The week is almost over and so is the month of May. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, and all that.
I don’t have many plans for the weekend, which is kind of nice. I have the new Walt Longmire mystery, which was released on Tuesday, so I am already back in Absaroka County.
I am 70 pages in and Henry has not appeared, so I am a bit dubious, but we shall see.
I liked this post about “the beauty of the unnamed and the unnoticed…the glory of mundane faithfulness.”
And let’s not forget to toast Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957), one of the most influential composers in Hollywood history, on his birthday. Winner of two Academy Awards–for Anthony Adverse (1936) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)–his scores were brilliant and influential (think Star Wars, entirely derivative).
I had to go to the doctor’s for an annual ‘well’ visit yesterday morning so I treated myself to a daytime John Wayne birthday screening of The Horse Soldiers (1959) in the afternoon. It was great, of course, a true tonic for what ails ya. At least for me. It is important to know what your tonic is. (Hopefully not drugs or alcohol.)
On the evening of Memorial Day, after my family had gone home, I watched Twelve O’Clock High (1949), which is Gregory Peck’s greatest film (except for To Kill aMockingbird). He should have won the Academy Award for his portrayal of Brig. General Frank Savage.
As I have said before, it is incredible to me how the pilots and crews of those B-17s managed to do what they did over and over again. It is no wonder that many succumbed to battle fatigue, which is what this movie addresses. The film made use of actual combat footage during the battle scenes and the results are impressive. If you haven’t viewed it recently, treat yourself.
I also cleaned my closet and threw away/gave away a ton of old shoes that I will never wear again. That feels good.
And here’s another good one from Kevin DeYoung about What We Need Most. “Our main problem is not lack of time or resources or the annoying people in our lives. Your main problem and my main problem is that we do not see enough the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
(Prairie Peony)
And remember this:
“Only if your god can outrage and challenge you will you know that you worship the real God and not a figment of your imagination…If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshipping an idealized version of yourself.”
Good weekend! How about you? I had to recover some from my windy drive back from the prairie in the speedwagon, but I did. I can report that the prairie is greening up nicely. On Saturday, even in the rain, daughter #1 and I ventured to an estate sale and did pretty well, finding something for daughter #2. We had lunch at the Village Bar and then we went to the dollar store and our favorite Presbyterian re-sale shop where we picked up some DVDs for $1.50. Score! Then we wandered around our local antique mall for awhile–always a fun thing to do. The simple pleasures.
That night I watched We Are Marshall (2006), the DVD of which I had bought earlier in the day. It is the true story of the aftermath of the plane crash in 1970 that killed the entire Marshall University football team, the coaching staff and a lot of fans. Matthew McConaughey is excellent as the new coach, as are all the actors, and the directing by McG is impressive. I cried through the whole movie. I love a good sports movie, don’t you? I remember watching it with the OM when it first came out. He played football in high school (All ABC League!) and that was important to him. Some of those relationships impacted his whole life. When he died and the email went out to his classmates, almost the entire subsequent thread was about football.
I really liked it and I recommend it.
I went to church on Sunday, sang some favorite hymns, heard a good sermon on Joshua 13:8-14; 22:1-6,10-34, and saw the assistant Pastor’s new baby, Asa, who is two weeks old. The Kindergartners also received their Bibles–always a highlight. I went to the bud’s last lacrosse game of the season. It was very hot!
Yes, it’s all-of-a-sudden summer in my neck of the woods!
And I guess you have to be pretty old to get this one:
Another beautiful day in flyover land–perfect for running errands, which I did in preparation for hitting the road today. Yes, I am heading again to the prairie! Pray for smooth travels in the speedwagon, good weather and good health to everyone involved!
I also went over to my friend Eleanor’s house yesterday to watch a movie on her bigscreen TV (she has a new, even bigger TV now). We watched Hamnet (2025). I had low expectations for the movie and it was, in reality, much worse than imagined. Dark, unremittingly dreary. Hardly anyone smiles during the entire movie. I knew it would be very earthy–yes, we get to watch Agnes give birth three times in 16th century England where everyone is portrayed as unclean and disheveled. There is lots of screaming and groaning then and then again when her children are older and have bubonic plague. I guess this is what passes for great acting these days. But it is a one-note movie. The pace never changes. It asks the question, did Shakespeare write Hamlet as a way to process his grief over his son Hamnet’s death? The answer would be yes, but the movie never presents Will Shakespeare as a person remotely capable of doing so.
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! The paragon of animals! And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to say so…” (Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2)
And, of course, there is no spiritual element in the movie. Agnes is basically a pagan woman of the wood. Please.
If I had been watching it at home, I would have turned it off, but, alas, I could not.
In the meantime, I could really relate to this article by a Garden & Gun editor about hints for traveling with your boomer Mom. On a trip to Ireland, the author and her mother even took a side trip to Cong after watching The Quiet Man. If they are “unhinged” then so are we.
The other night I watched Man of La Mancha (1972) on TCM for want of anything else to watch. A film adaption of the hit Broadway musical, it is not a great movie. However, while I watched, I remembered going to the Cinerama Theater to see it with my mother and sister. I was a junior in high school. We were big Peter O’Toole fans at the time and we enjoyed it. My mother reacted very emotionally to it, weeping at the end when Cervantes goes up the prison stairs with the loyal Sancho to meet the Inquisition tribunal.
When the movie was over, after pulling ourselves together, we did something I don’t ever remember doing before or since–we went to Famous-Barr and bought the movie soundtrack on the way home! We listened to that record so much I practically knew it by heart. Peter O’Toole was (sadly) dubbed in his singing scenes, but the record included several short scenes which included his dialog. “I shall impersonate a man!” That dialog came back to me so clearly watching the movie!
The lyrics to “The Impossible Dream” may seem corny to some now, but they weren’t then. It is still a pretty great song.
I forgot to mention that Monday was the birthday of cousin Ulysses S. Grant (1822-85).
Yes, Grant was not cut out for politics–too humble, too honest, too trusting. I do love USG. Let’s all take a moment.
Also, I somehow missed that they recently filmed Antiques Roadshow at Grant’s Farm here in town. The first episode of three at Grant’s Farm aired on Monday. You can watch it here.
How was your weekend? Here in flyover country the temperatures plummeted on Friday from a high of 92 on Thursday to the low forties! But we still had a nice weekend. The sun was shining and it wasn’t super windy.
On Friday night daughter #1 and I watched the first half of Ben Hur (1959) which marks the official start of Holy Week. We made it to end of the sea battle…
We can no longer do the whole 3.5 hours at one time. We’ll watch the rest on Easter Saturday. Such a great pre-CGI movie!
The twins were excited to participate in the Palm Sunday service–the children sang a special song, “Hail Jesus You’re My King”…
…and then processed around the sanctuary waving palms. They were really into it. But as the bud admitted, “Benjamin is the best singer; he really belts it out!” I agreed. “Yes, he closes his eyes when he sings!”
We heard a good sermon on Luke 19:28-40 and we finished our class on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I was never good at memorizing and now it is a lost cause, but I wish I could memorize all 107 Q&A’s. Well, I do know #1:
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
I also went back to church for the evening Service of Lament, which was something new. It was quite moving, especially when our music director sang this song:
In other news, I went to the Queeny Park Art Fair on Saturday because my friend Becky @rhworkshandmade was exhibiting her amazing punch designs.
Daughter #1 and I had lunch afterwards at the Village Bar for my weekly hamburger. It’s the simple pleasures, am I right?
O Lord, how happy should we be If we would cast our care on Thee, If we from self would rest; And feel at heart that One above, In perfect wisdom, perfect love, Is working for the best!
Since next week is Holy Week, I started watching Peter and Paul, the mini series from 1981 starring Anthony Hopkins. It is a faithful adaption of the book of Acts. I remember watching it on my little black and white TV back in 1981 and being quite moved by it and also struck by how little I actually knew about either Peter or Paul. Robert Foxworth, who played Peter, was okay, but Anthony Hopkins, who played Paul, is indelibly inscribed on my memory.
I think I subsequently read the book of Acts as a result of my initial viewing and that I was amazed by the things in it. (Also the things that were not in the Bible, i.e. Peter being crucified upside down.) Anyway, I recommend the mini series as part of your Lenten viewing.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (II Timothy 4:7-8)
Now I have to catch up on my II Thessalonians reading for my women’s Bible study. But first, here is a new Bluegrass rendition of a favorite hymn by William Cowper:
The sun was out yesterday–so big win! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought several craft kits to do with the twins when they spend the night tonight. We will probably watch a movie–maybe How the West Was Won (1962) if they haven’t seen it yet.
This is one of the best opening credit sequences of all time!
This is a about the other book that shaped America (next to the Bible). If you haven’t read it recently, I suggest you do. It is wonderful.
“This hill, though high, I covet to ascend; The difficulty will not me offend. For I perceive the way to life lies here. Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear. Better, though difficult, the right way to go, Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”
Today is going to be a very busy, stressful day, as is tomorrow. But what ho, it is the bell and it tolleth for me. Have a good one–watch an old movie, read an old book, let’s neither faint nor fear.
dual personalities 