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).
Yesterday I had lunch with one of my old friends from my flyover university. In the past I have met him at his retirement community and we eat lunch there, but he wanted to go out, so I took him to Shake Shack which is nearby and has good parking. I was a little nervous about getting in and out of my car with his walker and generally maneuvering around safely, but all went well. We had a delightful time talking about poetry and J.D. Salinger, the University of Illinois, and getting older. Quite a free-wheeling conversation. He believes the universe is all particles and energy, but we recited the 23rd psalm together and it was nice.
On the way to pick him up, Joy99 played this new Matt Maher song, so I knew everything would be all right:
Yesterday morning I was Face-timing with daughter #2 when Ida burst into song–a rousing rendition of the chorus to “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand”. I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land! They sing it in her church, as do we in ours. It is nice to know this hymn, written in 1787 by an English Baptist minister, is still so popular! (Fun fact: It was also one of the most popular hymns sung by soldiers in the American Civil War.)
We sing the Getty version (minus the worship band):
I wonder what Ida would think of this Hank Williams variation on that old hymn?
…or Johnny Cash?
I bet she would like it. When I was her age (3) I loved Johnny’s “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”–we had the 45 record. We are on the same page, Ida and I.
Well, those are my hymn notes for the day.
Have a good weekend! Sunday is the birthday of Kevin James (b. 1965) so I suggest watching one of his movies, such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) or Here Comes the Boom (2012). I admit, they’re faves of mine.
One of my old administrative assistants gave me these Iris bulbs for my birthday one year because I always admired hers so much. The OM and I planted them and they have been bringing me joy ever since.
It is the culmination of Holy Week. Good Friday and on to Easter!
But tomorrow is also my father’s birthday.
Amazing to think he was born 104 years ago! He died in his seventieth year and as I am turning 70 in a few weeks, I am feeling reflective.
The older I get, the more I think I am like him and less like my precious mother. We have the same curiosity about certain things, but lack the genius that my siblings inherited from our mother. We have the same weaknesses and insecurities. We are introverts. I find myself driving to the P.O. just to get out of the house like he did. He was a bad example to me in many ways and that has helped me avoid some pitfalls. But then, I never took part in WWII, nor did I have to support a family. I have no idea whether he was a Believer. Is he in heaven? Is he in hell? I cannot say. He never went to church with us, although he was a card-carrying Episcopalian his whole life. But we know that frequently means nothing. He is, in the final analysis, a mystery to me.
I hope I am not a complete mystery to my children. I mean, you never know everything about a person. We all have our secrets. But I think they know me pretty well. And if they have a question, they can ask. Only God knows our true heart. There is no escaping Him.
I went to our Maundy Thursday service last night and it was wonderful. I held it together until two soloists sang this song during communion:
We had our high school cellist accompanying them as well. And here’s a hymn for Good Friday:
Anyway, have a blessed Easter. I pray that all those who go to a service on Sunday for the first time this year will want to return before next Christmas.
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!
Today we toast singer-songwriter James Taylor (b. 1948) on his birthday. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
So iconic for those of us who grew up in the 1970s.
Especially this song for me, because it is about a cowboy and also mentions the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston. The Berkshires seemed dreamlike…
Well, let that be your blast from the past for this week. You’re welcome.
*Quote used on countless senior pages from the seventies
It was supposed to rain all day yesterday, but it did not, so I’m hoping the rest of the week will not pan out as predicted as well. YIX! (as Katie spells Yikes!)
In other news, it is the English illustrator Ronald Searle’s birthday (1920-2011), so I will repeat in his honor all Latin teachers’ one joke: “Caesar adsum jam forte / Brutus aderat.”
(Caesar had some jam for tea / Brutus ate a rat.)
Always makes me laugh.
And did you see this?
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, now re-named Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital and known locally as Dolly Children’s, is a private, not-for-profit pediatric medical center located in Knoxville, Tennessee. It provides specialized care for children and has been serving the community since 1937.
Dolly rides again! You go, girl!
And here’s one for my baby girl Ida…”Oh, this is a good one!”
It’s March! It’s Tuesday! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
I didn’t do a whole lot this weekend, but I did get the very large framed Asian watercolor that I picked up last week from Link Auction back into my car and took it over to daughter #1’s house where she successfully hung it on the wall. (Her father would be so proud.) Doesn’t it look great?
I went to church on Sunday with the boy and the twins. We heard a really good sermon on Joshua 6:1-27, all about walking and waiting, destruction and deliverance, trusting in God’s timing. Then we went to Sunday School and I chose the class on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which I really enjoyed. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
After that we went to the Sunny Street Cafe for our usual brunch and talked about our different Sunday School classes. We had a good time and everyone ate heartily.
And here’s some exciting news–Don reports his first flower of the season!
And we see some buds in our yard…
Finally, here’s a great Bob Dylan cover I hope you will enjoy:
How was your weekend? Mine was full of missions and missionaries. It got cold again, but the sun was shining most of the time. Hopefully the daffodils will pull through. I mean, this happens every year, so chances are, all will be well.
There were no good estate sales on Saturday but daughter #1 and I did hit an antique mall and found a couple of odds ‘n ends. I was more successful at the Link online auction on Thursday and Friday. Auctions are fascinating to me. One can usually find a few good bargains (I did) but occasionally there is a real surprise. One such surprise was when a geltone reproduction of Grant Wood’s Midnight Ride of Paul Revere came up.
It was estimated at $50-$100. I was interested in it as I have always liked it and I thought I might get it for $15 or so, but a bidding war took off and it eventually sold for over $800!
Another watercolor painting, estimated at $75-$100…
…went for $1800! Fantastic. Now that’s entertainment!
I hadn’t seen the twins in over a month, so I was glad they were able to make it to church with their Dad on Sunday morning. We heard a good sermon from a visiting missionary to Norway. They couldn’t stay for Sunday School (their Papaw was leaving to go back to Florida) so that meant no Sunny Side diner either. C’est la vie. Life is full of disappointments, right? But we are steadfast.
Daughter #1 came over later in the afternoon in order to bring Mr. Smith who spent the night with me. (I am taking him to the kennel this morning while she heads to Arizona for work.)
Later I will head down to the Link Auction House to pick up my winnings. It’s a new week! Have a good one.
dual personalities 