English Wedding Ring

 

Spoiler Alert. If you haven’t seen the sequel to Practical Magic, and these things matter to you, stop reading now. Personally, I don’t believe knowing something about the movie you haven’t yet seen or a book you haven’t yet read spoils the experience, but I’m in the minority. Besides, you’ve had three weeks to catch Practical Magic 2, so how committed are you to being surprised by every little detail? Early in the movie, Sally Owens and her daughter Kylie are in Kylie’s bedroom, and there’s a gorgeous quilt on the bed. There are lovely things ALL OVER their home, but the camera seems to focus on this. The quilt has an old block pattern: English Wedding Ring. It’s foreshadowing that Kylie’s wedding is her story’s happy ending, and she needs a trip to England to make it happen. Somewhere in all those end-credit names is someone as obsessed as I am with traditional quilt blocks.

Fifteen Friendship Stars

 

Like many kids with Down Syndrome, Nine-year-old Brandon “Chomp” Barela was born with a heart defect. 2026 was Chomp’s first year to participate in 4-H. He received a goat which he named “Santa,” to prepare for this year’s livestock auction. In March, Chomp experienced heart failure. He underwent surgery to receive a new valve and pacemaker. A week before the fair, heart failure put him in the hospital again, and he was unable to show Santa. Chomp’s best friend led Santa into the ring on his behalf. Santa sold for more than $41,000. The buyers returned Santa to the Barela family, who will care for him while Chomp waits for a heart transplant. “Sometimes a livestock sale becomes a whole lot more than selling an animal,” said Dave Francis, Utah 4-H director. “These moments remind us 4-H is about so much more than what happens in the show ring.”