Wild Geese Flying

 

“Moroni exhorts us to ‘deny not the gifts of God but to ‘come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift. You can come to Christ with confidence in His loving-kindness and receive all His gifts of joy, peace, hope, light, truth, revelation, knowledge, and wisdom—with your head held high, your arms outstretched, and your hands open, ready to receive. And you can receive these gifts because you are secure and grounded in the knowledge that you are a beloved daughter of God, you are a cherished son of God, and He has gifted you His perfect, holy Son to redeem you, justify you, and sanctify you. You are a child of God. This is not just a nice song we sing. Will you please accept, open, and receive this gift of knowledge and understanding from Him? Will you hold it close as the precious treasure it is?” – Elder Patrick Kearon

Cardinal

 

When we lived in England, our entire back garden was bordered with a luxurious hedge of English laurel. It was an evergreen with broad, dark green leaves that smelled faintly of almonds. In the spring, it sprouted sweet-smelling white blossoms, and in the autumn, there were black berries the birds just adored. I told a neighbor how much I loved my English laurel, and she looked genuinely confused for a moment or two. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “You mean cherry laurel!” Then it was my turn to be confused. I should have realized the name English laurel would only make sense if you weren’t in England. The whole world calls the game with helmets, shoulder pads and a prolate spheroid “American football.” The whole world, that is, except us. And no one in France would order French fries. They’d ask for pommes frites, which means “fried potatoes.” Okay, technically it means “fried apples,” but that’s another story. 

Pointing Home

 

In 1766, Martha Washington started work on a set of twelve needlepoint cushions with an intricate shell design. She probably meant to use them as seats for side chairs in the front parlor at Mount Vernon. At some point, Martha set the project aside. It happens. The pattern may have been more difficult than she’d imagined. She may have had less time on her hands than she’d expected. Maybe she got tired of the red, orange and yellow threads. Twenty-nine years later, Martha was our country's first first lady, living in Philadelphia. (President Washington occupied the Philadelphia President's House from 1790 to 1797. He oversaw construction of the White House, but never lived there.) Martha asked her niece at Mount Vernon to send her the unfinished set of cushions, “if they’re not eaten up by moths.” And Martha did actually finish all twelve before her death in 1802. So, maybe there’s hope for my projects.

One Dozen Log Cabins

 

In June, 2019, an exotic-looking bird was spotted along the A41 (a major artery connecting London with Birkenhead, England). The bright orange bird appeared to be having trouble flying, and seemed to be in distress. Motorists stopped, captured the colorful bird, and took him to the nearest animal rescue. Tiggywinkles, the world’s leading wildlife hospital was named for Beatrix Potter’s hedgehog laundress, as its first patients were hedgehogs who’d had unfortunate encounters with cars. Started nearly half a century ago by the Stocker family in their back garden, Tiggys has treated over 300,000 patients! The orange bird turned out to be a common herring gull who’d somehow become completely covered in powdered turmeric (a pungent, vivid orange ingredient in curry). The spice made it difficult to fly, but otherwise, the bird was perfectly healthy. Workers scrubbed him clean and named him Vinny after vindaloo curry, a popular Indian dish. Once he could fly again, Vinny was released.

Center Star

 

I wanted strawberry shortcake for dessert last Sunday. I meant to pick up angel food cake or pound cake at the grocer, but they were out of angel food and their pound cakes looked pathetic. Last time I made angel food at home, it overflowed and burned all over the oven floor. So, I made this:

 

Easy Pound Cake

 

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature

 

Preheat oven to 350F; coat 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray (I also used parchment paper). Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla and almond. Stir in dry ingredients, then fold in sour cream until combined. Bake 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before cutting.

Old Maid's Puzzle

 

The twin earthquakes near the Turkey/Syria border in February 2023 were listed as 7.5 and 7.8. They were responsible for over 55,000 deaths. Rescuers searched for days through the collapsed buildings for victims. Among those rescued was a six-week-old infant girl who’d survived alone beneath the rubble 128 hours. It was assumed any family she had was killed in the earthquake. She was called “Gizem,” a Turkish word meaning “mystery.” She was taken to a hospital in southern Adana, then transferred to a larger facility in Ankara associated with Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services. Meanwhile, a woman undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the earthquakes kept asking if her baby had been found. Healthcare workers performed DNA testing on all the babies who’d been saved, and a match was finally found. After 54 days, nearly four-month-old Gizem – whose real name is Vetin Begdas – was reunited with her mother, Yasemin Begdas. 

June Door Banner

 

“I remember like it was yesterday walking through the cemetery before burying our second child, who was born prematurely and did not survive, while my wife was still recovering in the hospital. I recall praying to God with great fervency and reverence, asking for help to cope with that challenging trial. In that instant, I received a clear and powerful spiritual assurance in my heart: Everything will be fine in our lives if my wife and I endure, holding on to the joy that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. What seemed like an overwhelming, sorrowful challenge at the time turned into a sacred, reverent experience, a capstone that has helped sustain our faith and has given us confidence in the covenants we have made with the Lord. Reverence for the sacred fosters genuine gratitude, expands true happiness, leads our minds to revelation, and brings greater joy to our lives.” – Elder Ulisses Soares