixteen, he hustled pool and poker to pay for degrees in political science and law. He invested in land and mineral rights, and earned millions. One day on a whim, “M.C.” attended a presentation on Florida’s black bear. “I hate to confess this,” he said. “I didn't know Florida even had black bears.” M.C. started buying land in Florida’s pan handle: 50,000+ acres he named “Nocuse,” Muscogee for black bear. He planted eight million long-leaf pine seedlings on what he called a 300-year project. When lung cancer took his life, he was fifteen years into it. M.C.’s trees are centuries from maturity, but Nocuse Preserve is already home to several black bears. When gopher tortoises are found on nearby construction sites, they’re relocated here. Every year thousands of students learn about Florida’s wildlife at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center M.C. Davis built.

X Marks the Spot

 

“When Mary and other faithful women approached the Garden Tomb to care for the body of their Lord, they found two angels, who announced, ‘He is not here, but is risen.’ Those glorious words, ‘He is risen,’ have sparked religious ceremony, gratitude, faith in Jesus Christ and His promises for centuries. President Dallin H. Oaks has testified: ‘The resurrection is a pillar of our faith. It adds meaning to our doctrine, motivation to our behavior, and hope for our future.’ Jesus Christ is more than a mortal first laid in a manger, more than a friend, teacher, rabbi, minister, or prophet. He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father. And by divine design, His Resurrection by His own godly power reunited His body and His spirit. What a majestic and monumental event in Father in Heaven’s eternal plan.” - Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Two Bird Houses

 

In June 2021, boat captain/scuba diver Jennifer Dowker, owner of Nautical North Family Adventures, was cleaning the windows of her glass-bottom boat in Michigan's Cheboygan River. As she worked, she spotted a small, green bottle on the riverbed. “I collect little bottles when I’m diving,” she says. “I have a double-bladed axe head I found last time I washed the windows.” Upon surfacing, Jennifer and her first mate, Rob Hemmer, carefully extracted a waterlogged note dated November 1926. It read: "Will the person who finds this bottle return this paper to George Morrow, Cheboygan, Michigan, and tell where it was found?” Jennifer took photos of her find and posted them on Facebook. Her post quickly received 113k shares, 70k likes and 6,000 comments. Better still, the post helped her find the daughter of the man who wrote the note. George died in 1995, but his daughter, 74-year-old Michele Primeau, was thrilled to recognize her dad’s handwriting.  

Two Dozen Leap Frogs

 

An English town replaced miles of frequently mown roadside grass with wildflowers, and the result was cheaper, more colorful and far better for wildlife. Rotherham Council (South Yorkshire) created an eight-mile “River of Flowers” along roadsides and traffic circles across the town. Instead of repeatedly cutting ordinary grass, the council planted large areas with wildflower mixes designed to provide nectar, seeds and shelter for insects and birds. The change reduced the amount of mowing and maintenance required, saving the council around £23,000 (roughly $30,700) every two years. It also transformed ordinary roadsides into long corridors of blooming color to support bees, butterflies and other pollinators. The project demonstrated helping nature doesn’t always require huge new parks or expensive technology. Sometimes it can be as simple as mowing less and allowing life to return. Eight miles of wildflowers, lower maintenance costs and healthier habitats, all created from land that was previously just cut grass.

Four Gold Stars

 

I don’t serve on a community theatre board, but I have THOUGHTS. In my opinion, if your stage is a postage stamp, you shouldn’t produce musicals with a huge cast. It limits what the choreographer, costumer, and set designer can do. Tiny stages should run You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, She Loves Me, and Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder; not Fiddler or Les Miz. If your audience wants family fare, stage Disney or Rogers & Hammerstein. Avoid Hamilton, Hair, Cabaret and Rent. If your audition pool is 99.9% white, forget West Side Story, Hairspray, The Wiz, and Carmen Jones. As much as I’d love to see (and help stage) The King and I and Flower Drum Song, I’d hate to watch a British/Scandinavian/German cast trying to look Chinese or Thai. And if your venue and budget don’t have room for a live orchestra, skip musicals altogether. Do Christmas Carol, Our Town, or anything Agatha Christie.

Birdhouse

 

Charles Cunningham Boycott was born in England in 1832. He was discharged from a military academy after failing exams. His family bought him a commission in the 39th Foot Regiment, but his military career was unremarkable. Charles became a land agent for Lord Erne. Essentially, he was to manage a 629-acre farm in Ireland and collect rent from tenant farmers. In 1880, after a particularly bad harvest, Charles evicted eleven tenants behind on their rent. The community objected. The process server, escorted by 17 policemen, was pelted with manure as he tried to deliver eviction notices. The locals treated Charles as if he had leprosy. His household staff, farm laborers, and stable hands refused to work for him. The shopkeepers in town stopped doing business with him. He even stopped receiving mail. Charles and his family fled to America and changed their name to Cunningham, because “Boycott” had come to mean shun, spurn, and snub.

Twenty-Four Kitty Cats

 

Ignacio Anaya was born in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1895. He worked as a maître d'hotel during the 40’s at the Victory Club, a restaurant near the Mexican/U.S. border. The Club was a popular spot with servicemen, because of its proximity to a U.S. Army base. One day in 1943, a hungry group of Army wives walked in, and the chef was A.W.O.L. Ignacio seated the women and said, “Let me fix something up for you.” He went into the kitchen, picked up tostadas, grated some Wisconsin cheese on top, and put them under the broiler. Once the cheese was golden-brown, he topped his creation with sliced jalapeño. The wives loved the crispy, cheesy dish. They returned often to request “Ignacio’s Special.” In no time at all, the simple recipe showed up in cookbooks and other restaurants, often with additions like meat or beans. Ignacio never patented his creation, but to this day it bears his nickname, “Nachos.”

Striped Heart

 

“Jesus Christ has infinite capacity to forgive, promising that ‘as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.’ Because of Jesus Christ, sins for which we have sincerely repented leave no spiritual scar, track, or trace. There is no scarlet letter to wear, now or in the eternities. When we repent with real intent, the entirety of our sin, not just a part, is figuratively nailed to the cross and we no longer bear its spiritual consequences. After we have repented, we owe no more to justice because Jesus has paid the debt; He pardons us from deserved punishment. We are forgiven, our hearts and hands are made clean, and the Lord remembers our sins no more. The Lord our God is mighty; he will save, and he will rejoice over us.” – Elder Dale G. Renlund

Eighteen Leap Frogs

 

Wikipedia calls Centralia, Pennsylvania a “near ghost town,” because it has four residents. In the 1950’s, there were nearly 2,000 people living there. In May, 1962, the borough council hired volunteer firemen to “clear” the town landfill, meaning they were to burn the trash, then put the fire out. The area had been an old strip mine, above a warren of coal mine shafts dating from the 1860’s. There should have been a layer of fireproof clay between the trash and the mines, but someone dropped that ball. In 1979, a service station owner noticed his gas was very hot. A thermometer lowered in the underground tank read 172 degrees. A 12-year-old boy nearly died when a 150-foot sinkhole opened in his grandma’s back yard. Carbon monoxide spewed from the ground. In 1983, Congress allocated $42 million to relocate residents and demolish homes and businesses. It’s estimated the underground fire will continue burning another 200 years.

Green Bat

 

They started showing up the day after July 4th, and now there are displays of Halloween-themed merchandise absolutely everywhere. Halloween is exactly two months away. While there are plenty of minor holidays between now and then, none of them seem to drive consumers to whip out their pocketbooks like the spooky end of October. So, store windows that held red-white-and-blue everything just a few weeks ago are now full of orange, black, purple, and slime green. There’s even a name for this odd phenomenon. It’s called “Summerween.” I think the Disney program “Gravity Falls” coined the term back in 2012. In the show, Summerween fell on June 22nd, and I’m sure die-hard fans still observe that date. But it might be more rewarding to celebrate sometime in August. It’s a great excuse for dragging out your 20-foot skeleton several weeks early. Pumpkins aren’t available just yet, but you could try your hand at carving Jack-o-melons. 

Gold Star

 

You know Murphy’s Law. Do you know these?

Parkinson’s Law: “A task always expands to fill the allotted time.”

Hofstadter’s Law: “Everything takes longer than expected, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."

Hanlon’s Razor: “Don’t attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity.”

The Pareto Principle: “Roughly 80% of outcomes result from 20% of causes.”

The Peter Principle: “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.”

Hick’s Law: “The time it takes to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of choices available.”

Goodhart’s Law: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”

The Dunning-Krueger Effect: “People with low ability overestimate their competence, while highly skilled individuals underestimate theirs.”

Occam’s Razor: “Of two competing theories, the simpler explanation is to be preferred.”

Chesterton’s Fence: “Look before you leap; understand before you take action.”

Brook’s Law: “Adding manpower to a late project makes it later.”

Corn and Tomatoes

 

Jeffrey “Roofman” Manchester was born in Sacramento in 1971. After high school, he served in the Army, where he learned weapons handling, rappelling, and several other skills he would use later as a career criminal. Before embarking on his crime spree, Jeffrey was a McDonald’s worker. In November, 1998, he began robbing businesses – most of them McDonald’s locations. He’d start by meticulously casing the joint. Then, late at night or early in the morning, he’d climb to the roof, drill or saw a hole, and enter the building. He’d wait until employees showed up, then hold them at gunpoint and lock them in the freezer while he emptied the cash registers. Jeffrey used this method for up to 60 robberies across the country. He was caught and incarcerated, but escaped prison by hiding in a truck undercarriage. For several months he evaded capture by living in a Toys “R” Us, eating candy and baby food off the shelves.

Twenty Kitty Cats

 

Darius Salem Clement, my third great-grandfather, was eight years old when his father died in New York. His mother took her young children to Nauvoo, and when the Saints abandoned their “City Beautiful,” she followed. She died along with her oldest son and daughter at Winter Quarters, leaving Darius to walk the rest of the way to Zion with his younger brother and sister. I think of them whenever I hear the song, "Pioneer Children." They arrived in the Salt Lake valley in 1848, when Darius was just 14 years old. Darius worked at the Archibald Gardner Mill with his uncle Warren Foote. (Yes, this is the same mill that today houses Archibald’s Restaurant in Gardner Village.) Later, when Warren built his own mill between the Big and Little Cottonwood creeks, Darius worked with him there, too. His grandchildren spoke of him as a quiet man who loved tending his orchard, his garden and his bees.

Four Tomatoes

 

“As we extend Christlike love to each person we serve, our eyes are opened to their divine potential. We begin to see them as the Lord sees them—mortal souls with the capacity to become exalted beings through the Savior’s restoring power and grace. As we care for each soul, we help connect them to the Savior, inviting them to be healed and transformed through His atoning blood. In return, our own lives are blessed—we become more like the Savior and are filled with great joy. My dear brothers and sisters, as one of His special witnesses, I testify that our Savior, Jesus Christ, loves us more than we can ever imagine. In the words of the hymn, ‘For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’” – Elder Gérald Caussé

Sixteen Leap Frogs

 

George Reynolds, my second great-grandfather, was a nine-year-old boy in England when he met his first Mormon; his grandmother’s maid. He attended the Paddington Branch with her and wanted to be baptized. His family was furious. They sent him to a boarding school in France, but he managed to be baptized at age 14. George was 21 when he was called to serve as George Q. Cannon’s private secretary and emigration clerk of the Liverpool Mission. He made arrangements for thousands of European converts to come to Zion before he was able to make the trip himself. He took a steamer to New York, a train through St. Louis, a river boat to Nebraska City and a stage coach to Denver. The Sioux nation was on the warpath at the time, so George and two companions had to make most of the rest of their journey by mule. They travelled at night, careful not to light any fires, to avoid being seen.

Two Tomatoes

 

My third great grandfather, Henry Weeks Sanderson, was born in Massachusetts in 1829. His parents became converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Nauvoo in 1843. He wrote in his journal about hearing the news of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom less than a year later. Henry was only 17 when the Saints arrived at Council Bluffs, but he was accepted as a member of the Mormon Battalion in Company D. The battalion made a grueling 2,000-mile march from Iowa to San Diego, helping the U.S. secure much of the American Southwest, and opening a southern wagon route to California. Henry never made it all the way to the coast. He rejoined the Saints in the Salt Lake valley with a detachment of sick soldiers from Pueblo, five days after the original band of pioneers arrived. He was not yet 19.