dual personalities

Tag: weather

April 28, 2026

Flyover weather ‘n such

by chuckofish

We had quite a noisy Midwest thunderstorm Sunday night/early morning. Then we waited around on Monday for part II which was billed as much more serious…

The tornado sirens did go off in the afternoon and the view got a little dicey…

It was a drama-filled day. Some schools let out early! A second wave did come through in the evening. The boy reported hail in Wildwood.

And we had 60-70 mile an hour winds. But no rotation, so I am thankful. Phew. The sky was an insane golden-green when it was over. Midwest weather!

In the meantime I puttered around doing things like cleaning my refrigerator and watering my indoor plants. I also read some Conrad Richter, including his short story “As It Was in the Beginning”, written back in 1935 for the Saturday Evening Post. I was especially interested in it as it is one of his Southwest stories, based in part in Bent’s Fort and dealing with a Sante Fe trail trader. He is such a good writer ! But he was hardly ever on any best seller list. Times sure have changed in nearly 100 years! To think that nowadays we have to be careful not to buy AI generated slop from Amazon! I’ll stick to the old books, thank you.

I have a lot of books on my bedside bench…

…which I work at in a haphazard way. Frequently I fall asleep at 9:30 pm only to wake up at 3:00 am. Reading Dominion by Tom Holland is a lot at that time of night, so I keep the latest issue of Tabletalk magazine handy. When the prairie girls were visiting the weekend before last they each loaded a tote bag full of Tabletalks to take home. They love paging through them and “pretend reading” them. They are just the right size for little hands.

(Tabletalk is an outreach ministry of Ligonier Ministries.)

Well, just another day in flyover country! Happy Tuesday!

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April 22, 2026

Mid-week musings

by chuckofish

What beautiful weather we have had this week! Lovely, lovely, lovely.

And we are lucky to be able to enjoy it. Remember this?

Everyone on stage for the Hawaiian act!

Grateful to be living in flyover country where you don’t have to try so hard to convince yourself you’re alive.

And happy birthday to John Waters (b. 1946):

It’s Wednesday–have a good one!

3 Comments
March 3, 2026

I’m just passing through

by chuckofish

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!

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January 26, 2026

Once upon a storm

by chuckofish

Well, I got a few things done on Friday before the storm hit–like everyone else who was out and about buying bread and milk and salt/ice melt. I went to Trader Joe’s early and bought flowers and then went to church where I arranged them for Sunday, which I knew might be cancelled, but what the heck, I did my duty.

I will note that as I drove around and made my various stops, people were very nice and polite, even cheerful. Part of this is because I have gray hair and look like an old lady, so people are usually quick to assist me when they think I need help. I am always a little taken aback by this because I feel like a completely capable woman, but again, what the heck–if someone wants to take my grocery cart back to the cart corral for me in the single digit weather, have at it.

The boy came over in the afternoon to pick up some stuff and to have wine time with me since daughter #1 had many errands to run after work. Everyone was in a tizzy about whether various events would be cancelled. Well, I had no plans to worry about so I just concentrated on hunkering down…

Church was cancelled after all–I certainly couldn’t get out of my driveway. And this was the scene in Wildwood…

While admittedly there is no substitute for worshiping together in person, we were encouraged to watch a previously recorded service on our YouTube channel or watch the recorded adult ed classes.

Daughter #1’s church was also closed as was daughter #2’s. Central had already recorded their sermon to be viewed…

So Mr. Smith heard the word of God on Sunday morning.

All Souls suggested reading a book of the Bible and praying or watching a previous sermon. So many options. I listened to an old sermon given at Central by Dr. Dan Doriani last October on James 3:1-12, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

In the afternoon the twins had fun frolicking in the snow…

And so did the prairie girls…

Now it is Monday and I am waiting for the yard guys to come plow my driveway.

All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well…

3 Comments
January 19, 2026

Could see some snowflakes

by chuckofish

Boy, did they get the weather all wrong on Saturday! We had no idea there was a veritable blizzard coming…

My iPhone camera never shows snow falling–but believe me, it looked like a fake movie scene with big, fat soap flakes coming down. It stopped pretty soon and didn’t amount to all that much, but it did take us by surprise. Luckily our January DAR meeting was already scheduled as a Zoom meeting, so I could just stay home. Daughter #1 is one smart regent!

It was super cold on Sunday morning again but we faithful made it to church. We heard another good sermon on Joshua–we’re up to chapter 3, verses 1-17–crossing the Jordan River. After the service Lottie asked me if she got an A+ and I said, ahem no, not today. She said, Yeah, I guess I was more of a B+. Our adult ed class was part two of Intro to Covenant which I am enjoying so much. How great is it to sit in a room with 200+ people who are all in the process of being sanctified! We went to the Sunny Street diner afterwards and the twins had dinosaur pancakes and the boy tried something new–loaded hash browns. I had my usual #2 on the seniors’ menu. Everyone was happy and content with their choices.

Today, it should be noted, is my dear mother’s birthday–her 100th! My oh my, she has been gone for 38 years. I think about her every day. Time is unreal, or as Borges says,

And yet, and yet… Denying temporal succession, denying the self, denying the astronomical universe, are apparent desperations and secret consolations. Our destiny … is not frightful by being unreal; it is frightful because it is irreversible and iron-clad. Time is the substance I am made of. Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire. The world, unfortunately, is real; I, unfortunately, am Borges.

It is also Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday (!) and she is still going strong–here’s her new song, ably assisted by Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Reba, and Queen Latifa:

You go, girl! Everything’s going to be all right.

Precious Ida B had a wonderful birthday on Saturday…

And this sign on the neighborhood Catholic church makes me laugh every year…

Enjoy your Monday!

2 Comments
November 19, 2025

Humble yourselves

by chuckofish

I have had a very busy week so far and yesterday was particularly aggravating. I had to go down to the monolithic and intimidating BJS medical center where parking is always an adventure. I had to wait for over an hour for my appointment which took 10 minutes. Zut alors! but c’est la vie. After that, I went to the Link Auction house, also in the CWE, and picked up some items I had won at last weekend’s auction. I could not fit it all in my car so I will have to go back today. (The boy had to come over to my house and help me get one large item out of my car!) Life is complicated.

Driving home from the CWE, I avoided the highway since it had been jammed up going down to the city, so I was once again shocked to see the devastation from the May 16 tornado in Forest Park. All the big trees are just gone from Lindell Blvd and all the way down Wydown in Clayton. Many of the mansions still have boarded up windows and tarps on the roofs. Mother Nature can sure be rough. But she helps us keep our perspective.

And then, last night, I had a Kirkwood Historical Society board meeting, so I was out after dark! Good grief, Charlie Brown!

I will stop grousing now in order to remind you that today is the birthday of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, the Russian composer, born in 1859. He was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, whose influence was quite strong. I remember this selection from records we listened to in my childhood:

Enjoy!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
–I Peter 5:6-7

(The photo at the top is of a scene typical of the arrangements I find when the wee laddie has visited my house. He came with his Dad yesterday.)

3 Comments
March 19, 2025

“I met a traveler from an antique show/ His pockets empty, but his eyes aglow.”*

by chuckofish

The sun is out and the yard is cleaned up. One set of storms is behind us. But we are still feeling a bit disheveled.

Over the weekend we went to an estate sale in South County where the owners had been greatobsessive collectors. The wife collected dolls, which brings to mind those scary houses where the rooms are filled with those dolls you used to see ads for in women’s magazines–

but these were nice dolls from foreign countries and she had quite a good collection. I have a similar (much smaller) collection which is in the doll case at daughter #1’s house. We had fun looking at this huge collection which was housed in a lighted, built-in case, but did not consider actually buying any of the dolls. Until we saw these two:

Lord Cadogan
William the Conqueror

Handmade in England, back in the 1950s (?), they are beautiful. They remind me of the huge collection of dolls which was on permanent display at the school I went to growing up. I’m sure they are from the same source. Anyway, I knew no one would want them, so I rescued them–for a song (minus Lamar’s generous discount). I’m not sure where I will put them, but for now they are safe at my house.

Oh, people and their collections! I do not really understand them. It takes a certain kind of addictive personality to really go all out; we see it not infrequently when estate-sale-ing. It is a good thing to remember that you can’t take it with you, and unless your children share your obsession, it will all end up in an estate sale. (Or else in the Saint Louis Art Museum if you are Morton May.)

Collecting is a curious art,
From treasures in a chest.
The value of what’s gathered there
Is in the one who’s blest.”

–Emily Dickinson

This was interesting: 100 years ago, on March 18, 1925, nearly 700 people died as a massive tornado raced across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana for several hours. Unlike most tornado outbreaks, this was a single, long-tracked twister, ripping primarily through southern Missouri and Illinois. Yikes!

From the I-don’t-ever-want-to-hear-the-word-‘misinformation’-ever-again department, here’s Anne on kooks and cranks, the MSM and the NYT: “For sure it backfired. But still, see, you’re still being judgemental, and you’re not in a position to do that. You can’t judge other people’s motives until you yourself have come clean. You weren’t right on the merits, and other people were, whom you shut down. Until you, the New York Times, breaks down and says sorry, there won’t be any possibility of institutions being rebuilt in a trustworthy manner.”

And as someone noted, due to park ranger cutbacks by DOGE, bears are now tasked with fixing fallen cones…

Have a good day!

*Ogden Nash

4 Comments
March 17, 2025

Be thou still my strength and shield*

by chuckofish

We had quite a storm on Friday night–wind, rain, hail–the whole nine yards. Luckily for us, there were no tornadoes in our immediate area.

Our internet was out, so we couldn’t watch our local TV weathermen, which was troubling. We never really knew if we needed to go to the basement. But we had a text thread going with our three children…

Anyway, we are all right. Spring storms are par for the course here, although you never really get used to them. When I was driving over to daughter #1’s house on Sunday afternoon, I had to detour around a large tree that was blocking Price Road!

The further excitement of that stormy evening was when I was awakened at 4:00 in the morning by a dog howling outside. I thought how odd, but went back to sleep. Then at 4:30 a.m. I heard it again. I got up to look out my window, and lo and behold, there was a large coyote in my front yard! He ambled across the street and disappeared behind the neighbor’s house. Zut alors!

Well, it was a very busy weekend besides the weather, indeed, with lots of activities. The twins earned an A+ for behavior in church. But for now, I will leave you with a reminder that it is St. Patrick’s Day today, so it’s time to watch The Quiet Man (1952)…

I love this Simpson’s version of the famous kissing-in-the rain scene with JW’s yellow skin showing through his rain-soaked shirt.

In other news, I have my semi-annual cancer check-up today as well, and an infusion, so Fun Times. Onward and upward.

*William Williams, 1745, Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah

6 Comments
March 13, 2025

And the land shall yield its increase*

by chuckofish

The weather gurus are preparing us for severe weather (Damaging Winds and Isolated Tornadoes Possible!) on Friday, but in the meantime, we are enjoying sunny skies and moderate temps. Spring appears to have arrived. The daffodils bloomed a few days ago!

There are buds everywhere…and I filled up my first yard bag with detritus!

In other news, March’s full moon, known as the Worm Moon, will pass into Earth’s shadow tonight, or early on March 14, depending on the time zone. This eclipse, we are told, will be visible from the Western Hemisphere. The Old Farmer’s Almanac gives you specific moonrise times for ZIP codes across the U.S. So check it out!

And Happy National Elephant Day (in Thailand)!

*Leviticus 26:4

4 Comments
February 13, 2025

Onward and upward

by chuckofish

When did we start naming winter storms? I had no idea that this was a thing. We are told that Winter Storm Illiana is upon us and that Winter Storm Jett is on the way. Good grief, Charlie Brown!

I wouldn’t be concerned but I am supposed to drive up to Mahomet, IL today and return over the weekend. It appears that I might get stuck there. Does that matter? Well, I do have that DAR Presidents Day event on Monday at which daughter #1 is officiating…bad weather does complicate things, doesn’t it?

But I am motivated to see these little Valentines…

So I’ll be heading out shortly.

Meanwhile, this is important: 10 things your children should know about you. I am always amazed when people know hardly anything about their parents or grandparents because they really haven’t spent much time talking to them (about things that matter).

And this made me laugh…

So please pray for travel mercies and that Winter Storm Jett doesn’t materialize ahead of schedule!

3 Comments