Double Windmill

 

July 31 1997, Bob Penfield put in his final day of work. Bob was the last of the original Disneyland cast members who started work there on opening day, July 17, 1955. Bob’s first job at Disneyland was ride operator for the King Arthur Carrousel in Fantasyland. (At the time, the ride had only one white horse. Now, all the horses are white.) Three days later, on July 20, Bob was named foreman of Snow White’s Scary Adventures a few yards to the southwest. As soon as he turned 21, Bob was promoted to management. He later transferred into the Facilities Division, where he got the opportunity to explore and examine every square inch of the park. Bob also helped to open Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics, and the New York World’s Fair. Today, Bob’s name graces a window in the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner on Main Street, U.S.A.

Triple Stripe

 

“Knowing by revelation that there is a living prophet on the earth changes everything. It causes one to be uninterested in the debate about when is a prophet speaking as a prophet or whether one is ever justified in selective rejection of prophetic counsel. Such revealed knowledge invites one to trust the counsel of a living prophet, even if we do not fully understand it. After all, a perfect and loving Father in Heaven has chosen the pattern of revealing truth to His children through a prophet, someone who never sought such a sacred calling and who has no need of our help to be aware of his own imperfections. A prophet is someone God has personally prepared, called, corrected, inspired, rebuked, sanctified, and sustained. That is why we are never spiritually at risk in following prophetic counsel.” – Elder Allen D. Haynie

Five Hope of Hartford Blocks

 

In honor of National Mustard Day, here are some fun mustard facts:

Mustard is the most popular spice in the world.

More than 300,000 metric tons of mustard are produced every year.

Mustard is a member of the family Brassicaceae, along with cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli rutabaga, turnip, kale, horseradish, wasabi and bok choy.

The United States consumes more mustard than any other country.

All parts of the mustard plant are edible: including seeds, leaves and flowers.

Ancient Greeks and Romans made a condiment from mustard seeds by grinding them and mixing them into a paste with wine or vinegar. They used it to flavor food, but also to ease toothaches, clear sinuses, and cure scorpion bites.

Mustard makes a terrific marinade for grilled chicken. It turns hard boiled eggs into deviled eggs. It’s wonderful atop hot dogs or bratwurst, and in a variety of sandwiches. Mustard is an excellent dip for hot pretzels.

Happy Mustard Day!

Lady of the Lake

 

Several years ago, a dry cleaner in Connecticut noticed their operation was part of a turtle migration route. Now, between May and September, the job description there includes cleaning and pressing clothes and toting turtles. Pameacha Pond is the site of a spring migration of Eastern painted turtles, who have to cross a busy two-lane road to arrive and lay their eggs. Later in summer, the turtle flow reverses. Tiny hatchlings no bigger than a quarter start creeping through Best Cleaner’s back door, heading for the road. “Every summer, we’re looking at our feet because we don’t want to step on them,” assistant manager Jennifer Malon reports. Jennifer and other employees at Best Cleaners routinely cross the busy road carrying the wee shelled creatures. After their story hit the news, neighbors started dropping by to lend a hand. “We’ve all helped bring at least one turtle across,” Malon explains. “We’re used to it now; it’s part of the job almost.”

Four Hope of Hartford Blocks

 

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” – Sam Gamgee from The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Rolling Nine-Patch

 

We’re having chili and cornbread for dinner tonight, but I’m not firing up the oven. We’re not expecting a high in the 100’s today (that was last week) but I’m still not in the mood to work in a hot kitchen. So, I’ll load my slow cooker, plug it in outside, and let it do the cornbread for me.

 

Slow Cooker Cornbread

 

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (8.5 ounces each) You can also use a 15-ounce box of Krusteaz.

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 cup mayonnaise

2/3 cup milk

 

Combine all ingredients and stir just until blended (batter should be a bit lumpy). Coat inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in batter and spread evenly. Place two layers of paper towels across the top of the pot and hold them in place with the lid. (This will keep cornbread from being too soggy.) Cook on high 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until middle is no longer doughy.

Hope of Hartford

 

“I’ve come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies,” writes Douglas Adams in The Salmon of Doubt.

“One, anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.” For me, this includes the automobile, the telephone, television, credit cards, magic markers, WD-40, bubble wrap, Spandex and weather satellites.

“Two, anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.” This is really dating me, but my list includes MRI, GPS, GUI, email, Post-It Notes, UPC, iPod, and the Space Shuttle.

“Three, anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.” This is a much shorter list: cloning, Netflix, drones, hybrid cars, self-driving cars, flat screens, DVDs, ISS, blogging, Bitcoin, Facebook and YouTube. What would your three lists look like?