Weekend | dual personalities

August 14, 2017

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”*

by chuckofish

Another weekend gone with the wind. I have been so busy lately, I sometimes don’t know whether I am coming or going. But I’m not complaining. My cup runneth over.

I had to include this photo from Friday night because it is so darn cute. I’m sorry I didn’t have one of the boy and the little guy in their dad and lad outfits–both were wearing Longboat Key t-shirts, blue shorts, mid-calf socks and gray Nikes. It was way too cute, even for this blog. I love the drool kerchief–it gives his outfit that cowboy je ne sais quoi.

On Saturday we got up early and packed up daughter #1’s new car.

Then we waited around for the boy to come over 😤 and then we packed up his truck with furniture. (We didn’t fit everything in the monster truck so the OM and I will probably be heading back to Columbia next weekend, but what the heck.)

We set off in a mini convoy and made it to her new apartment by 10:30.

#hillbillymovers (all due respect to hillbillys)

We unloaded and then headed off to Steak ‘N Shake ’cause we were mighty hungry (and we were not dressed for fine dining).

Her t-shirt says: NOT TODAY SATAN.

Then we set up some of the stuff we had brought in her apartment.

What a difference from her tiny studio on the Upper West Side! Most of her stuff won’t arrive from NYC for a couple of weeks, but she’ll have plenty to do settling in and luxuriating in all the space, not to mention the lovely pool.

We left around 2:00 so the boy could be back for some lacrosse event he had to go to later. He is so busy and working so hard, it makes me tired thinking about it. Indeed, I fell asleep that night watching Sing (2016)

Screen Shot 2017-08-13 at 2.53.07 PM.png which was not that inspiring and/or funny despite the voices of a lot of well-known actors. 👎

On Sunday I went to church because I was reading–a long passage from I Kings 19: 9-18 which included:

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹²and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

So great to read! I came home and cleaned up my house which I had neglected in all the recent activity. I did laundry and thought of daughter #1 who has a washer/dryer room in her apartment for the first time. If you have ever done without them, you will never take for granted having ones of your own. I know I don’t.

I did manage a little R&R on the patio. And more Longmire.

It was a good weekend. Have a good week!

*Lao Tzu

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August 7, 2017

Weekend update

by chuckofish

Screen Shot 2017-08-07 at 6.06.42 AM.png Well, that was a busy week followed by a busy weekend! Daughter #1 and I checked a lot of things off our to-do list and then she went back to NYC one more time on Saturday to tie up loose ends and pack her stuff for the movers who arrive this morning.

Sunday I went to an estate sale and got a couple of things for daughter #1’s new apartment. The OM and I went out to lunch at Denny’s after our first and second choices were too crowded. (Remind me never to do that again.) Then I yakked on the phone for hours with my DP and daughter #2. I finished Longmire #10. The boy came over to show us his new pickup truck–a Ford 150 Raptor–about which I am pretty excited. Finally, a truck in the family!

And by the way, congrats to the great Kurt Warner who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. You will recall that he was the quarterback of one of the greatest offenses in NFL history, the “Greatest Show on Turf” of the St. Louis Rams back in the early niineties.

We love you Kurt. We haven’t cared a hoot about football since you were traded to Arizona.

Have a good week!

Lord God, whose strength is sufficient for all who lay hold on it, grant us in your mercy to comfort our hearts and be strong. Humility, temperance, purity, largeheartedness, sympathy, zeal – grant us these evidences of faith, servants of hope, fruits of love; for the sake of Jesus Christ, our strength, our righteousness, and our hope of glory. Amen.

–Christina Rosetti

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July 28, 2017

There ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy*

by chuckofish

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I am looking forward to catching up on some sleep this weekend, how about you?

I have no plans, and the wee babes are in Florida.

They appear to be enjoying themselves…but I miss them!

By the way, today is the anniversary of the wee babes’ parents’ wedding! It’s been five years since they tied the knot. They’ve been through a lot and we’re very proud of them.

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God the Holy Trinity make you strong in faith and love,
defend you on every side, and guide you in truth and peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen!

Have a great weekend!

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July 10, 2017

“Stay calm, have courage and wait for signs”*

by chuckofish

Screen Shot 2017-07-09 at 2.01.32 PM.png Well, there is bound to be a big let-down after a big event that you have planned for so long… IMG_5623.JPG.jpeg …and I am in the middle of it. Good grief, two weeks of non-stop socializing with family and friends and people staying in your house… IMG_5585.JPG.jpeg

IMG_5596.JPG.jpeg But c’est la vie. This past weekend I did very little but straighten up the house and do laundry. I still have more straightening to do, but I made a lot of progress.

I also spent a good amount of time with my new best friend Walt Longmire, who has joined the ranks of my small club of Best Fictional Characters Ever (Holden Caulfield, Philip Marlowe, Dick Summers…). The book (NOT to be confused with the television show) I just finished was As the Crow Flies, which ends with Walt’s daughter getting married in a traditional Cheyenne ceremony.

…the two birds I’d noticed were crows circling right above the meadow, the primaries of their wing tips spread like fingers as they rode the thermals that lifted them into the cloudless sky.

Maybe it was an omen, but I decided to take it as a good one. I’d heard that crows mate for life and are known to raise their young for as long as five years.

Sometimes you don’t get that long.

I thought about Audrey Plain Feather and how her life hadn’t turned out the way she’d hoped–maybe nobody’s did.

My wife Martha’s hadn’t. Mine hadn’t. Even Henry’s hadn’t.

Maybe Cady’s would.

It’s hopes like this that you cling to at major turning points in your life and, more important, the lives of your children. You keep going, and you hope for the best, and sometimes, maybe not very often, your hopes come true.

I also watched Red Beard (1965) directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. I had read about this film on the Mockingbird website and knew it was a favorite movie of the Rev. John Zahl, but had never seen it or really heard much about it. Indeed, the British Film Institute’s 2015 list of “10 Essential Kurosawa Films” did not feature Red Beard. But there is a Criterion Films DVD and so I got it from Netflix.

red beard.jpeg

And let me tell you, this is a great, great movie! It poses the question, “Why is there so much suffering in the world?” The answer is illusive, as we know, but there is solace to be found in knowing that there are, indeed, good people in the world. This is the lesson learned by several characters in the movie including the protagonist, a young, arrogant doctor played by Yuzo Kayama. Red Beard, Toshira Mifune, is one of the good people. He has learned to overcome his own arrogance in order to love people where they are and to help them. It reminded me of Sunday’s Gospel, where Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 30)

Indeed, the movie is about love and grace and is absolutely amazing. There are so many great scenes–I tear up just thinking about them!–such as the scene where the clinic serving women scream the name of the dying child (“Chobu!”) down the well to pull his soul back from the dead. Do not put off seeing this great movie because it is three hours long and you think you are not in the mood for a “downer” movie. It is inspiring. Also, I was struck by the acting in this movie, which is so, so good and rather subdued by Japanese standards.

Anyway, I just loved it and highly recommend it to you. I watched it alone, of course. The OM left after half an hour to water the shrubs. I guess he wasn’t in the mood.

But, hello. Someone left this “toast prop” at my house!

It’s the simple things, right?

*Cheyenne motto

5 Comments

June 12, 2017

“A wet knot stays tied longer’n a dry knot”*

by chuckofish

The realization that daughter #2 is getting married in three weeks (!) really hit me this weekend. Most things are taken care of and all, but a lot of people will be descending on our flyover town and–wow–it is a real thing.

Anyway, the OM got moving on his patio project and with the indispensable help of the boy, built a little paved space for the barbecue where there had previously been some bushes.

I worked in the yard, pulling vines etc and generally wore myself out. It is a lot easier to do that these days.

I also started re-reading Jan Karon’s most recent book, the appropriately titled, Come Rain or Come Shine–about Dooley’s country wedding on the lawn, which is surprisingly similar to daughter #2’s planned nuptials. (Hers is not a potluck and there is no bull in the field, but…)

‘Lord,’ he said aloud as he switched on the ignition, ‘may it please you to give us a wonderful day with good weather. That said, Lord–and I mean this sincerely–your will be done.’

I am committed to Father Tim’s attitude. I am not going to worry about the weather, there being no point. Que sera sera.

The wee babes came over for dinner with their parents on Saturday night.

The twins turned 6 months old this weekend, but adjusted for preemies, they are like 3 month-olds. They have come so far! We are so thankful.

Have a good week!

*Willie in Come Rain or Come Shine

7 Comments

June 9, 2017

Jesus, give the weary Calm and sweet repose

by chuckofish

It’s Friday already! I had a busy week and it zoomed by (which is usually the way, right?)

Anyway, I am ready for the weekend. We have been experiencing beautiful weather all week which I have not really been able to enjoy. Sometimes I sit on the patio after work, just to get outside for awhile. Of course, it’s supposed to get hot this weekend.

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C’est la vie.

Hopefully I’ll get to see the wee babes.

The wee babes wearing “peanut butter and jelly” onesies that some well-meaning friend made for them…zut alors! oh, the indignity…

Meanwhile I’ll toast my BFF, who has always been my sister and Dual Personality, because I guess yesterday was National BFF Day! Where do they come up with these things?

Well, I never need an excuse to toast my DP…or to toast!

Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.

Now the darkness gathers,
Stars begin to peep,
Birds, and beasts and flowers
Soon will be asleep.

Jesus, give the weary
Calm and sweet repose;
With Thy tenderest blessing
May mine eyelids close.

Grant to little children
Visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing
On the deep, blue sea.

Comfort those who suffer,
Watching late in pain;
Those who plan some evil
From their sin restrain.

Through the long night watches
May Thine angels spread
Their white wings above me,
Watching round my bed.

When the morning wakens,
Then may I arise
Pure, and fresh, and sinless
In Thy holy eyes.

Glory to the Father,
Glory to the Son,
And to Thee, blest Spirit,
While all ages run.

–Sabine Baring-Gould

Have a good weekend!

6 Comments

June 5, 2017

And then we were all in one place

by chuckofish

Didn’t do much this weekend. Stopped by a couple of estate sales, went deeper into the Longmire oeuvre, read the first lesson in the Pentecost service on Sunday (“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come.”), and went to Washington, MO with the OM to eat some lunch by the mighty Missouri River.

I also watched the movie Hacksaw Ridge (2016), directed by Mel Gibson, which tells the true story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

(“Doss single-handedly entered enemy line of fire to retrieve approximately 75 casualties, carrying them one-by-one down a 400-foot escarpment. “*)

Doss, a Seventh Day Adventist, who refused to carry a gun on religious grounds, although he served in a fighting unit as a medic, was ostracized at first by fellow soldiers for his pacifist stance. However, he went on to earn their respect and adoration for his bravery, selflessness and compassion after he risked his life — without firing a shot — to save 75 wounded men in the Battle of Okinawa. It is a pretty inspiring story and well told, and a throwback to heroic war stories of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The cast is good with Andrew Garfield excellent as Doss, playing it very straight, and the likable Vince Vaughan channeling John Wayne in the Sgt. Stryker role.

But (and this is a big but) the computer-generated violence is over-the-top. Just because you can now show people having their legs blown off, doesn’t mean you should. The battle sequences are too much and obscene in their detail. It would have been possible to cut 20 minutes out of this movie and still gotten across the horror of the battle (and it was truly horrible, no doubt about it). Whatever happened to restraint and suggestion?

Mel Gibson, as we know, is a single-minded Roman Catholic, who, as we have seen in past movie outings, tends to wallow, literally and figuratively, in the blood of Christ. What was his childhood trauma anyway?

Well, it is a good movie nonetheless and well worth watching for the story of the modern Christian hero Desmond Doss. Nowhere in this movie is anyone invited to laugh at or even smirk at Pvt. Doss and I liked that.

And now it is Monday. I have several hard things to do this week, but none of them is climbing Hacksaw Ridge. Onward and upward.

*Read more here.

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May 30, 2017

Weekend update

by chuckofish

I love three day weekends, don’t you? Sundays are great when you don’t have to go to work the next day.

As I promised myself, I watched Stagecoach (1939) and Hatari (1962) and also Furious Six (2013) with Vin Diesel et al and enjoyed all three. I also watched The Lady in the Van (2015) based on the memoir by Alan Bennett. Maggie Smith plays an eccentric homeless woman whom Bennett befriended in the 1970s, allowing her temporarily to park her van in the driveway of his Camden home. She stays there for 15 years. MV5BOTY0MjM3NTQyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzcwNjUxNzE@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,674,1000_AL_

It didn’t really grab me. I guess I didn’t find her character at all appealing. Nope.

I also went to the spring auction at our local Link Auction house.

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It was fun. I rescued a 19th century mirror that no one wanted

and a 19th century table which I will probably give to one of my girls.

I had fun with my paddle.

I also got a lot of work done in my basement, going through (more) bins and throwing some stuff away and consolidating other stuff.

Plus the weather was mostly nice and I got to do a lot of this:

And, of course, the wee babes came over for a Memorial Day bar-b-que. Good times. IMG_2630 (1).jpg

And now it’s a four-day week! Huzzah.

3 Comments

May 22, 2017

Well done, good and faithful servant

by chuckofish

We had a big storm on Friday morning, around 5 a.m. with lots of limbs down and electricity out all over the city. Luckily we were spared this time. The boy had a tree fall on his garage though.

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On Saturday I went to another funeral, this one for another longtime work friend. There was no electricity at Ladue Chapel (see aforementioned storm), but because it is such a bright and airy sanctuary, the service went on. The Presbyterian service (“A Service of Witness to the Resurrection”) is rather bare-boned, but the minister gave a nice eulogy. He obviously knew Wayne well and was very fond of him–that makes a big difference. He recounted a story concerning when Wayne had retired from IBM and his boss had said that he was the best man he ever knew. Indeed, Wayne was one of those straight-shooters who was very successful in business, had a lovely and devoted wife to whom he had been married for over 60 years, was an elder and a deacon in his church, had children and grandchildren who loved him, and still managed to be genuinely humble. There was no job that was beneath him at our institute where he had been very active since its founding. Answer phones in the office? Sure. Help with registration? You got it. He agreed with my philosophy that if you don’t care who gets the credit, you can accomplish a lot.

Into paradise may the angels lead you, Wayne. At your coming may the martyrs receive you, and bring you into the holy city Jerusalem.

We’ll miss you Wayne. Boy, will we ever.

I went to church again on Sunday morning and afterwards I went on an adventure with my BFFs Becky and Carla.

I had seen a story on one of our local morning news programs about a historic home–Oakland House–about which I had never even heard. Indeed, it never ceases to amaze me how a person can live some place for almost 60 years and still not know about all the interesting nearby historic sites. Anyway, I looked it up online and found out they give tours one Sunday a month. Ta da! It was time to take Carla out for her birthday lunch so we went to Pasta House in a part of town I never go, in a neighborhood close to our final destination in terra incognita–Affton, MO. Then we headed over to Oakland House for a tour.

It was fabulous! Built in 1853 by Louis Benoist, the property originally consisted of about 470 acres that included a lake. Eventually sold to Robert Brookings (of my flyover university fame) in 1892…

…and then to a cemetery on the adjoining property, it fell into terrible disrepair and was surrounded by small houses built in the post-WWII era. Finally it was going to be torn down in 1973 until…

‘Before’ photos

…some people (the historical society?) in Affton got together and bought the property, improving it slowly over the years themselves–“the brick and mortar gang”–and acquiring appropriate period furniture etc. They have done a superb job.

Our tour guides were clearly local Affton residents who love their local landmark but have very little formal training in history or indeed any context in which to tell their story. The little lady in period dress mentioned the Smithstonian Institution, General Custard, and delighted us with a series of unintentional malapropisms that were quite endearing.

This dude grew up in the neighborhood and remembered ice skating on the pond and various activities. By the way, he plays Santa Claus in the annual Santa’s House event–an event I see in my future.

Beautiful period wallpaper

(Loved this fabric)

Anyway, somebody behind the scenes knows what they are doing with this house and I was quite impressed. And I do not mean to denigrate the tour guides. I liked them a lot better than the know-very-little junior leaguers in Kansas City we ran across last year.

I am grateful to have two friends who are willing to be adventurous with me and who enjoy this kind of outing.

The wee babes came over for dinner with the boy on Sunday night. (Their mother went to the theater with her mother.)

And now it’s Monday and we’re off to the salt mines. Enjoy your week!

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May 16, 2017

“Late one night when the wind was still Daddy brought the baby to the window sill”*

by chuckofish

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Well, I’m feeling a little down now that everyone has gone home and my house is empty again. We had a busy weekend full of babies and family gatherings and godparents and sitting on the patio and Mother’s Day.

But, in addition to the baptisms and Mother’s Day brunch, the girls had their own meetings to attend and they accomplished quite a bit. So it was a fun weekend and a successful few days.

Lovely, lovely, lovely. A new week–onward and upward.