dual personalities

Month: July, 2024

July 31, 2024

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

by chuckofish

The world is a clown show but that does not mean that we have to be surly. The joy of the Lord is our strength. As a wise man once said, “We are not called simply to fight with the evil around us, but rather we are called to fight this evil with a song in our hearts.”

“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Since we can’t watch the news and the Olympics are another clown show, I have been watching–you guessed it–old movies. Recently I watched Sergeant York (1941), a film I had previously written off as patronizing folksy hocum with Gary Cooper winning an Oscar for perfecting his aw-shucks persona. But this true story of a Tennessee farm boy, who is transformed from a n’er-do-well to a conscientious objector to a hero in WWI, really hit me differently this time around. It was the highest grossing film of 1941 and I can see why now. Of course, it is a Hollywood propaganda film aiming to gain support for America joining the war effort, but they do it well. They also handle York’s Spurgeon-esque conversion experience directly and unapologetically as it is central to the story. I enjoyed it and I recommend it.

I also watched I Know Where I’m Going (1945), a production of The Archers–Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. The story is about a young Englishwoman (Wendy Hiller) who goes to the Hebrides to marry her older, wealthier fiancé. She thinks she knows what she wants, but when the weather keeps them separated on different islands, she begins to have second thoughts–most of them to do with Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesey), a dashing local laird home on leave from WWII. It is a very romantic story of the type no one has been able to tell on screen for 50 years. Although Hiller is not a favorite of mine, I enjoyed it very much. The rest of the cast is wonderful.

And here’s good news: it’s time to set your DVRs because TCM’s Summer Under the Stars, where they celebrate a different star each day in August, starts tomorrow! Here’s the schedule. William Powell starts off the month on August 1.

So watch an old movie, keep cool and make lemonade (or a margarita).

This lemonade is insane!
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July 30, 2024

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace.”*

by chuckofish

Well, I have finally caught up with my daily Bible reading schedule. Amen. And it has been a pleasure to be in Isaiah, which is always timely.

“Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
    the people in whose heart is my law;
fear not the reproach of man,
    nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
    and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my righteousness will be forever,
    and my salvation to all generations.”

(Isaiah 51:7-9)

Here’s Sinclair Ferguson on the Gospel according to Isaiah.

Speaking of revilings, this is a good one by Carl Trueman about our anti-culture of nothingness.

And for some comic relief, Black Bears really are becoming cartoon characters in real life. (Be sure to check out the photos of the wrecked car.)

Cheer up–don’t let the turkeys get you down!

*Isaiah 55:12; the painting is by Eugène Boudin (1824-1898)–Trouville Beach, 1865

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July 29, 2024

Hillbilly rock etc.

by chuckofish

We made it to Jefferson City on Friday and the Marty Stuart concert was superlative! Our seats were front and center and we could really see everything. It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. Marty, Cousin Kenny, Handsome Harry and Chris Scruggs were rockin’. Before the concert we also managed to have a lovely and relaxing lunch at the Les Bourgeois Vineyard in Rocheport on the Missouri River.

Can’t do much better than that.

We spent the night in JC and then we drove to Boonville where we dropped daughter #1 off at a DAR Regent workshop. The OM and I then drove home where I went to a good estate sale at the kind of house I like best–one where someone has lived a long time and has a lot of stuff like my stuff. Best is when I can figure out whose house it was. (I did.) I usually find something. I got some books and a Christmas present.

We picked up Mr. Smith at the kennel, but it was pouring rain and he freaked out, becoming enraged by the windshield wipers. I talked him down from the ledge and we made it home, thankfully, without wrecking the car, and daughter #1 retrieved him after returning from her DAR workshop. He was happy to be back home again and at his post…

I went to Sunday School and church as usual where we had a trombone accompaniment (with piano) to our hymns, It was different, but surprisingly effective. I was also pleased to hear that my old colleague Abram Van Engen, the Stanley Elkin Professor in the Humanities and chair of the English department at my former flyover university, is going to give a talk at church in a couple of weeks about his new book, Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church. He is a fellow admirer of the Puritans. I ordered the book and look forward to reading it.

I watched Red River (1947). Did you? Walter Brennan won three Academy Awards, but he really deserved one for his portrayal of Nadine Groot. A terrific and layered performance. John Wayne is iconic and Montgomery Clift at the beginning of his career was never better.

Anne had a good take on the anti-Christian display and general debauchery at the opening of the Olympics with good links to other comments. “I like telling my 10 & 7 year-olds, “We’re skipping this because those are men dressed up like women” and seeing the look of revulsion on their faces. God’s created order is pretty straightforward to kids.” We’ll try to keep our sense of humor and as usual just turn off the telly, keeping in mind Romans 1:24-25.

Meanwhile we will be girding our loins and staying inside this week as we have this to look forward to…

Jealous of the boy and his fam who are in Hilton Head…

Have a good week! Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

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July 26, 2024

And I stood beneath the blue sky

by chuckofish

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
    who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’…

(Isaiah 44:24-26)

Here’s more Isaiah to propel us into the weekend. I daresay we can all use it.

We are heading to Jefferson City today and the boy and his family are heading out to the beach on Sunday so traveling mercies to all who are on the road. We also wish the boy and daughter #3 a happy 12th anniversary on Sunday! Mazel tov!

This is a cool photo from @audubonsociety…

Pileated Woodpeckers are my faves.

And daughter #1 sent this for your weekly dose of Mr. Smith…

Quel cutie.

The summer is winding down. Soon it will be back-to-school time!

(Chris and Thomas)

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July 25, 2024

“Give me a condor’s quill!”

by chuckofish

Unlike the narrator of Moby-Dick, I have no great topic to write about today (see above quote), but only some odds and ends of my small life. But I do love that image of a condor’s quill.

Tomorrow the OM and daughter #1 and I are heading to Jefferson City (woohoo!) to see Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives in concert. While in town we will visit our favorite winery down there and other old haunts. I was pleased to see Marty visiting with Robert Duvall…

Speaking of Red River Valley, Saturday is the National Day of the Cowboy, so you will want to plan accordingly. We will toast my ancestor John Wesley Prowers and watch Red River (1948) which is our tradition.

If I was in Oklahoma City, I would, of course, go to the celebration the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum has planned, but we do what we can.

In other news, maybe you have noticed that there is nothing to watch on TV and, if you do watch–even streaming platforms–you are inundated with ads and more ads. And political ads. So the OM and I are watching (on DVD) the Hillsdale College series on WWII with Victor David Hanson. It is intellectually stimulating and the politics is 85 years old. After watching last night’s episode, we watched Operation Pacific (1951) with John Wayne as a submarine commander in WWII. Not the greatest movie ever, but entertaining and diverting. If I was in a submarine in WWII, I would want the Duke as my commander! (The freckle-faced kid below is Martin Milner of Adam-12 fame.)

Meanwhile here is something good to read about Mothering in today’s world. “Mothering is a fraught profession in the modern world. The stakes are high to do it right. If you’re going to ‘waste your intellect’, as my own mother so kindly put it, you’d better have exceptional children to show for it. Or at least a podcast.”

So learn something new, call your mother (or mother substitute), watch a cowboy movie, and listen to some good music:

Live for the glory of God and the good of others.

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July 24, 2024

“Have you not known? Have you not heard?”

by chuckofish

I think I mentioned that I fell behind in my daily Bible reading over the past two weeks, but I am catching up. Yesterday I was rewarded with Isaiah 40-43, which covers a lot of familiar territory.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-31)

I was also reminded of last year’s VBS where the kids memorized the following:

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Isaiah 41:10)

And these verses were important in Pilgrim’s Progress:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

(Isaiah 43:1-3)

These are all great verses, especially when we are in need of hope and comfort.

This article gives solid advice for when your mind gets stuck in unproductive places.

And I really liked this one about prayer postures in the Bible. I need all the help I can get in increasing my prayer time. I tend to “remember [God] upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” (Psalm 63:6) My wandering mind betrays me during the day when I try to focus. I can do better.

Meanwhile I am rearranging my office and I moved a small bookcase. The question arises: how many copies of the BCP do I really need?

One?

6 Comments
July 23, 2024

“In writing a novel, when in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns.”

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the birthday of the great detective fiction writer Raymond Chandler (1888-1959). He is generally considered to have invented the private detective character and his Philip Marlowe is, indeed, one of the great characters of fiction. Almost all of his novels have been made into movies, none of them, unfortunately, the equal of the original book.

“He was worth looking at. He wore a shaggy borsalino hat, a rough gray sports coat with white golf balls on it for buttons, a brown shirt, a yellow tie, pleated gray flannel slacks and alligator shoes with white explosions on the toes. From his outer breast pocket cascaded a show handkerchief of the same brilliant yellow as his tie. There were a couple of colored feathers tucked into the band of his hat, but he didn’t really need them. Even on Central Avenue, not the quietest dressed street in the world, he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.”

–Farewell, My Lovely

In other words, it’s best to read the books. Which I am in the mood to do.

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July 22, 2024

Let us love and sing and wonder

by chuckofish

I have had quite a busy 10 days and this week will be pretty busy too. I am home, but the laundry is piling up and I have a lot of furniture to rearrange following DN loading up a truck with stuff! (We drove back to our flyover city together on Saturday and he rented a truck.)

He did it all himself–a twin bed with mattress, a dresser, a large antique cradle, a wing chair, numerous bins, etc…and a dining room set from Facebook Marketplace, which he had to drive to Eureka to pick up! Then he drove it all back to Mahomet and unloaded it. It’s great to be young and fit. (The boy was in Kansas City so unavailable to help.) All this after spending 2 1/2 hours in the car with his mother-in-law! (We can talk for hours.)

I was pooped after all this, but got up and went to church and Sunday School. We had a guest teacher in Sunday School–Dr. Hans Madueme, professor of theological Studies at Covenant College in Georgia. He is an MD, MDiv and PhD. Quite a guy. It was a great class about science and faith, creation and original sin. We also had a good sermon on Psalm 7:

God is a righteous judge,
    and a God who feels indignation every day.

12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
    he has bent and readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
    making his arrows fiery shafts.

(Psalm 7:11-12)

I felt intellectually renewed, stimulated and refreshed!

Well, I sure had fun over the past week with darling daughter #2 and the sweet prairie girls…

…who are learning the art of estate sale-ing (and waiting in line)…

…where the Hibiscus are the size of platters…and the water lilies bloom…

…and Happy Hour popsicles are standard…

But I am glad to be home and back to my old routine.

Our prayers are with the the congregation of the historic First Baptist Dallas which burned down over the weekend. But as their Pastor Robert Jeffress said after fire, “I’m grateful that the church is not bricks or mortar or wood, it’s people. And the people of God will endure. First Baptist Dallas will endure and we thank so many of our friends around the country who are praying for us right now.”

And this was great:

Let us love and sing and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior’s Name!
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame.
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.

–John Newton, 1774

3 Comments
July 19, 2024

Take these thoughts. Put them in the basement.

by chuckofish

You know what is a fun part of modern life? The random, unannounced updates to apps and websites that are a lovely surprise when you log in and then can’t find the button that does what you need to do.

Anyway, happy Friday. My mother is in Mahomet partying down with the Prairie Girls.

#bestlife.

Meanwhile, I have no plans this weekend other than catching up on my life. With the temps in the 80s for the next week, I plan to cut my grass and walk Mr. Smith and hopefully drink some wine outside without getting too many bug bites. Maybe I’ll do some basement organizing and send some DAR-related emails. I just love the weekend. #bestlife for me too.

And thanks to the Apple algorithm for this one.

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July 18, 2024

Making someone’s day

by chuckofish

When daughter #2 was visiting earlier this week, coincidentally her childhood friend was also visiting her parents. She came over to chat and go out with the prairie girls for ice cream. When they returned, she mentioned that her husband was renovating the bathroom in their house and that she had been looking for a vintage brass swan fixture for the sink. It seems that since she was a little girl, she had loved been obsessed with the swan fixture in our downstairs powder room.

She had been searching high and low for one on Ebay and Etsy, etc. but to no avail.

Well, I said, when we renovated our bathroom a few years ago, I saved the swan fixture because my friend Eleanor had commented on it back in the day and said it was quite rare and valuable. I said if I can find it, it’s yours.

For once, the OM actually knew where it was and I found it in the garage. Julia came over the next day and picked it up. Voila!

Yay! Everyone is happy! She made my day.

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:16)

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