Nine Wild Geese

 

“How we live may be the best, most genuine form of worship. Showing our devotion means emulating the Father and the Son—cultivating Their attributes and character in ourselves. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then we might say with respect to Deity, emulation is the sincerest form of veneration. This suggests an active, sustained effort on our part to seek holiness. But becoming more Christlike is also the natural outcome of our acts of worship. True worship is transformative. This is the beauty of the covenant path—the path of worship, love, and loyalty to God. We enter this path by baptism, pledging to take upon us the name of Christ and to keep His commandments. We receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, the messenger of the Savior’s grace that redeems and cleanses us from sin as we repent. We could even say in repenting we are worshipping Him.” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Half a Dozen Flag Days

 

We had a small heat wave last week. For a few days, a hot, dry south wind blew and temperatures hit triple digits. Our city warned us to keep pets and children indoors during the hottest parts of the day, to wear loose clothing, and stay hydrated. Our power company reminded us to avoid using appliances that draw lots of power – like electric ovens, dryers, and dishwashers – between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. They also said outages are common during the summer, and we should be prepared to be without electricity for up to 72 hours. They said tuning and cleaning our A/C unit, changing our air filter frequently, and setting the temperature a bit higher can help. It’s also important to consider places to go when the air conditioner fails, like restaurants, rec centers, senior centers and libraries. Temperatures this high are unusual here in June, but common in July/August. So maybe last week was a dress rehearsal.

Boo!

 

Last November, I dragged Heather and John to the Intermountain Foundation Quilt Show. There were so many lovely hand-quilted coverlets. One of them was made by the Corner Canyon Quilt Guild: thirty-six grey pine trees with half a dozen red ones thrown in. I’d pieced several of the trees using fabric from my own stash. It was fun to point them out in the finished quilt. This year’s guild quilt is a blue-and-white delectable mountain design. The fabric was precut and made into block kits. I did piece a couple of them, but I doubt I’ll recognize my own blocks. Next year, we’ll be making an applique quilt with two dozen different monsters. I’ve never been confident about my applique skills, and I’m never very pleased with the results. But tried to do my best, and this is what I’ll submit. Unless, of course, I decide to try again with foundation paper piecing.

Two Dozen Log Cabins

 

A few quotes from my favorite banned books:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” – To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

“We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered?” – Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” – The Giver, Lois Lowry

“Believing takes practice.” – A Wrinkle in Time, Madleine L’Engle

“The smarter you are, the more things can scare you.” - Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson

“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling

Two Dozen Rolling Stones

 

John loves fly fishing, primarily because if it’s done right, you don’t have to take the fish home. You remove the hook quickly and carefully, and both fish and fisherman can go about their business. Most of the time he catches trout. On those rare occasions when he’s brought them home, I clean, cook and eat them, because John doesn’t care for fish. Once, years ago, he brought home a catfish. I had to watch YouTube videos to learn how to deal with it. I made some very tasty catfish tacos, but it was SO MUCH WORK! Today is National Catfish Day: a good day to consider catching and/or eating catfish. There is a restaurant near us that serves cornmeal breaded catfish along with other soul food. We could stop there and let someone else do the heavy lifting. But I seriously doubt there’s anything on the menu that fits anyone’s diet.

Sawtooth Star

 

When I die, I’m going to leave my body to science fiction.

If I ever had twins, I’d use one for parts.

Right now, I’m having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.

I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was locking the front door. I said, ‘Hey, the sign says you’re open 24 hours.’ He said, ‘Yes, but not in a row.’

You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?

I installed a skylight in my apartment. The people who live above me are furious!

I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.

I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done. – Steven Wright

Six Wild Geese

 

“In the spring of 1820, a young boy named Joseph Smith went into the woods near his home to pray. He had questions regarding the salvation of his soul, and he yearned to know which of all the churches was right, that he might know which to join. Joseph trusted that God would answer his prayer and direct him. Please note that Joseph did not pray merely to know what was right. Rather, he prayed to know what was right so he could do what was right. Joseph asked in faith and was determined to act in accordance with the answers he received. In response to his sincere prayer, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph and inaugurated the ‘restitution of all things’ (Acts 3:21) as foretold in the Bible.” – Elder David A. Bednar