It was a long week — equal parts fraught, migraine-inducing meetings and low comedy. Yesterday, we could not get the computer to work in my classroom. I say ‘we’ because several tech-savvy students attempted to solve the problem. We rebooted the machine and pushed every button we could find — without result.
We called OIT, and in due course a technician arrived, walked right up to the podium, and touched the mouse. The computer sprang to life. The technician gave us a friendly smile and left. We laughed sheepishly, and to cover our embarrassment, threw ourselves into earnest conversation about Roman tactics at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC. Now that’s a novel way to inspire discussion.
Spring break starts today — with a snowstorm on the way — but that’s okay because I have no plans for the week other than to read a biography of Julius Caesar and steel myself to go back to work and face the next round of mad initiatives. It is no exaggeration to say that rational discourse no longer takes place in academia. What I need is a good Shakespearian pep talk:
O God of battles! steel my soldiers’ hearts; Possess them not with fear; take from them now The sense of reckoning, if the opposed numbers Pluck their hearts from them. Not to-day, O Lord, O, not to-day…
(Henry V, Act 1, Scene 1)
I’ll turn everything off and stop checking email, get out my watercolors or pick up my embroidery and rediscover how peaceful it is to sit quietly and work creatively.
Okay, my meager efforts won’t come close to John Singer Sargent, but painting is therapeutic, and by God’s grace, life is good!
Recently I read a quote on Instagram that said something to the effect that you can’t believe in the sovereignty of God and be anxious every time you face something unexpected or that you can’t control.
This is true. Take a deep breath and pray, “I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
This is also scary. And this. Mark Zuckerberg is not God, and “…when we try to deify ourselves, what pathetic creations we make! What pathetic gods we turn out to be!” No kidding.
I am really trying to wean myself off of my computer. This means actually reading more actual books. Every morning I start my day by reading the Bible–if I can keep it up, I’ll read the whole Bible in 2022. Yesterday I read Job 38.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;
11 When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’
12 Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
Read the whole chapter here. And relax–God is in control.
Why yes I did quote Captain Holt for my blog post title. The other option was to quote Detective Medavoy and have the blog post title be, “Obviously, we’re all overwrought.” I thought I’d go with the lighter TV show about the New York Police Department.
Anyway, my mother recently blogged about us going to an antique mall/junk shop in St. Louis. While there she made the astute remark that it was the kind of place where you might find something “accidentally.” And I did.
I got this sa-weet vintage McCall’s pattern for a $2. It is from 1973 and includes patterns for three slightly different jumpers. You might not realize it, but sewing vintage patterns is very hip in the sewing world. And I am nothing if not hip…right?
The pieces were all there and (bonus) already cut out. The lady who had this pattern before me, presumably in the 70s, had left notes in it about her alterations etc. It was a pretty simple project–but did require some techniques I had not tried before. It also had some odd finishes that I suspect were the way things used to be done before people had fancier machines and were more likely to have a serger.
I really enjoyed sewing this jumper and only wish I’d had some groovy braid to put on the pockets like the pattern called for. Here is the finished result for dear Katie!
I used adorable Rifle Paper Company fabric that I just love. It’s a pretty timeless piece.
I am off to Maryland on Thursday morning to visit Sweet Katiebelle and her parents before heading to Washington, DC for 36 hours for a conference. I will report back next week if the dress fits.
Inspired by my DP’s post on Friday, I spent a good portion of the last few days trying to clear out the closet in my office by going through old letters, photos etc and deciding what can go down to the basement. Yes, I am throwing away relatively little and am just moving stuff around. But maybe in the process I am getting a bit more organized.
Yeah, I doubt it too. It is hopeless when we are unable to part with 20-year-old calendar pages that have a good quote…
…or clippings from the funny pages…
…those wonderful cards that accompanied every gift my mother ever gave me…
…much less classic HS photo proofs like this…
Yes, it’s hopeless. C’est la vie.
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste: Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow, For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night, And weep afresh love’s long since cancelled woe, And moan the expense of many a vanished sight: Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan, Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor’d and sorrows end.
This weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and ventured to an estate sale in a part of town that is terra incognita to me. Daughter #2 was in Jeff City so I had no trusty co-pilot…but I found the house without a problem. It was in Affton, a tiny house that would usually never tempt me, but the pictures on the estate sale website had led me to believe that it might be worthwhile because there were lots of Ehrman needlepoint pillows, finished, unfinished and unopened kits. A veritable treasure trove of the best kits from the U.K.! Even though I arrived within an hour of opening, a lot of the best pillows and all the kits were already gone. However, upon investigation, I soon discovered that the woman who had made all the pillows and sewed all the kits was not a very accomplished needlepointer. They were all trapezoidal, not square, and nothing had been blocked. Her stitching was terrible. What a shame!
I bought one that had not yet been made into a pillow in memory of the devoted needlepointer, but I am uncertain pretty sure it can’t be salvaged.
I also bought a good book…
…which happened to have the woman’s name in it. It sounded vaguely familiar and I was curious, so I googled her. It turns out she went to my old Episcopal church! Zut alors–the world is so small.
We had another great sermon in church on Sunday. It was on Romans 8:31-39, one of the greatest passages in scripture.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As usual, I cried during every hymn. All these tears made me think of what Frederick Buechner wrote about tears…
Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next.
–Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark
Nevertheless, it is kind of embarrassing and I need to stop wearing mascara to church.
The boy and his wee family joined us at church and then came over for brunch. The sun wasn’t out, but it was warm enough to do a little exploring in the yard after our meal…
…and I put the wee babes to work picking up sticks after a very windy winter…
This is a game they enjoy. (Lottie made believe we were going to have a bonfire. Make-believe bonfires are the best.) I went out and bagged it up later.
How was your weekend?
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as now.
Last weekend, while attempting to impose order on all my family “memorabilia”, I found a few wonderful cards that my DP sent me over the years, and I thought I would share a couple of them to brighten your Friday.
Way back in October 1985 she sent me this postcard after the Cardinals lost the World Series. Tongue firmly planted in cheek (at least I hope so), she wrote, “Although we can both relate to this all too well, we must be strong in the face of the home team’s total disgrace. Hang in there! Yours in despair, CRC.”
I don’t recall the team’s ‘disgrace’ or really being THAT upset about the loss, but I must say that the cartoon nailed my relationship with candy. That’s exactly what happens to me whenever I’m anywhere near sweets. No matter how hard I try to resist the siren call is simply too strong. My sister sure knows me well.
Here’s an undated birthday card she sent to me or Tim (for some reason, I think it was the latter). I think it’s perfect.
Hmm…maybe I should look more carefully at some of our family photos. Who knows what might materialize in the background…
Finally, back in 2004 she sent me this birthday card:
How perfect is that? Do you keep your cards and letters? They don’t take up much room, and it’s fun to go through them from time to time. I seem to know a lot of people with a compulsion to throw things away, and even I encourage my sons to ‘curate’ their stuff (so far I’m failing miserably in that regard). I am aware that we can’t keep everything but living in the moment does not mean we have to obliterate the past. As I’ve mentioned before, looking back through old letters makes me feel happy and loved. It gets me out of my “the world is going to hell in a handbasket” funk and reminds me of how blessed I am. Try it. You might even find Mr. Barky.
One last thing… a few days ago, I got the urge to bake a cake. Since there are only two of us, I could hardly justify a full size cake, so I made a small 6″ one. It’s a cinnamon cake with cinnamon and pecan frosting — perfect with a cup of coffee for breakfast! I used this recipe but left off the apple, added pecans, and did not cut it into two layers.
Well, the world is apparently going to hell in a hand-basket, but the weather has been nothing to complain about here in flyover country. Yesterday the temperature soared to over 80 degrees. In fact, we broke the record high on Wednesday of 79 from 1992. (Temperatures are expected to be about 30 degrees cooler today, but yesterday was beautiful.)
(Don’t you feel better after watching ol’ Gordon MacRae? Truly, I did.)
I felt moved to get out of the house and I walked around the pond at our local park. A breath of fresh air and the sun on your face does wonders for your spirit.
Yes, the ice is gone. The crocus (croci?) are blooming in Don’s yard…
…but they have just barely poked through in mine. However, the Christmas cactus is blooming anew. How about that?
Well, Ash Wednesday has come and gone. There were no pancakes for moi this year. No ashes. I did receive a letter from the Bishop of the diocese of Missouri asking for money. It was addressed to “Dear Siblings in Christ,” because, you know, we don’t have brothers and sisters in this diocese anymore. That would be too gender normative. The bishop needs money to “accomplish positive change.” Good luck with that.
I am very grateful for Anne Kennedy and her blog posts. She reads the New York Times so I don’t have to and she responds to their articles so I don’t have to. Here she is responding to their article about Ash Wednesday and Lent. “I’m so sorry, but I must say it once more with tears—you are not a Christian if you don’t believe in Jesus, and one of the markers of your belief, the fruit, if you will, is that you earnestly desire to be in church with other people who believe. There is no ‘unchurched Christian faithful.’ That is not a thing…” Read the whole post.
I watched a good movie (which I had never seen) on TCM–The Naked City (1948). It is an American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald and Don Taylor as police detectives in the 10th precinct of New York City. Shot entirely on location in NYC, it depicts the police investigation that follows the murder of a young model.
After years of devotion to NYPDBlue and Law and Order, it was fascinating to watch this movie, which certainly blazed the trail for later TV crime dramas. It won the Academy Award for black and white cinematography and for editing, and rightly so. It was very well done and the final scenes leading up to the denouement on the Williamsburg Bridge are very exciting. For anyone who has spent any time in NYC, it is a fascinating picture. Here’s a blog post that shows all the film locations and what they look like currently. It was also fun to notice several actors in uncredited parts who later came to prominence in movies and on TV: Paul Ford, James Gregory, Arthur O’Connell, David Opatoshu, John Randolph, as well as Yiddish icon Molly Picon.
Well, it’s back to Leviticus for me. Enjoy your Thursday!
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
Well, I finished Only Murders in the Building and I think I enjoyed it more the second time. The blog post title really speaks to me. I think I’ve been eating my feelings for two years and at some point this has to stop. My guess is that today is not that day.
I know, I’m a broken record. And yet, how can I not be? The devil is making moves all over the world. Even in the grocery store aisles.
As a newly-minted Presbyterian, I guess I won’t be ducking out of work tomorrow to scoot down the street to church for an Ash Wednesday service this year. And with no lent, I won’t be giving anything up this year, either.
However, I can still get out the Book of Common Prayer. I like both of versions of the Ash Wednesday prayer below.
“Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.”
or
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Book of Common Prayer
It’s probably a good idea to remind ourselves of this more than once a year, though.
A new month is starting and spring is on the horizon. Let us rejoice and sing! We still have a little ice and snow around, but Mother Nature is undeterred.
If you are in need of a mood lightener (and who isn’t?), I recommend this article. You also have to watch the embedded video which is pure gold. “You see, in a world plagued by sin and evil, in which churches increasingly have no room for church musicians without commercial appeal, Jon Daker represents hope, joy, and faith. Here is a regular guy who has managed to lift the spirits of millions thanks to his love of singing and a willingness to crash and burn with dignity.”
I also cannot express how much I love these daily updates that the daycare sends to daughter #2 and that she in turn sends to me from Maryland.
This is Life from the frontlines of daycare.
In case you forgot, today is the birthday of David Niven (1910-1983) so we’ll have to watch one of his movies tonight to celebrate! Maybe Separate Tables (1958) for which Niven won the Best Actor Oscar. Hard to believe, but it was the only time he was nominated and I can think of other roles for which he was more deserving. With 23 minutes and 39 seconds of screen time, his performance in this movie is the shortest ever to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Here he is winning his Oscar. (Note how tiny Jerry Lewis appears to be next to John Wayne.)
It’s nice to see someone win who is so clearly pleased but has no ax to grind beyond saying thank you. But then, he had some class.
And since you enjoyed yesterday’s video, here’s Iron Horse with another Metallica cover–bluegrass style. Personally, I can’t get enough of this.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5: 13-16
We had a great sermon on Sunday by our guest preacher, the retired President of Covenant Seminary. It was about prayer and about the necessity of it in our everyday lives. He also talked about what is going on in the Ukraine and how the people need our prayers. He worked in the mission field there and has a lot of friends. So pray, pray, PRAY! Never forget that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
In other news, daughter #1 came home this weekend and we indulged in a few favorite pastimes. Instead of estate sales, we hit a couple of antique malls. I got this little Victorian child’s chair…
My grandkids will love it and will enjoy moving it around with our other small chairs. This is a favorite activity.
We also made an interesting discovery–there is a Puzzle Warehouse right here in our little flyover town! Daughter #1 googled “puzzles” and found it, a mere five minutes away! Bingpot!
It was a very busy, happening place. I had no idea jigsaw puzzles are such a thing. We were a bit overwhelmed by the variety of puzzles–although puppies, kittens and Thomas Kinkade did predominate. Still, there was a lot to choose from in the palatable three percent left.
I resisted this one only because it is 1000 pieces and I am not advanced enough for that…
…but I found a good one to keep me busy for awhile.
We also drank our share of red wine.
And we listened to the two CDs the boy dropped by last week.
It is no wonder that the wee twins are big fans!
Step forward in faith this week and don’t forget to:
