dual personalities

Month: February, 2023

February 14, 2023

Tuesday mish-mosh

by chuckofish

So there is joy in our flyover state because the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. But we only watched Chris Stapleton sing the National Anthem because we love him and, I must say, he did a super job.

The only time I have ever cared about the NFL was when Kurt Warner played for the Rams back in the day. ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ offense was fabulous and I loved those guys: Isaac Bruce, Marshall Falk, Aeneas Williams, and, of course, Kurt Warner. Therefore, instead of the Super Bowl, we watched American Underdog (2021) which tells the story of Kurt and Brenda Warner and his road from stock boy at the Hy-Vee to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback.

It is an inspiring story and this film tells it well. I recommend this movie–I mean, who doesn’t love an inspiring sports story with a (spoiler alert) happy ending?

Fun fact: Considered the NFL’s greatest undrafted player, Warner is the only undrafted player to be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, as well as the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. He is also the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl during his first season as the primary starter. Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and is the only player inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame.

In other news, did you see that lightening struck Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue over the weekend?

(Photo from The Daily Mail)

Well, it did, and once again I ask, Are these the End Times?

Anne wrote a good one about the flailing (and failing) Church of England. “The most essential thing we should notice about Jesus this morning is how different he is from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Welby doesn’t have the power to heal all your diseases. But he has been given the gift of the Gospel which he could proclaim—it’s literally his main job—if he would trouble himself to discover what it is.”

And I enjoyed this article about the movie Ride the High Country (1962) and the Western genre in general. “The classic Western era was a distinct period in American film, establishing a genre with singular moral and artistic rules. These were stories about honor culture in the wilderness, a limbo space where rule of law was tenuous or nonexistent. Other critics have noted the difference in ethos between the old and new eras of Westerns, but Terry [Teachout] ‘s conservatism, and the erstwhile Christian faith of his childhood, gave him unique insight. The lawless world of Westerns, he noted, seemed to dramatize Dostoyevsky’s warning in The Brothers Karamazov that ‘If there is no God, then anything is permitted, even cannibalism.’”

Have a great Valentines day. “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)

3 Comments
February 13, 2023

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? We had sunny blue skies but freezing temps. Still, Saturday was a lovely day to buzz over to Jeff City to check on daughter #1’s apartment and water her plants.

We had lunch at the Grand…

…and did a little mid-Mo shopping before heading home to walk the dog. It was a lot of driving, but the scenery of the rolling hills of Missouri never disappoints.

On Sunday morning I set up the dining room for a little after-church Valentine party for the wee twins…

In church we had a baptism and it was the twin’s Sunday School teacher’s baby and the little bud stood up and said “Hi Mr. Patrick!” and waved. When the pastor walked with the baby down the center aisle and we all sang “Jesus Loves Me” I cried and my mascara ran. Par for the course.

Later at home, after bagels and party favors, we played outside with Mr. Smith who is living his best life.

Meanwhile baby Idabelle continues to thrive…

…and Katie continues to be the best big sister, reading to her constantly…

“A bunny, that’s right a bunny!”

…and replacing her binky immediately when it falls out of baby’s mouth.

So onward to Monday! God is in control.

Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;

Be thou my dignity, thou my delight,

Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:

raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

–Hymn #642, verse 3

(My latest floral arrangement for church on Sunday–not bad, right?)

4 Comments
February 10, 2023

Friday movie pick

by chuckofish

Last night we watched The King and I (1956) because it was on TCM. Although I have seen it many times, it did not disappoint!

It is on my Top Ten Best Movie Musical List–indeed, probably my Top Five. Yul Brynner is stupendous and Deborah Kerr holds up her end admirably. The Siamese rendition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin–“The Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet sequence–is wonderful. The sets, the costumes–wow. It won Oscars for Bests Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Sound, and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical.

It is a movie that has it all. And by that I mean, mostly Yul Brynner.

If you are in need of a little escape from the madness, watch The King and I (1956). You’ll be glad you did.

Have a good weekend!

3 Comments
February 9, 2023

Deep thoughts for Thursday

by chuckofish

We live in the valley of Elah, and daily, Goliath stomps into our terrified lives, shouting, “I defy you!” (1 Sam. 17:10) In God’s powerful name we must come to take our stand. Like David, we must say, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (v. 45 NIV). If we tremble in the face of Satan, it is never because Satan has grown large, but because our God has grown small.

–Calvin Miller, The Unchained Soul

This is a thoughtful piece about how people need a spiritual life and church. “As we continue to confront the despair pervading our society, we must seek to be the means of God’s grace toward those struggling with the threat of death. And as churches foremost—but also as political communities and society as a whole—we must help people find spiritual life.”

3 Comments
February 8, 2023

Like the new moon thy life appears

by chuckofish

–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The painting is by Jessie Wilcox Smith.

BTW, an adumbration is an “imperfect representation; something that suggests by resemblance, or shadows forth; a foreshadowing.” I looked it up.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

–Proverbs 19:21
2 Comments
February 7, 2023

“We’re about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere.”

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the birthday of John Deere (1804-1886), American blacksmith, inventor and manufacturer, who founded Deere and Company. Deere hailed from Vermont and attended Middlebury College. He moved to Illinois and invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837 by fashioning a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow.

(Early John Deere plow, circa 1845, made in Grand Detour, Illinois, displayed at the Henry Ford Museum)

Prior to Deere’s steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows to which the rich Midwestern soil stuck, so they had to be cleaned frequently. The smooth-sided steel plow solved this problem and greatly aided migration into the American Great Plains in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

By 1855, Deere’s factory had sold more than 10,000 such plows. It became known as “The Plow that Broke the Plains” and is commemorated in a historic place marker in Middlebury, Vermont.

Deere & Company ranked No. 84 in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.

The John Deere tractor has, of course, become an icon of a certain way of life and has been glorified in many great country songs by the likes of Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Joe Diffie. But I like this one by Josh Thompson–“Way Out Here”:

(Thompson co-wrote the song with David Lee Murphy and Casey Beathard.)

We won't take a dime if we ain't earned it
When it comes to weight, brother we pull our own
If it's our backwoods way of living you're concerned with
Well you can leave us alone
Cause we're about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere
Way out here

So let’s toast John Deere tonight and my people Way Out Here.

5 Comments
February 6, 2023

Let me not sink to be a clod

by chuckofish

Well, the weekend started out chilly and chill, the highlight being daughter #1’s sighting of a very large hawk on the back fence.

Later the same day we spotted a bald eagle flying over our neighborhood! We were not fast enough to snap a picture, but it was exciting. Mais vraiment, two large raptors in one day! According to our local news rag, it is the season for Turkey Buzzards to return from their southern migration, so we’ll be on the lookout for them, although, let’s be honest, it is not very exciting to see vultures.

Another highlight was going to The Cracker Barrel for dinner! We had not been there in many, many years, but after hearing that they now serve alcohol, we headed over to Fenton around 4:45 pm so we could get a table without having to wait on the front porch. We were pleasantly surprised with our meals (mine was from the kid’s menu) and the addition of a cold Blue Moon only enhanced the experience.

“Yeah, that’s a big bite. I’m a big boy.” (The hashbrown casserole is delish.)

At church on Sunday, the wee laddie filled out the welcome card as usual…

…before heading down to Sunday School. The service still fills me with joy and sets me on my course for the week. Amen.

We went home afterwards and ate bagels and then went outside to frolic…(Lottie was sick at home with her Mom, but Mr. Smith got quite a workout with just the wee laddie, chasing the car and playing soccer.)

It was even warm enough to do some driveway sittin’! It was so great to see the sun and that blue sky!

Meanwhile, the two sisters continue to bond adorably…

Have a good week! “By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2: 24-25)

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified;
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

–Amy Carmichael

4 Comments
February 3, 2023

“Go West, young man, and grow up with the country!”*

by chuckofish

The origin of today’s blogpost title is usually credited to the American author and newspaper editor Horace Greeley (1811-1872) whose birthday we celebrate today. The quote, of course, concerns America’s expansion westward. It was a rallying cry for those 19th century pioneers who hoped to find a better life through hard work in the West.

“Washington [D.C.] is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.” (New York Daily Tribune, July 13, 1865)

(Photo taken by Matthew Brady of Greeley between 1844 and 1860)

Much was made of this quote in American history…and in quite a few movies. Mae West made a movie, Go West Young Man (1936) with Gary Cooper, and here’s Groucho Marx in a scene from Copacabana (1947):

Mr Horace Greeley was no fool
I’m sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he’s the one that said

Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Go West! Young Man!

–Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby

Have a good weekend and go West!–at least with your movie-watching choices!

2 Comments
February 2, 2023

“Now, I May Be Wrong, But Frankly, I Doubt It.”*

by chuckofish

Daughter #1’s post yesterday about Murder She Wrote (1984-1996) got me thinking about Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury) and prompted me to say a little bit more. It is not a great show by today’s standards and we laugh about it a lot, but I have to say, I like the main character.

Jessica is a middle-aged, independent, no nonsense woman–well-groomed, tall and trim, but by no means a beauty. She is comfortable with that and is not trying to be younger and more glamorous than she is. She is confident and well respected and lets the inevitable insults wash over her. She is always a lady.

My parents watched the show back in the day and I know my mother considered Jessica a style icon with her skirts and sweaters and elegant scarf ensembles. I find myself drawn to them myself. Leggings hadn’t been invented back then, but Jessica would never have worn them in public. She hardly ever wore slacks!

Indeed, Jessica is a rare breed, seldom seen these days. It is refreshing to watch her, free of any chips on her shoulder, no axes to grind. There is no politics on the show, no virtue signaling. Imagine that.

So even though the plots border on the ridiculous, the police–whether in New York City or the boonies of Arkansas–are universally nincompoops in need of Jessica’s help, and murder follows wherever she goes (and she travels a lot to see dozens of nieces and nephews), I kind of like it–in small doses.

(Jerry Orbach with Angela Lansbury. He had a recurring role as a P.I. on Murder She Wrote before Law and Order.)

P.S. Angela Lansbury knew everyone from her previous career in movies and on Broadway. Here she is with Jerry Orbach at the 1969 Tony Awards. (Also with James Earl Jones and Julie Harris, who as far as I know, never guest-starred on Murder She Wrote, but who knows?) The show is, indeed, frequented by stars (and a variety of washed-up has-beens).

In other news, it has been cold, cold, cold here in flyover country. The winter storms mostly missed us and I am grateful for that. Hopefully it is going to warm up today. Anyway, I am off to my Bible Study which is starting up again today. We are reading the book of Daniel.

Meanwhile, here are some good links:

In this article Kevin DeYoung bids us biblical Christians to “be cheerful, be clear, and be confident.” Good advice.

Anne tells us about “shadow work” here. I was like, oh yeaaaaah.

Pray for the day ahead. Pray that you might bring glory to God, in thought, word and deed. Thank God that his mercies are new every morning. Thank God that his grace is sufficient for all situations that you may encounter.

*Said frequently by Jessica Fletcher

3 Comments
February 1, 2023

Mr. Smith is truly so cute.

by chuckofish

Well, I don’t have any stories about bears. Sigh. But for the past few evenings, my mother and I have watched Murder She Wrote to pass the time. That show is truly something else. I think my mother and I need to start a podcast that is just our witty banter as we watch Murder She Wrote. Mystery Science Theater-style. It could be called Only Murderers on Murder She Wrote. Cinda Canning would totally be on board.

Naturally, I’ve put too much thought into this. In addition to witty banter, there would be drinking game rules. Listeners would need to drink every time characters exchanged eye movements in lieu of dialogue. A drink would be taken every time the police are incompetent boobs. And a drink for every time my mother, the human IMDB, relays what movie, or tv/broadway show the guest star is known for.

I’m telling you, we could really go viral.

In other news, Mr. Smith is finally old enough to get a rabies shot, which he did this evening. He can now enter society. On Saturday, while it was a balmy 45 degrees and sunny, we practiced taking a walk on the sidewalk. I am not kidding when I say we had gone TWO FEET when a car stopped next us, rolled down the window and a passenger yelled, “Your dog is so cute!!!” He is, but I had to laugh.

At the vet, they use cheese whiz to distract puppies while they get their shots. Here is Mr. Smith sporting quite the cheese whiz beard.

Also, you might think this is an endless loop, but really it is what it is like trying to watch TV with Mr. Smith. He is interested only in your socks. And that Kleenex you’ve got tucked under the blanket.

He’s getting so big! There’s lot of energy packed into that little 7.4 lb dynamo.

4 Comments