Early Halloween Decor

 

When you win a blue ribbon for a state fair challenge quilt, you bring home more than the ribbon. There’s usually an additional prize. Until now, the prize has been a gift certificate – generally under $20 – for one of the many quilt shops in our state. I haven’t mentioned it here; probably because I’ve always spent much more making the quilt that won the prize. But it’s prompted me to visit quilt shops I normally wouldn’t see. For instance, in 2023 my certificate was from Patches Quilt Shop in Panguitch, Utah. By a happy chance, there was “ring of fire” solar eclipse a month after the fair, visible from Panguitch. We rented a lovely home there for the event. On the way, we stopped at Patches and used the certificate to buy a quilty jigsaw puzzle, which we enjoyed together. This year’s prize was a check. More versatile, but maybe a bit less fun.

Simplicity

 

This dish was on the Chick-fil-A menu for more than forty years. It was finally discontinued in 2013. It’s very old school, and I suppose tastes have changed.

 

Carrot-Raisin Salad

 

4 1/2 cups fresh carrots, finely shredded

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

Juice of one small lemon or half a large one

 

Dissolve sugar in pineapple, then gently fold in remaining ingredients. Be sure to use fresh carrots, as it will definitely make a difference in the finished product. The original recipe called for more than twice as much sugar. But, when you consider pineapple, raisins and even carrots are already pretty sweet, a quarter cup seemed more than enough. You may want to eliminate the sugar altogether. Chill salad thoroughly before serving. 

Nine Friendship Stars

 

“Becoming a lifelong disciple of Christ is a process, the sum of multiple small, daily, personal and spiritual events. President Dallin H. Oaks taught: ‘We need to be patient, even with ourselves. Overcoming doubt can be a lengthy process, as with building faith.’ The path of discipleship often resembles climbing a mountain. The shortest path to the top is not always the most appropriate and often not the safest either. Thus, we must choose the firm and safe path, even if it is sometimes the longest and most demanding one. Jesus Christ and His restored gospel constitute that safe path that leads us to the true summit. I testify of the healing, refining, and perfecting power of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He was resurrected on the third day, and that the empty tomb is a symbol of His victory.” - Elder Eduardo F. Ortega

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.