family | dual personalities

With hearts aflame*

by chuckofish

It was a lovely flyover weekend with temperatures here near 80 degrees on Sunday.

I worked hard outside on Saturday spreading mulch and my back hurt on Sunday so I slowed down some. I planted geraniums in pots.

The boy came over on Saturday night because he was “batching it”–we watched our all-time favorite episodes of Miami Vice:

“Out Where the Buses Don’t Run” (season 2, episode 3)

with Bruce McGill as Hank Weldon

and “El Viejo” (season 3, episode 7)

with Willie Nelson as Jake Pierson

They never disappoint. We are huge nerds, I know, but we amuse ourselves.

In church we sang one of my favorite hymns which always makes me cry.

And it did.

I leave you with the third verse:

The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;

oh, may thy house be mine abode and all my work be praise.

There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;

no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home.

(Isaac Watts)

Have a good week.

*Hymn #478, Jesus, our mighty Lord, our strength in sadness

8 Comments

Consider the lilies of the field

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty busy–at least for me. I went to a few estate sales, but didn’t find anything of note. I went to a funeral and I went to a fundraiser that daughter #3 had organized with the student government of the high school where she teaches. It was a benefit for the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight which sends WWII veterans to Washington to see the WWII memorial there. The boy was a “guardian” on one of these trips a few years ago. Anyway, we enjoyed the event and the movie about how the charity was started.

Afterwards we went out for pizza and beer.

When I got home I tried to watch Straw Dog (1949), the great Akira Kurosawa film about post-war Japan. A very young and handsome Toshiro Mifune plays a rookie detective who has lost his gun and is madly trying to find it. It is a great, great movie, but I fell asleep.

Mea culpa. It had been a long day.

I re-read Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. It was her first book and very good indeed.

On Sunday I did a lot of cleaning in my house, throwing away copious amounts of detritus. This always makes me happy.

Now it is Monday. Daughter #1 starts her new job. She no longer works for The Man, but for a start-up digital network, working with creative types who have man-buns. You go, girl!

P.S. Don’t forget in all the hubbub of your daily life to take a moment and enjoy the scenery.

Vintage illustration by Mary Blair

6 Comments

April 4, 2016

Grace to you and peace

by chuckofish

Did you have a nice weekend? The weather here in flyover country was blustery and cool, but the sun shone and it was good to be out and about.

On Saturday the OM and I drove to Washington, MO on the Missouri River to have a yummy lunch at the Blue Duck which is just down the street from this landmark:

We went to a few antique stores/mall on the way home. I found something for daughter #2’s birthday which is around the corner. All in all, a nice day-trip to another part of our scenic state.

On Sunday I had to go to church early for another confirmation mentor class with my 8th grade mentee.

Here are some of them down at the Cathedral for an overnight “Lock-in”–remember those?

Besides other stuff, it was the Sunday when they declared their intentions to be confirmed. Thankfully, mine filled out her little card. I would have felt like such a failure if she had decided not to conform and/or be confirmed! (The year-long course is called “confirm, not conform”–catchy, right?) Well, way to go, Brigid!

The boy and daughter #3 came over to dinner and he told us all about his new job, which he started last week. Daughter #1 is also starting a new job in a week, so we are all in a tizzy of anticipation over new beginnings.

In the middle of all this, the OM and I watched The Martian (2015) with Matt Damon, which was okay, but I have to admit I lost interest halfway through. It all seemed mighty far-fetched, not to mention overly long.

We also started watching a British TV show called The Detectorists, which I just love.

It stars Mackenzie Crook (who also wrote and directed it) and Toby Jones and a cast of wonderful English actors. IMDB describes it as a show about “the lives of two eccentric metal detectorists, who spend their days plodding along ploughed tracks and open fields, hoping to disturb the tedium by unearthing the fortune of a lifetime.” But this is erroneous. They are not looking for treasure. They are interested in making an important historical find. The difference is important. And they do not hate their lives. They have a hobby about which they are passionate. And as for plodding along ploughed tracks, the scenery is beautiful!

Anyway, I highly recommend you watch it (on Netflix). It is very funny and also sweet. And I think the message is that the real treasure in our lives are our family and friends.

And I like the theme song:

Sadly, there are only six episodes and season two is not on Netflix! Ugh.

Well, have a good week!

8 Comments

March 18, 2016

Postcards from Pennsylvania

by chuckofish

…and Delaware and Maryland.

Here we are after daughter #1 crossed the finish line at the Rock n Roll half marathon. Daughter #2 and I carried our signs all the way from College Park on the D.C. metro and waved them at the halfway point in Columbia Heights. The “praise hands” sign was a big hit with a lot of the runners who made “praise hands” gestures as they ran by. Daughter #2 is so hip. Anyway, our own “Mary” (as well as several other Marys) saw us as she flew by. We trucked on over to the finish line via metro (we even had to transfer) in time to see her cross the finish line. We ubered to our brunch location and then metroed home.

Following a much-needed nap, we all converged in Silver Spring at daughter #2 and Nate’s favorite watering hole for cocktails.

We toasted the marathoner and also our newest Ph.D–Dr. Underland, who defended his dissertation last week.

On Sunday we headed out into the rain for Pennsylvania. The weather did not improve for the two days we were there. In fact, it got worse, but, oh well. C’est la vie.

We made it to Chadds Ford and our hotel. It is a really lovely part of the country. Unfortunately, the Brandywine River Museum, which was my main reason for going, is undergoing renovations so there were only two galleries open and no N.C. Wyeth at all on view!

There was a lot of banging and hammering going on just to the right of daughter #1…and the weather…gloomy enough for you?

This was deeply disappointing, but being the troupers that we are, we forged on to the Hagley Museum in nearby Delaware. This Smithsonian affiliate includes the historic DuPont powder yards on the banks of the Brandywine River and a really lovely DuPont home.

It was all right up my alley. There was also this:

and a tram ride.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Baldwin Book Barn–a five-story barn filled to the brim with used books. We all found books–typical–to tote home. We also slammed on the brakes for an antique mall. Duh.

The next day we headed over to Winterthur, the fabulous home of Henry Francis DuPont. I have always wanted to go there and it did not disappoint. Since it was cold and rainy, we were practically the only people there when it opened at 10 a.m. so we got a private tour on the tram through the beautiful gardens and a private tour through the house. DuPont was a rich guy after my own heart–he collected American furniture and decorative arts and built a house for them. Then he opened it up for the world to enjoy. He was also a master gardener and farmer.

Oh, the export china! I was in heaven.

After lunch we headed home to College Park in the rain.

Of course, the sun came out on the day I left. Despite the blue skies in Baltimore, the fog in Ft. Myers meant the flight was delayed. Then the check engine light came on and the plane had to be…checked. So we sat on the tarmac for two hours before they decided the plane was un-flyable. Back to the terminal. Much gnashing of teeth. I have to say though that all the passengers on my packed-to-capacity flight were friendly and unflappable and orderly. And the drinks were free when we finally got off the ground.

Well, it is always nice to get home, isn’t it?

7 Comments

February 18, 2016

Don’t eat the daisies

by chuckofish

From snow on Sunday to gray skies and frosty winds earlier in the week to spring-like weather today, we are experiencing typical flyover weather patterns.

Our throwback photos remind us of those trips in bygone days to the Botanical Gardens when spring was in the air, but we still had to bundle up in winter coats.

And remember: No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.

Have a zen throwback Thursday!

6 Comments

February 4, 2016

Throwback Thursday

by chuckofish

Here is a photo of our handsome older brother (on the right) with his dreamy best bud Tom at our parent’s home back in 1980. Written on the back of the snapshot is Oct. 18, 1980 which means it was taken on the evening following the wedding of the OM and yours truly. Everyone was relaxing and the bride and groom had left the scene.

Good times. I wonder what they were playing?

P.S. The BB (big brother) is the same age here as the boy is today.

3 Comments

February 1, 2016

In a mirror, dimly*

by chuckofish

In flyover news, the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company announced last week that Mac, the first foal of 2016, was born at Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Mo., joining more than 160 other horses in the beer giant’s stable. Hello, Mac!

Over the weekend the OM and I attended the “Elegant Italian Dinner,” an annual fundraising event for the youth mission trip at church. It was, as usual, a jolly good time. What is it about heated up lasagna and a side salad in a dimly lit church hall that always hits the spot?

The next morning I got up and went to the 8 o’clock service at church so that we could go out to breakfast afterwards with the boy and daughter #3 at our favorite diner.

photo from yelp.com

The OM had never been there, but he liked it, I guess, because he ate his slinger and then finished daughter #3’s waffle a la mode.

Anyway, the 8 o’clock service is a shorter service because there is no music (besides the Voluntary at the beginning and end of the service). It appeals to an older crowd and also to the golfers in the congregation. It is not really my cup of tea. I also skipped the 155th Annual Meeting which followed. I forgave myself.

I finished the mystery I was reading by the Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, The Keeper of Lost Causes. It is the first in the Department Q series about detective Carl Morck. I thought it was very good–character-driven and darkly humorous. I will definitely read more in this series.

I watched Red River (1948) and really enjoyed it. John Wayne and Montgomery Clift are really pretty great together. Clift never overplays his hand, never tries to upstage John Wayne, but is a real presence in every scene. He appears to be confident and at ease and not bad on horseback. I was impressed. Needless to say, this is no mean feat, because John Wayne is mythic in this part.

SO…

*I Cor. 13: 12 (or “through a glass, darkly” KJV)

2 Comments

January 26, 2016

Cute cat pics

by chuckofish

I took this picture of Ollie (one of the boy’s cats) a couple of weeks ago. He and daughter #3 have three (yes, three) cats. They are cat people.

We had a cat once. His name was Marcellus, but we called him Cat.

He doesn’t look so tough in this photo, but he was a badass.

We got him because we were having an issue with mice at our old house. He took care of things swiftly and efficiently. He was a born killer. That is what cats do.

He also protected our home and children. He would sit up in the branches of a tree that overlooked our driveway and survey his territory.

Once a wayward black lab came trotting up the driveway while the kids (and our dog) played merrily inside the fenced yard. The cat waited until the dog was directly underneath him and then pounced on him from the tree limb. The poor dog never knew what hit him. Cat chased him away.

Once Cat brought home our corgi, who had gotten out. The dog, although cute, was no Lassie. I’m not sure he would have found his way home on his own. But before he had a chance to get really lost, the cat led him home. The cat and the dog got along fine, but there never was any question who was in charge.

As it turned out, I am quite allergic to cats and so we have never gotten another to replace our original Cat.

But then, he was kind of irreplaceable.

And this made me smile.

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January 19, 2016

Happy Birthday, Mary, Dolly and Buffy

by chuckofish

Our mother and her older sister Susanne, circa 1930

Ah, it is January 19th once again. My mother would be turning 90! Dolly Parton is turning 70! And Buffy Summers remains a youthful fictional character.

In the above picture our Aunt Susanne is two years older (and so much taller!) than our mother. She has a hankie and bracelets. Mary looks as if she has just been told to “Quit it!” by Susanne who probably squeezed her hand in a mean way. Susanne looks tense and my mother looks a little sad.

Growing up, we heard a lot of stories about our mother’s perfect older sister. Although poised and beautiful, she was also very shy. Once when she left her umbrella on the bus, she made Mary go and stand at the bus stop and ask every bus driver on every bus that stopped if they had found Susanne’s umbrella. She was too shy to do it herself and too afraid to tell her mother she had lost it. We always were amazed that she could make our mother do something like that. But she could. She probably threatened to tell on her or something. Or maybe Mary was just used to doing things for her older sister.

Not to give you the wrong idea. My mother was devoted to Susanne and loved her very much. When she visited her in the summer of 1984, they would stay up until four in the morning talking. I think she was a little shocked by her older sister’s lifestyle. She had been divorced for ten years by then and had a boyfriend. She drank Scotch and stayed up late talking. She did what she damn well pleased.

When my mother was dying, it was Susanne she liked to talk to best. “She understood,” she said.

Sisters. There is no friend like a sister, right?

And there is no one like Dolly. Of course, I’ll be toasting my dear mother tonight, along with wonderful Dolly and Buffy. And while I’m at it, I’ll toast Susanne and sisters everywhere.

5 Comments

January 18, 2016

Speaking of mothers

by chuckofish

It was snowing and very cold when I woke up on Sunday morning, but I had to get up and go to church because I was reading the second lesson. Luckily it was a good passage: I Corinthians 12:1-11–the one about there being varieties of gifts, but one Spirit.

⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

It is a good reminder to think about what our gifts are and to use them appropriately.

The Gospel was about the wedding in Cana when Jesus uses a tone with his mother, but then does what she asks him.

The Marriage at Cana by Giotto

Sounds familiar, all you mothers of sons, right?

It is interesting to note that Mary at this early point thinks Jesus can do something about the fact that the wedding party has run out of wine… Well, lots of food for thought.

Speaking of mothers, I bought a frame at an estate sale on Saturday which enabled me to put these three pictures together:

Mary Hough (great-great grandmother), Anna Hough Carnahan (great-grandmother) and Catherine Carnahan Cameron (grandmother). Pretty cool, eh?

I have today off for Martin Luther King’s birthday–how ’bout you?

*The top photo is of some Middlebury College skiers in the 1940s. Is that my mother, the third from the right?

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dual personalities

Tag: family

April 18, 2016

With hearts aflame*

by chuckofish

April 11, 2016

Consider the lilies of the field

by chuckofish

April 4, 2016

Grace to you and peace

by chuckofish

March 18, 2016

Postcards from Pennsylvania

by chuckofish

February 18, 2016

Don’t eat the daisies

by chuckofish

February 4, 2016

Throwback Thursday

by chuckofish

February 1, 2016

In a mirror, dimly*

by chuckofish

January 26, 2016

Cute cat pics

by chuckofish

January 19, 2016

Happy Birthday, Mary, Dolly and Buffy

by chuckofish

January 18, 2016

Speaking of mothers

by chuckofish