dual personalities

Category: Uncategorized

April 1, 2026

How’s it goin’?

by chuckofish

I did some outside work yesterday and it wore me out in, like, 15 minutes. But it’s going to rain for the rest of the week and through Easter (typical) so I wanted to get out there.

Anyway, I thought it was really cool that Gatlin Didier @gatlin_didier and his grandmother Arleta Kay Didier @grannybibbins went to the White House last week.

I guess they had a great time:

I have bought their beef (shipped nationwide) and it is excellent!

This article in the NYTimes about the end of the free-range childhood made me think of my own childhood and how my friend Leah and I would walk all over downtown Clayton, eat lunch at a diner and walk home to her house. We would ride bikes down McKnight Road over to Delmar (before highway I-70 was built) to go to some drugstore to buy candy. We would be gone for hours. We were in fourth grade–9 or 10 years old in 1966. Leah was a free-range kid to be sure and I’m not sure my mother would have approved had she really known what was going on. But I survived and was probably the better for having been pushed out of my comfort zone. My children who grew up in the eighties and nineties did not do this and the twins who are that age now would never. And I’m not sure they could do that and find their way home! Different times.

And this is cool.

Have a great day!

4 Comments
March 31, 2026

Who do you say that I am?

by chuckofish

Well, it’s March 31! We are in Holy Week! What are you doing to mark that?

I am watching Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977) which I still think is really well done. You can skip the first hour and move on to the part with Jesus. Robert Powell as Jesus is impressive. But James Farentino as Peter and Ann Bancroft as Mary Magdalene were never better. Truly.

I really love them both.

And watching brings back my trip to the Holy Land in 2018 and I am so glad I went. It was the trip of a lifetime. I stood in the Jordan River. Wow.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

–Matthew 6:26-34


Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

3 Comments
March 30, 2026

Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Here in flyover country the temperatures plummeted on Friday from a high of 92 on Thursday to the low forties! But we still had a nice weekend. The sun was shining and it wasn’t super windy.

On Friday night daughter #1 and I watched the first half of Ben Hur (1959) which marks the official start of Holy Week. We made it to end of the sea battle…

We can no longer do the whole 3.5 hours at one time. We’ll watch the rest on Easter Saturday. Such a great pre-CGI movie!

The twins were excited to participate in the Palm Sunday service–the children sang a special song, “Hail Jesus You’re My King”…

…and then processed around the sanctuary waving palms. They were really into it. But as the bud admitted, “Benjamin is the best singer; he really belts it out!” I agreed. “Yes, he closes his eyes when he sings!”

We heard a good sermon on Luke 19:28-40 and we finished our class on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I was never good at memorizing and now it is a lost cause, but I wish I could memorize all 107 Q&A’s. Well, I do know #1:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

I also went back to church for the evening Service of Lament, which was something new. It was quite moving, especially when our music director sang this song:

In other news, I went to the Queeny Park Art Fair on Saturday because my friend Becky @rhworkshandmade was exhibiting her amazing punch designs.

Daughter #1 and I had lunch afterwards at the Village Bar for my weekly hamburger. It’s the simple pleasures, am I right?

O Lord, how happy should we be
If we would cast our care on Thee,
If we from self would rest;
And feel at heart that One above,
In perfect wisdom, perfect love,
Is working for the best!

–Hudson Taylor

And from 1987:

4 Comments
March 27, 2026

Stop and smell the flowers…

by marycompton

…but maybe not each and every one.

With the start of Spring, Mr. Smith and I have begun a daily or every other day constitutional around the neighborhood. We stop about every five to six feet for some sniffing. I know it is good for dogs but it makes a walk a slow process.

Unfortunately, with the extra daylight, we are not the only people taking evening walks. A steady stream of people walk up and down our street, adjoining streets, in Downtown Clayton. Somehow, Mr. Smith is affronted by them all and barks and jumps on and off the chair, running in rage circles around the living room. It’s enough to drive one mad. As a result, I’ve started moving the chair away from the window and now, he sits under this chair, chewing my sandal to deal with this betrayal.

I’ve accepted that my sandal is now a chew toy. I hope you have quieter evenings ahead for the weekend. I am looking forward to minimal plans before a busy few weeks!!

1 Comment
March 26, 2026

The garden gate is opened

by chuckofish

Today we toast DN on his birthday!

We have known him for quite a few years now and we love him a lot. I won the lottery with both my daughter- and son-in-law and I am eternally grateful. We won’t be able to celebrate together for a couple of weeks, but he knows I will be thinking of him today.

Here’s a poem for him by Jorge Luis Borges:

3 Comments
March 25, 2026

Fill my cup, Lord

by chuckofish

The weather has been nice so I have continued to move plants out to the Florida Room. It is about ready to open for the season!

They look pretty scraggly in this photo but they’ll perk up! You can see the Forsythia blooming beyond the windows.

As usual, after the twins have been here last weekend, I found lots of little do-dads all over the house…

…which really amuses me. (That’s a plane propellor in the foreground.)

In case you forgot like I did, yesterday was Steve McQueen’s birthday. Of course, I will watch one of his movies tonight.

How about you?

This article reminds us that God sometimes leads his people into difficult places—not to harm them, but to deepen their faith.

And here’s a Lenten poem by Richard Wilbur, “Peter”:

2 Comments
March 24, 2026

It’s a brand new morning

by chuckofish

Since next week is Holy Week, I started watching Peter and Paul, the mini series from 1981 starring Anthony Hopkins. It is a faithful adaption of the book of Acts. I remember watching it on my little black and white TV back in 1981 and being quite moved by it and also struck by how little I actually knew about either Peter or Paul. Robert Foxworth, who played Peter, was okay, but Anthony Hopkins, who played Paul, is indelibly inscribed on my memory.

I think I subsequently read the book of Acts as a result of my initial viewing and that I was amazed by the things in it. (Also the things that were not in the Bible, i.e. Peter being crucified upside down.) Anyway, I recommend the mini series as part of your Lenten viewing.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (II Timothy 4:7-8)

Now I have to catch up on my II Thessalonians reading for my women’s Bible study. But first, here is a new Bluegrass rendition of a favorite hymn by William Cowper:

And I love this:

1 Comment
March 23, 2026

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

Spring is officially here–how did that happen? The year is zooming by per usual. I moved some of my plants into the Florida Room over the weekend. Some of them have gotten really big! I exhausted myself.

I got through my hospital visits and a list of other pressing to-do list items. The terrible week ended and I survived. Also, the twins came over to spend the night and we all survived that. I didn’t sleep much, but c’est la vie. We went through some boxes full of their Dad’s old stuff and that is always fascinating to them. Our Dad had baseball cards?! We found some cool matchbox cars for the bud to take home and some 30-year old candy which we threw away. I got permission to throw away some old Lego kit boxes (empty). I am making progress.

The bud was up to his old tricks…

Those bags of Beanie Babies never cease to amuse.

On Saturday I caught up on things at home and then daughter #1 came over and helped with some lingering computer issues. Then we went to Glen Echo and sat on the patio and drank a bottle of wine. (I deserved it.)

At church we heard a sermon on the “Crumbly Bread Covenant” in Joshua 9:1-27–rich ground for reflection on the nature of truth, discernment, and the dangers of falling prey to deception. We sang good hymns. Our adult ed class continued on the Westminster Catechism–#s 39-82, basically breaking down the 10 Commandments. The boy and twins came over to my house after church and Sunday School and we had bagels and fruit salad. I enjoyed our mealtime conversation about Calvinist doctrine and the fact that God is both a just God and a merciful God, but that we all deserve his wrath.

Then we sat outside for awhile…

…but they were very disappointed because the Raptor wasn’t sufficiently charged for them to drive. They fooled around with some old favorites, but…

Heavy sigh. Well, hopefully the next time they come over I’ll be better prepared. We went inside and they spent an eventful hour playing with Lego while I talked to the boy.

Well, I am sorry to see old Chuck Norris go, but the memes and tweets have been (not surprisingly) hilarious.

And I really liked this.

This morning I have one more trip to the hospital for semi-annual tests. Onward and upward.

3 Comments
March 20, 2026

It’s Friday again. Can you believe it?

by chuckofish

It got up into the eighties yesterday and it is supposed to stay in the eighties for a few days! Zut alors!

Everybody has been out riding their bikes…

I got through my busy Thursday…now on to busy Friday…and then it’s the weekend. I plan to do very little.

And this is a fun thing to contemplate…

I’m not sure what that would be in my house. I’m going to give it some thought. At least it is not me.

2 Comments
March 19, 2026

Come, pluck up, heart

by chuckofish

The sun was out yesterday–so big win! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought several craft kits to do with the twins when they spend the night tonight. We will probably watch a movie–maybe How the West Was Won (1962) if they haven’t seen it yet.

This is one of the best opening credit sequences of all time!

This is a about the other book that shaped America (next to the Bible). If you haven’t read it recently, I suggest you do. It is wonderful.

“This hill, though high, I covet to ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear.
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”

Today is going to be a very busy, stressful day, as is tomorrow. But what ho, it is the bell and it tolleth for me. Have a good one–watch an old movie, read an old book, let’s neither faint nor fear.

1 Comment