family | dual personalities

October 31, 2016

“Out of the everywhere into the here.”*

by chuckofish

There were three baptisms in church on Sunday, including our favorite baby Avery Rose.

There was nary a peep out of either infant and the third-grader practically plunged his head into the font. I am always amazed by the composure of the kids at our church.

Speaking of babies, I know you are wondering about our twins. Well, it’s a boy

and a girl!

We are so happy!

In other news, I watched a very good movie this weekend–Free State of Jones (2016) starring Matthew McConaughey as a Confederate army deserter who returns to Mississippi and leads an armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Like the majority of southern soldiers, Newt Knight is not a slave owner and he becomes disillusioned with fighting for a government he does not support.

I liked it a lot.

Now we are on the verge of November. Zut alors! Where did October go? (I seem to say that a lot.)

*George MacDonald

4 Comments

October 28, 2016

“There is a great disturbance in the Force.”*

by chuckofish

Halloween is upon us and we have not posted once about it. I guess that reveals my true enthusiasm for the “holiday” and also the level of my being too busy to notice. If it weren’t for the piles of Halloween candy I have been trying to ignore at work all week, I probably wouldn’t even know that it is around the corner!

That being said, the weekend is upon us and I have a few things scheduled, chief among them the “gender reveal” get-together daughter #3 has planned. Did I mention that the boy and daughter #3 are expecting twins? Well, yes, they are. We have been focused on the boy going through chemo/recovering from cancer all year, but in the background daughter #3 has been working on her own project. Ain’t life amazing?

So in view of these exciting developments, here are three movie suggestions for you.

Anything starring those famous real-life twins, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen:

Certainly this one would be appropriate this weekend!

Any of those movies about these fictional twins:

And how about Double Impact (1991) starring not one, but two (!) Jean-Claude Van Damme(s)…

Note how I cleverly chose films which feature two girls, two boys and a boy/girl set. We are all wondering whether our twins will be two girls, two boys or a girl and a boy. I am voting for a little Luke and Leia, but que sera, sera! Anyway, I’ll let you know what we find out–stay tuned!

And, oh hey, this is interesting, although not as surprising as they make it out to be.

*The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

4 Comments

October 18, 2016

Let’s just take a moment

by chuckofish

Daughters #1 and 2 have come and gone.

We spent a good amount of time this past weekend toasting Bob Dylan and his Nobel Prize,

making wedding reception plans,

and picking out a wedding dress.

I made four trips to the airport and drove to Pevely, Missouri and back. The boy played DJ and the OM made tacos. And we managed to watch one of our favorite Woody Allen movies

as well as some classic Buffy episodes.

We accomplished a fair amount and had a boatload of fun. Now the girls have gone home. Sigh. But as we all know,

You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair.

–Chinese proverb

3 Comments

October 14, 2016

“You don’t need a weather man To know which way the wind blows”*

by chuckofish

Zut alors, it is Friday again. My girls are visiting this weekend, daughter #1 having arrived last night and daughter #2 expected tomorrow morning.

We’re doing some wedding planning, so the weekend will be a veritable tourbillon d’activités. I hope I can keep up.

In other news: yesterday I spied an iris bud amidst the fall leaves.

Can you believe it? You go, little iris plant!

And here’s some good news…and about time!

Here’s another reason to visit Oklahoma.

This is an interesting story with a happy ending (even though it is an obituary.)

The St. Louis Blues opened their 50th season last night against the Minnesota Wild. They want us to care, I suppose, because we don’t have a football team anymore.

We’ll see. And this is so true:

Have a terrific weekend!

*Subterranean Homesick Blues, Bob Dylan, 1965

3 Comments

September 29, 2016

Throwback Thursday

by chuckofish

Here is a picture (taken circa 1930) that should bring a smile to your face today. Our mother is on the left and her older sister Susanne is on the right. I am not sure who the lady is–an aunt? (Uncle Erskine’s wife?) There is also half a dog, also unidentified. I don’t know about you, but I am loving their ensembles. So glad little Mary got to wear that necklace.

Anyway, may this adorable photo of yesteryear serve as a reminder to print some of those pictures you are storing on your phone. Someday someone will be glad you did. (And here’s a word from blogger Emily Clark on the subject.)

In other news, the boy got his staples removed two weeks after his surgery. The doctor quoted Keanu Reeves in The Replacements (2000)– “Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.”

FYI: Tonight is Gene Wilder night on TCM. Here’s the schedule if you are in the mood.

Today in the Episcopal Church we celebrate the feast of Saint Michael and All Angels. The Epistle appointed for today is Revelation 12: 7–12

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

This may explain a lot.

4 Comments

September 23, 2016

“It seemed to be a good idea at the time.”*

by chuckofish

The reboot of The Magnificent Seven opens today, but you will not catch me going to see this remake of a remake. Please. I mean look at these guys.

Of course, they have changed the story so the bad guy is an industrialist. Of course he is. Bandits are so yesterday. Robber Barons–big time bandits–clever.

Also, you can bet that this new version is 100 times more violent than either of the earlier movies.

So no, I prefer to dust off the original, The Seven Samurai (1954), directed by Akira Kurosawa

and starring Toshiro Mifune as one of the seven.

Or I could watch the original American remake, The Magnificent Seven (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen et al.

I could go either way. You do what you want. You will not hurt my feelings.

Meanwhile the boy and daughter #3 came over for dinner last night. I figured the boy would like to get out of the house since he is still recuperating. (He gets his staples out next week.)

So that was nice. And he looks pretty good, right?

The dining room is looking pretty good too!

Have a super weekend!

*Steve McQueen as Vin in The Magnificent Seven (1960)

4 Comments

September 15, 2016

Home again, home again jiggity jig

by chuckofish

The boy is such a trouper. His super positive attitude prevails and he will be fine. The OM and I left him yesterday in Indianapolis,

(the headquarters of Steak N Shake) and headed back to St. Louis and our jobs. He’s in good hands with his lovely wife (and her mother) watching over him and they’ll be home on Friday.

We stopped in Greencastle, IN on the way home for a nostalgic look at DePauw University which daughter #1 attended.

We hoped to have lunch at the world-famous Marvin’s,

but they had just closed. (“Im so darn diggity mad!”)

So we stopped at the Steak N Shake in Terre Haute, which was also something we used to do back in the day.

We finally crossed the mighty Mississippi at rush hour when a Cardinals game was also ending,

so it took another 45 minutes to get home.

C’est la vie. Glad to be home.

5 Comments

September 6, 2016

“Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings”*

by chuckofish

Well, daughter #1 made it into town and we had a super fun weekend, exhausting ourselves with activities and celebrating her birthday.

We stopped at Club Taco on the way home from the airport for margaritas, sitting outside on a beautiful flyover evening.

We went to a couple of estate sales, to the Sign of the Arrow and a fabric store, for a couple of long, long walks, for more margaritas. The boy and daughter #3 came over to a birthday bar-b-que. The usual things.

And we went to the zoo.

Now she has jetted back to NYC and it’s back to the salt mines for moi. Sigh.

*These are a few of my favorite things, Oscar Hammerstein

2 Comments

September 2, 2016

Come September

by chuckofish

Daughter #1 jets home to flyover-land today, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Have a good weekend! Happy Labor Day!

4 Comments

September 1, 2016

“When summer’s end is nighing”*

by chuckofish

Today I have a big, stressful work event. But when it is over, I will breath a huge sigh of relief and go home and get ready for daughter #1’s arrival tomorrow.

Pray hard that Southwest Airlines comes through and all is smooth “sailing” for daughter #1 (not like last time, hem hem)…