holidays | dual personalities

November 30, 2020

“Rejoice! rejoice, believers, and let your lights appear!”

by chuckofish

Oh my. Daughter #1 and I had a long “to do” list for Friday-Saturday and we checked off everything! Yay us.

We took apart the crib in one bedroom and moved it to another. Then moved a stationery bike and a desk into the other room. We hung new drapes in the living room. We cleared the mantle and all surfaces in the living room and dining room.

We brought up all the Christmas decorations from the basement and unpacked them.

We put up the little tree in the dining room.

My newest handmade ornament–do you recognize the wee babes?

We took her car to the dealer for new tires and then dropped by the boy’s store with birthday donuts.

Daughter #1 put up the outdoor lights.

On Sunday we got up and cooked the boy’s favorite brunch menu (Episcopal souffle) for a birthday brunch.

Then daughter #1 headed back to mid-MO so she could get some things done at her own home. Phew. I was tuckered out and very thankful for all her help!

Now it is back to work at the salt mine.

“Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the
house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at
dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And
what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13:37)

*Episcopal hymnal #68

8 Comments

November 29, 2016

“Zion hears the watchman singing”*

by chuckofish

How was your four-day weekend? Mine was nice and long and pretty relaxing.

After watching the Macy’s parade and our local parade from the comfort of our couch,

(I spilled the entire Mimosa after taking this Instagram photo!)

we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner over at the boy’s house, featuring daughter #3’s famous stuffed poitrine de dinde and my cheesy potatoes.

Kirkwood beat Webster Groves for the fourth successive year in the 115th Turkey Day game (the oldest football rivalry game west of the Mississippi River). Please note that this was six days after winning the Class 6 state football title. We did not go to either game, but we are basking in the sunshine of their victories.

Ringing the Frisco Bell

On Black Friday I stayed home and got out a lot of my Christmas decorations. It is always fun to see these guys again.

Of course, despite my best efforts to be organized and having put everything away in the designated spot in the basement, I could not find the new outdoor lights that I bought last year. So the OM trudged off to Walgreens to see what they had

and came home with something in fairly good taste. We got those up on Sunday without too much ado.

I also had coffee with friends and shopped locally like a good citizen on Small Business Saturday. It seemed like everybody was out and about, spending money freely, in our small flyover berg. What’s all this consumer confidence about?

Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent and the Gospel lesson was Matthew 24:36-44, which I like to think of as the “Left Behind” passage

wherein Jesus warns that “Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Unfortunately our associate rector did not touch on this specifically in her sermon. Big surprise.

Then the boy and daughter #3 came over to our house for dinner on Sunday night to celebrate his 30th birthday. The OM made spaghetti and we had cake.

I am channelling my mother here. Can you stand it?

I am channeling my mother here. Can you stand it?

Now we are back at the salt mine and December approaches.

*Hymn 61

5 Comments

August 6, 2014

‘Tis the season, eh?

by chuckofish

Okay, now, it’s only the first week of August and this is what I saw in the grocery store yesterday.

Hello. Halloween is nearly three months away. I’m just saying.

I am so not ready for this, folks.

Trying to live in the present as usual.

7 Comments

May 26, 2014

By the dim and flaring lamps

by chuckofish

Today is Memorial Day and also John Wayne’s birthday!

You can watch war movies all day on TCM. Twelve O’Clock High (1949)–one of my favorites is on tonight, followed by another great one, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Or you can choose to watch John Wayne movies.

Either way, have a good day and take some time to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Here is a great rendition of The Battle Hymn of the Republic, written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861 to the tune of “John Brown’s Body”:

Have you ever read all the lyrics to this wonderful hymn? Well, here they are:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:

His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal”;

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,

He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,

So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,

Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah.

Our God is marching on.

And here is a special prayer from the BCP for today:

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

3 Comments

December 30, 2013

Back to the salt mines or You’ve got to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone*

by chuckofish

Having gotten up at 4 a.m. to drive daughter #1 to the airport to catch an early flight back to NYC, I am now heading off to the salt mines where I may get a bit of rest after all the holiday hoopla.

Last week is kind of a blur. A blur filled with parties,

gift giving (and receiving),

eating too much , drinking more than usual,

shopping a lot, going to church (even a funeral)

and talking pretty much non-stop.

We also watched Mary Poppins and the next night saw Saving Mr. Banks, which I enjoyed very much.

I was in the third grade when I first saw Mary Poppins in 1964.

We went to see it at the fabulous Fox Theatre downtown for my dual personality’s 6th birthday. We went to the University Club for dinner first. It was a huge deal. The build-up was big. We must have been so excited. I just remember loving it–every minute–and being so sad when it was over. And wanting to go again, which we did.

When was the last time you felt like that at the end of a movie?

While you’re mulling over this question, here’s a little something fun from the Ashmoelean Museum at Oxford:

* Bert in Mary Poppins

4 Comments

November 28, 2011

Leftovers, anyone?

by chuckofish

Well, the long holiday weekend is over, the kids have packed up and gone back to school. Sigh. We now return to our usual, familiar empty-nester routine.

We did get a few things accomplished this weekend. The boy put up the outside Christmas lights!

And I decorated my mantel.

Clearly, Christmas is just around the corner. Meanwhile, the petunias are still hanging in there.

Christmas lights/spring annuals–go figure. They say this balmy weather is going to change tonight, but who really knows?

2 Comments

Tag: holidays

by chuckofish

by chuckofish

by chuckofish

by chuckofish

by chuckofish

by chuckofish