Blind Man's Fancy

The fabric in today’s block came from a little bundle of scraps I won in a drawing. There were four pieces in the bundle: a cheerful green print, red tone-on-tone swirls, an nearly white solid and a royal blue with flecks of white, red and green. I used every crumb of the white and blue on this block, and about half the red. I meant to use a square of the green in the center of the block, but somehow between the ironing board and the cutting table it simply disappeared. There’s a black hole somewhere in my sewing room, and from time to time it swallows the most random things. Occasionally they show up again, days later, in places I'm CERTAIN I searched before. But some things just vanish and are never seen again. This was a fussy, unrewarding block, but I know what my grandma would say: a blind man would be happy to see it.

Girl's Joy

During her 34-year career, African-American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist Annie Easley worked on projects at NASA that led to the hybrid vehicles in use today. In addition she helped to create the software that enabled spaceflight and exploration. Annie earned a degree in mathematics and attended classes full-time at Cleveland State University, all while working full-time at NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). Annie’s male colleagues had their tuition paid for, but she had to come up with the money to pay for her own courses. She was encouraged from her youth by a mother who taught her that nothing was beyond her reach. “You can be anything you want to. It doesn’t matter what you look like, what your size is, what your color is. You can be anything you want to, but you do have to work at it.”

Hen Pecked

“When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace. We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain? Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind.” – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Album

A few thoughts for Roof over Your Head Day: as of the middle of last year roughly 63% of all American adults owned the homes they lived in. That number doesn’t sound too bad until you realize it’s the lowest it's been since 1967 and still dropping. It’s even worse when you compare that number with home ownership in other countries. China, India, Mexico, Lithuania and Romania all have home ownership rates between 80% and 97%. Why is home ownership so important? It has a stabilizing effect, both on the economies of individuals and on those of the communities and countries in which they live. In the past fifteen years, rent prices have grown twice as fast as household income; a trend that is unlikely to reverse in the near future. If you were to buy a home today and live in it until at least 2024, you’d likely save 38% over the cost of renting.

Chain and Bar

My Ten Favorite Dog Movies

Cats and Dogs (2001) I overheard Heather explaining to our cat, “Dogs are good guys. Cats are spies.”

Turner and Hooch (1989) The Odd Couple, if Oscar Madison was a French Mastiff.

Greyfriar’s Bobby (1961) True or not, it’s still a heart-warming tale.

Bolt (2008) I despise both John Travolta and Miley Cyrus, but I love this movie. Must be the hamster.

Marley and Me (2008) An Old Yeller for millennials.

Iron Will (1994) Have a warm blanket on hand to watch this film. Keep it handy for the next one, too.

Eight Below (2006) Do they have Academy Awards for best dog actors? Maybe they should.

Old Yeller (1957) Whether you’re watching for the first or thirtieth time, grab some tissues.

101 Dalmatians (1961) Jasper’s and Horace’s accents were what Mary Poppins’ Bert should have been.

Lady and the Tramp (1955) Any movie that starts and ends with Christmas is fine by me.

Radio Windmill

It was a chilly and damp evening December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. A 42-year-old black seamstress was headed home after a long day of work. She selected a seat near the middle of the bus, just behind section reserved for white passengers. At the next stop, more people got on. When all the seats in the “white” section were filled, the driver ordered the black passengers in the middle row to stand so a white man could sit. Rosa Parks quietly refused. Her arrest sparked a boycott of Montgomery public buses that lasted nearly a year. 58 years later, when a statue in her honor was erected in this nation’s capital, President Obama said, “Rosa Parks tells us there’s always something we can do. She tells us that we all have responsibilities, to ourselves and to one another.”