Winged Square

The Savior lovingly acknowledged the widow whose contribution was only two mites because she did what she could. He also told the parable of the good Samaritan, which He concluded saying, ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’ Sometimes reaching out is inconvenient. But when we work together in love and unity, we can expect heaven’s help. At the funeral services for a remarkable daughter of God, someone shared that this sister, as stake Relief Society president, worked with others in her stake to contribute quilts to give warmth to suffering people in Kosovo during the 1990s. And like the good Samaritan, she went out of her way to do more as she and her daughter drove a truck filled with those quilts from London to Kosovo. On her journey home she received an unmistakable spiritual impression that sank deep into her heart. The impression was this: ‘What you have done is a very good thing. Now go home, walk across the street, and serve your neighbor!’ – Linda K. Burton

Four Bear Paws

My blender is keeping tabs on me. It has a digital display on the front that says I’ve used it 205 times since I pulled it out of the box. Some of those were soups; fresh tomato basil, butternut squash or cheddar/broccoli. A few of them were homemade salad dressing or mayonnaise. If you’ve never tasted a sandwich or a salad made with homemade mayo, you’ve never really lived. One or two were crepe batter. But the vast majority was fresh fruit smoothies: orange, banana, mango, strawberry, blueberry, apple or pineapple. With nearly all of them I tossed in a handful of kale, spinach or beet greens. They all tasted delightful, even if they looked like pureed grass. I’m not really sure why the blender is keeping track. Maybe it’s so I’ll see what a good deal it was. So far it’s about a buck fifty per smoothie.

Double Windmill

Know how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? Alligators have pointy, narrow snouts (like a letter A) while crocodiles’ noses are wider and more rounded (like a letter C). When a croc’s mouth is shut, the fourth bottom tooth on either side will stick out, but a gator’s teeth all fit inside his mouth. If you’re in Florida (and not in a zoo) chances are you’re looking at an alligator. Florida is home to millions of gators, and they can be found in every county of that state. Only about a thousand crocs live in Florida, primarily deep in the Everglades. American crocs are usually rather small and people shy. This spring Florida University reported capturing three immigrant Nile crocodiles; the kind that typically grow to 20 feet and think humans taste delicious. On second thought, instead of deciding if it’s a croc or an alligator, you should just give it a wide berth.

Bright Stars

Junk food is ubiquitous. It is literally everywhere; in gas stations, convenience stores and coin machines. Everywhere you go you’ll find Fritos, Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos. Actual food can be a lot more difficult to locate, especially if you live in a food desert. A food desert is an area where grocers and farmer’s markets are rare or nonexistent. Don’t think that’s a problem? Imagine living ten miles from the nearest orange or celery. Now imagine you don’t have a car. Food deserts are one reason we’re seeing a return of Victorian diseases like scurvy and rickets. To fight this trend, med student Jeremy Goss and recent graduates Tej Azad and Colin Dowling have founded the St. Louis MetroMarket, the area's first mobile farmers’ market. They’ve refitted a retired Metro bus like a rolling grocery store. They regularly fill it with fresh locally grown fruit, vegetables, meat, bread and dairy, drive it to the inner city, and voilà! A portable oasis!

Lotus Block

The block pictured below was the 365 Challenge block for May 14; a lotus block in honor of Buddha’s birthday. I almost didn’t make it. A 6-inch block based on an 8x8 grid, it has 36 tiny pieces of fabric, lots of diagonal seams, and a dozen spots where corners must meet with absolute precision. Worse, it’s ungraceful; even if I managed to construct it perfectly I’d probably be unhappy with the finished product. I haven’t skipped a challenge block yet, though this one is the 134th. I’ve changed some of the block sizes to fit different projects, but I HAVE made all the blocks so far. 

I did some research and discovered the original Lotus Block – from 1934 – was drafted on a 7x7 grid. It has 24 pieces and only one Y-seam. The math was a bit of a hurdle, but it was absolutely worth the trouble.