Yesterday I met a friend for coffee. We had a lovely time, although we observed more than once that everyone we know, whatever their politics, feels bad about the state of the world and worried about the future and their place in it. There’s not much we can do about the world — it will go as it goes — but we can cheer ourselves up while we attempt to navigate through it. In an effort to do so, let’s look at a few of Gary Larsen’s Far Side cartoons.
You remember The Far Side, don’t you? Larsen’s single-panel cartoons appeared in newspapers, calenders, books and other paraphernalia from 1979-1995, at which point he retired. I have fond memories of my Far Side mug. The caption reads “Chad Billingsly experiencing a period of disinclination” – a sentiment that speaks to me on many levels.
This one, being simply perfect, requires no additional comment.
This classic cartoon has been on the DH’s office door for nigh on thirty years now.
And this one raises many deep, existential questions.
The final cartoon reminds us that as a species we are amazingly clueless, so when everything goes wrong we have only ourselves to blame.
As the DH is fond of saying, humans are at the top of the food chain because we can outwit sheep and lobsters.
Have a wonderful weekend and don’t let the turkeys (or sheep and lobsters) get you down!
We seem to roll our eyes a lot these days. At the grocery store, at the gas pump, and so on. We say, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” and we aren’t kidding.
When in doubt, we re-read the first paragraph of Moby Dick…
Haven’t we all felt like methodically knocking people’s hats off in the street? Well, it may be high time to get to sea, but that is out of the question for me. So I watched John Huston’s 1956 version of Moby Dick. It is a wonderful and quite faithful rendering of the great novel and I recommend it.
Starbuck to Stubb and Flask: “It is an evil voyage, I tell thee. If Ahab has his way, neither thee nor me, nor any member of this ship’s company will ever see home again.”
Stubb: “Aw, come on, Mr. Starbuck, you’re just plain gloomy. Moby Dick may be big, but he ain’t THAT big.”
Starbuck: “I do not fear Moby Dick – I fear the wrath of God.”
Even better, re-read the book!
Maybe, as we approach Herman Melville’s birthday on August 1, we should have another Moby Dick reading party…
or at least make some punch…
…food for thought.
P.S. Anne is back after a four week break. Thanks be to God.
And daughter #1 sent me a link to this fabric and it made my day. Clearly there is a market for this! How great is that?
Hello, gentle readers. Daughter #1 here. Back after a several weeks hiatus. I’ve had a busy few weeks with a vacation mixed in there. Last week, I was on the road in Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis on consecutive days. NEVER AGAIN, I declared. I’ve got one more busy weekend and several days and then I’m off the hook for a bit. Fingers crossed.
Big news in my world is that I got a new tablecloth.
It’s block print, it matches my pink candles, it’s from Amazon, and it brings me joy. I spent this weekend doing laundry, running errands, and generally catching up on life. I also attended a DAR event and a church event where my main purpose was to lower the median age. I’ve accepted this role.
Please enjoy this video that makes me laugh.
This guy is generally a guaranteed laugh for me. He and Sassy Nighttime Terry on Brooklyn 99. This version of Terry, trapped on the overnight shift as punishment, is the source of today’s post title. Have a great Wednesday!
We are deep into summer here in flyover country. The Hibiscus is blooming!
This is always thrilling to me because this plant has grown from seeds harvested from a friend’s yard which I planted years ago. Yay Hibiscus!
Today we note the birthday of Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862).
Thoreau was an intriguing character, even to his contemporaries, but particularly to a whole generation of Americans who grew up in the 1950s and became hippies in the 1960s. I always think of Rockwell Gray, who was an adjunct professor of English at my university and who I knew and liked. He was a certain type of WASP, highly intelligent and very kind, who would have preferred to be Jewish or at least Irish so he could just relax and be a square peg. He loved Thoreau. Like so many others, he felt he was a kindred soul. And don’t we all, to some extent.
Perhaps I am more than usually jealous with respect to my freedom. I feel that my connection with and obligation to society are still very slight and transient. Those slight labors which afford me a livelihood, and by which it is allowed that I am to some extent serviceable to my contemporaries, are as yet commonly a pleasure to me, and I am not often reminded that they are a necessity. So far I am successful. But I foresee, that, if my wants should be much increased, the labor required to supply them would become a drudgery. If I should sell both my forenoons and afternoons to society, as most appear to do, I am sure, that, for me, there would be nothing left worth living for. I trust that I shall never thus sell my birthright for a mess of pottage. (Life Without Principle)
I was sad to hear about James Caan passing away. He was one of my first movie star crushes. When I saw El Dorado (1966) when I was ten or eleven years old, I thought he was the coolest. I still do.
Yes, most people will remember him for starring in The Godfather (1972) but he had a long career and was a working actor right up to the end. I’m sure he knew he was pretty lucky to have gotten the chance to appear in a western with the Duke and Robert Mitchum, directed by Howard Hawks. For a few years he even took time off to ride in the rodeo circuit. Like Dean Martin, he loved being a cowboy.
I just watched El Dorado very recently so I will have to watch something else in memory of James Caan. Maybe this Civil War classic, which you will be happy to know is available to watch in its entirety on Youtube:
Besides Caan (in a wig)…
…Journey to Shiloh boasts some other soon-to-be-famous actors (including Harrison Ford) and a lot of old reliables, but even as a twelve-year-old, I knew it was pretty bad. My brother and his friend Randy went with my sister and me to see Journey to Shiloh at the Tivoli Theater and fifteen or so minutes into it Randy was so disgusted with the film that he wanted to leave. No one else wanted to go, so he marched out the side exit door in a huff. We did not hear him banging on the door and yelling to let him back in (he was just kidding) so he had to walk home to our house, where he talked to our mother until we returned when the movie was over. It was a real Eddy Haskell moment and we thought it was hilarious.
In other entertainment news, last week the OM and I watched all eight episodes of the new Amazon series The Terminal List starring Chris Pratt, because the OM is obsessed with Jack Carr (who wrote the books on which the series is based) and had been waiting with baited breath for months for the series to be released.
I wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t. (He enjoyed it.) The story is about a former Navy SEAL officer investigating why his entire platoon was ambushed during a high-stakes covert mission and then methodically wreaking vengeance on all the bad guys involved. There is no moral to this story and (spoiler alert) the hero does not pay for his crimes. Call me old-fashioned, but I have a problem with that. Regarding vengeance, let’s remember what the Bible says–leave room for God’s wrath (Romans 12:19).
I also started watching season two of Only Murders in the Building starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. It is much more “me” and it is off to a good start.
“Where is the Charles in Olimabel?”
My only old movie recommendation is Westward the Women (1951) which I watched on TCM. I had seen it 50 years ago on television, but not since. Directed by William Wellman, it tells the story of a trail guide (Robert Taylor) who escorts a group of women from Chicago to California in 1851 so that they can marry men that have recently begun settling there.
It was not nearly as melodramatic or sex-filled as the poster suggests (of course). Indeed, the story by Frank Capra and the screenplay by Charles Schnee focuses on the hardships endured and the determination needed by the women in order to go West for a better life. I was actually moved to tears several times. Really. I thought it was excellent–quelle surprise.
Some people like to rescue lost animals or devote themselves to gardening. While I admire their altruism, I’m better suited to inanimate objects that never bite, aren’t bug-infested and don’t die. We all need to play to our strengths. Recently, I rescued some antique dinnerware at a local auction and then spent a blissful afternoon adding a few new pieces to my hutch and putting others away for a rest.
Then I got down to research. Though representing different Staffordshire manufacturers, the new (old) plates (three blue transferware plates on the lower shelf), the tea pot, sugar jar (top of hutch) and the creamer (all by itself on the bottom) all date to 1850 or earlier. Let’s take a closer look at the plates on the lower shelf. Here’s the one on the far left.
I learned how to read the diamond mark here, but basically it tells us that the piece was registered on August 26th, 1848, by John Meier and Son, a company located in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England. The pattern is called Roselle.
On the opposite end of the shelf, we find this plate.
W. Adams and Sons were also based in Stoke-on-Trent, but the family developed several different inter-connected companies. If you are interested, you can read about it here. I gather from other sites that this plate pattern also dates to about 1850.
The similar looking plate next to the one above was made by yet another Stoke-on-Trent based entrepreneur, this one being Thomas Goodfellow, who operated between 1829 and 1854.
The plates are all in very good condition, as are two large platters that, alas, I have nowhere to display.
I’m still researching their marks, but so far all indications are that they are English Staffordshire from Stoke-on-Trent and were made around 1850. Whoever owned all of these pieces clearly had a penchant for obscure mid-19th century transferware. Delighted as I am with these finds, I can see why Spode outshone and outlasted the smaller manufacturers, whose blues are less vibrant, and whose patterns are busier and sometimes less sophisticated (i.e., the edge design on the middle plate and bottom right platter). Still, they are lovely and definitely worth rescuing!
That’s all I have to show for the week unless you count tidying, doing genealogy and reading. All is well and blessedly quiet. How are things with you?
As you know, I am reading the Bible on a schedule. Recently I finished the book of Deuteronomy. I read this, the conclusion where Moses is renewing the covenant between God and Israel before he dies on Mount Nebo:
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:11-20)
Once again Moses is saying, you know what you should do, but you won’t do it.
The Apostle Paul makes a big deal of this chapter in Romans. So does John Steinbeck in his magnus opus East of Eden.
Here’s Tim Keller’s take on how it points to the Gospel. If you have 45 minutes–put down Instagram–and watch it.
Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.
Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.
In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. (1928 BCP)
I hope you all had an uplifting Fourth of July and that you were able to celebrate with family and friends. We had the gang over for a barbecue and then we headed to the Kirkwood High School parking lot where we set up camp for the local fireworks display and waited for sundown.
We agreed that the display was not as good as the one in Jeff City, but the company was stellar and the boy had stocked the cooler in his truck with bevvies.
The wee laddie immediately made friends with the family in the next car over and was ready to depart with them at the close of the show, once again earning his title as the Friendliest Boy in Town.
By the way, he also won the prize for the best shooter in his age group at lacrosse camp last week, rocketing shots at 17 miles an hour. His father was pleased and proud. Not bad for our 30-pound (when wet) 5-year old wonder boy.
He has also advanced to off-roading in the Power Wheels Raptor.
Lottie, who is too timid to drive, is nevertheless a terrific backseat driver, as you can see. (“Slow down! Cramp it! Stop!”)
Meanwhile I have caught up with my Bible reading, on which I had fallen embarrassingly behind during my vacation. Phew. I am halfway through the year and halfway through the Bible.
I am really enjoying it and highly recommend it as a daily habit.
We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us.
Isaiah 59:11
Well, here are a few links to read if you feel like it.
I hear you. “I have been delighted to discover that the closer I draw to God, the less I want of the world.”
Don’t be a Jellyfish Christian. “Mark what I say. If you want to do good in these times, you must throw aside indecision, and take up a distinct, sharply-cut, doctrinal religion. . . . The victories of Christianity, wherever they have been won, have been won by distinct doctrinal theology; by telling men roundly of Christ’s vicarious death and sacrifice; by showing them Christ’s substitution on the cross, and his precious blood; by teaching them justification by faith, and bidding them believe on a crucified Savior; by preaching ruin by sin, redemption by Christ, regeneration by the Spirit; by lifting up the brazen serpent; by telling men to look and live — to believe, repent, and be converted.” (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, 328)
Daughter #1 and I had a terrific time in Norfolk and on the Outer Banks with daughter #2, DN and Katiebelle, although the trips to and from were arduous, to say the least. (The less said about air travel in the 21st century, the better.) It was well worth it, of course.
I got to see my oldest BFF in her natural habitat in a quick overnight on our way to North Carolina and we talked and talked for hours. It was such a treat.
We got up early on Sunday and drove to the Outer Banks which was lovely.
“Say cheese!”
DN kept us hydrated…
…and we had a couple of dance parties.
We even saw dolphins! Heavenly. And the OM didn’t burn down the house while we were gone.
Independence Day (also our dear brother’s birthday) is right around the corner, so it seems like a good time to relate the further adventures of our Tukey ancestors in Falmouth, Massachusetts (aka Portland, Maine), for both the family and the place played a part in the Revolutionary War. Although we celebrate the birth of our country on July 4th, the day that our brave founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, the war for freedom from Great Britain started more than a year earlier, in April 1775, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Throughout the summer and fall of 1775, the British Navy attacked ports up and down the coast from Boston north, and the coastal towns fought back. In May, the men of Falmouth captured Lieutenant Henry Mowat of the HMS Canceaux only to release him shortly afterward (a serious mistake), and in June the people of Machias captured the HMS Margaretta and killed its captain. In July, our ancestor Stephen Tukey enlisted in Captain Noyes’s company which mustered to defend Falmouth. Meanwhile, the newly freed Henry Mowat began a punitive expedition against the coastal towns, and on October 18th, 1775, he bombarded Falmouth for several hours and then landed men to set fire to whatever buildings still stood. (To be fair, he had offered the citizens a chance to surrender and swear fealty to King George. They declined.) During the ensuing battle in which Stephen Tukey took part, several of Mowat’s men were killed, though they succeeded in burning down Falmouth, thus leaving its citizens homeless and destitute. The patriots rebuilt and kept fighting.
The war raged on. In 1779, the Americans launched what would be their largest naval campaign of the war, an effort to expel the British from Penobscot Bay. The expedition was an unmitigated disaster because the American commanders, Saltonstall and Lovell, couldn’t agree on what to do and fell prey to their own disorganization, and the British were better equipped, led and trained. One article assessed the American fleet’s weaknesses thus:
“…most of the 900 officers and enlisted men were militia soldiers from Massachusetts or Maine, augmented by 300 Continental marines. Fully 500 more militia conscripts failed to report at Townsend, nearly one-third of the number ordered to do so. Untrained as a unit, few of the men in the expedition had any experience in making an amphibious landing on a hostile shore. Likewise, the 18 armed warships, mounting 334 cannons and augmented by three colonial vessels and 12 privateers, had no prior training together as a fleet. Even worse, the privateers had no military experience acting under orders from a fleet commodore”.
Stephen Tukey and his brother Houchin participated in the ill-fated expedition. Both served in Captain Peter Warren’s Company of Jonathan Mitchell’s Regiment, Stephen as a Sergeant and Houchin a private. And wouldn’t you know — one of the major players on the British side was none other than Henry Mowat, now a captain in command of several ships.
The ships burning — Dominic Serres (1722-1793)
The Americans ended up burning most of their own fleet and making their way home overland in small groups. Commodore Saltonstall was court-marshalled afterward, and Paul Revere, who had commanded the artillery train, was accused of disobeying orders and of cowardice. It’s quite a story. You can read more about it here or try Bernard Cornwell’s novel, The Fort. (I have never read any Cornwell but might have to check it out.)
All in all, Stephen Tukey served for something like 8 months, but those months were full of action and peril. Maybe he didn’t do anything wildly memorable, but he did his part and deserves our respect. Stephen married Hannah Cushing sometime during the war, had at least five children, and lived to the ripe old age of 79.
This July 4th raise your glass to those doughty men and women to whom we owe our country. If only we were better at living up to their example.
dual personalities 