Thirteen LeMoyne Stars

 

John has a temporary crown for couple of weeks, so soft foods are the order of the day. He’s also trying to limit carbs, so planning meals is tricky. I’ve found a few recipes that should keep us all satisfied.

 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

 

1/4 cup unsalted butter

5 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

32 ounces chicken broth

2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons sherry (I skipped this, and it was fine. If you use cooking sherry, omit the salt.)

 

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir in broth, cream, and cheese. Reduce to a low simmer. Add sherry and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until cheese dissolves, about 45 minutes.

Round of Applause

 

Symptoms of altitude sickness can include headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can lead to slurred speech, cyanosis, coma and even death – not something to take lightly. It isn’t generally a concern below 8,000 feet, but the risk increases significantly above that height. Last week, a Chinese student living in Japan decided to climb Mt. Fuji, a 12,388-foot Japanese stratovolcano. He started to feel the effects of altitude sickness and knew he should descend. But he’d lost his crampons (spiked devices attached to boots for traction) and found himself stuck. He had to be airlifted to safety. Days later, he returned to retrieve his cell phone. He got sick again, and had to be rescued twice in five days. Over 200,000 people climb Mt. Fuji every year, but most do it between July and September, when the trails are officially open, medical facilities are available, and rescue is easier.

Eccentric Star

 

Jenny was a wild Asian elephant born in Sumatra in 1972. She was captured as an infant. While still very young, she spent a winter in a circus that also owned an older elephant named Shirley. At twenty, Jenny was sent to Illinois for breeding. An incident with a bull elephant left her with an injured leg that never healed properly. In 1995, 20/20 did a piece about captive elephants which showed Jenny living in poor conditions, ill and underweight. The following July, she was moved to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, becoming the third elephant there. Three years later, a new elephant joined the sanctuary. Twenty-three years had passed, but Jenny and Shirley recognized each other instantly. For the next seven years, the two elephants were inseparable. The Elephant Sanctuary is home to a dozen pachyderms, though Jenny and Shirley are gone. If there’s a Heaven for elephants, Shirley and Jenny are probably there side by side.

Orange String Block

 

“As you bind up the wounds of those in need, the Lord’s power will sustain you. His arms will be outstretched with yours to succor and bless the children of our Heavenly Father. Every covenant servant of Jesus Christ will receive His direction from the Spirit as they bless and serve others for Him. Then they will feel the Savior’s love and find joy in being drawn closer to Him. I am a witness of the Resurrection of the Lord as surely as if I had been there with the two disciples in the house on Emmaus road. I know He lives. This is His true Church—the Church of Jesus Christ. We will, on the Day of Judgment, stand before the Savior, face to face. It will be a time of great joy for those, in this life, who have drawn close to Him in His service and can eagerly anticipate to hear His words: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’” – President Henry B. Eyring

Snail's Trail

 

There are at least a dozen songs or poems in The Hobbit. The first time I read this book, I was a teenager with very little patience for Tolkien’s poetry. Most of the ditties didn’t move the story forward (a must for songs as far as I’m concerned) and they simply didn’t captivate me the way the prose and pictures did. One I found most annoying was “Old Fat Spider Spinning in a Tree.” Bilbo sang this to irritate and distract the Mirkwood spiders who were planning to make a meal of his dwarf friends.

Old fat spider can’t see me!

Attercop! Attercop! Won't you stop,

Stop your spinning and look for me?

It was many years before I learned attercop wasn’t just a word Tolkien had invented. But it was an Old English word for spider, literally meaning “poison-head.” Of course, the word was familiar to Tolkien, a professor of Old and Middle English. 

Marigold String Block

 

There were no squirrels at our last house. There were deer, raccoons, and all manner of water fowl, but no squirrels. Oddly, we saw squirrels a few blocks in every direction, just none in our neighborhood. At this house, there are squirrels. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes up to six at a time, they scamper across the lawn and along the fences. They climb up and down trees. They run over the rooftop. They help themselves to acorns and tulip bulbs. They’re VERY interested in our bird feeders. The other day, I learned squirrels are omnivores. They’ll eat insects (Yay!) and roadkill (Ew!). They’ll hunt and devour voles and mice. When hungry, they’ll break into bins for discarded food. Small snakes and lizards are occasionally on the menu, as are smaller squirrels. Suddenly, squirrels aren’t adorable creatures with fluffy tails any more. They’re starting to look more like Monty Python’s Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

May Door Banner

 

The Celts had a holiday on the first of May called Beltane. They celebrated fertility and renewal with bonfires, baskets, Maypoles and flowers. Ancient Rome had several festivals in May, including Maiuma, honoring Bacchus and Venus. Over the years, many cultures have similar celebrations at this time of year. In Chicago on May 3 1886, there was a rally at Haymarket Square in support of workers striking for an eight-hour work day. When police tried to stop the rally, two workers were killed and many injured. The following day, as people gathered in the same place in protest, someone threw a bomb into the crowd. This time, seven police and four civilians were killed. For a time, the US set aside the first of May to commemorate the struggle to improve conditions for workers. Though our country now celebrates Labor Day in September, much of the rest of the world observes International Workers’ Day today.