–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The painting is by Jessie Wilcox Smith.
BTW, an adumbration is an “imperfect representation; something that suggests by resemblance, or shadows forth; a foreshadowing.” I looked it up.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
–Proverbs 19:21
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Today we celebrate the birthday of John Deere (1804-1886), American blacksmith, inventor and manufacturer, who founded Deere and Company. Deere hailed from Vermont and attended Middlebury College. He moved to Illinois and invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837 by fashioning a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow.
(Early John Deere plow, circa 1845, made in Grand Detour, Illinois, displayed at the Henry Ford Museum)
Prior to Deere’s steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows to which the rich Midwestern soil stuck, so they had to be cleaned frequently. The smooth-sided steel plow solved this problem and greatly aided migration into the American Great Plains in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
By 1855, Deere’s factory had sold more than 10,000 such plows. It became known as “The Plow that Broke the Plains” and is commemorated in a historic place marker in Middlebury, Vermont.
Deere & Company ranked No. 84 in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.
The John Deere tractor has, of course, become an icon of a certain way of life and has been glorified in many great country songs by the likes of Kenny Chesney, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Joe Diffie. But I like this one by Josh Thompson–“Way Out Here”:
(Thompson co-wrote the song with David Lee Murphy and Casey Beathard.)
We won't take a dime if we ain't earned it When it comes to weight, brother we pull our own If it's our backwoods way of living you're concerned with Well you can leave us alone Cause we're about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere Way out here
So let’s toast John Deere tonight and my people Way Out Here.
Well, the weekend started out chilly and chill, the highlight being daughter #1’s sighting of a very large hawk on the back fence.
Later the same day we spotted a bald eagle flying over our neighborhood! We were not fast enough to snap a picture, but it was exciting. Mais vraiment, two large raptors in one day! According to our local news rag, it is the season for Turkey Buzzards to return from their southern migration, so we’ll be on the lookout for them, although, let’s be honest, it is not very exciting to see vultures.
Another highlight was going to The Cracker Barrel for dinner! We had not been there in many, many years, but after hearing that they now serve alcohol, we headed over to Fenton around 4:45 pm so we could get a table without having to wait on the front porch. We were pleasantly surprised with our meals (mine was from the kid’s menu) and the addition of a cold Blue Moon only enhanced the experience.
“Yeah, that’s a big bite. I’m a big boy.” (The hashbrown casserole is delish.)
At church on Sunday, the wee laddie filled out the welcome card as usual…
…before heading down to Sunday School. The service still fills me with joy and sets me on my course for the week. Amen.
We went home afterwards and ate bagels and then went outside to frolic…(Lottie was sick at home with her Mom, but Mr. Smith got quite a workout with just the wee laddie, chasing the car and playing soccer.)
It was even warm enough to do some driveway sittin’! It was so great to see the sun and that blue sky!
Meanwhile, the two sisters continue to bond adorably…
Have a good week! “By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2: 24-25)
From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified;
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.Give me the love that leads the way,
–Amy Carmichael
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod;
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
The origin of today’s blogpost title is usually credited to the American author and newspaper editor Horace Greeley (1811-1872) whose birthday we celebrate today. The quote, of course, concerns America’s expansion westward. It was a rallying cry for those 19th century pioneers who hoped to find a better life through hard work in the West.
“Washington [D.C.] is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.” (New York Daily Tribune, July 13, 1865)
(Photo taken by Matthew Brady of Greeley between 1844 and 1860)
Much was made of this quote in American history…and in quite a few movies. Mae West made a movie, Go West Young Man (1936) with Gary Cooper, and here’s Groucho Marx in a scene from Copacabana (1947):
Mr Horace Greeley was no fool
I’m sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he’s the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Go West! Young Man!
–Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
Have a good weekend and go West!–at least with your movie-watching choices!
Daughter #1’s post yesterday about Murder She Wrote (1984-1996) got me thinking about Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury) and prompted me to say a little bit more. It is not a great show by today’s standards and we laugh about it a lot, but I have to say, I like the main character.
Jessica is a middle-aged, independent, no nonsense woman–well-groomed, tall and trim, but by no means a beauty. She is comfortable with that and is not trying to be younger and more glamorous than she is. She is confident and well respected and lets the inevitable insults wash over her. She is always a lady.
My parents watched the show back in the day and I know my mother considered Jessica a style icon with her skirts and sweaters and elegant scarf ensembles. I find myself drawn to them myself. Leggings hadn’t been invented back then, but Jessica would never have worn them in public. She hardly ever wore slacks!
Indeed, Jessica is a rare breed, seldom seen these days. It is refreshing to watch her, free of any chips on her shoulder, no axes to grind. There is no politics on the show, no virtue signaling. Imagine that.
So even though the plots border on the ridiculous, the police–whether in New York City or the boonies of Arkansas–are universally nincompoops in need of Jessica’s help, and murder follows wherever she goes (and she travels a lot to see dozens of nieces and nephews), I kind of like it–in small doses.
(Jerry Orbach with Angela Lansbury. He had a recurring role as a P.I. on Murder She Wrote before Law and Order.)
P.S. Angela Lansbury knew everyone from her previous career in movies and on Broadway. Here she is with Jerry Orbach at the 1969 Tony Awards. (Also with James Earl Jones and Julie Harris, who as far as I know, never guest-starred on Murder She Wrote, but who knows?) The show is, indeed, frequented by stars (and a variety of washed-up has-beens).
In other news, it has been cold, cold, cold here in flyover country. The winter storms mostly missed us and I am grateful for that. Hopefully it is going to warm up today. Anyway, I am off to my Bible Study which is starting up again today. We are reading the book of Daniel.
Meanwhile, here are some good links:
In this article Kevin DeYoung bids us biblical Christians to “be cheerful, be clear, and be confident.” Good advice.
Anne tells us about “shadow work” here. I was like, oh yeaaaaah.
Pray for the day ahead. Pray that you might bring glory to God, in thought, word and deed. Thank God that his mercies are new every morning. Thank God that his grace is sufficient for all situations that you may encounter.
*Said frequently by Jessica Fletcher
Well, I don’t have any stories about bears. Sigh. But for the past few evenings, my mother and I have watched Murder She Wrote to pass the time. That show is truly something else. I think my mother and I need to start a podcast that is just our witty banter as we watch Murder She Wrote. Mystery Science Theater-style. It could be called Only Murderers on Murder She Wrote. Cinda Canning would totally be on board.
Naturally, I’ve put too much thought into this. In addition to witty banter, there would be drinking game rules. Listeners would need to drink every time characters exchanged eye movements in lieu of dialogue. A drink would be taken every time the police are incompetent boobs. And a drink for every time my mother, the human IMDB, relays what movie, or tv/broadway show the guest star is known for.
I’m telling you, we could really go viral.
In other news, Mr. Smith is finally old enough to get a rabies shot, which he did this evening. He can now enter society. On Saturday, while it was a balmy 45 degrees and sunny, we practiced taking a walk on the sidewalk. I am not kidding when I say we had gone TWO FEET when a car stopped next us, rolled down the window and a passenger yelled, “Your dog is so cute!!!” He is, but I had to laugh.
At the vet, they use cheese whiz to distract puppies while they get their shots. Here is Mr. Smith sporting quite the cheese whiz beard.
Also, you might think this is an endless loop, but really it is what it is like trying to watch TV with Mr. Smith. He is interested only in your socks. And that Kleenex you’ve got tucked under the blanket.
He’s getting so big! There’s lot of energy packed into that little 7.4 lb dynamo.
My oldest granddaughter Lottie and I have a little joke about bears.
Whenever the adult conversation at the dinner table gets away from her, she says, “Guys! Guys! Does anyone have a story about bears?” This is hilarious because everyone knows Mamu is afraid of bears. This fear was exacerbated by the time a bear sauntered through our town a few blocks away our house. Now the joke is that a bear will be enticed by the smell of Pappy’s barbecue and will attack him in our backyard.
Anyway, on Sunday I did, indeed, have a story. It was about a bear hibernating under someone’s deck, which I had heard about when I was in Maryland. Lottie’s reaction was to say, “Why would a bear want to hibernate under a deck?” 🙄
Usually Lottie moves on to asking, “Does anyone have a story about scary animals?” On Sunday I had one such story. It seems a gruesome attack by a great white shark last week resulted in a Mexican diver being decapitated. 😲 That was a little too scary for Lottie and she retreated to her father’s arms. I hope she didn’t have nightmares.
I don’t want to give my grandchildren complexes, but a healthy respect for the dangers of the wild is a good thing.
Life is not a Richard Scarry children’s book, much as we would like it to be.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
-Isaiah 11:6
*Maurice Sendak
How was your weekend? Mine was a nice back-to-normal one–estate sales, going out to lunch, happy hour with music at home, and church on Sunday. The boy and Lottie came over after church for Presbyterian Souffle. (The bud was sick and stayed home with Mom.) Mr. Smith continued to grow.
And Baby Ida went for her first walk in the stroller.
We watched some good movies: The High and the Mighty (1954), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).
This was an interesting article about the turnaround of Barnes and Noble (and a lesson for the church.) “There’s a lesson in the Barnes & Noble turnaround. Remember your first love. And don’t lose sight of your ultimate purpose.”
Keep reading, keep praying, keep showing up. Pay attention. “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1)
One more weekend in January and then we are on to February–the year is off to a fast start.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of William Butler Yeats in 1939. We will toast him and read some poetry. Hard to believe “The Second Coming” was written over 100 years ago. It certainly resonates.
(The painting is by Fairfield Porter.)
*Revelation 22:12
As reported yesterday, I returned home on Tuesday in a remarkably delay-free, easy trip. The plane wasn’t even full! The OM was at the airport to meet me and he had not burned down the house while I was gone. Daughter #1 cooked dinner. The forecasted winter storm did not turn out to be anything special, just some wet sticky snow which continued to melt all day yesterday. (The twins did manage to build an impressive snowman.)
So all is well, thanks be to God. Anyway, I am taking my time getting back into my flyover routine.
I will note that today is Paul Newman’s birthday, so I suggest we all watch at least one of his movies.
I recently watched The MacKintosh Man (1973) which I had not seen since it was originally released when I was back east visiting colleges. I went with my cousin and her friend to a drive-in movie theater. They talked throughout the movie and I had no idea what was going on in the movie, which at the time was very annoying. However, watching the movie 50 years later a few months ago, I still did not really know what was going on. It is one of those English spy movies where you don’t really like anyone and you can’t tell who the good guys/bad guys are and there is a cross followed by a double-cross and so on. Honestly, there are better choices to make.
So I’ll probably watch an old favorite. Maybe Road to Perdition (2002). We can eat one of your pizzas and toast you, old blue eyes. You were pretty great.
*Matthew 11:30
dual personalities 