Well, we had a joyful weekend, how about you? We celebrated daughter #1’s belated birthday as planned.
References to donuts abounded.
We also went to a couple of estate sales, but were unsuccessful. We returned something at J. Crew and resisted buying these gold leggings for Miss Lottie.
Daughter #1 hung a picture up for me.
Try as I may, I have never been able to drive a nail into a wall. Luckily my children are all handier than I am.
The weather was glorious all weekend, so we opted to take a walk through the nearby Powder Valley conservation area instead of going to church.
After daughter # 1 headed back to mid-MO, I gabbed on the phone with daughter #2 and caught up on my household chores and the OM gassed up my car. An excellent weekend, don’t you agree?
Now we are off to the races at work–a very busy week ahead. We’ll take it one day at a time.
“Listen to your life. Listen to what happens to you because it is through what happens to you that God speaks… It’s in language that’s not always easy to decipher, but it’s there, powerfully, memorably, unforgettably.”
I am happy that daughter #1 is coming home this weekend to celebrate her belated birthday. Celebrations are important. Life is too short not to recognize milestones–no matter how minimal–with presents and good food and drink and dance parties. I highly recommend doing so whenever.
If you don’t have a birthday or a PhD oral defense to celebrate, there are plenty of other things about which to party today.
For instance, today is the 81st anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Today is the 37th anniversary of the day Sandra Day O’Connor was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female Supreme Court justice. Unanimously!
Bill Murray turns 68 today.
So whatever you’ve got going on (or not) have fun this weekend. Seize the day.
As for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it…
Well, it was a sunny weekend here in flyover country and there was a lot going on all over town. The OM and I opted for our local Greentree parade on Saturday, even though the wee babes were unable to join us.
The usual suspects were around except there were no floats from any of our local churches–no rockin’ Methodists, no one. I found that troubling.
After that I visited a few of my favorite antique malls and rescued a needlepoint pillow.
I finished reading Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, which my DP recommended so highly a few weeks ago. I recommend it as well–it was very good!
Most of us shell our days like peanuts. One in a thousand can look at the world with amazement. I don’t mean gawking at the Chrysler Building. I’m talking about the wing of a dragonfly. The tale of the shoeshine. Walking through an unsullied hour with an unsullied heart.
Next up on my reading list is Give a Man A Horse, written in 1938 by Charles J. Finger (1867–1941) who was a prolific writer who settled in Arkansas after an early life of travel and adventure. One of his many adventure books won the Newbery Prize for children’s literature. In addition to writing and publishing a magazine from his Fayetteville farm, Finger was employed from 1936 through 1938 as an editor of the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) guidebook, Arkansas: A Guide to the State.
I can’t remember where I ran across this long-forgotten writer, but he sounds like a fascinating fellow. I bought his book and now I’m going to read it.
The gospel lesson in church on Sunday was one of those difficult ones for preachers–especially Episcopal preachers–“Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels”…because it describes so many of them (and us), you know? Not many want to talk about sin these days. Thank goodness there are still some Presbyterians out there who do:
Sorry, if I sound a little grouchy–sometimes that’s the vibe. Thankfully, we went over to see the wee babes on Sunday night. Daughter #3 made tacos. My mood lightened.
Another stressful week in the books. Phew. The month of September is zooming by, isn’t it?
This weekend our young friend Michael (the boy’s BFF and godfather to the wee laddie) is being ordained at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC.
(with his godson last year)
We wish we could be there with his family to support him. He’s come a long way from those days in the junior choir…
…and as a Sports Marketing major (!) at Indiana University. Now he’ll be savin’ souls in Babylon (aka New York state).
May he exalt you, O Lord, in the midst of your people; offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you; boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation; and rightly administer the sacraments of the New Covenant. Make him a faithful pastor, a patient teacher, and a wise councilor. Grant that in all things he may serve without reproach, so that your people may be strengthened and your Name glorified in all the world. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
In other news, I’m sure you heard that Gump’s is going out of business.
A purveyor of luxury home furnishings and home décor, Gump’s was founded in 1861 in San Francisco, CA. There was only one Gump’s. It was a favorite of our mother and a favorite of mine. It makes me very sad to see it close. First Country Curtains, now Gump’s… what’s next? The Vermont Country Store? L.L. Bean?!
Well, time marches on.
This weekend is the Greentree Parade in our flyover town. We hope the wee babes are able to join us as they did last year. We haven’t seen them in two weeks! Besides that I am hoping for a quiet, restorative weekend. How about you?
A very happy birthday to darling daughter #1 whom we will be toasting tonight! I hope she has a donut this morning. We won’t be able to celebrate all together until the weekend after this one, but we’ll be thinking of her all day today.
Daughter #1 breezed in on Friday night and stayed until Monday morning–such a treat! Per Friday’s blogpost, we watched The Odd Couple and enjoyed it thoroughly. Later in the weekend we watched McClintock! (1963) which I had not seen in forever, due to it usually only being available in terrible pirated form. But you can see it on Amazon Prime now in all its widescreen glory and it is worth it. One of the top-grossing films of 1963, it is John Wayne as John Wayne surrounded by familiar faces. Everyone has a lot of fun and there is a fight in a mud pit. Maureen O’Hara is on hand to be willful and stubborn and ultimately she gets spanked (as does Stephanie Powers on an earlier occasion) and everyone cheers.
We also did some estate sale-ing…
Needlepoint rescue of the week
…and local shopping and had lunch at the Women’s Exchange. We searched the house for some lost counted cross-stitch pattern books and never found what we were looking for, but we unearthed a few gems. We also made a spontaneous trip to the STL Zoo to see the new-ish bear pits. It was probably not a great idea considering it was the Labor Day weekend, but we battled the crowds and found a place to park (a mile away) and visited said pits. Sorry, I don’t have a picture of the new Grizzly bears. They were large and scary, but not as scary as the polar bear who is huge…
We rode our beloved zoo train around…
and even took an obligatory selfie…which I will not share because it is truly heinous.
The wee babes and their parents came over on Sunday and even though they were sniffly and a bit under-the-weather, they ran us ragged.
Lottie loves this little chair…
…but the stairs are just the right size for sitting and thinking and taking a moment…
(I wasn’t kidding about the runny nose)
The OM stayed out of the fray per usual…
And we did have a dance party!
Dance Party!
After daughter #1 went home to COMO, I did laundry and picked up the house and caught up on the phone with daughter #2 and ordered my Christmas cards online. Don’t kid yourself–it’ll be here before we know it!
Today I am back at the salt mine for a busy and stressful week. I’m taking it one day at a time.
Monday again and daughter #2 and DN are heading home to Maryland. The long weekend rushed by as usual.
We had fun toasting our smart cookie with friends and family.
We also had fun visiting her wonderful wedding venue…
and there was a whole lot of good instagramming going on…
A good time was had by all (to say the least)! Everyone was home together. What could be better?
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who settest the solitary in families: We commend to thy continual care the homes in which thy people dwell. Put far from them, we beseech thee, every root of bitterness, the desire of vainglory, and the pride of life. Fill them with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness. Knit together in constant affection those who, in holy wedlock, have been made one flesh. Turn the hearts of the parents to the children, and the hearts of the children to the parents; and so enkindle fervent charity among us all, that we may evermore be kindly affectioned one to another; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)
Cheers to drinking lunchtime margaritas on the Amigo’s deck in August. Unheard of, but that’s what we did yesterday. We walked around the neighborhood and hung out with the wee babes and their parents for a little bit. Then we ate homemade mac ‘n cheese and watched The Big Sleep (1946) which DN had never seen.
Kind of a perfect day.
Daughter #2 and DN are driving down to Columbia (in the rain) to spend the day with daughter #1 today, so I am back at the salt mine. But it’s Friday and the weekend beckons…and we’re having a celebratory party for our new PhD on Saturday.
Today daughter #2 and DN arrive from Maryland so we can continue the fêting that began last week.
It will be a quick visit but they will have ample time to see the wee babes on multiple occasions…even though the babes are now in pre-school/daycare and carry tiny backpacks…
They are also driving down to Columbia, MO to see daughter #1 and check out the scene in a flyover college town.
I anticipate super fun.
O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)
Today is the 170th wedding anniversary of Julia Dent and Ulysses Grant, who were married on a hot evening in her father’s townhouse at Fourth and Cerre streets in St. Louis in 1848. Anticipating the extreme heat, Julia had planned to wear a simple, cool muslin gown for the ceremony, but Mrs. John J. O’Fallon, a family friend, brought her a watered-silk gown with a tulle veil. Another friend, Mrs. Henry Shurlds, provided fresh jessamine blossoms. [No photo available, darn it.]
Since Col. Frederick Dent’s house was relatively small, the guest list was held to the Dents’ oldest and closest St. Louis friends. Julia’s attendants were her sister Nellie, her cousin Julia Boggs, and Sarah Walker. Among Grant’s groomsmen were Lt. Cadmus Wilcox and Bernard Pratte III, both of whom were later to surrender to Gen. U.S. Grant at Appomattox.
Here are some pictures of the Dent home as it aged through the years…
and the street as it looks today…
Sigh. Well, the least we can do is toast old Julia and Lyss on their anniversary. They were, by all accounts, a happy couple, deeply committed to each other and their family.
Side note from the Small World Department: one of my DP’s best friends growing up was a descendant of the aforementioned O’Fallons. According to Wikipedia, John J. O’Fallon (1791 – December 17, 1865) was a businessman, philanthropist, and military officer. During the 19th century he rose to become the wealthiest person in St. Louis. He is the namesake of O’Fallon, Illinois (incorporated in 1874) as well as O’Fallon, Missouri, and the nephew of William Clark (of Lewis and Clark). O’Fallon and Frederick Dent were both founders of the Episcopal Church in St. Louis. Nice to know that there are still O’Fallons in town.
Speaking of childhood friends, yesterday I went to the funeral of the mother of one of mine. She was 98, so it was sparsely attended, but there was a dedicated phalanx of very old, very thin, very erect, well-coiffed women in St. John suits. I felt underdressed and under-coiffed in my work attire, but c’est la vie. The service, held at the church I attended as a child, was the Episcopal short-version, Beverly having stipulated that her service run no longer than 25 minutes. Indeed, Beverly was still Beverly up until the end: the minister said that in the emergency room the night before she died, Beverly had taken umbrage with the nurses for messing up her hair. I had to chuckle picturing that. By the way, this is the lady who was the originator of the “Smell the pine in your nostrils” trope, so beloved in my family.
Well, I tried my best to speak the prayers loudly and sing audibly, since hardly anyone else was able to, but the singing was a challenge. By the fifth verse of Onward Christian Soldiers, I was very ready to throw in the towel. I was glad I went, however, as it was a pleasure to sit in this light-filled sanctuary and remember back to my youth when I giggled my way through Sunday School with this particular friend.
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Beverly. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints of light.
I heard this old song on the radio going to work the other day and thought I’d share it.
(BTW, that is not DN playing the drums, although I did do a double-take when I was watching this video.)
(Information regarding Julia Dent’s wedding from Frances Hurd Stadler, St. Louis Day By Day)
I can’t remember where I ran across this long-forgotten writer, but he sounds like a fascinating fellow. I bought his book and now I’m going to read it.
Sorry, if I sound a little grouchy–sometimes that’s the vibe. Thankfully, we went over to see the wee babes on Sunday night. Daughter #3 made tacos. My mood lightened.
It will be a quick visit but they will have ample time to see the wee babes on multiple occasions…even though the babes are now in pre-school/daycare and carry tiny backpacks…
They are also driving down to Columbia, MO to see daughter #1 and check out the scene in a flyover college town.
and the street as it looks today…
dual personalities 