Five Large Sawtooth Stars

 

It’s a mistake I’d never have made if I saw this quilt kit in a store instead of online. I assumed it was a lap quilt or sofa throw, and these “large sawtooth star” blocks were about 8” finished. The price I paid wasn’t bad for a kit of that size. (That should have been my first clue. Isn’t absolutely EVERYTHING selling for about twice what you’d expect?) I didn’t realize my error until the package came in the mail and I started thumbing through the directions. These “large” stars are actually 4” finished, not eight. And the quilt, when it’s complete, will be just a bit larger than my state fair challenge quilts – somewhere between a wall hanging and a table topper. The finished quilt size was in the listing, plain as day. I just wasn't paying attention. It’s true what they say: he who will not read has no advantage over he who cannot read.

Twenty-five ABC Blocks

 

In all the years we knew Vanessa, she had two dogs: a Scottie named Lassie, and a westie named Scottie. When one would pass, it would be replaced with a similar dog with a hand-me-down name. All her pups were well-behaved (for terriers) and well-loved. Early in March 2017, Vanessa brought the newest Scottie for me to see. Little Lassie was eight weeks old; a fluffy handful of energy with needle-sharp teeth. She attacked my sofa cushions, my quilt and my fingers. And she won my heart. Lassie is eight today. That’s late-forties to sixties in dog years. She’s blind in one eye and more likely to be napping in the sunshine than when she was a little pup. But she still loves to do “zoomies” the entire length of the house, and she still “trees” the cat on our banister. Maybe, when Lassie passes, we should get another Scottie – and name her Lassie.

One Dozen New Log Cabins

 

I’ve known Carolyn since her children and mine were youngsters. She told me about the Italian mission she served, and about the years she and Val spent raising their young family in Milan. Carolyn’s daughters were my piano students for years. As they were both fluent in Italian, they taught me the real meanings of several of the Italian musical terms I’ve used all my life. They told me when a Italian child loses a tooth, the tooth is left on the mantle for the tooth mouse. And they taught me about the Befana; the witch who delivers gift on the eve of the epiphany. For many years I practiced making panettone so I could bring it to their home every January 6. It’s a complicated, time-consuming recipe, but it distracted me from the emptiness that hits at the end of the holidays. Carolyn’s been gone two epiphanies now. I’ll miss her always, but especially the first week of January.

Four Large Sawtooth Stars

 

“The Savior invites us, ‘Come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.’ I urge you to do this. Come unto our Heavenly Father. Take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ. Identify with Him. Always remember Him. Strive to be like Him. Join Him in His work. Receive His power and blessings in your life. Etch His name in your heart, willingly and intentionally. This gives you standing before God and qualifies you for the Savior’s advocacy on your behalf. You will become an exalted inheritor in the kingdom of our Father in Heaven, a joint-heir with His Firstborn, our beloved Savior and Redeemer. He lives. I absolutely know it. He loves you. He gave His life for you. He pleads with you to come unto the Father through Him.” – Elder Dale G. Renlund

Sixteen ABC Blocks

 

Fruitcake gets no respect. Johnny Carson once said, “The worst gift is fruitcake. There’s only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” Jon Ronson claimed, “Friends are the fruitcake of life—some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.” Mike Leach was rather blunt about it: “There's a reason they only serve fruitcake once a year, because it's awful.” Many comics have weighed in on the fruit-studded treat: “The difference between fruitcake and a king cobra is one is poisonous, and the other is venomous.” “There's only one thing you can do with a fruitcake: use it as a doorstop.” Or, “How many fruitcakes does it take to change a lightbulb? None, you can't lift the fruitcake high enough.” January 3 is Fruitcake Toss Day – a time to dispose of the fruitcake someone sent you last month. You could either eat it, bin it, or send it to me.

Nine New Log Cabins

 

In 1958, sixteen-year-old William Leslie Arnold asked to borrow the car to take a date to a drive-in movie. His parents said no. So, he shot them both and buried them in the backyard. For two weeks, he told people his folks were on vacation. But when police questioned him, William confessed and led them to the bodies. He was given a life sentence, but eight years later, he and his cellmate escaped prison. The cellmate was quickly recaptured, but William vanished without a trace. Three months later, a man named John Vincent Damon married a divorced mother of four. In 1978, he divorced her and moved to Australia, where he remarried and had children of his own. “John” died at 69 in 2010. Then, in 2022, his son took a DNA test to learn more about his father’s family. Just like that, a decades-long cold case was solved, bringing a whole new meaning to Genesis 4:10.

January Door Banner

 

I’ve been thinking about whether to make a New Year’s resolution. I might like more structure to my days, but not nearly so much as when my kids all attended different schools. I think about Ursula K. Le Guin, who, over the course of a 60-year career, created an enormous body of literary work. I believe she accomplished this by knowing when she was productive, and when she was not:

 

5:30 a.m. – wake up, lie there and think.

6:15 a.m. – get up, eat breakfast – lots.

7:15 a.m. – get to work writing, writing, writing.

Noon – lunch.

1:00 to 3:00 p.m. – reading, music.

3:00 to 5:00 p.m. – correspondence, maybe house cleaning.

5:00 to 8:00 p.m. – make dinner, eat it.

After 8:00 p.m. – I tend to be very stupid. We won’t talk about this.

 

When she shared this schedule, Ursula had a young son. Who got him up, fed, dressed, to school and back? Was this, like many of her other works, fantasy?