Diamond Twist

One of my dad’s favorite movies was The Mountain with Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. He also loved the 1951 movie The Thing. They're both great films, and I recommend you see them if you get the chance. Just not right now. Save them for a day in August when your AC's on the fritz. Until Mother Nature turns the heat back on, you’re better off spending your time with a movie that won’t leave your teeth chattering. I’m putting all my favorite chilly flicks on hold for a while, including The Day After Tomorrow, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Cool Runnings. Instead I might consider screening (in no particular order): After the Sunset, Tremors, Rear Window, 12 Angry Men, Fools Rush In, American Graffiti, 50 First Dates, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jaws, Castaway, Donovan’s Reef, Lawrence of Arabia, RV, Independence Day, South Pacific, Enchanted April or Fool’s Gold. What are your favorite warm weather movies?

Night Sky

New Year’s Day we packed up the dog and the wheelchair and drove to the one spot in town we were sure would have clean sidewalks and clear parking spaces. All our other favorite walking spots have been covered with ice for weeks now. And people who plow parking lots actually shove the snow INTO the handicapped parking places. Anyway, we decided City Creek Mall - with its retractable roof and underground parking - wouldn’t have either of those problems, so that’s where we headed. On our way up from the parking garage we shared an elevator with a fellow wearing a jacket that said, “Frozen Crew.” We told him we loved the Disney movie, and joked that we should ask for his autograph. He smiled and said he wasn’t important. Then his mom crowed: “But his NAME is in the credits!” Moms are the same wherever you go.

Patchwork Winter

I’ve had symptoms of Raynaud’s since high school, but wasn’t diagnosed until a decade ago. I’m told it can be caused by several things, including thyroid disorders, lupus, smoking, carpal tunnel and rheumatoid arthritis. In my case it was RA. What happens is when I get cold or stressed my fingers and toes go into vasospasm; tiny little blood vessels shut down. If I’m paying attention I’ll see my skin go blue or I’ll feel numb. But usually I don’t notice until later when the blood flow returns and it starts to hurt. A day or two later ulcers show up that itch like mad. Wearing wool socks and mittens can help, but they only hold in heat. Once you’re in vasospasm, there isn’t any heat to hold in. I used to take a vasodilator to reduce the severity and frequency of the attacks, but I never liked it. I’d rather explore ways to reduce stress and avoid the cold: like yoga. Or maybe San Diego.

January Barn

I’ve heard President Obama call income inequality a dangerous thing, “the defining challenge of our time.” I wonder how he says stuff like that with a straight face. It's true that today one percent of Americans own a third of America's wealth. The people who believe this is a tragedy think money’s like a pie. There’s only so much of it and if one person gets a big slice the other pieces will be smaller. With a net worth of $72 billion, Bill Gates has a big slice of pie. But he didn’t take it from me. He got it by baking more pies. People like that improve everyone’s lives, not just their own. Even poor people today have access to things our grandparents only dreamed about. 90% of Americans living below “the poverty line" have smart phones, televisions and cars. Compare that with photos of the dust bowl victims of the 30’s, and tell me again how we’re so much worse off now.

Pinwheel Star

I was enjoying Quilting Thursday at the Harrogate chapel a few years ago when a friend popped in and asked for my help. He was indexing names from a Spanish census on a computer across the hall and was stuck on a blurry word. For hundreds of years governments and churches have kept records that are more precious than gold to people searching for their roots. Most of these records are inaccessible in their original form, so volunteers painstakingly convert the handwritten pages to a searchable format. I deciphered the word in question and was instantly hooked. Since then I’ve transcribed more than 15,000 names; names that were hidden in handwritten paper records in distant repositories and are now instantly searchable by computer. I spend a few minutes a day working at my own pace, but I get an enormous sense of satisfaction. Who knows but someone somewhere may be indexing one of the people missing from my family tree right now!

Friendship Stars

Ice and rock-hard snow have made the sidewalks in my neighborhood impassable. Even if we didn’t mind dodging cars in the road, the bitter cold would completely discourage us from any outdoor exercise. Instead we’ve been walking at the mall. The trouble with mall walking is the stores keep tempting us to stop and buy something. The other day my daughter and I fell victim to Mrs. Fields’ Cookies. We bought Heather’s favorite - chocolate chip. As she opened the sack to retrieve her treat a small slip of paper fluttered out. It said, “Thought for the Day: Don’t dwell on the past. Your history can’t be erased, but your future has yet to be written. Make the most of what’s going to happen instead of worrying about what you can’t change. Don’t spend time being sad, because you’re wasting moments in which you could be happy. In the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”