Swiss Star

I love my weekly veg box – I really do. I have access to lovely produce at a store that’s half a mile away. I admire the jackfruit, Buddha’s hands, cherimoya and purple broccoli. Then I grab the same old fruit and veg I always get. My veg box forces me to be a little more adventurous. Last week, along with curly leaf lettuce, beets, mango, cucumber and spinach came six heads of garlic. Six. Heads. What can you do with six big garlic heads? I could only think of one thing. I peeled off all but one layer of the papery skin and sliced the top 1/3 off of each head. I laid the six heads on a single sheet of foil, drizzled them with olive oil and sealed them into a foil packet. The packet sat on high in my slow cooker on high for nearly four hours. Then we opened it and spread roasted garlic on crostini. Yum!

Twenty-five Buckeye Beauties

EIGHT QUOTES TO KEEP YOU MOTIVATED EVERY DAY:

1.   No one is going to push you but yourself.

2.   Always believe something wonderful is about to happen.

3.   Nothing is permanent in this world, including your troubles.

4.   Letting go isn’t easy, but it IS necessary.

5.   Don’t lose hope. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

6.   Life is tough, but my darling, so are YOU.

7.   Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start thinking of what could go right.

8.   Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.

Tanzanian Star

In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith. So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work. As one gifted writer has suggested, when the infinite fulness is poured forth, it is not the oil’s fault if there is some loss because finite vessels can’t quite contain it all. Those finite vessels include you and me, so be patient and kind and forgiving.” – Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Sixteen Buckeye Beauties

“May 26th 2003 Aron Ralston was hiking; a boulder fell on his hand. He waited four days, then amputated his arm with a pocket knife. New Year’s Eve, a woman was bungee jumping in Zimbabwe. The cord broke. She fell into a river and had to swim to land in crocodile-infested waters with a broken collarbone. Claire Champlin was smashed in the face by a five-pound watermelon propelled by a slingshot. Matthew Brobst was hit by a javelin. David Striegl was punched in the mouth – by a kangaroo. The most amazing part about these stories is when asked about the experience they all shrugged and said ‘Things could have been worse.’ So go ahead, tell me you’re having a bad day. Every year two million people die of dehydration. So it doesn’t matter if the glass is half full or half empty, there’s water in the cup. Drink it, and stop complaining.” – Rudy Fancisco

Spin Cycle

Lindsey and Alan McIver had just bought and installed a front-loading washing machine. They hadn’t had a chance to use it yet. Early the next morning they were awakened by their four-year-old son, crying so hard he could barely speak. His three-year-old sister Kloe had climbed into the new washer and he had shut the door and turned it on. Mom and Dad sprinted to the laundry room. “I could see she was inside,” said Alan. “The machine was starting to turn and it was terrifying to see her in there. I pulled on the door, but there’s a lock on it.” He had to find the “cancel” button before the lock would release. “I pulled her out and she was safe. She gave me a great hug.” Kloe was wet and bruised, but things could have been so much worse. The McIvers are sharing their story (and braving the inevitable parent-shaming) to save other curious toddlers.

Nine Buckeye Beauties

Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. There are several excellent ways to celebrate. One – You could stop by you local grocer and pick up a box of pre-made ice cream sandwiches, like Klondike, Fat Boy, Nestle’s, Skinny Cow (my personal favorite), Blue Bunny or even Oreo. Two – You could buy a carton of your favorite ice cream and a box of cookies (Nabisco Chips Ahoy comes to mind) and build sandwiches at home. Three – You could go to a place that specializes in ice cream sandwiches. Cold Stone Creamery has an amazing assortment, but I’ve heard good things about The Baked Bear. Four – You could bake your own cookies and use them to sandwich scoops of home-made ice cream. Here’s where things start to get really interesting. If your fresh-baked cookies are ALMOST cool enough to handle, the resulting sandwich might just be the messiest, most delicious thing you’ve ever tasted.

Kiwi Star

Greg Work and his brother Gene were laying sod outside Greg’s Florida home when Greg suffered a heart attack. The Pasco County fire department came to his rescue. Greg and his wife Melissa were rushed to the hospital. Gene stayed behind to try and lay the remaining sod before the summer heat killed it. He was prepared to work through the night. Before long, though, the fire truck and ambulance came back. Seven firefighters and EMTs jumped out, put on gloves and helped Gene finish the job. “They didn’t know our HOA was going to fine us,” said Melissa. “They didn't know my husband pawned his favorite gun to pay for sod he thought was going to die. They simply saw someone in need and did this for us. They saved Greg’s life, and then cared enough to save our grass!”