dual personalities

Month: May, 2023

May 31, 2023

I contain multitudes

by chuckofish

It is the last day of May and the Christmas Cactus is blooming again!

It is also Walt Whitman’s birthday! We will toast him and all the birthdays we have celebrated in May.

We do not all contain multitudes. Some people, I am told, do not even have/are incapable of having an inner monologue. (This is science.) I toast those who do.

In other news, in reading through the Bible, I have found several references to bears, which I found interesting. I was unaware that there even were bears in the Ancient Middle East. But I guess there were. Here is an interesting article about a difficult passage. Why did God send bears to attack a group of boys?

And here is John Piper on fighting the fears of old age, which, believe me, I am fighting. He never pulls any punches:

Your outward sufficiency is getting smaller, right? You are weakening. Your body is weakening, your eyes are weakening, your ears are weakening, your memory is weakening, and everything is wasting away. That’s what it means in this age to die. We all will die if Jesus doesn’t come, to which we say, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

But I believe the promise of 2 Corinthians 9:8 is that every good work that you are expected to do by God, you will have the resources to do it — the mental resources, the physical resources, the affectional resources, the financial resources. If you don’t have the resources to do it, he doesn’t expect you to do it.”

Well, take time to smell the flowers today, consider the cosmos, talk to the “Listener up there!” and have a snack.

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May 30, 2023

Lest we forget

by chuckofish

Yesterday morning I got up bright and early and drove with daughter #1 to Florissant, MO to the historic Cold Water Cemetery, the oldest Protestant cemetery west of the Mississippi still in use, for an annual DAR event. There are some Revolutionary War veterans buried in this cemetery, so the DAR has been caretaking the cemetery for 60 years. We enjoyed the ceremony, especially the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps…

It was good to see some twelve-year old boys (probably all home-schooled) interested in history. We also liked these guys from the Militia de San Carlos and the Sons of the Revolution…

They gave a musket salute as well.

And we got to ride in one of these “shuttles” down to the cemetery…

It was almost like being on a hayride!

As is my tradition, I also watched They Were Expendable (1945), which is the best war movie ever.

Listen, son: you and I are professionals. If the manager says, “Sacrifice”, we lay down a bunt and let somebody else hit the home runs. We know all about those destroyers out of commission, tied up around San Diego. We could use them here. But they’re not around. They won’t be. Our job is to lay down that sacrifice. That’s what we were trained for, and that’s what we’ll do. Understand?

So keep showing up. Pay attention. Pray hard for your country.

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May 29, 2023

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?*

by chuckofish

Ah, three-day weekends are nice. Everyone is more relaxed. We are on the summer schedule at church now, which means that although there are still two morning services, there is no children’s chapel at the 11:00 o’clock. I missed that memo somehow and we brought the twins to the 11 o’clock. The wee bud teared up at the offertory hymn at the prospect of staying with us through the whole service, so Pappy took him out to the fellowship hall to hang out. (He was not the only parent/grandparent to do so.) But Lottie stayed with me and did a very good job of curbing her depravity and listening/keeping quiet during the 40-minute Presbyterian sermon. She went up with me to get communion (although she did not take communion.) She had a lot of questions. Is that blood? I said I’d explain later.

We had the whole gang over for a Memorial Day bbq and driveway sittin’ on Sunday evening. Daughter #1’s friends Liz and Brenton came too, plus their two-year old twins. And Mr. Smith, of course.

Start ’em early!

As usual, we missed Katie and Ida and their parents, but they had fun too!

Enjoy your Monday off!

*Hosea 6:4 (wherein God gets exasperated like the rest of us parents)–press on.

P.S. The boy took all the pictures–thank you!

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May 26, 2023

“Must have been crazy…or too conventional”

by chuckofish

Daughter #1 has passed the blogging duties back to me today, so I will remind you (yet again) that today is John Wayne’s birthday. Time to celebrate Duke-style.

Now I should probably be preparing something from this…

…but it’s Friday, so the OM will be going to Chick-fil-a for our usual Friday night treat. Then we’ll watch El Dorado (1966) to celebrate. Life is good.

I can really relate to Harvey Keitel in this scene from Martin Scorsese’s first movie Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967):

And here’s a great scene with a great, great actor:

Have a good Friday. Break some glasses. And remember Memorial Day–lest we forget.

God bless America.

4 Comments
May 25, 2023

This splendid woman

by chuckofish

Recently I acquired a small battered book entitled “First Baptist Church Centennial Celebration–in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the church in Las Animas, Colorado 1874-1974”.

It includes a history of the church. Our great-great-grandmother is prominently featured.

She was, indeed, a founding member, trustee, superintendent of the Sunday School, and the organist. Her husband, John S. Hough, was not a member; he was a Quaker and remained so his entire life. My great-grandmother Anna Hough was a member; she was 10-years old in 1874. Her two older sisters, Ida and Susie, would have been members too, but they died in 1875 and 1876 and were not included, therefore, in the list of charter members.

The history goes on to tell us:

The original building was an adobe structure built on land owned by John Prowers. The bell on this church was known to be one of the first bells ever to ring in the Arkansas Valley.

I love that the “two little girls” Anna Hough and her cousin Katie raised the money to buy the bell. Gee, girls were empowered even back in the 19th century!

In other news, we will toast Ralph Waldo Emerson today on his 220th birthday (1803):

The world rolls round,—mistrust it not,—
Befalls again what once befell;
All things return, both sphere and mote,
And I shall hear my bluebird’s note,
And dream the dream of Auburn-dell.

Read the entire poem here.

And it’s time to start thinking about what movie(s) you will watch on Friday to celebrate John Wayne’s 116th birthday (1907)! Also keep in mind when making your selection that there may be multiple viewings of John Wayne movies over the upcoming Memorial Day three day-weekend! If you are in Fort Worth, go to the The John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, TX for lots of special events!

You never know who you might run into.

And news flash, there was a bear sighting in Festus, Missouri, 35 miles south of us on Tuesday. It was a big bear! It was hit and killed by a car on I-55 later that night. Can you imagine hitting a bear while driving your car? Zut alors! We are going to have to be on the lookout when we go to our favorite winery!

6 Comments
May 24, 2023

Watching the river flow

by chuckofish

Today we toast Bob Dylan on his 82nd birthday! Huzzah!

Recently, when I awaken in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep, I have been re-reading Chronicles, Volume I by BD. He is one of the best-read guys you could know. He never wasted his free time in his youth, but read whatever was available on the bookshelves of whoever’s apartment he was crashing in. And he remembered what he read.

I read the biography of Thaddeus Stevens, the radical Republican. He lived in the early part of the 1800s and was quite a character. He’s from Gettysburg and he’s got a clubfoot like Byron. He grew up poor, made a fortune and from then on championed the weak and any other group who wasn’t able to fight equally. Stevens had a grim sense of humor, a sharp tongue and a white-hot hatred for the bloated aristocrats of his day. He wanted to confiscate the land of the slaveholding elite, once referred to a colleague on the floor of the chamber as “slinking in his own slime.” …He got right in there, called his enemies a “feeble band of lowly reptiles who shun the light and who lurked in their own dens.” Stevens was hard to forget. He made a big impression on me, was inspiring. Him and Teddy Roosevelt, maybe the strongest U.S. president ever. I read about Teddy, too. He was a cattle rancher and a crime buster, had to be restrained from declaring war on California–had a big run in with J.P. Morgan, a deity figure who owned most of the United States at the time. Roosevelt backed him down and threatened to throw him in jail.

Good stuff. So read some history, some poetry, and listen to some BD today: pick a good one.

Then she opened up a book of poems
And handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet 
From the thirteenth century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burnin' coal
Pourin' off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
4 Comments
May 23, 2023

“I know who I am.”*

by chuckofish

Yesterday Ray’s Tree Service was at my house all day. It was quite a racket. But two dead white oak trees are gone and our 250-year old mulberry is trimmed. Huzzah. It is always interesting to watch professionals do their work.

Meanwhile, while perusing Instagram, I followed a link to this:

“The English have Shakespeare. The French have Moliere. The Russians have Dostoevsky. What do we own? What do we have? The Western.” I concur.

This in turn led me to this:

Now I am not particularly a fan of Kevin Costner. I consider Dances With Wolves (1990) unwatchable. However, after watching his speech at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2019, I now know that he is my soul brother. What he says is very personal and from the heart. Watch the whole thing. Amazing.

This is a good one by Tim Challies about “middle” age. “Among those blessings is a sense of realism about myself that may have been missing in my younger years. I increasingly know who I am and, of equal importance, who I am not. I have a deeper understanding of what I am capable of and what I am incapable of. I have learned what I can expect of myself and what will only ever be beyond my capacity.”

And here’s one more article about Tim Keller written by Kevin DeYoung, who will one day be called a pillar of the PCA. “He loved Jesus. He loved the Bible. He loved his wife, Kathy, and their children. He kept the main thing the main thing. He wasn’t a jerk. He wasn’t a prima donna. He was enjoyable to be around. He was full of the fruit of the Spirit. He was ready for heaven. That’s a good life; that’s a Christian life.”

Amen, brother.

*Kevin Costner

8 Comments
May 22, 2023

Let angels prostrate fall*

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? We had glorious spring weather here in flyover land and it was a joy to revel in it. We went to our favorite winery in Hillsboro and sat outside under the wide blue sky with other like-minded individuals and listened to the 1970s playlist of the band–so, perfect.

Earlier in the day we also went to a couple of good estate sales including one at the home of an old friend from my work days. Bettye was a sweet lady from Arkansas who was a founding member of the St. Louis Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. In January she went to Australia to visit her daughter, went off hiking by herself and never returned. They found her body the next day. I was truly saddened by this turn of events. She had been one of my right hand lieutenants for many years. I deduced that one of the estate sales was at her house and I wanted to see her lovely century home in U. City and hopefully find a few books (which I did) so we went. Granted, it is always a little disconcerting to snoop through the home of someone you knew. Hers was just like I expected–lots of books and old furniture, good art, a lovely garden.

Daughter #1 went back to two of the estate sales the second day, when prices are 50% off, and came away with quite a haul. IYKYK how exciting this is. I know Bettye would be pleased that a few of her things are in my daughter’s home.

I must also mention the passing of Timothy Keller on Friday. He was a pillar of the PCA. I credit him with bringing me into the Presbyterian fold. Back in 2017 (or thereabouts) I used to ride my stationery bike for 30 minutes before breakfast every morning and I would listen to Tim Keller sermons. He preached the gospel and talked unironically about John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards. I have a notebook full of notes…Do not put yourself in the place of God, but become godly. He talked about sin, immersing yourself in the Bible, going to church. He knew what the harm was in blending worship of our triune God with the worship of our man-made idols. He knew God has no patience with this. Keller taught me about his intellectually stimulating denomination and that it is possible to spread the Word even in Babylon.

“Expository preaching should provide the main diet of preaching for a Christian community. . . . [It] is the best method for displaying and conveying your conviction that the whole Bible is true. This approach testifies that you believe every part of the Bible to be God’s Word, not just particular themes and not just the parts you feel comfortable agreeing with.”

And I love this last word from John Piper about Keller:

Also, rest in peace Jim Brown, who died last week. We all know he was an awesome athlete, but did you know that besides being a great football player at Syracuse University, he was a sensation on the lacrosse team? (He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1984, 13 years after he made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

As you know, Brown retired at the height of his NFL career to be a movie actor and he made some good movies. “I had a great appreciation for Harry Belafonte and Sidney [Poitier] and Sammy Davis [Jr.] They were all great in their own way,” he said in A Football Life documentary from NFL Films that premiered in November 2016. “But I was a physical actor, I was a hero … We needed that as African-Americans.” He makes a good point. I think Woody Strode felt that way as well.

I recently watched 100 Rifles (1969) when Raquel Welsh died earlier this year, so I think I’ll opt for The Dirty Dozen (1966) or Ice Station Zebra (1968) or one of his other films.

Into paradise may the angels lead thee and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. 

*Edward Perronet, 1779

4 Comments
May 19, 2023

It has been a bit of a week. TGIF.

by chuckofish

Well, good Friday to you. I will admit that I do not have much for you. I have been continuing the (hard) work of unpacking and making decisions about where things go. I’ve also been attempting to get my work-from-home-work setup functioning. I could not get my dual monitors to work and the IT department just kept sending me home with new equipment. Well, today, I finally figured out that it was not the equipment (duh), it was the monitor settings. Now everything is working and it is quite a luxury to have an office for working from home. We’ve come a long way from the dining room table, baby.

I also ordered some hanging files and organized all of my documents related to taxes, health insurance, credit cards, and utilities in the file cabinet drawer in the desk I absconded with (was given) from my parents’ house. It is quelle nice and I feel so much more relaxed having it all organized. Cue Jonathan Winters.

Also, I cut my grass today. Nothing makes me feel more accomplished than cutting my grass. Except maybe remembering to take my trash and recycling out the night before trash day. These things bring me joy.

Over the weekend, we had several evening thunderstorms, prompting this special alert from the KMOV weather app. Spoiler alert, my house was NOT struck by lightning. And neither were any of my neighbors.

Mr. Smith was unperturbed by the storm. This week, he started aggressive training at Kennelwood. It basically sending him to a fancy daycare where he learns his colors but for dogs that means being a good boy and not jumping on people and eating trash. The price is about the same too. [eyeroll]

So, yes, I now have to drop off and pick up my DOG before and after work. I just love driving into the City when I don’t have to (ie on my work from home days). But hopefully, it’ll be worth it.

Finally, because I have so few pictures this week, I thought I’d close with this. Inquiring minds want to know. Which car are you? It’s so hard to choose. I’m probably the mouse in the pickle. Let’s be real, I’m the pig in the corn cob.

3 Comments
May 18, 2023

‘That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”/Let no man know is my Desire.’*

by chuckofish

Today is the 174th anniversary of the great fire which pretty much destroyed the St. Louis waterfront–levee, wharf and business section–back in 1849. Fifteen blocks became engulfed in the firestorm. Can you even imagine?

At the time of the fire, the population of St. Louis was around 63,000, and the city was about ¾ miles wide with three miles of riverfront. A fire alarm sound at 9:00 p.m. on May 17, 1849 when the paddle-wheeled steamboat “The White Cloud” caught fire. It was located on the river at the foot of Cherry Street and St. Louis’ volunteer Fire Department immediately responded. Unfortunately, the moorings that were holding the steamboat burned through, allowing the burning White Cloud to drift down the Mississippi River, eventually causing 22 other steamboats as well as several flatboats and barges to catch fire.

From there, the flames from the burning boats jumped to buildings on the shore, and soon everything on the waterfront levee was burning for four blocks. After moving westward to Main Street and crossing Olive Street, the fire completely gutted the three blocks between Olive and 2nd Street. It also went as far south as Market Street. Finally the fire subsided after the Fire Department blew up six buildings. The fire was contained after 11 hours. In all, 430 buildings were destroyed, 23 steamboats along with over a dozen other boats were lost, and three people died including Captain Thomas B. Targee who was killed while trying to blast the fire break.

(Daguerreotype by Thomas Easterly. Missouri Historical Society Collections)

Let’s not forget that this was also the year of the cholera epidemic which decimated the city. Good grief! But as is often the case, the tragedy redefined St. Louis and certain reforms, such as legislating for brick buildings and the development of a safe water supply, were put in place. The city was rebuilt and the population jumped to 77,580 residents in 1850, which translated into a 372.8% increase from the 1840 census.

In other news, Ida is four months old!

*Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem after her home in Massachusetts burned to the ground in 1666–read the entire poem here.

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