Green Bow Tie

 

I haven’t had a professional manicure in over a decade. I was never a regular customer; I’d go in from time to time if I needed a morale boost or wanted to look particularly nice. But the last time I had a mani-pedi, the salon’s proprietor used a razor to remove a callous on my heel, and it bled for three days. Maybe someday I’ll have the guts to go back. Meanwhile, I manage well enough on my own. I have all the tools I need: a decent set of nail clippers, a nail file, a buffer, cuticle oil, and an orange cuticle stick. I don’t generally wear nail polish, and I keep my nails very trim. With all the things I use my hands to do, long nails and nail polish would just be a nuisance. I even make my own exfoliant scrub: half a cup of sugar (white or brown), three tablespoons of olive oil, and two tablespoons of honey.

Turning Point

 

“God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to declare repentance. Jonah promptly heads the exact opposite direction. As he sails away from his calling, a ship-wrecking storm develops. Certain his disobedience is the cause, Jonah volunteers to be thrown overboard. This calms the raging sea, saving his shipmates. Miraculously, Jonah escapes death when a great fish swallows him. He languishes in that dark, putrid place three days, until he’s spit out on dry ground. He then accepts his call to Nineveh. Yet, when the city repents and is spared destruction, Jonah resents the mercy shown his enemies. God patiently teaches Jonah He loves and seeks to rescue all His children. Jonah provides a vivid testimony: in mortality, all are fallen. Here on earth, weeds grow, strong bones break, and all come short of the glory of God. But this mortal condition is essential to the very reason we exist: that we might have joy!” – Elder Matthew S. Holland

Six Dancing Stars

 

Ian Fleming described his James Bond as a tall man, and most of the actors who’ve played the fictional agent fit that description. Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, and Pierce Brosnan were all six feet and two inches. Roger Moore was half an inch shorter. David Niven was 5’ 11” and Daniel Craig is five foot ten. When “You Only Live Twice” was filmed, Toyota produced two custom-built 2000GT Roadster convertibles, because without the open top, Sean Connery couldn’t fit in the hard-topped version. At least one of these two cars is in someone’s private collection. If you want a chance to see it, it will be on display later this month at the Peterson Automotive Museum in L.A. Incidentally, most famous non-Bond creation was about a racecar with a life of its own: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And the fellow who wrote the screenplay for “You Only Live Twice” was children’s author Roald Dahl.

Twenty-Five Flags

 

The Niantic was one of the first whaling vessels to bring gold-seekers to Yerba Buena (later named San Francisco). The ship was run aground and abandoned during the gold rush, where it was repurposed as a storehouse, saloon, and hotel until it was ultimately destroyed in an 1851 fire. The Niantic was rediscovered in 1978 during excavation for the Mark Twain Plaza Complex near the Transamerica Pyramid – six blocks from the current waterfront. At least forty and as many as sixty ships lie under the buildings, streets and sidewalks of San Francisco. The Euphemia, a ship once used as a jail, was found in 1921 under Battery and Sacramento Streets. The whaling ship Candace was excavated under Spear and Folsom streets in 2005. The General Harrison located under 425 Battery Street at Clay, was discovered in 2001. Archeologist James Delgado calls the area “a site that to the rest of the world is a Pompeii; a gold rush Pompeii.”

Half a Dozen Song Birds

 

You probably remembered to set your clocks ahead Saturday night. I hope you replaced your smoke/CO detector batteries while you were at it. This is also a good time to switch fans from winter mode (pulling air upward) to summer mode (pushing it down). Now’s a great time to rotate or flip your mattress so it wears more evenly. At least check to see if your mattress needs replacing. You should replace your toothbrush every three months. If you haven’t done that, replace it now. Unless you live in Texas, you probably haven’t used your A/C yet. You’ll want to replace the furnace filter before you do. It’s hard to remember tasks that don’t happen daily, weekly or monthly – like cleaning trash bins and pet dishes, washing pet toys and the hat you wore all winter, or buying new underwear. Take advantage of this biannual reminder to get these jobs done.

Pink Bloom

 

Have you ever whipped cream by hand? It takes more time and energy than you’d expect. Once you’ve made it, you have to use it right away. It can’t be frozen or refrigerated and used later. This was the sort of problem William H. Mitchell found fascinating. To solve it, he invented a concoction of water, hydrogenated vegetable oil and sweeteners that you know as Cool Whip. One of Mitchell’s first inventions was in answer to a tapioca shortage during World War 2: a grain starch/gelatin mixture soldiers called “Mitchell’s Mud.” Early astronauts complained about metallic-tasting stored water. To improve the flavor, they used another Mitchell invention: sugar, orange coloring and vitamin C branded as Tang. In the 50’s, Mitchell looked for a way to combine carbon monoxide with Kool Aid and invented Pop Rocks. The explosive candy didn’t hit the market until 1975, so for several years, only his immediate family enjoyed them.

Four-Leaf Clover

 

Salt Lake has been the capital of Utah since 1856. It’s hard to imagine it anywhere else, but it hasn’t always been this way. The original territorial capital was Fillmore, chosen in 1851 for its central location. Brigham Young favored the idea of St. George for the capital of his proposed state of Deseret, as it was mid-point between Salt Lake and the southernmost city, San Diego. What may surprise you more is the capital of the U.S. hasn’t always been Washington, D.C. During the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress was a moveable feast, meeting in secret to avoid capture. George Washington was inaugurated in New York City, our first capital. Philadelphia served as capital for a decade, while the current capital was under construction. After the Civil War, there was a serious push to move the capital to a more central location: St. Louis, Missouri. I often wonder what our country would be like if they’d succeeded.