Good morning, readers! It’s Friday! And the last day of July! I have been busy all week getting ready for the arrival of daughter #2 and her sweet family tomorrow. They will joyously descend on my house and chaos will ensue.
Can’t wait to see everyone!
We have tentative plans to do many fun things, but rain is in the forecast all weekend, so we may have to adjust accordingly. C’est la vie!
And in case you have been wondering what the secret to a happy life is, here is Charles Spurgeon’s excellent explanation. “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” (Ps. 16:8)
I was very productive and ran a lot of errands yesterday. I voted early!
July 11, 2026 was the 100th birthday of Frederick Buechner, who has been very important to me over the long years of my spiritual journey. I actually met him back in the day when he preached at Christ Church Cathedral some time in the 1990s. I shook his hand. He meant a lot to me and I was not alone in that. Here are reflections on the following prompt: “What Buechner means to me” from the Buechner Review.
I have long wondered how anyone could not believe in a creator-God when one looked at birds–their incredible beauty and detail and diversity. This is a good read about ornitheology. “My point: Lessons are everywhere. When God filled the skies on day five (Gen. 1:20–22), he didn’t just make a bird, call it “bird,” and be done with it. He made at least 11,000 different bird species. Doesn’t it seem like he wanted us to notice?”
And here’s a great Billy Strings cover of one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs:
And every one of them words rang true And glowed like burning coal Pouring off of every page Like it was written in my soul From me to you Tangled up in blue
What have you been watching lately? Anything good? Me neither.
I did watch the movie RV (2006) directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Robin Williams, Cheryle Hines (Mrs. RFK, Jr.), Jeff Daniels, and Kristin Chenoweth. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sometimes you are just in the mood for such rated PG silliness. And there was a good moral to the story.
I also watched the classic John Huston version of Moby Dick (1956) with Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart and Leo Genn. It really is quite a good adaption of the huge and marvelous book, well worth watching.
Better yet, of course, to read the book, but do what you can.
Speak, thou vast and venerable head,” muttered Ahab, “which, though ungarnished with a beard, yet here and there lookest hoary with mosses; speak, mighty head, and tell us the secret thing that is in thee. Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest. That head upon which the upper sun now gleams, has moved amid this world’s foundations. Where unrecorded names and navies rust, and untold hopes and anchors rot; where in her murderous hold this frigate earth is ballasted with bones of millions of the drowned; there, in that awful water-land, there was thy most familiar home. Thou hast been where bell or diver never went; hast slept by many a sailor’s side, where sleepless mothers would give their lives to lay them down. Thou saw’st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other, when heaven seemed false to them. Thou saw’st the murdered mate when tossed by pirates from the midnight deck; for hours he fell into the deeper midnight of the insatiate maw; and his murderers still sailed on unharmed — while swift lightnings shivered the neighboring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to outstretched, longing arms. O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!
Also, yesterday was the 14th wedding anniversary of the boy and daughter #3. They have been a couple since 2009, and as you know, they were engaged at aged three while in preschool together.
They have been through a lot together and, God willing, they will have many more happy years together! L’chaim!
So watch an old movie, read an old book, celebrate a milestone. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
It’s the last week in July and it’s going to be a hot one! But the show must go on and there is plenty to be done.
I was doing ‘desk work’ yesterday and I found these in my phone photos:
Funnily enough, daughter #1’s electricity went out yesterday (!) and so she came over after work and brought Mr. Smith to cool off and to hug. All will be well.
Quelle weekend! Daughter #1 and I had a great roadtrip to Sedalia, MO on Friday. We stopped in Jeff City to do a little shopping (!) and go to Central Dairy for ice cream.
Then we proceeded on to Sedalia. On the way, we drove through Tipton and saw the giant Eight Ball, which is being painted and it looks like a scary spider is on top…
In Sedalia we checked into the historic Hotel Bothwell.
We sat outside for wine time and dinner.
In the morning we looked out our 7th floor window and there was a small crowd gathering in front of the Courthouse next door. Some people had signs and I thought–what, are they protesting?! Then I noticed the sheriff, who in dress and demeanor reminded me of Jackie Gleason as Buford T. Justice in Smokey and the Bandit. We ruminated on this situation for awhile and then we noticed all the cars on the block were from the seventies or before.
Well, we wondered, are they filming a movie here?! That might explain why the movie theater marquee was advertising Jaws! Also, the street was blocked off and what we thought was a street fair setting up was probably not. We googled “Smokey and the Bandit remake”. Sure enough, there is a new series for Netflix, which is intended to be a prequel to Smokey and the Bandit, which follows “the larger‑than‑life Sheriff Buford T. Justice and his loyal (if not always sharp) son Junior back home in Montague County, Texas.” The town of Sedalia will stand in for Montague County, Texas – home to Sheriff Justice. The show’s producers said they chose Sedalia because the “region’s look and spirit perfectly capture the world of Sheriff Justice” (a back-handed compliment methinks) and that they intend to showcase the town’s “character, charm and unmistakable Americana.”
When we asked at the front desk about it, everyone was very chill about the whole thing. Well, I guess those tax incentives for MO film-making are paying off.
After we checked out the scene outside, we went to our DAR leadership conference which was held at a nice church and where all the ladies looked like me or older. I sat with someone I have known since high school days–we even went to Smith together. It was very pleasant. We saw the Katy Depot and the Missouri State Fair Grounds on the way out of town.
We took the scenic route home in the afternoon.
Anyway, the moral of this story is, you don’t always have to go to some exotic place to have a fun time! Explore your home state!
On the way home, we stopped in Wildwood to pick up Mr. Smith who, it turns out, had a very fun time with the twins, who ran him ragged (literally).
He was a big hit at the farmer’s market…
…where he got his first pup cup…
Everyone was very tired when they got home.
On Sunday morning I headed to church where I was treated to the men’s ensemble singing “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” at the Offertory. How wonderful to hear the men’s voices! Also there was a good sermon on Psalm 34 (The Lord saves; we cannot save ourselves) and a wonderful adult ed class on Prayer as Encounter with God, led by our Associate Pastor. Church is such an uplifting experience every week!
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Today daughter #1 and I are heading to Sedalia, MO for a DAR leadership workshop.
I am tagging along because I have always wanted to go to Sedalia ever since my childhood days watching Rawhide on TV.
The drovers, you will recall, were usually heading to Sedalia, which for a time was the western end of the railroad, with their cattle herd.
Anyway, we’ll be back on Saturday, in time to pick up Mr. Smith who will be “boarding” with the boy and his family. I hope he can handle the excitement!
Speaking of cattle drives, don’t forget that Saturday is the the National Day of the Cowboy, celebrating the iconic figure who shaped the American West. They will, of course, be whooping it up at my favorite museum, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. When I get home from Sedalia, I’ll watch a cowboy movie as is my custom. Probably Junior Bonner (1972)…
Oh yeah.
Please keep us in your prayers as we sally forth into Mid-MO!
It is our custom to remember Ulysses S. Grant on July 23, the day he died in 1885.
Maybe I’ll swing by White Haven today and walk through the grounds.
As Mark Twain said: “The greatest man I have ever had the privilege of knowing personally. And I have not known a man with a kinder nature or a purer character. He was called the Silent Man — the Sphynx — and he was that, in public, but not in private. There he was a fluent and able talker — with a large sense of humor, and a most rare gift of compacting meaty things into phrases of stunning felicity.”
Well, I finally watched A Great Awakening (2026), the new movie about the friendship between the Rev. George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin and I loved it.
It is available to rent on Amazon Prime. I have the DVD, because I will definitely watch it again. And you know how I feel about physical media.
As Greg Morse writes, “The story of the man whom God used to spark revival on two continents cannot be fully told in a running time of just over two hours. Whitefield was a force, a hurricane that swept through Britain and the colonies with Christian zeal, resistless spirituality, and renowned oratory. The facts are almost unbelievable. On many weeks, he preached nearly as much, if not more, than he slept. When not preaching, he rode on horseback miles upon miles to his next speaking engagement. He preached and taught one thousand times every year for thirty years, most of the time to thousands of people, all without microphones and notes, and often outside. John Piper notes in his excellent sermon, ‘Estimates are that eighty percent of the entire population of the American colonies (this is before TV or radio) heard Whitefield at least once.'”
Yes, it is an amazing story and this movie tells it well. The production values are high. I had never heard of anyone in it, but the acting is excellent. The direction is solid. It is not a Hallmark movie. It won’t win any awards, because it doesn’t check any of the woke boxes, but it checked all of mine.
How was your weekend? Mine was quite busy, so I needed a whole day to recover. Friday was a full day plus the fam came over for a little party that night. Then I spent the whole day Saturday at Innsbrook with my small group from church.
We had a wonderful time sitting around talking, eating our potluck lunch, sharing our spiritual concerns. And I got to take a ride on the pontoon boat. I was pretty tired by the time I got home! Nevertheless I roused myself and went to the early service at church on Sunday. I heard a good sermon on Psalm 33–our hope is in our faith in God, not in the things of this world. I was impressed by our young pastor who made a reference to The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and its star Errol Flynn in the middle of his exegesis. Props to him for owning that movie! Then we had another great adult ed class on meditation and prayer, chapter 10 of Tim Keller’s book. This week it was led by my friend Dan, the optometrist. This has been such a good series!
After church I went to an estate sale at a really nice house. It was the second day, but I did find something–two lamps for daughter #2. Score!
Then I went to daughter #1’s pool with her, but we were only able to float for a short time before a storm rolled through and everyone had to clear the deck. C’est la vie. Wine time started a little early! Then I went home and collapsed, literally, before going back to church for the evening service which included a review of the PCA’s General Assembly meeting a few weeks ago. I was pleased to hear the update of our denomination, which is actually growing.
Here’s Andrew Ripp’s new song, which I really like (note pontoon boat):
Oh, I be singing! (and whistling)
Also, Union Pacific’s massive steam-powered Big Boy No. 4014 — 133 feet long and weighing in at 1.2 million pounds — passed through my flyover town yesterday and I heard it from my house. Quite a commotion of loud whistling–much more than the usual coal trains going through.
Crowds watch the train go through Kirkwood in 2021. (Webster-Kirkwood Times photo)
Good Monday morning, readers. Daughter #1 here and switching things up. At work, we start most meetings with a safety contact where someone volunteers a safety tip that has recently proven itself relevant. I come today with a safety-ish contact.
While on vacation in Michigan, we ventured to the big city of Holland for dinner one night. Upon arrival, I had the following exchange with my sister.
I am still laughing about this.
My safety-ish contact is to always check for autocorrect correcting words that are not spelled incorrectly!!
In other news, Mr. Smith continues to be adorable. Can you handle his little paw on Mamu’s leg?
He did not get to go on vacation with us, but he was treated to lots of play time at the kennel while we were gone. He barked so much that he is still a little hoarse. When I picked him up, we went straight to the dog spa for a bath. After that he slept for about two days.
dual personalities 