Remember the days when newspapers had a Society Page? Well, here is an example of the fun items that were included: our mother and our 3-year old brother Chris–newly shorn of his locks because his grandmother insisted–posing in our grandparents garden.
I think our mother looks pretty but a bit strained. Indeed, she was not pleased about Chris’s buzz-cut and she really did not like the resulting photo. I will refrain from further comment.
“In the Orchard” by Winslow Homer
“To appreciate the wild and sharp flavors of these October fruits, it is necessary that you be breathing the sharp October or November air. What is sour in the house a bracing walk makes sweet. Some of these apples might be labeled, “To be eaten in the wind.” It takes a savage or wild taste to appreciate a wild fruit. . . The era of the Wild Apple will soon be past. It is a fruit which will probably become extinct in New England. I fear that he who walks over these fields a century hence will not know the pleasure of knocking off wild apples. Ah, poor soul, there are many pleasures which you will not know! . . . the end of it all will be that we shall be compelled to look for our apples in a barrel.”
– Henry David Thoreau
How right you are, Henry!
Claude Monet, 1878 “Apple Trees in Bloom at Vetheuil”
Winslow Homer “Green Apples”
Well, it is apple season and, although I can’t pick them wild off a tree, I do buy some pretty good ones at my local Dierberg’s. And you know what they say about an apple a day, right?
Ah, it’s pumpkin weather. Seriously my favorite time of the year. The OM of course is complaining that it is cold, while I am throwing open the windows to let in the fresh air. C’est la vie.
Several people have sheepishly asked me about my own little pumpkin patch, which they notice I haven’t mentioned in quite awhile. Well, my pumpkin patch, which at first seemed to thrive, shriveled up in August and is no more. Heavy sigh. The OM said it didn’t get enough sun. Daughter #1 surmised that it was because I planted the pumpkins in the Indian Burial Ground corner of our yard where nothing has ever grown. Whatever. I refuse to get all upset and weepy about it. The pumpkin patch at the Methodist Church has a ton of pumpkins and so I bought one there on Saturday.
It’s a beauty!
Meanwhile I finished The Big Sleep and have moved on to Jan Karon’s newest Mitford book—Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good–which I am enjoying immensely. Reading it is like taking a vacation. I know some people find Father Tim and his wife a little cloying, but to them I say, “Bah humbug!” This is science fiction, after all. Furthermore, Karon and I are on the same page. And she includes enough Thomas a Kempis and Wordsworth and references to the BCP to deepen the storytelling. Her focus is always on God.
In any decision making, he’d learned to wait for peace; it was heedless to make a move without it. There was no time for waiting, and yet waiting was imperative.
He remained on his knees, prayed aloud. ‘Heavenly Father, in whom we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by the Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget thee, but may remember that we are ever walking in thy sight…’
He moved directly then to the abridged version. ‘Help me, Jesus.’
And she’s funny! So if you are in need of a little literary vacation from the vicissitudes of modern life, I highly recommend Jan Karon.
‘Tis also the season when Evensong starts back up at church. I dragged the boy along with me yesterday and it’s a good thing we went, because we made up 2/3 of the congregation. Afterwards I cooked dinner for him. His wife was at a meeting at the flyover college where she is the recruitment advisor of her sorority chapter, so I think he appreciated the meal.
Hope you are enjoying some glorious fall weather. Try to get out and breathe some fresh air. Have a good week!
*Jan Karon, Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good
We had glorious, glorious weather this week. The leaves are turning and the air is so fresh. This picture appeared on our local news site, Northcountrynow — isn’t it lovely?
Photo by Robin Beaulieu, St. Regis Falls
It was a busy week made busier by preparations for the arrival of boy #3 and his friend, who are coming for a few days of their October break. They get a whole week off and are splitting it evenly between our house and hers in Rutland VT. In trying to spruce things up in my kitchen before their arrival, I painted the back-splash and the area where we had to remove a cupboard to make room for the new, taller fridge. Talk about awkward spaces! Painting this was like doing some kind of exotic yoga. But it looks pretty nice, don’t you think?
I also got into the spirit of the season a little bit. I bought a couple of pumpkins, mums, and some Indian Corn from the farmers’ market. I love the yellow and orange against the freshly painted blue of the porch, even if the summer’s hanging basket is well past it’s prime.
A brighter picture I couldn’t get. Although the sun catches the blue better, the white becomes so bright that it overwhelms everything else. Hence, the picture above is on the gloomy side. Today, alas, it really is gloomy; it’s pouring rain and my house is dark and damp. Despite the wet, there’s lots happening this weekend that our son and his guest can enjoy. The American Shakespeare Center’s traveling group is on campus to give several performances. Tonight, Tim and friend are attending “Much Ado about Nothing”, while the DH and I will be going to the Sunday matinee performance of Hamlet with one of our friends. It’s always amazed me that a troop of only about 10 people can effortlessly switch between three difficult plays, sometimes presenting two different ones in a single day! There must not be any middle aged women among the actors. There is no way that I could remember the lines to a single part, let alone, several. Sigh.
The ASC visits SLU every year and does a great job. They attempt to recreate the original conditions of the plays by performing with the lights on and having some actors play several characters, although actresses do participate. I’m looking forward to “Hamlet” as it is one of my favorites.
If you can’t see an actual Shakespeare play this weekend, why not “brush up your Shakespeare” anyway?
Go on, “be a ham and do Hamlet”!
The corn maze at Eckert’s in Millstadt, IL
Tonight the postseason commences for the hometown Cardinals, so like everyone else around here, we will be watching the game against the L.A. Dodgers. I hope it will not prove to be too stressful an end to a very busy week!
But whatever, at least we will get a big dose of this big guy:
I have nothing against Don Mattingly,
the manager of the Dodgers, who actually shares a birthday with me. I mean, c’mon, he has been a guest on a classic episode of The Simpsons (Season 3, Homer at the Bat) and that is awesome.
1992 Mattingly sans sideburns: “Mattingly! I thought I told you to trim those sideburns! GO HOME!!! You’re off the team, FOR GOOD!!!”
You remember this episode:
It is no doubt one of Don Mattingly’s proudest memories. And that’s great.
But I still like our skipper best. He is really awesome.
*Walt Whitman
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”
–Groucho Marx, The Essential Groucho: Writings For By and About Groucho Marx
Today is the birthday of Julius Henry Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977)–American comedian and film and television star.
An early photo of the Marx brothers with their parents in New York City, 1915. From left to right: Groucho, Gummo, Minnie (mother), Zeppo, Frenchie (father), Chico, and Harpo.
So stop taking yourself so seriously, at least for today! A toast to Groucho and his brothers–L’chaim!
Please note that it is also the birthday of Graham Greene–but it was much too depressing looking for a quote from him! I am not a great fan of his novels, but some of the movies based on his novels or for which he wrote the screenplays–such as The Third Man (1949) and This Gun For Hire (1942)–are pretty darn good. So another toast, barkeep–for Graham Greene!
On this date back in 1942 the first twelve titles of the Little Golden Books series were published. You remember. These were the books your mother used to buy for you in the grocery store when you were a good child and deserved a treat. The books, which initially sold for 25¢ (rising to 29¢ in 1962 and currently $3.99), were published by Simon and Schuster.
Many of the best children’s writers and illustrators have worked on the series, including several of my personal favorites:
Mary Blair,
Margaret Wise Brown and Alice and Martin Provensen,
Garth Williams,
and, of course, Richard Scarry.
You will be happy to know that now there are Little Golden Book apps for children: “Now the Little Golden Book that you loved as a child can be shared with a whole new generation in this magically interactive storybook app. Open the cover, complete with its distinctive gold spine, to reveal the timeless story, beautifully rendered with interactive illustrations on every page, and activities that encourage reading comprehension and creativity.”
“Magically interactive”! Oh brother. Just what every 3-year old needs for his/her iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch! Gone I suppose is the magically interactive time you spent with your mother or father while you were read these books.
I know I am an old curmudgeon, but this concerns me. And I have to say, it’s sad that there is no name plate on an app where you can make that first attempt at proudly writing your own name on your own book.
Oh well. C’est la vie. Do you have a favorite Little Golden Book?
dual personalities 