Our House

 

"Unity doesn’t magically happen; it takes work. It’s messy, sometimes uncomfortable, and happens gradually when we clear away the bad as fast as the good can grow. We are never alone in our efforts to create unity. Jacob 5 says, 'The servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them.' Each of us is going to have deeply wounding experiences, things that should never happen. Each of us will also, at various times, allow pride and loftiness to corrupt the fruit we bear. But Jesus Christ is our Savior in all things. His power reaches to the very bottom and is reliably there for us when we call on Him. We all beg for mercy for our sins and failures. He freely gives it. And He asks us if we can give that same mercy and understanding to each other." - Sharon Eubank

Thirty-six Picket Fences

 

The first Saturday of November is Book Lovers’ Day. In the interest of full disclosure, August 9 is also Book Lovers’ Day. But when I picture myself enjoying a good read, it’s chilly and dark outside and I’m in a cozy armchair, under a warm quilt or next to a cheerful fire. In August, I’ve so many other interesting things to do. At the moment, I’m about a third of the way through The Tower of Nero, the last installment of Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series. When I’m done with that, I’ll start Champion of the Titan Games, Brandon Mull’s fourth Dragonwatch book. I was rereading Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving, but there was something about this book Heather found offensive. She repeatedly snuck into my room, pulled out my bookmark (!) and hid the book where she thought I couldn’t find it. Eventually I hid it from her, and I haven’t seen it since.

Friendship Block

 

I was cleaning out our little garden the other day when it hit me: we had no slugs or snails this year. We planted carrots and radishes, beets and turnips, strawberries, peppers, onions, tomatoes, Swiss chard and Japanese eggplant. And no one munched on our produce but us. Was there a mysterious snail blight? For the most part, our root vegetables did very well this year. We also had a bumper crop of berries. Though our youngest granddaughter fed several to the dogs, we still had plenty for cereal, pie, ice cream and even jam. All summer we nurtured four large potted tomato plants, imagining BLTs in the fall. But their output was disappointing; possibly because every pot fell off the deck at least once. We didn’t get a single pepper, though the pepper plants were lovely. Don’t worry – we didn’t starve. Our neighbors’ gardens prospered, and their veggies periodically showed up on our doorstep.

Thirty-six Turning Leaves

 

In my youth I attended Percy I. Bugbee Normal School, which from 1933 to 1975 operated as a training school for student teachers at SUNY Oneonta. The building is still standing where it’s been since the 1890’s. A few faculty members there left big impressions. We had an art teacher who wouldn’t let his children own toy guns. Our history teacher reminisced about landing on Utah Beach on D-Day. The science teacher made us all want to grow up to be meteorologists. The home economics teacher taught us to loathe everything about her subject. And we had a librarian with a thick Long Island accent who kept us all enthralled at story time. One of the books she read to us was Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We were so excited to hear it would soon become a movie, and so disappointed to find the film – as fantastic as it was – couldn’t hold a candle to our imaginations.

Wonky Split Nine-Patch

 

While vacationing in Long Island in 1906, a wealthy banker’s family contracted typhoid. Concerned for the reputation of his summer home, their landlord hired a sanitary engineer to pinpoint the source of the infection. His conclusion? Their cook, Mary Mallon, had prepared fresh peach ice cream. If she'd baked peach pie or even washed her hands, things would have ended differently. “Typhoid Mary” was responsible for more than 51 cases and at least 3 deaths – probably many more, because she used several aliases. Mary had contracted the disease and spread it without ever having symptoms. Initially, the New York Health Department confined her on North Brother Island. William Randolph Hearst (who loved any controversy that would sell his newspapers) paid for her legal defense, and she was released after promising she would never work as a cook again. Mary was unable (or unwilling) to keep her promise, and was returned to the island for the rest of her life.

Sixteen Crowns

 

“If I had my child to raise over again, I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less. I'd do less correcting, and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I would care to know less, and know to care more. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging, and less tugging. I would be firm less often, and affirm much more. I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love. It matters not whether my child is big or small. From this day forth, I'll cherish it all.” – Diane Loomans

Winged Square

 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is hardly a Western society or an American cultural phenomenon. It is an international church, as it was always meant to be. More than that, it is supernal. New members from around the world bring richness, diversity, and excitement into our ever-growing family. Latter-day Saints everywhere still celebrate and honor their own heritage and heroes, but now they are also part of something far grander. The culture of Christ helps us to see ourselves as we really are, and when seen through the lens of eternity, tempered with righteousness, it serves to increase our ability to fulfill the great plan of happiness.” – Elder William K. Jackson