dual personalities

Tag: music

March 10, 2025

Hold on wait a minute

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was routine–an estate sale, happy hour, DAR meeting, church–and that’s the way I like it. [At the DAR meeting, when we recited the preamble to the U.S. constitution, I thought of Barney Fife.] Also, the OM accompanied me when I took my car to the carwash. Usually he does this for me, but I wanted to take my new car myself–so, very exciting indeed.

I picked up the twins and took them to church and Sunday School where they had a good time learning about the Great Commission. The service was long, but this week they got an A for effort despite the fact that the bud brought his new Stikbot with him to church. He knew I would take it away if he misbehaved, so…

…maybe that helped. The bud said the Apostles Creed unprompted and from memory and they both held up their hands during the benediction like good little evangelicals. I was so proud. After church we went to the Sunny Street Cafe for pancakes and daughter #1 met us there. I had to drive them back to their Dad’s store afterwards, but I don’t mind since I always hear lots of interesting stuff emanating from the back seat. Such as: the bud went to his first rock 101 class (in addition to drum lessons) wherein he plays with a band! Zut alors. Girls and boys lacrosse also has started outside. Lottie plays with 10 year-olds.

Meanwhile Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana is my favorite new Instagram follow:

Have a great week!

P.S. The picture at the top is a drawing Katie made of her sister Ida, complete with pigtails and an “I” Illinois orange t-shirt. Brilliant.

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February 20, 2025

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

by chuckofish

On this day in 1792 The Postal Service Act was signed into law by President George Washington. This piece of legislation established the United States Post Office Department. The 1792 law provided for a greatly expanded postal network, and served editors by charging newspapers an extremely low rate. The law guaranteed the sanctity of personal correspondence, and provided the entire country with low-cost access to information on public affairs, while establishing a right to personal privacy. To cover long distances, the Post Office used a hub-and-spoke system, with Washington as the hub and chief sorting center. By 1869, with 27,000 local post offices to deal with, it had changed to sorting mail en route in specialized railroad mail cars, called railway post offices, or RPOs. The system of postal money orders began in 1864. Free mail delivery began in the larger cities in 1863.

The postal system played a crucial role in national expansion. It facilitated expansion of the western American frontier by creating an inexpensive, fast, convenient communication system. Furthermore, The advent of Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in the U.S. in 1896, and the inauguration of a domestic parcel post in 1913, greatly increased the volume of mail shipped nationwide, and motivated the development of more efficient postal transportation systems. (After four-year-old Charlotte May Pierstorff was mailed from her parents to her grandparents in Idaho in 1914, mailing of people was prohibited.)

Well, all I can say is nowadays we are lucky to get our mail at all, especially if it has snowed or it is cold. Back in January we didn’t get mail for a week!

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”, a phrase long associated with the American postal worker, no longer seems very relevant. Sigh. Come to think of it, we haven’t gotten any mail this week either!

Well, while we’re reminiscing about the good ol’ days of the P.O., let us remember this classic paean to letter writing…

Woah…that brought me back!

So keep warm, dress in layers…

My sister sent pictures of the snowfall up in their neck of the woods (upstate New York)–yikes!

….the deepest she’s ever seen!

Have a great day! It’s almost Friday!

6 Comments
February 5, 2025

A scrolling world

by chuckofish

You may have noticed that I have been trying to read real books lately. I was shocked to realize that, indeed, I read very few entire books in 2024. Part of that is because most contemporary fiction is not worth the effort, and part of it is because I cannot read at bedtime because I fall asleep.

Well, I have given myself permission to read during the day–a silly thing, but it is something I struggle with. I am retired, I tell myself. I can do what I want. I do not have to be particularly “productive”.

But some of it, I must admit, is because I have a hard time focusing on reading. Obviously, this is not just my problem. This about reading in a scrolling world is pertinent to what a lot of us are feeling. Brain rot is real.

Well, I did read through the Bible for the third year in a row, so I can pat myself on the back for that. Right now, in my 5x5x5 NT reading plan, I am in the book of Acts, and Stephen–whose “face is like the face of an angel”–is about to be martyred. Sela.

The Grammy Awards are as out of touch as anything else these days, but the Americana genre keeps producing some interesting artists, including this year’s big winner, Sierra Ferrell…

So take heart, put your phone away, read a book!

“Why, what’s the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?”

–William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

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February 3, 2025

Well may we rejoice and sing

by chuckofish

It has warmed up quite a bit (thank goodness) and I got out and about this weekend. I did the flowers at church first thing on Saturday morning and then ventured down to the city to go to an estate sale. Daughter #1 and I were so adventurous! It was a nice house in Compton Heights down by St. Louis University, the same vintage (c. 1903) as the house I grew up in with three stories and lots of dark wood. We got a couple of books and a tassel curtain tieback for the window in my office. We said hey to our friend Lamar (who gave us our Lamar discount). We stopped at Straub’s on the way home and treated ourselves to lunch which we ate back at her house.

On Sunday, church was wonderful, as usual, but the communion hymn just broke me down to tears. They streamed down my face and I was such a mess at the end of the service. My son laughed at me a little, but with love.

William Cowper wrote this hymn in 1771 and it still packs a punch. The old Anglican hymns are pretty much all we have left of the Episcopal denomination, which is really sad. And I doubt if they sing this hymn anymore.

In our adult ed class we continued to learn about Francis and Edith Schaeffer and the founding of L’Abri, the French word for “shelter,” because they sought to provide a shelter from the pressures of a relentlessly secular 20th century. As time went by, so many people came that others were called to join the Schaeffers in their work, and more branches were established. Even Bob Dylan spent time there.

I had plans for after church, but everything fell apart, as sometimes happens. But it was a nice afternoon so I went over later to daughter #1’s house and enjoyed having Mr. Smith balance on my lap for some Mamu scritch-scratches until too many people had the nerve to walk by the house and he lost his doggie mind doing his Westie duty (i.e. barking).

This strikes me as very true. “Our phone has given us a constant stream of information. One thing it hasn’t given us is boredom. What if that was a costly bargain? A priceless forfeiture? What if it turns out that downtime from the fire hose of infinite data is necessary for good thinking, and for good life?”

By the way, don’t miss 31 Days of Oscar on TCM this month. The next ’31 days’ are dedicated to celebrating Academy Award-winning and nominated films leading up to the 97th annual Academy Awards, which air on March 2. I couldn’t care less about the Oscars in 2025–I haven’t seen a new movie at the movies since 2006–but there is a treasure trove to DVR this month on TCM. For instance, The Sting (1973) and Double Indemnity (1944) are on tonight!

So sing an old hymn, watch an old movie, pet a nice dog. Enjoy your Monday!

“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” (Zechariah 13:1)

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January 27, 2025

And the Lord will be my portion/ In the empty wilderness*

by chuckofish

Is it still January? This month seems endless, doesn’t it? I stayed home most of last week and there was no happy hour on Friday because daughter #1 was sick (and no shampoo for Mr. Smith!) The OM and I did have a social event on Saturday night which entailed getting dressed up and driving at night, but we went and I had a very good time. We had cocktails and dinner and listened to a talk by the daughter of Vincent Price about her father who grew up in St. Louis. He was quite a character. I talked to more people and socialized more than I had all week (maybe all month).

Sunday I went to church with the boy and the twins and then we had brunch at the Sunny Side Diner, which is a favorite of ours. They had dinosaur-shaped pancakes and bacon and were ready to go to lacrosse in the afternoon, sated and full of the Holy Spirit.

I liked this article about the ministry of small things: “The ‘ministry of small things’ is consistent with how the Bible teaches us to think about God’s kingdom. In His parable of the yeast, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven starts with something as modest as a dash of leaven. Yeast is practically invisible, and you don’t see it working, yet as it slowly permeates the dough, it has a formidable impact (Matt. 13:22). Our little works, patiently and consistently done, can bring about something big.”

I sure. like to think so.

And here’s a new song I like:

Tomorrow there will be a guest post from daughter #2, so don’t miss it!

*Wendell Kimbrough & Paul Zach

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January 24, 2025

It’s Friday again…

by chuckofish

Have a good one.

Maybe this will help you get started.

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January 16, 2025

“Since the Puritans got a shock/ When they landed on Plymouth Rock”*

by chuckofish

Today we toast the Broadway star Ethel Merman on her birthday (1908-84). I bet you didn’t know that she was a lifelong Episcopalian (Her funeral was held in a chapel at St. Bartholomew’s in NYC)–which is hilarious (or perhaps not) since she was notorious for her brash demeanor and for telling vulgar stories in public. She was truly a force of nature and very famous in her time, indeed a cultural icon. I’m sure no one under the age of 60 today even knows who she is. Que sera, sera.

It is also the birthday of the English poet Robert Service, about whom I have blogged before. As you toast him, you might read one of his poems or watch The Spoilers (1942) in which he shared a brief scene with Marlene Dietrich. (Service appeared unbilled as a Yukon poet patterned after Service himself.) The Spoilers, which takes place in Alaska, is a good choice for a cold January night.

On a more serious note, this is a good article by Jen Wilkin about the chiastic pattern of life she discovered at her mother’s deathbed. “Remembering that seasons of life follow a patterned order helps us inhabit the season we are in and prioritize how to use the time we are given. Since death announced its presence in Genesis 3, our days have been numbered. Perhaps God, in his infinite kindness, gave us a chiasm, a patterned measuring rod, to number those days rightly.” (A chiasmus is a literary device in which ideas are presented and then subsequently repeated or inverted in a symmetrical mirror-like structure.  A modern example of a short chiasm would be If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. “Jesus makes a pithy chiastic statement in Mark 2:27: ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'”)

This is one of several articles I have read about the inappropriateness of singing ‘Imagine’–“a strange and indeed hopeless song for any funeral, let alone one that is meant to be Christian in nature”–at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. “John Lennon’s song collapses in on its own irrationality. He imagines ‘living life in peace’, and there being no “greed or hunger”, but such talk demands a form and purpose, but atheism and naturalism cannot provide such a definition.” Indeed.

Have a good day. Sing a song loudly and brazenly, read a poem, watch an old movie, think about the arc of your life, thank God for his mercies which are new every morning.

*A line from “Anything Goes” by Cole Porter; Ethel Merman starred in the original Broadway production in 1934.

2 Comments
January 7, 2025

When it got cold

by chuckofish

Well, we are firmly encased under a blanket of snow. And it is quiet–so quiet–in my neighborhood. No cars, practically no one walking by. No leaf blowers. Very nice.

I suppose I should bundle up and go outside, “But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,  a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.”   (I really like this poem by Billy Collins about snow.)

And here’s an old song which uses the phrase “We bundled up”.

Our driveway is going to be plowed on Wednesday, so until then, we are stuck at home. I can dig it. Hang in there and I will too.

3 Comments
December 30, 2024

Not quite back on track

by chuckofish

Did you have a merry Christmas? We did. We celebrated with family here on Christmas eve and Christmas and then went to the prairie for more Christmas there. We also checked out the PCA church in Urbana, and we liked it. I cried through the first hymn, so par for the course. Katie said she was a little bored at the end, but what four-year old enjoys a 30-minute sermon? She held her depravity in check like a trouper. Everyone was very friendly and nice.

Also, the boy and his family moved into their new house!

Unfortunately, I thought I had figured out how to move forward with WordPress, but it seems not, and I am still struggling with photos. So no postcards from our flyover Christmas. C’est la vie. I’ll keep working on it.

Anyway, this is an oldie but a goodie:

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.” (Rev. 19:6)

And some of these are pretty good.

And this lady makes me laugh. I am in total agreement with her RESOLUTIONS FOR 2025:

I resolve to pray for the health, safety, and wisdom of our President and his team every single day. They can’t do it alone, folks. We have to fight fight fight. Give in on NOTHING. Only “reach across the aisle” to give somebody a noogie.

I resolve never again to “diet” in whatever life is left to me. I will move more, stress less, eat healthily, but never eschew any particular food if it brings me joy. Life is short and getting shorter by the day. Like me.

That’s it. 2025 cannot come soon enough, particularly January 20th. God Bless us every one! God Bless America!

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December 12, 2024

Lend us thine aid

by chuckofish

Every year I bemoan the fact that no one sends Christmas cards anymore. With a single stamp costing over 75 cents, I realize this can be an expensive venture. Still, I do enjoy sending and receiving them. As of December 11, I have received three and one of those is from a business!

Anyway, I am working on mine. I was startled to note how many friends I have had to delete from my mailing list because they have died. Gee whiz, we are getting old. Sunrise, sunset.

Meanwhile both my daughters are sick! I hope they feel better soon! Unfortunately it is that time of year when you are most likely to get sick and are the busiest.

Daughter #2 was well enough (i.e. dragged herself) to attend Katie’s first Christmas program at her Lutheran preschool.

Her baby sister enjoyed it immensely.

Adorable.

In other news, the bud, when he was over on Tuesday afternoon, helped me unwrap all my Christmas stained glass…

He was a good helper!

This is always a fun job, remembering all the different ones we have–some from as far back as the 1960s!

On the academic front we are told that in a poll of 634 UPenn students, 63% stated they “stay silent/outright support” UPenn alumnus Luigi Mangione’s action of murdering the CEO of UHC. Only 37% voted that they condemn it. This is shocking and terrible news, but I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised when we remember all those people who laughed at the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Donald Trump last summer and said they wished the would-be assassin hadn’t missed. We live in a post-Christian world where such behavior is celebrated. Our pray-for-our-enemies list grows longer by the day.

Well, it is time to listen to this great Christmas classic written by English Anglican Reginald Heber in 1811:

P.S. I forget to mention that yesterday was the twins actual birthday. (They had so many celebrations, that the actual one may have–for me–gotten lost in the shuffle!) Of course, we are so thankful for our wonderful twins!

Readers of this blog may remember when they were born eight years ago, weighing just a little over a pound each. Many friends–Jews and Christians, Protestants and Catholics–were praying for them mightily. They pulled through and have thrived. We are so grateful.

O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants Wheeler and Lottie as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their
trust in your goodness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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