Half a Dozen Side Steps

 

I’ve had this nightmare several times. I’m seated in a large orchestra, dressed in concert black. The conductor walks to the podium to thunderous applause. As the performance is about to begin, I notice the music on all the stands around me is different from what’s in front of me. That’s when I wake up in a cold sweat, relieved to find it was only a vivid dream. But it actually happened to at least one pianist. In 1999, Maria João Pires was asked on short notice to substitute for another pianist at an open rehearsal (before a live audience) of Mozart’s 23rd Piano Concerto in A Major. The music starts, and Maria is shocked to find the orchestra is playing Mozart’s 20th Concerto in D Minor. She face-palms. Should she stop the conductor? Storm off stage? But, as the introduction continues, Maria composes herself and, drawing from memory, flawlessly performs the 20th. My hero.

Forty-Two Delectable Mountains

 

I bought this fabric as a fat eighth bundle (9x22”) of prints celebrating fifty years of Moda quilting cottons. I thought of submitting a finished quilt for their 50 Years of Moda Challenge. I love a challenge, and the $2,500 first prize sounded nice. I’ve always wanted to do a Delectable Mountains quilt, and that’s what I imagined when I looked at these wildly diverse prints. But I came to the game a little late. Even if I’d shelved all my other projects, I couldn’t have beaten the March first deadline. Delectable Mountains calls for 1/2 dark and 1/2 light prints, and the bundle only had a handful of light colors. Moreover, the entire quilt top, back, and binding must be made with Moda fabrics. Most of these are, but one or two may be Riley Blake or Maywood Studios. So, I’m making this to please myself. So far, it's doing great!

Four Side Steps

 

Rather than selling Bob’s Red Mill to a large corporation, Bob Moore transferred full ownership to his 700 employees. He founded the company at age 49 and passed away at 94 last February. In 2010, Bob established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), giving employees collective ownership of the business. He made the announcement on his eighty-first birthday, emphasizing the importance of sharing the company’s success with those who contributed to its growth. The ESOP protects the company’s values and mission from potential takeovers. Bob’s decision to keep the company independent reflected his commitment to long-term success and his employees’ well-being. This not only ensured financial security for the workforce but also strengthened the sense of ownership and community within the company. Bob’s legacy lives on through the employee-owned business, which continues its focus on producing wholesome, natural foods. Several of these, like chia seeds, stone-ground cornmeal, and powdered milk are in my pantry right now.

Four Yellow Houses

 

Directly across Disneyland’s Main Street, USA from the Candy Kitchen, there is a blue-and-white "building" (it's really a facade) with a front porch and lots of Victorian gingerbread. You can climb three steps to the porch and sit in the shade (unless someone got there before you), but you can’t walk through the door. When Disneyland opened in 1955, this was the Intimate Apparel Shop, where a recorded Wonderful Wizard of Bras on a revolving stage taught visitors about the history of ladies’ undergarments. You could also buy unmentionables there, and admire a Singer sewing machine from the 1860’s. Today, the door on the porch is sealed shut and the space behind it is part of the China Closet. The Intimate Apparel Shop lasted only six months, for reasons you’ve probably already guessed. But it really would have come in handy that one time when a Disneyland ride shoulder strap snapped the underwire in my bra.

Lady of the Lake

 

The first London bridge was built by the Romans in 43 A.D. They needed a way to cross the Thames and connect the capital city of Londinium with the rest of Roman Britain. Theirs was a pontoon bridge, made of planks laid across anchored boats. That bridge was rebuilt by Anglo-Saxons, and then again by Henry II, as part of his penance for the assassination of Thomas Becket. Houses and shops were built on the bridge – at one point up to five stories tall – with any rents contributing to the bridge’s upkeep. The old London bridge was the only crossing point of the River Thames until 1729. Amazingly, the bridge survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 because a previous fire had destroyed some of the buildings atop the bridge, leaving a fire break. In 1968, an American tycoon bought the London Bridge – all 10,000 tons of it – and had it rebuilt stone by stone in Lake Havasu, Arizona. 

Twenty-Five Diversions

 

“Priesthood ordinances and covenant promises allow God’s power to flow into your life with greater efficacy, working in and through you, empowering and equipping you to reach your full purpose and potential. Carefully study and ponder the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances, the covenant promises we make with each, and the power of God we access through those ordinances. Remember, it’s not only who officiates in the ordinance that matters; what the ordinance and your covenant promise unlock also deserves the focus of your attention. Partaking of the bread and water is a weekly reminder of His power working in you to help you overcome. Wearing the garment of the holy priesthood is a daily reminder of the gift of His power working in you to help you become. We all have access to the gift of God’s power. Every time we partake of the sacrament. Every time we cross the threshold of a temple.” – Emily Belle Freeman

Side Step Block

 

When I was a little girl, I had a granduncle who always carried Tootsie Rolls in his pocket. For me. You don’t forget a thing like that, no matter how many years fly by. It’s difficult to describe Tootsie Rolls to someone who’s never had one. Chocolate-flavored, they’re not chocolates. They’re sort of like caramels, but not quite. They’re almost like taffy, but not really.  Leo Hirschfield patented the technique for making this unique candy in 1907. He named it after his daughter, Clara, who was nicknamed “Tootsie.” Tootsie Rolls were marketed commercially in 1908, making them the first American penny candy to be individually wrapped. According to the company website, the original recipe called for the inclusion of some of the previous day's batch, "a graining process that Tootsie continues to this day." If that’s true, then it’s possible the Tootsie Roll you buy today could have molecules from the very first batch.