dual personalities

April 23, 2015

“Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high.”*

by chuckofish

Did you know that today is World Book Day? Me neither.

According to Wikipedia, the connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia as a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on this date.

To celebrate this day in Spain, Cervantes’s Don Quixote is read during a two-day “readathon” and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize is presented by the Spanish King to honor the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language.

I would suggest watching the movie Man of La Mancha (1972) starring Peter O’Toole as the dauntless knight, but I just saw it recently and it is not as great as I remembered it from back in the day.

In fact, it was pretty bad. So we’ll have to think of something else.

Probably the best way to celebrate Book Day is to read a book! Last weekend I finished Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart which daughter #1 was reading when she was home. She left her copy in my house…I had read it, of course, years ago when I was an adolescent and then again later at some point. But I read it again, and–boy oh boy–is it good!

You remember, it is the story of a young English governess, Linda Martin, who travels to the Château Valmy in France in the 1950s to take care of nine-year-old Philippe de Valmy. There she finds herself tangled in a plot to murder her charge and tries to save him, which eventually results in the revelation of a dark secret. This is not some bodice-ripper, but a well-written and intelligent suspense novel, peppered with literary references. Indeed, Stewart introduced

a different kind of heroine for a newly emerging womanhood. It was her “anti-namby-pamby” reaction, as she called it, to the “silly heroine” of the conventional contemporary thriller who “is told not to open the door to anybody and immediately opens it to the first person who comes along”. Instead, Stewart’s stories were narrated by poised, smart, highly educated young women who drove fast cars and knew how to fight their corner. Also tender-hearted and with a strong moral sense, they spoke, one felt, with the voice of their creator. Her writing must have provided a natural form of expression for a person not given to self-revelation. (You can read more here.)

Nine Coaches Waiting (1958) was actually Stewart’s fourth novel, following Madam, Will You Talk? (1954), Wildfire at Midnight (1956) and Thunder on the Right (1957). She was on the best-seller list many times, but only one of her novels (The Moon-Spinners – 1962) was made into a movie. I wonder why?

Anyway, I recommend Mary Stewart to you–to read or re-read as the case may be. I lent my copy to the boy.

And have a lovely World Book Day!

*Arnold Lobel

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April 22, 2015

Oh, bury me not on the lone prairie

by chuckofish

Last Friday I went along on a field trip with students at my flyover institute to historic Bellefontaine Cemetery. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums. It is also an arboretum. Literally all of the prominent Protestant families in this town have a plot there. Additionally, a lot of famous local families like the Anheusers and the Buschs, who started off as Protestants, but are now Catholic, are buried there too.

We were driven there in this cute pseudo-trolley bus.

We had a great docent (in cap on right) leading the tour who knew everything about all the famous residents and, by the way, has visited the grave of every U.S. President. He quizzed us as we went along to keep us on our toes. Chester Arthur was buried where? In Albany!

David R. Francis and family

The Wainwright mausoleum designed by Louis Sullivan.

A familiar name–our Rand obelisk is in New Hampshire however.

You can kind of see the River behind the Lemp mausoleum situated on a bluff.

The Busch mini-Gothic-cathedral mausoleum

William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame is buried here.

How appropriate that his grave is decorated with buffs.

Well, I like cemeteries. Especially “rural” cemeteries like Bellefontaine. Visiting it was a fascinating way to spend a lovely spring afternoon and a great way to learn more about the history of my hometown. I was reminded of Prof. Wutheridge in The Bishop’s Wife (1947) who said, “For some time now, every time I pass the cemetery, I feel as though I’m apartment hunting.” Well, you couldn’t do much better than spending eternity in one of these mausoleums overlooking the mighty Mississippi River!

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April 21, 2015

“I don’t feel very different, she said”*

by chuckofish

I had a nice birthday. At my age, I do not need (or expect) much. A nice sign:

a cake:

…dinner cooked by someone else, a few thoughtful gifts, and I am more than happy.

I had a new movie to watch and a new book to read–what more could I want? World peace?

I had a pleasant and quiet weekend too, although I did get a little bummed out when I went to an estate sale and discovered it was indeed the home of a friend who died last year. Her husband must be down-sizing, and I get that, but, really, couldn’t her married sons have stored her stuff? Did they have to sell it all? Her monogrammed towels? Her sewing projects? Her teacups and golf trophies? All those Christmas decorations? It was depressing and it put me in a bad mood.

I went to church, because I was reading the second lesson (“Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous….”). I had signed up to give the altar flowers that day, so I was pleased to see this in the bulletin:

I like to see my parents (and friend Irene) remembered a couple of times a year. The flowers were pretty too.

Sunday was a rainy day, so I changed my after-church plans and headed back home to my basement clean-up. I found another box of stuff from days gone by–college notebooks and letters from the year I was a house counselor at a boarding school in Virginia. These were letters I wrote to my fiancé back in flyover country, and I must say, they were pretty hilarious. I had forgotten so much about that year. Which makes me think (again) how much will be forgotten because no one writes letters any more. Sigh. Anyway, I enjoyed my afternoon remembering those bygone days of my youth.

So one more birthday has come and gone. I’ve come a long way, baby, right?

My big brother is decked out with a gun belt, knife, kerchief, and a cool canteen.

P.S. Did you spy with your little eye the Playmobil Martin Luther in the top photo? Awesome. Someone reads this blog closely!

*”Back When We Were Beautiful” by Emmylou Harris

4 Comments

April 20, 2015

Happy Birthday, Dual Personality!!

by chuckofish

If I could be with you today, I would bring you breakfast in bed

and armloads of grocery store flowers.

And we would spend the day visiting antique stores or just hanging out and talking. We could drink tea and binge watch Buffy

or one of our favorite movies. Right now I could go for this

I would make you dinner, but it would probably be something simple like cheese, pate, fruit and French bread. And let’s not forget the good wine. Afterwards, we could sing along loudly and off-key to

or do our famous lip-sync routine to this

At which point we’d have to stop to open presents and eat cake

Then we would probably collapse in a heap. I wish I could be there to celebrate, but I bet you’ll have a great day anyway. You are the best sister ever and I wish you a super Happy Birthday!

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April 18, 2015

In the immortal words of

by chuckofish

the delightful Titus Andromedon:

In my case, it was getting up. Anyhow, I need to drink some tea now and read a book. But don’t worry, I’ll be back later (maybe Monday, which is my dual personality’s birthday). In the meantime, have a truly relaxing weekend and don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather.

April 17, 2015

This and that

by chuckofish

TGIF. Boy, am I ready for the weekend! I plan to take it easy. How about you?

In the meantime here are a few end-of-the-week odds and ends.

1. I really want this house. I may have to buy my first lottery ticket.

2. The Ford Mustang was introduced to the public on this day (April 17) in 1964. It was named after the WWII P-51 Mustang fighter plane.

What a great car!

3. It is Thornton Wilder’s birthday today. I think I’ll eat some ice cream in his honor, because you know–“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it is on your plate.”

4. It is also William Holden’s birthday.

He was born in O’Fallon, Illinois–just over the river from here–in 1918. So I suggest we watch one of his movies in his honor. When I think about it, I realize that he really is one of my favorites, although I seldom give him credit for being so. He was also one of those men who kind of just got better with age. Unfortunately, he was also a terrible alcoholic and died ignominiously. But you know, he had a younger brother, Robert W. “Bobbie” Beedle, who was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and was killed in action in 1944–maybe that had something to do with it.

Anyway, there are obviously lots of good William Holden movies to choose from. My favorites are: Born Yesterday (1950), Sabrina (1954), The Horse Soldiers (1959), and Paris When It Sizzles (1964)–but there are lots of other good ones. I’ll leave that up to you.

5. Going to Athens, GA? You won’t want to miss this!

Have a great weekend!

6 Comments

April 16, 2015

Good grief, Charlie Brown

by chuckofish

One of the blogs I follow–Interesting Literature–had a post on 10 Rare But Useful Words Everyone Should Know. The first word is “UHTCEARE“ meaning ‘lying awake before dawn worrying’. I think this should be on my license plate or something. I mean, I do that all the time. All the time.

Do you?

I try to remember the “have no anxiety about anything” commandment:

Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

And Jesus was very clear when he said:

Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? (Matthew 6:25)

And, of course, there is my favorite:

“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

I know that if I just trust in the Lord, all will be well. But we puritan types have a hard time letting go of taking responsibility.

Well, I guess we can take some solace in the fact that old St. Paul probably had some sleepless nights too:

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. (Romans 7: 15-20)

Sigh. In the early morning when I cannot go back to sleep, I sometimes just get up and read.

I am working on being more happy-go-lucky.

Any suggestions?

4 Comments

April 14, 2015

Sing of the love we bore him

by chuckofish

Today is the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln. He was shot on April 14 (only five days after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox), but he lingered until the morning of the 15th.

The death of President Abraham Lincoln had a profound impact on the poet Walt Whitman and his writing. It is the subject of one of his most highly regarded and critically examined pieces, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” (1865-1866) and one of his best-known poems, “O Captain! My Captain!” (1865-1866). Whitman also delivered (sporadically) annual public lectures commemorating Lincoln’s death beginning in April 1879.

Here is the first poem Whitman wrote about Lincoln’s death.

(May 4, 1865)

HUSH’D be the camps to-day,

And soldiers let us drape our war-worn weapons,

And each with musing soul retire to celebrate,

Our dear commander’s death.

No more for him life’s stormy conflicts,

Nor victory, nor defeat—no more time’s dark events,

Charging like ceaseless clouds across the sky.

But sing poet in our name,

Sing of the love we bore him—because you, dweller in camps,
know it truly.

As they invault the coffin there,

Sing—as they close the doors of earth upon him—one verse,

For the heavy hearts of soldiers.

Let’s all take a moment to ponder our fallen president and the great national calamity that was his death.

1 Comment

April 14, 2015

Happy birthday, Susiebelle!

by chuckofish

Today is daughter #2’s 25th birthday! Hurrah for a quarter century!

Since all the rest of us were gathered together this past weekend toasting her sister and her running accomplishments, I felt that she might be feeling a little left out.

But I’m sure she found something fun to do.

Even if she’s in the living room doing her ‘homework’, chances are she’s enjoying herself.

“But oh! shipmates! on the starboard hand of every woe, there is a sure delight; and higher the top of that delight, than the bottom of the woe is deep.” (HM, Moby-Dick)

So we’ll be toasting you tonight, belle! (No fancy cocktails like you’ll be drinking, but something–“We’ve got pinot!”) Wish we were all there with you!

3 Comments

April 13, 2015

Go, Mary, Go!

by chuckofish

Quelle weekend! So much activity–and driving–to the airport and downtown twice! Oh my.

I was outside my comfort zone several times. But it was all good.

After picking daughter #1 at the airport bright and early and getting her checked in downtown for the race, we sat out in the sun and watched lacrosse. The Hounds were triumphant 21-0 in a rout of embarrassing proportion.

But a win is a win. They were gentlemen about it.

We got up at 4 a.m. on Sunday in order to get daughter #1 downtown and into her corral by 6:15. We watched 15,000 people run the half marathon,

Still smiling near the finish!

and cheered and held our signs up like lunatics.

Daughter #1 finished the race in 02:13:27–faster than she expected–and you bet we drank free beer at 9:30 in the morning–only in St. Louis!

We celebrated back in terra cognita with breakfast at Schneithorst’s afterwards and, of course, there were several other runners there sporting handsome medals.

It’s such a small town.

9 Comments