I hope you are enjoying beautiful fall weather. I have brought out my turtlenecks and sweaters–at long last–and am enjoying the cooler temps before actually turning on the heat.
Meanwhile, things are looking spooky over at the twins’ house.
And the prairie girls made lion masks…
They roared their terrible roars.
I guess Halloween is just around the corner!
And really, the nerve of some bears…
Happy November 1! We had a wild storm on Wednesday night with the tornado sirens going off at 2:30 a.m. Wild! Nothing really happened–just some much needed rain–but it was a very dramatic start to Halloween.
I had to share the Halloween cuteness of this little witch wearing the cape her great-grandmother made.
Her big sister wore her cousin’s hand-me-down unicorn costume (made by her aunt) to her pre-school parade. But then at night she wore the vintage witch costume…windy much? Good job hanging on to that hat!
Baby sis was a hand-me-down dinosaur…
The twins were a policeman…
and some Disney villainess…
Meanwhile the ancient mulberry tree finally came down yesterday.
It was quite a process. Multiple large trucks and machines.
This tree was huge! They are coming back today to take away the giant pieces.
Daughter #1 came over after work with Mr. Smith and had dinner with us. Then we turned off the lights and watched several Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes. No one ever trick-or-treats on our quiet cul-de-sac!
Onward now to Thanksgiving!
*James Whitcomb Riley
If you cannot tell, Baby Me in this picture is giving the raspberry to this holiday. But I will duly note that we have reached, indeed, the last week in October! Whenever I venture out into my neighborhood I am reminded that it is the spooky season by all my weird neighbors who insist on putting up lavish yard decorations featuring 30-foot skeletons and mock graveyards.
Well, I barely got out my vintage Halloween candles this year and never bought any pumpkins. I have no idea what the twins are doing for Halloween (Thursday!) So, c’est la vie. I much prefer to celebrate Reformation Day anyway.
So here are 5 things you should know about Martin Luther.
And here’s R.C. Sproul on how the Reformation spread.
In other news, the bud is coming over this afternoon while Lottie goes to her dance class. Hopefully I’ll get the scoop on Halloween costumes. Now that he is a big second grader it will no doubt behoove him to go as a soccer player and wear one of his Messi jerseys. I’m sure he is too cool to wear an actual costume. Last week when he came over we watched Cars (2006) from the Pixar glory days. I enjoyed it a lot and recommend it. You may recall that it takes place in Monument Valley. Plus there are important lessons about teamwork and respecting your elders and friendship. And Paul Newman is super cool.
And this from our most trusted news source literally had me LOL-ing throughout: 10 More Images Of Trump That ‘Newsweek’ Is Warning Might Be A.I.-Generated. I mean thank goodness Newsweek has taken it upon itself to make sure the American people are protected from potential misinformation and for pointing out that this is not a real picture of Donald Trump:
Oh my goodness.
We find ourselves in the last full week of October–zut alors! Have you watched any of your favorite spooky/scary movies? As you know, I am not a fan of the “horror” genre–I saw The Shining (1980) once and that was enough–but I do have my list of Halloween-appropriate gems. Last week I watched Ghostbusters (1984), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) and The Birds (1963).
All three were highly satisfactory and not really very scary. Yes, we do not recommend watching The Birds if you are 10 years old and by yourself. If you are an adult and watching with friends/family, you mostly chuckle at Rod Taylor’s bulging cargo pants and Tippi Hendren’s Edith Head-designed green suit, which she wears for three days straight. You can easily avert your eyes when there is a shot of someone with their eyes pecked out. You can also do a lot of talking to the screen: “Don’t leave the phone booth!”; “Don’t go upstairs, you fool!”; “Take the children to the basement, not outside, you morons!”
Indeed, there is plenty to chatter about during this movie. Why is Rod’s mother such a weirdo? “I’m not very strong.” Please! What about those townspeople in the diner voicing their idiotic opinions? Especially that blowhard old lady in the beret, smoking her cigarette. And that mother of two traumatized children who wants a ride out of town from the drunk traveling salesman, what? And let’s not forget the kook who keeps saying, “It’s the end of the world!” (Spoiler alert: it is.)
Anyway, it is that time of year when we indulge in this kind of off-brand movie viewing. Next on the docket are The Uninvited (1944), Signs (2002) and The Sixth Sense (1999) and maybe another Hitchcock classic like Rear Window (1954) just because we like it.
Frankly the world is a scary enough place without watching modern horror movies. Read some history for real horror.
What will you be watching?
How was your weekend? I have been sick since Thursday and quite under the weather. I didn’t go to my Bible study group and I even stayed home from church. (Daughter #1 convinced me it wasn’t kosher to go to church these days when you are coughing and have laryngitis.)
But I enjoyed vicariously Katie’s Halloween party she hosted for some of her wee compadres…
Quelle wild bunch!
Daughter #1 came home and watched Signs (2002) with me and we really enjoyed it. In my book it is not a horror movie; it is a story about a man regaining his faith.
The twins came over for brunch after they went to church. The OM had made shepherd’s pie and the kids ate leftover Chick-fil-A tenders. We had a special Halloween torte from Cosco that was a winner. There were jelly beans in a bowl. It was kind of a free-for-all, as usual, but c’est la vie.
And the OM wore special socks…
But don’t forget that the real reason to celebrate has nothing to do with witches and scary monsters.
Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason–I do not accept the authority of popes and councils for they have contradicted each other–my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise, God help me.
–Martin Luther
Have a good Monday! Smile
It is that time of year when we take a backward look at the bygone days of our youth when Halloween mattered…This annual glance was initiated by my looking for the witch costume that my mother made in 1986 for daughter #1 who was two at the time. It was her first Halloween costume and she wore it for many years…
Eventually daughter #2 inherited it and wore it multiple times…
(The politically-incorrect Indian costume was also made by my mother, but for me in 1962 to wear in a Peter Pan play at school.)
Our hope is that wee Katiebelle will wear the witch costume this year. It would please her great-grandmother. (Adorable pictures to follow, since–glory be–I found the costume!…)
In other news, we watched The Birds (1963) and Rear Window (1954), two Alfred Hitchcock movies suitable for October viewing. We enjoyed them both despite having seen them many times. It is kind of easy (and amusing) to make fun of them while watching, but they are classics, nevertheless, well made and suspenseful. And, of course, The Simpsons take-off of The Birds (and The Great Escape) in “A Streetcar Named Marge” is also a classic.
The author of this article makes a good analogy comparing daily Bible reading to the ongoing painting of the Golden Gate Bridge. “Does this persistent act of painting our hearts and minds rest solely with us? Does our perseverance in studying the word of God come about merely through our own willpower? As the apostle Paul often says, ‘By no means!’ It is a joint endeavor between God as the Master Painter and us.”
This was part of my daily Bible reading assignment yesterday–always a mood changer:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
–Philippians 4: 4-9
Another Halloween has come and gone without much ado. The boy dressed up as Blippi and went trick-or-treating with a little monster and Princess Celestia.
What you say? You are not acquainted with Blippi? Well get with the program–he is all the rage with the toddler set. You can check him out here.
In other news, daughter #1 and I went to the drive-through Sticker Treat…
…where we got 99.1 Joy car stickers and candy! How fun is that? We are huge nerds and we just don’t care any more.
We also went to a fabric store, bought Diet Cokes in a strange neighborhood McDonalds, bombed out at two estate sales, and had a margarita-fueled sing-a-long with Alan Jackson. I re-read a Longmire mystery. We watched The Blob (1958) and several Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. We FaceTimed with precious Katiebelle and her mommy who had an equally exciting weekend.
Now it is back to another Zoom-filled, election-punctuated week. Yikes.
Slander no one … be peaceable and considerate, and always gentle toward everyone. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us… (Titus 3:2-5)
Another busy weekend went by too fast. We accompanied this little monster and this little unicorn (“Princess Celesia”)…
to the haunted drive through at Grant’s Farm.
Good times (and appropriate social-distancing!)
Our family “pod” had fun with the Beanie Babies and ate pizza.
We also picked out some pumpkins at the Methodist Church pumpkin patch on Friday. It was cold and rainy, so I did’t get any pictures, but I was glad to load up the Cooper with pumpkins recklessly chosen by the wee babes.
And there were donuts…
All in all, a fun weekend indeed. Now it is back to the salt mine and another gloomy week of overcast skies and rain. I think we’ll see the sun on Friday.
And as they say, “I’d tell you a pandemic joke. But there’s a 99.9996% chance you won’t get it.”
*Leonard Capizzi / Bob Pickett, “Monster Mash”
As if things weren’t scary enough in the world, a Missouri Department of Conservation employee took a picture of this is southwest MO:
Allegedly the work of one orb weaver spider, an arachnid known for its intricate web designs, this spider web was constructed between two trees. What the heck was the spider hoping to catch?
Well, it is October and around here that means Halloween.
And in my neck of the woods, that means house decorations–not just some vintage candles in your window. Some people go really overboard, I must say. But who am I to judge?
If decorating your yard to look like a graveyard makes you happy, so be it. And if you want to spend hundreds of dollars buying huge blow up inflatables, so be it.
I think you’re crazy, but that’s your choice.
“All things on earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travellers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken.” (Thomas Wolfe)
I doubt if old Thomas Wolfe ever dreamed of this.
*Mary Howitt (1799–1888)
Well, the weekend flew by as expected and was jam-packed with fun and plenty of good conversation. While I was hard at work on Friday, daughter #2 went to the zoo with the wee babes and hung out with Phil et al.
On Saturday the two of us drove to Columbia to check out daughter #1’s new apartment. Here are a few iphone pictures, which I’m afraid do not really give you an idea of how great it is.
What about that gallery wall?
We also took a lovely walk in the nearby nature area and bird sanctuary. (We did not venture into the town or near the campus as it was Homecoming Weekend.) Then we drove to the Les Bourgeois winery in Rocheport and ate lunch at the blustery blufftop Bistro overlooking the Missouri River. It was beautiful and I highly recommend it. I mean what could be better than this view?
I could have happily sat there all day (drinking wine) but we had to get back to town to our flyover home and have dinner with the whole gang.
The wee bud is now pulling himself up and starting to cruise along furniture. He is a 14-pound dynamo.
Daughter #2 departed in the early morning rain and daughter #1 left in the afternoon. Sigh. But the wee babes and their parents returned on Sunday night and we ventured over to the Pumpkins and Pizza party at church.
Here’s a hint of things to come on Hallowe’en.
Daughter #3 has mad skills…yes, she made the costumes!
Have a great week–October is almost over!
*St. Augustine of Hippo
dual personalities 