Catching up

by chuckofish

Since I have had such a busy two weeks, I confess I fell behind in my daily Bible reading. However, I have caught up and it wasn’t easy considering I was in 1 and 2 Kings. Lots of violence and mayhem and even sassy boys being devoured by bears! But it did supply me with a good bear story for the twins on Sunday, complete with a moral: never call a prophet of God “you baldhead!” Show some respect or it will not end well for you. (I keep my MacArthur Bible Commentary close by to explain these sometimes troubling passages.)

Speaking of bears, a baby bear was spotted in Ballwin, a neighboring suburb here in flyover country, which is a little too close for my comfort. (Since then it has been spotted in Sunset Hills and Kirkwood!) Where there’s a baby bear, there’s a mama bear close by.

Today we remember George Armstrong Custer and his brothers, Thomas Ward Custer and Boston Custer who all died on this day in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Custer’s nephew and brother-in-law died there as well.

And Myles Keogh. You remember Myles…

Side note: Our ancestor, Arthur Newell Chamberlin, fought at the battle of the Rosebud Creek (between the U.S. Army and its Crow and Shoshone allies against the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne) eight days before and lived, thankfully, to tell the tale.

In local news, the day before on June 24, 1876, Forest Park was formally opened in our fair city. This 1,380-acre tract had been purchased by the city a year earlier for just under $800,000. Because more than 1,100 acres of its land was forested, the name Forest Park was agreed upon. At the time of its purchase the park was considered to be ridiculously far from the city–of which it is now a central and integral part. The park’s vital role in the life of St. Louis really began in 1904, when it served as the site for the St. Louis World’s Fair.

It was, and still is, pretty great.

So seize the day, learn some history, watch an old movie! And count it all joy.