X Marks the Spot

 

National Eat Outside Day is celebrated the last day of August, regardless of which day of the week it falls. It’s a simple holiday, really. All that’s required is to eat something in the fresh air. If you really want to enjoy this day to its fullest, you’ll want to put in a bit more effort. You might like to take a bucket of fried chicken to a quiet, shady spot in the park. You could make a few sandwiches and spread a blanket in your own back yard. Or maybe you could savor a loaded hot dog and a soft drink while watching a ball game. Heather and I decided we’ll have chicken tacos near the skate park. There are tables under an awning where we can watch dads teaching their kids to use skateboards. When we’re done, we can toss out our paper wrappers and leave the chicken, cheese, lettuce and tortilla crumbs for the birds.

Thirteen Nine-Patch Blocks

 

Red and Black Nine-Patch

 

Disney’s Mary Poppins was released August 29, 1964. I don’t think I saw it in the theater until much later, but I had a vinyl record of the sound track that I played until it wouldn’t play anymore. It might surprise you to learn Julie Andrews wasn’t Walt’s first choice to play the magical nanny. Both he and P. L. Travers were hoping to snag Bette Davis. They even considered Angela Lansbury for the role. The Sherman Brothers wrote thirty songs for Mary Poppins, but fewer than half ended up in the movie. “The Beautiful Briny” was repurposed for Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971, and “The Land of Sand” was given new lyrics to become “Trust in Me” for The Jungle Book in 1967. Walt Disney’s favorite song was “Feed the Birds.” He’d ask Dick Sherman to “Play that bird lady song again,” because, “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?”

One Dozen 9-Patch Blocks

 

“A dear friend who joined the Church as a young adult shared: ‘When the patriarch placed his hands on my head and spoke my name, everything changed, not just then but for the rest of my life. I immediately sensed that—through the power by which he spoke—I was known intimately and deeply. The words he spoke penetrated my entire being. I knew that Heavenly Father knew me, inside and out.’ Knowing who I really was helped me understand and desire to do what God expected of me. This led me to study the covenants I had made and the promised blessings in God’s covenant with Abraham. It gave me an eternal perspective that inspired me to more fully keep my covenants.” - Elder Randall K. Bennett

Daisies and Leaves

 

You’re looking at the back of my entry for this year’s Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge. I’m not ready to show you the front just yet, but I’m rather proud of the quilting, which can only be seen from the back. This will be the sixteenth quilt I’ve submitted to this competition in seventeen years. (There were no ribbon events in 2020. There was almost no state fair that year at all.) Every year, I read the judges’ comments, curious to see where I might improve in the coming year. The one thing the judges all seem to agree on is that I could have put more effort into the quilting. I’m always afraid to do that, because I don’t want the quilting to overshadow the piecing. This year, I threw caution to the winds and really went to town. If the judges still complain that there isn’t enough quilting, I’ll know they’ve been kidding me all along.  

Nine Nine-Patch Blocks

 

Spool

 

It was late September on Peleliu Island, in 1944. The men of U.S. Marine fighter squadron VMF-122 were bored. They were within a 10-minute flight of Japanese-held Palau, but the enemy was cut off from supply lines and posed no real threat. The squadron probably had access to local bananas, limes and pineapple, but other than that, they had only canned food and no refrigeration. Squadron commander J. Hunter Reinburg had an idea he thought might boost morale. He jury-rigged a water-proof can meant to store bullets, loaded it with five gallons of canned milk and cocoa powder, and took it on a high-altitude “oxygen system test.” The result was a really sloppy batch of chocolate ice milk, which the men immediately devoured. They experimented several times until the recipe and method were perfect. Eventually, their C.O. caught wind of their culinary escapades: “You guys aren’t fooling me, I’ve got spies. I’m coming tomorrow and get my ration.”