dual personalities

September 11, 2026

This day, whate’er the Fates decree/ Shall still be kept with joy by me

by chuckofish

Today is daughter #1’s birthday! Although September 11 has been ruined to some extent by the heinous events of 2001, we will endeavor to celebrate anyway. Because if anyone deserves a party, it is she.

This day, whate’er the Fates decree,

Shall still be kept with joy by me:

This day then let us not be told,

That you are sick, and I grown old;

Nor think on our approaching ills,

And talk of spectacles and pills.

To-morrow will be time enough

To hear such mortifying stuff.

Yet, since from reason may be brought

A better and more pleasing thought,

Which can, in spite of all decays,

Support a few remaining days:

From not the gravest of divines

Accept for once some serious lines.

–Jonathan Swift, “Stella’s Birthday, March 13, 1727”

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September 10, 2026

A little bit o’ history

by chuckofish

Today we toast Captain Thomas S. Baldwin, who made history when he flew an airplane for the first time over the Mississippi River on this day in 1910.

The starting point for the flight was a field just east of Bellefontaine Cemetery. The flight area was cleared of spectators, soldiers took guard positions around the field, and Baldwin’s plane, the Red Devil, was wheeled out. After a short test flight, Baldwin took off at 5:11 p.m. Some 200,000 persons lined the riverfront on both sides to watch the red biplane fly from the north St. Louis field and land in Illinois opposite Arsenal Street.

On the return flight Baldwin astounded the crowds by flying under both the Eads and McKinley bridges at the breakneck speed of 50 miles an hour. He landed at 6:05 p.m., exactly at his starting point.

Pretty cool, eh?

And in memory of Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on this day last year, please listen to Marco Rubio’s speech at the memorial service last year. Lest we forget.

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September 9, 2026

Live long and prosper

by chuckofish

I have to admit I watched a couple of episodes of the original Star Trek with William Shatner the other night. It’s the 60th anniversary of the franchise you know–1966-2026! That’s hard to wrap my mind around, I have to tell ya. Sixty years.

You can even get a commemorative coin!

Yesterday was the actual anniversary of its first airing. I was in the fifth grade and my brother was in the tenth grade in 1966 and we watched it every week. My sister was only in the second grade but she may have watched it too.

We thought the show was hokey back then and I still do to a certain extent. The sets were cheesy and the costumes and wigs and makeup were terrible. But my opinion of William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk has actually improved over the years. I now recognize that he was quite handsome and darn appealing on the show. So for a further blast from the past, I may watch a few more episodes.

FYI: In 1967, Ricardo Montalban starred as Khan Noonien Singh, Captain Kirk’s foe in the “Space Seed” episode of “Star Trek.” His scene-stealing performance as a villain inspired the team to bring him back for the 1982 Star Trek movie that was named after his character: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Since Montalban is the TCM Star of the Month in September, they are showing Star Trek II on September 28–so mark your calendar! “From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”

Anyway, time barrels on per usual.

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September 8, 2026

Postcards from an interrupted weekend

by chuckofish

Well, our trip to the prairie was cut short when most of the prairie fam came down sick with some virus and we thought it best to hightail it home on Sunday. C’est dommage!

We did, however, manage to have some fun. We visited the nearby Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve and we went to the Museum of the Grand Prairie, which I thought was pretty great as museums go…

The next day when it had cooled off quite a bit, we managed to take a mile walk on the prairie trail with Mr. Smith…

We had one scary encounter with a pit bull who could barely be restrained by its owner, but disaster was averted and we continued on our hike. Mr. Smith comported himself admirably. In fact, he was a gentleman throughout our visit, showing canine patience with the girls and with the baby.

After returning home, neither daughter #1 nor I felt great on Monday, and the boy and his family were under the weather as well, so we played it cool on Labor Day. We had already watched my traditional Labor Day movie–The Pajama Game (1957)–while back on the prairie. It’s the musical about labor troubles and romance in a pajama factory with snazzy choreography by Bob Fosse. It’s a favorite of mine, but the girls didn’t really get into it.

Anyway, back home on Monday I watched Passport to Pimlico (1949), an Ealing Studio production. I enjoy those post-WWII English comedies, although I admit, I did fall asleep toward the end.

Here’s hoping everyone feels better today!

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September 4, 2026

In the dust and smoke of the arena*

by chuckofish

I’m heading up to the prairie today with daughter #1 and Mr. Smith to see the prairie fam–so much more fun than imaginary talking on the phone!

Enjoy your long weekend and let’s all toast the hardworking American men and women out there! And a special call out to those men who do the important jobs women don’t want to do: who pick up your trash, and fix the roads, who are plumbers and electricians, who mine the coal and fix our cars and fight the wars and protect the streets. The ones who stop on the highway and pull people out of burning cars. I salute you and I thank you.

Work and love, using each in its broadest sense – work, the quality which makes a man ashamed not to be able to pull his own weight, not to do for himself as well as for others without being beholden to anyone for what he is doing; work, no man is happy if he does not work.

–Theodore Roosevelt speaking to the railroad branch of the YMCA in Topeka, Kansas, on “decent living and high ideals”, 1903

This little picture essay offers one of the best reminders of the wonders all around us, even in a simple small apartment. We are blessed beyond measure.

And this is a really good article about Wendell Berry. “Berry’s poetic imagination shapes us to love the limits and simplicity of the real life we have, even if it’s not the perfect life.’

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)

P.S. Prayers for travel mercies are much appreciated!

*Theodore Roosevelt

September 3, 2026

How’s it going?

by chuckofish

It has been steamy hot all this week so I have been working on inside projects and getting ready to head up to the prairie on Friday for the long weekend.

I have, as usual, been reading several different books, including Agatha Christie’s autobiography. She really was quite an unusual person who seemed to think nothing of traveling to exotic places like Bagdad alone. She was always very lucky and found people to stay with and hang out with for lengthy periods of time. It was a different world–at least for people of her social class etc. If they had made a movie about her, she would have been played by Margaret Rutherford, if you can imagine Margaret Rutherford surfing. (I can.) She was married twice and had one child, who was shipped off to boarding school at age eight–don’t worry–she wanted to go. Agatha, of course, never had any formal education, but was, of course, much better “educated” than most modern students. It is a fascinating read, but I’m not sure how much of it I actually believe.

Indeed. what can beat a train?

This is a really interesting short film I saw on TCM about the making of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)–back when making movies was a true collaboration of real artists. It was an entirely different endeavor from today when everything is done on computers. They were crafting illusions and bringing them to life through brilliant camera work, art direction, costumes, music, makeup, acting. Wow. Fascinating!

Down to the buzzing of the arrows, they don’t don’t make ’em like this anymore!

Well, have a great Thursday! Keep cool.

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September 2, 2026

“I been eating peaches/off some mighty fine trees.”*

by chuckofish

Kentucky poet, novelist and essayist Wendell Berry died on Monday. He was 92.

He was right about a lot of things and wrong about others (as are we all) but I always liked him.

I like his poetry and I like his novels.

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this:
‘Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks.’
I am not all the way capable of so much, but those are the right instructions.”

–Wendell Berry, Hannah Coulter

I am re-reading Hannah Coulter; it is pretty great.

Enjoy your Tuesday! Read some poetry, re-read an old book, take a walk, be thankful, do not be ashamed.

* Wendell Berry, read the whole poem here.

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September 1, 2026

It is life that is going on

by chuckofish

It a new month–a good time to start observing…(if you are not already)…

A RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE can be a wedding, a christening, a Memorial Day service, a bar mitzvah, or anything like that you might be apt to think of. There are lots of things going on at them. There are lots of things you can learn from them if you’re in a receptive state of mind. The word observance itself suggests what is perhaps the most important thing about them.

A man and a woman are getting married. A child is being given a name. A war is being remembered and many deaths. A youngster is coming of age.

It is life that is going on. It is always going on, and it is always precious. It is God that is going on. It is you who are there that is going on.

As Henry James advised writers, be one on whom nothing is lost. Observe!! There are few things as important, as religious, as that.

–Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark

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August 31, 2026

Day by day

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was very low-key but filled with the small joys that life is made of. It is a good practice to take note of them. Otherwise, we become forgetful of the fact that the present is a constant romance, as Buffalo Bill once said.

On Friday afternoon daughter #1 and I went to our favorite local watering hole where the waiters know what we’re going to order before we order. We sat in our favorite window seat and watched the middle schoolers walk by in groups of three or four after school. On Saturday I went to an estate sale in a nice old neighborhood where the home reflected the good life the people in it had lived. You can just tell from the books and DVDs and Christmas decorations. The sale was run by our favorite company so help abounded. One of the guys pointed me to a good parking place close to the house…but then I had to parallel park in front of people–always stressful! Lamar gave me his discount and asked if I was alone–he always wonders where daughter #1 is if she isn’t with me.

At both places I felt so ‘seen’. A rare thing these days.

It was nice to have the boy back in church on Sunday and the bud with him. We heard a good sermon on Acts 2:42-47 about the fellowship of believers and we sang good hymns. During the offertory two members of the congregation played a hymn medley as a duet (one piano, four hands) and they were really cookin’ with gas, eliciting impromptu applause. After church we had fold meetings in place of adult ed.

In the afternoon I went to daughter #1’s pool–the last weekend before Labor Day. It was lovely to float and get some sun.

This was a really nice tribute to Dolly Parton from Glenn Reynolds who teaches at the University of Tennessee Law School. “There was a sizable crowd gathered, but at a bit of a distance. People were taking photos, and people politely lined up and encouraged each group to take their time posing by the statue before the next people came in. The mood was reverent, but pleasant: These were people there to pay their respects, not simply to mourn, and one way to respect Dolly was to be nice to the other people who were there for the same purpose.”

And Scottie won the FedEx cup!

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August 28, 2026

Unfaded, yet prepared to fade*

by chuckofish

Well, here we are–it’s the last Friday in August. One more weekend and then it’s September! It was a good summer. Good weather. A little travel. I watched all seven seasons of The Mentalist (2008-2015). Now I am ready to get back into the fall swing of things.

Departing summer hath assumed

An aspect tenderly illumed,

The gentlest look of spring;

That calls from yonder leafy shade

Unfaded, yet prepared to fade,

A timely carolling.

In the meantime, here are some good things to read:

I agree with this. “There is a difference between possessing the information contained in a book and possessing a book.”

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death? A. That I am not my own, but belong, body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. This is important: What the Heidelberg Catechism Says to the Age of Self.

R.C. Sproul’s entire teaching series library is now free forever. You can find them all on Ligonier’s Teaching Series page.

The Book of Common Prayer (1662) as printed by John Baskerville is available online.

Have a good weekend!

P.S. This made me LOL:

*William Wordsworth, September, 1819…read the whole poem here.

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