dual personalities

Tag: family

February 13, 2023

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? We had sunny blue skies but freezing temps. Still, Saturday was a lovely day to buzz over to Jeff City to check on daughter #1’s apartment and water her plants.

We had lunch at the Grand…

…and did a little mid-Mo shopping before heading home to walk the dog. It was a lot of driving, but the scenery of the rolling hills of Missouri never disappoints.

On Sunday morning I set up the dining room for a little after-church Valentine party for the wee twins…

In church we had a baptism and it was the twin’s Sunday School teacher’s baby and the little bud stood up and said “Hi Mr. Patrick!” and waved. When the pastor walked with the baby down the center aisle and we all sang “Jesus Loves Me” I cried and my mascara ran. Par for the course.

Later at home, after bagels and party favors, we played outside with Mr. Smith who is living his best life.

Meanwhile baby Idabelle continues to thrive…

…and Katie continues to be the best big sister, reading to her constantly…

“A bunny, that’s right a bunny!”

…and replacing her binky immediately when it falls out of baby’s mouth.

So onward to Monday! God is in control.

Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;

Be thou my dignity, thou my delight,

Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:

raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

–Hymn #642, verse 3

(My latest floral arrangement for church on Sunday–not bad, right?)

4 Comments
February 6, 2023

Let me not sink to be a clod

by chuckofish

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,
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.

–Amy Carmichael

4 Comments
January 31, 2023

“And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.”*

by chuckofish

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

6 Comments
January 30, 2023

Let your light shine before others

by chuckofish

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)

2 Comments
January 24, 2023

Life in the fast lane

by chuckofish

Well, I am heading home later today. It has been lovely spending quality time with this little fam. Lots of conversation and sitting around staring at the new baby. We also toasted the baby.

Additionally, Katie is a never ending font of information and idiomatic toddler pronouncements. “I’m doing my own thing!” Brilliant.

Also I have enjoyed talking to DN and finding out more things we have in common, such as our classmates thinking we were Chinese when we were children. He directed me to this comedic routine of John Mulaney who evidently experienced the same thing. This was a revelation to me: this happened to other people?!

The world is more than we know.

Please pray for no delays, fair weather and an easy trip back to flyover country.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

4 Comments
January 20, 2023

“Is the baby happy?”*

by chuckofish

Katie and I have played with a lot of Play-Doh and cut up a lot of Washi tape. She is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys. We have also cleaned up when we needed to.

And I have read a lot of good books over the last few days (and some really boring ones as well). My favorite books, besides the classics…

…are anything from the Pete the Cat oeuvre.

These books are gold and I highly recommend them to anyone who has small children!

A children’s book that quotes Emerson! I mean, the author James Dean is one groovy dude!

James earned his degree in electrical engineering from Auburn University and went on to work for Georgia Power for a number of years. Eventually, he was called to pursue his art full-time and began selling his work at art festivals around the Southeast. 

It was during this time that he began creating paintings and drawing of his cat, Pete. The little blue cat showed up as a character in James’ artwork around 1999 and has been a permanent fixture ever since. 

In 2008, James partnered with Eric Litwin to create the first Pete the Cat children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. Now, James has helped create over 70 Pete the Cat books, including many NYT Bestsellers. 

James is humbled every day by the success that this groovy blue cat has brought him. He says positively affecting children’s lives is his number one priority, and he is grateful to have such an amazing audience to work for. 

Good stuff is out there if you look!

And, of course, holding an infant is the best therapy for anything that ails you.

*What sister Katie asks incessantly.

3 Comments
January 16, 2023

“Like newborn infants, long for the spiritual milk”*

by chuckofish

Well, I made it to Baltimore without any delays (thanks for all those prayers and well wishes) and wonderful DN was waiting to pick me up at the airport and drive me to Silver Spring. Since then I have been enjoying lots of quality time with precious daughter #2 and sweet Katiebelle.

We are waiting patiently for baby #2 to arrive.

In the meantime, here’s a poem, a sonnet by Christina Rossetti (1830-94), “Sonnets Are Full of Love”:

Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome
Has many sonnets: so here now shall be
One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me
To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home,
To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome;
Whose service is my special dignity,
And she my loadstar while I go and come
And so because you love me, and because
I love you, Mother, I have woven a wreath
Of rhymes wherewith to crown your honoured name:
In you not fourscore years can dim the flame
Of love, whose blessed glow transcends the laws
Of time and change and mortal life and death.

*1 Peter 2:3

2 Comments
January 9, 2023

“Morning by morning new mercies I see”*

by chuckofish

We took down the Christmas decorations at church on Friday, so we are “back to normal” all around I guess.

I had a busy weekend, which included putting together a portable coat rack so daughter #1 has somewhere to hang her clothes, a DAR meeting, lunch out at a new diner, grocery shopping, visiting a house for sale (for daughter #1), church, and celebrating daughter #3’s birthday with Presbyterian Soufflé and cake. (This is the last of our four birthdays between November 28 and January 6.)

All this was accomplished in between walking the puppy. Phew. I am tired just thinking about it.

This week will be slower. I just have to get ready to fly to Baltimore on Saturday to help daughter #2 as she is due to give birth very soon. (Another January birthday!)

In the meantime, here are some fascinating events and discoveries from 2022 that you might have missed–I know I did.

This is a good reminder to stop grumbling.

And here’s a word from our Katiebelle:

So many.

Great is thy faithfulness!

Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

All I have needed thy hand hath provided—

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

–Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923

Is it time for a walk?

3 Comments
December 27, 2022

A few Christmas postcards

by chuckofish

It’s been a busy few days, and I’m afraid we really didn’t pause to take many pictures. But everyone got dressed up and looked their best.

Christmas Eve was rather raucous, but things calmed down a great deal on Christmas. Here’s our Christmas dinner setting for three…

It doesn’t take much to make a pretty table: candles, a poinsettia, a vintage tablecloth. But a little effort goes a long way.

The right background music is key…

And life is never dull with a puppy at home…

and this little miss to FaceTime with…

Don’t forget to count your blessings as the year draws to a close! They abound.

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

–Psalm 90:14

P.S. This was my favorite stocking present…

Yes, of course, everyone has a stocking…

2 Comments
December 26, 2022

“God bless us, every one.”*

by chuckofish

Here’s hoping y’all had a festive, fun holiday! We did–right here in our own home town!

…[It] was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!

–Charles Dickens

*Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens–read the conclusion of the story here.

3 Comments