Uncategorized | dual personalities

June 12, 2018

“You make my dreams come true, oh yeah”*

by chuckofish

Forty-eight years ago today the wedding of Tricia Nixon and Edward Finch Cox took place in the rose garden at the White House. You can read about it here.

Screen Shot 2018-06-11 at 12.10.36 PM.png I remember their wedding. I was just finishing up the ninth grade and I thought they were a very attractive pair.

Screen Shot 2018-06-11 at 12.40.41 PM.png C’mon, he was pretty cute. And she weighed 95 pounds–it said so in the NYT article about the wedding!

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Fun fact: the “most famous Presidential bride of all,” 87‐year‐old Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was a guest at the Nixon-Cox nuptials. I must say, it all seems very low key and tasteful (except for that cake) compared to the huge, lavish, overdone weddings these days with all the attendant media hype. Call me old-fashioned.

Here is a list of the 18 weddings that have taken place at the White House. They were not all children of sitting presidents. For instance, did you know that one of Hillary Clinton’s brothers was married at the White House in 1994? He was divorced a few years later.

The most shocking White House wedding, in my opinion, was the wedding in 1886 of President Grover Cleveland to Frances Folsom in the Blue Room. The bride was 21 years old! This marriage was also unusual, since Cleveland was the executor of the bride’s estate and had supervised her upbringing after her father’s death; nevertheless, we are told, “the public took no exception to the match.”

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Sounds real sketch to me.

*Hall & Oates

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June 11, 2018

“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.”*

by chuckofish

I was feted this weekend (belatedly for my birthday back in April) with a trip to and a tour of Bellefontaine Cemetery on the northern edge of our fair city. As you know, I do like a historically-significant cemetery. Bellefontaine (pronounced “Belle-fountain” by the locals), established in 1849, when the Rural Cemetery Association purchased the former Hempstead family farm located five miles northwest of the city, is such a cemetery.

: A mini Gothic cathedral fit for a beer baron

A storm was brewing in the southwest and came crashing in as we finished the tour. We got a little wet running to our car, but that was preferable to spending one more minute with the tedious docent who had triggered me almost immediately with her irreverent, “amusing” stories of the famous/infamous residents of the cemetery. I hate the attitude that reduces everything in history to an anecdote for simple minds. Sorry for the rant. I love Bellefontaine cemetery, but clearly a self-guided tour is the way I should go in the future!

After our tour the plan was to go to the Crown Candy Kitchen for lunch.

Screen Shot 2018-06-10 at 9.19.58 AM.png I have never been to this local landmark, which like the cemetery is in a most disreputable and run-down part of town, and I was really looking forward to it. When we got there, however, there was a line of people waiting outside (under the awning) in the rain! We decided to pass and moved on to our favorite Cafe Osage in the CWE. The drive there was like something out of Escape from New York (1981)…

Screen Shot 2018-06-10 at 9.34.42 AM.png …but we got there and had a lovely lunch.

All in all, it was a terrific outing with my creative (and flexible) BFFs…there were even presents!

On Sunday the OM and I went out to breakfast with the wee babes and their parents, because they are headed to Florida today and didn’t want to come over for their usual Sunday night visit.

Joe Cool says 8:00 am is way early in the morning for socializing, dude

The rest of the weekend was spent puttering in the house and gabbing on the phone with my daughters. I also planted some more geraniums in pots and puttered around in my yard.

Unfortunately, it was too hot to linger on the patio and the Florida room is only habitable in the early morning or evening hours.

Don’t forget that today is the feast day of Barnabas on the Episcopal calendar of saints. I always liked old Barnabas.

Those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

(Acts 11:19-30;13:1-3)

Barnabas is a great role model for us all, although he did get fed up with Paul and bail on him. That happens; we are only human.

*Ben Quick in The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

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June 9, 2018

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

by chuckofish

We have returned safely from jolly old England and all is well. Our flights were on time, and the DH managed all the driving with remarkable aplomb. He didn’t sideswipe a single parked car or lose a wing mirror to a hedge, and on those Devon roads that’s no mean feat.

We began our trip with a short stay at the Kew Gardens Hotel.

photo from Google

The proprietors are friendly and the rooms comfortable and very quiet. I would highly recommend this hotel, especially if you want to visit the National Archives or Kew Gardens, both of which are a very short walk away. I did a little genealogy at the National Archives, but made no noteworthy discoveries. While the DH toiled away at his mathematical treatises, I visited the gardens, which I blogged about a couple of years ago. Despite the earlier post, this was my first trip to Kew and it fulfilled all my expectations. My mother would have loved the huge old trees,

the beautiful flowers (are these agapanthus or something else?),

She would have explored every corner, so I did, too. From the fancy Victorian green house

to Kew palace, I wandered everywhere, got lost several times, and once or twice found myself going in circles.

I had a great time! I could hardly move the next day, but I spent most of that sitting in a car on the way down to Devon, so it didn’t matter.

In Devon we visited a National Trust property called Knightshayes that also boasted fabulous grounds. The house is a 19th century Gothic pile — all dark wood and brooding wallpaper — and not exactly my cup of tea, but the gardens were amazing.

and yours truly survived another epic stroll all around a vast estate.

Stay tuned for more about our adventures across the pond, and have a great weekend!

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June 8, 2018

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing*

by chuckofish

Friday is here. I have a few fun things planned this weekend–a belated birthday adventure primary among them. The rest of the time I will spend recovering from the week and catching up on vacuuming etc.

I am also belated in reporting that June is Leslie Howard month on TCM, so check out the schedule every Monday night. Coming up on 6/11:

Screen Shot 2018-06-07 at 1.05.25 PM.png I will definitely watch Pygmalion (1938) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)!

Screen Shot 2018-06-07 at 1.12.11 PM.png I will also note that Sunday is Judy Garland’s birthday (b. 1922) so you might want to watch The Wizard of Oz (1939)…

Screen Shot 2018-06-07 at 7.18.42 PM.png …which really is one of the all-time great movies of all time. (It’s in my top 5!)

Side-note: I read an interesting essay by Salman Rushdie recently about The Wizard of Oz (the movie) and how he saw it when he was 10 years old and how it really got him started on his literary career. It was a good essay, but there was one thing about which I really disagreed with him. He said he never could stand Toto!

Screen Shot 2018-06-07 at 7.27.21 PM.png I think Toto is one of the great dogs in movie history and smarter than most of the people in the film. He saves the day over and over. I would like a dog like Toto. Unfortunately, most dogs are not actually that smart.

And, excuse me, is there a trampoline in Busch Stadium?

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How do they do that?

Have a good weekend!

*James Weldon Johnson

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June 7, 2018

Be yourself

by chuckofish

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Jill Conway died last week. Here’s her obit in the NYT. She became the first female president of Smith College when I was a sophomore and I have to say I never really appreciated her until I was about to graduate. In her speech at the baccalaureate service at the Helen Hills Hills Chapel she told us to do what we wanted to do and not to worry about what we thought we should do. She said, in so many words, if you want to stay home and raise a family, do it. If you want to have a career, do it. Which is what my own mother had always said. It was quite freeing to hear it from Jill Ker Conway.

Be yourself. Don’t try to measure up to someone else’s vision of what you should be. Good advice. She was called a trailblazer, but really, she just didn’t want anyone telling her what she could or couldn’t do.

By the way, the Helen Hills Hills Chapel is really no longer a chapel. There is no longer a minister on staff.

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It is just a “large space…for formal gatherings.” They have “coordinators;” it is a “center.” Please. When this change occurred quite a long time ago, I gave up on my alma mater and I do not support them, financially or in any way. I certainly never encouraged my daughters to go there! Tant pis, mais c’est la vie.

But as for Jill Conway, Into paradise may the angels lead you. At your coming may the martyrs receive you, and bring you into the holy city Jerusalem.

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June 6, 2018

Pray and work

by chuckofish

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This is the gospel of labor—ring it,

Ye bells of the kirk

The Lord of Love came down from above

To live with the men who work.

This is the rose he planted, here

In the thorn-cursed soil;

Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but

The blessing of earth is toil.

–Henry Van Dyke

(found on the Three Iron Nails blog)

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Vincent Van Gogh, The Sower (1988)

“The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

–Martin Luther

“Good human work honors God’s work. Good work uses no thing without respect, both for what it is in itself and for its origin. It uses neither tool nor material that it does not respect and that it does not love. It honors nature as a great mystery and power, as an indispensable teacher, and as the inescapable judge of all work of human hands. It does not dissociate life and work, or pleasure and work, or love and work, or usefulness and beauty. To work without pleasure or affection, to make a product that is not both useful and beautiful, is to dishonor God, nature, the thing that is made, and whomever it is made for. This is blasphemy: to make shoddy work of the work of God. But such blasphemy is not possible when the entire Creation is understood as holy and when the works of God are understood as embodying and thus revealing His spirit.”

–Wendell Berry (Christianity and the Survival of Creation)

I have a stressful day ahead at work today. Pray and work. All will be well!

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June 5, 2018

Postcards from Nashville

by chuckofish

Nashville. as you know, is a very swinging place and always fun to visit. We stayed downtown this weekend so we could walk everywhere.

Friday afternoon we staked out good seats at a bar in sight of the river and people watched. We were amazed by the huge amount of bachelorette parties, i.e. groups of young women in matching tank tops sporting some cute bachelorette-themed saying, short shorts and cowboy boots. Ahem. (There were also large groups of young men–not wearing matching shirts.) The main attraction looked alarmingly like someone we know:

From there we moved on to the Wildhorse Saloon, which although huge, is not so loud and intense.

The crowd is more middle-aged and the line-dancing lessons are a spectacle in themselves.

The next day we walked around town and over the river for a good view of the city.

We checked out the Johnny Cash Museum and were very impressed.

We had lunch at the Ryman…

…and generally had a lot of fun reacquainting ourselves with Music City. Eventually we had to go back to our hotel to get gussied up for the wedding.

We did not look like this for long, as it was pretty warm in the airplane hangar in hipster East Nashville where the wedding reception was held.

Don’t worry, we stayed hydrated.

The parents of the groom had rented an RV, which was parked out back to be used by a select few to cool off, which we did.

Despite the heat, it was so much fun! And the bride and groom were lovely…

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Thankfully, the OM did not burn down the house, but held the fort while we were gone and rested up. We made it home in time to enjoy our usual Sunday night barbecue with the wee babes and their parents.

Little Miss Lottie is so focused! She loves her vintage figures…

The wee laddie not so much…he is a wind-up toy!

Well, I definitely needed a day to recover, but no way, José!

Have a good week!

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June 4, 2018

“Gotta get back to Nashville / ‘Cause that’s where the good times are”*

by chuckofish

Daughter #1 and I made it home from Nashville on Sunday and are back at our respective salt mines. More pics tomorrow!

*Everly Brothers

June 1, 2018

There’s a white line in the distance*

by chuckofish

Today daughter #1 and I are hitting the road and heading to Nashville (sans the winded, but soldiering-on, OM) to celebrate our friend Andrew’s wedding. Hopefully we will have a chance to visit a few of our favorite spots in Music City, such as…

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the Johnny Cash Museum…

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and the Wildhorse Saloon…

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In Nashville one can drop the highbrow pretense and just have fun.

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If we are feeling hipster-ish, we can hit The Gulch. There is an antique mall there, after all. But I doubt we are cool enough.

We may be driving in the rain today, so please say a little weather prayer for us travelers!

BTW, we were distracted and missed mentioning Bob Dylan’s 77th birthday last week. but any day (including today) is a good day to toast old Bob.

*Bob McDill, On the Road

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May 31, 2018

Of the progress of the souls of men and women

by chuckofish

We like to say that tempus fugit, but can it really be 199 years since Walt Whitman was born?!

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A toast to Walt (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892), American poet!

Allons! the road is before us!

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain’d!

Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten, and the book on the shelf unopen’d!

Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d!

Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!

Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the court, and the judge expound the law.

Camerado, I give you my hand!

I give you my love more precious than money,

I give you myself before preaching or law;

Will you give me yourself? will you come travel with me?

Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?