dual personalities

Tag: weather

February 11, 2025

It’s a twister!

by chuckofish

Yesterday was the anniversary of the February 10, 1959 “tornado outbreak” in St. Louis. I was not-quite three years old so I don’t remember it and luckily we lived in a part of town that was not hit. However, the F4 tornado did sweep through my current stomping grounds–Warson Woods, Rock Hill, Brentwood–on its way to the city.

It toppled the Channel 2 television tower and one of the Arena’s two towers before moving on to devastate the area around Boyle and Olive Streets (Gaslight Square).

The tornado was on the ground for at least 35 minutes, traveled 23.9 miles (38.5 km), was 200 yards (180 m) wide, and caused $50.25 million is damage. 345 people were injured and 21 others were killed, making it the third deadliest tornado in the city’s history.

Interestingly, the heyday of Gaslight Square was actually kick-started in the aftermath of the city’s 1959 tornado outbreak, which caused severe property damage but also led to an influx of attention and insurance money. Business owners took advantage of this to revitalize the local economy. It became a very hip place to hang out–even my parents went there. Entertainers who performed in the clubs included: Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins, the Smothers Brothers, Phyllis Diller, Woody Allen, and so on…

A 1962 episode of the TV show Route 66 titled “Hey Moth, Come Eat the Flame” was set and filmed inside The Darkside jazz club. How cool can you get?

Gaslight Square didn’t last long, however, and the Board of Alderman, who had officially renamed the district on 24 March 1961, retired the name in December of 1972. Easy come, easy go. C’est la vie.


P.S. I watched the Route 66 episode and besides the scenes in Gaslight Square there are scenes shot at the Chase Park Plaza on Kingshighway and the old Rock Hill quarry (which is mostly filled in now) and in some bowling alley I could not identify. It’s worth checking out for that!

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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.

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January 6, 2025

 Faith holds wide the door*

by chuckofish

Well, we were warned about the blizzard conditions that were coming all last week and so were prepared to be home for several days. In fact, I did not leave the house all weekend, but stayed holed up in my cozy domicile. I had plenty of wine and nibblies, so I was not overly concerned. We were lucky and largely dodged the bullet, unlike Kansas City where conditions were pretty dicey. But we did experience “thunder snow” which sent our weatherpeople into paroxysms of delight. Flyover weather–par for the course.

Church was cancelled and so I watched (on YouTube) the service from last week when we were in Mahomet. It was interesting to watch from the virtual balcony and good to see all those familiar communicants. They sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem” which was nice to hear, since we had not sung it earlier during the Christmas season. The lyrics* by Phillips Brooks are so good.

I took down all the Christmas decorations (and two trees) which is quite a job and takes hours and hours. Daughter #1 came over on Friday and helped me, but it is a multiple-day event. I’m sure I will continue to find Xmas items that have escaped my attention for weeks to come.

Today is Epiphany, so don’t forget to watch 3 Godfathers (1948). I watched it over the weekend and it is just a great, great movie. You will recall that it is a loose retelling of the biblical Three Wise Men story in an American Western context, starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carey, Jr. It is also the birthday of our lovely daughter-in-law (daughter #3). We will celebrate as soon as the roads are cleared and we can synchronize our calendars!

Here’s Sinclair Ferguson’s resolution for the Christian life. “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

It is very frustrating not to be able to include photos on my blog and daughter #1 and I are working on figuring out what to do. I probably will be starting a new blog, perhaps on Substack, very soon, so keep checking in and I’ll let you know.

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May 28, 2024

Till the ductile anchor hold

by chuckofish

Yesterday, of course, was a beautiful sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky. We had no plans other than cleaning up from the day before. C’est la vie.

Yesterday was also the birthday of Walt Whitman, so I read some poetry.

And here’s Bob Dylan’s hat tip to W.W.:

Have a good (short) week!

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February 29, 2024

The wind blows where it wishes

by chuckofish

Today is leap day. As you know, nearly every four years, we add an extra day to the calendar in the form of February 29. These additional 24 hours are built into the calendar to ensure that it stays in line with the Earth’s movement around the sun. While the modern calendar contains 365 days, the actual time it takes for Earth to orbit its star is slightly longer—roughly 365.2421 days.

Meanwhile the temperature dropped 60 degrees yesterday–from a record high of 86 on Tuesday to lows in the 20s. Wind chills in the 10s. The weathermen are loving it–getting to say things like “weather whiplash” etc. But we’ll be back in the 70s by the weekend, so no apocalypse yet. I am just glad we didn’t experience any tornadoes because of the “fast changing air masses”. Weather is endlessly fascinating because we cannot control it, despite our Power Dopplar radar scanning the skies.

This is a good one by Darryl Dash. “Big dreams impress, but ordinary faithfulness delivers. We tend to overestimate what can be done through large initiatives, and underestimate what can be done through ordinary obedience, persistent prayer, and sacrificial love.” The author also quotes Wendell Berry and that got me reading some Berry poetry. He is a favorite of mine. Here’s another good one:

He wrote this poem in 1967, but it sure resonates today.

Now go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

P.S. The flowers are in Don’s yard, not mine!

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July 27, 2023

Throwback Thursday

by chuckofish

Here is a vintage photo of my DP (on top) and me (middle, right) with our cousins at their house on Lake Damariscotta in Maine, circa 1964. I don’t know where my brother is–off fishing with Bunker? Our Uncle George is in the back, holding up the pyramid. We had super fun that summer as you can imagine.

Indeed, I am thinking of those cool Maine breezes as we bear up through a mid-summer heat wave in flyover country. Heat waves are nothing out of the ordinary here–despite what HC may say–but they are no fun. In the summer of 1936, for instance, St. Louis endured an unbroken 37-day stretch of 100-degree–plus temperatures. I remember one old lady from my flyover institute telling me how in the 1930s they would escape the heat of their un-airconditioned city apartment by sleeping in Forest Park! The whole family. It was a thing people did (and were allowed to do). As a child, she had great fun. Maybe not as much fun as a lake house in Maine, but fun.

Fun is what you make it after all. So keep a merry heart and be thankful for air-conditioning. Pray for the electric grid.

A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.

(Proverbs 17:22)

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July 18, 2023

Meanwhile back at the ranch

by chuckofish

We have had more storms and more storms. What started out as a very dry spring, has turned into a very wet summer. Our Florida Room has flooded several times now, but hopefully we have that figured out. Fingers crossed. It has also been a particularly windy year all around. This is beginning to be a familiar sight:

(KMOV photo of damage in Ferguson, MO)

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Psalm 46: 1-3)

Meanwhile I am working on getting everything ready to send off to the printer for the next KHS Review. Life goes on between outbursts of bad weather.

This seems really obvious to me, but clearly it is not. “Reading doesn’t begin as an activity your child does by himself. It begins with fathers and mothers. It begins with us reading aloud. We increase our kid’s appetite by narrating books that they enjoy and understand. These books are not the books you would choose to read in your alone time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them together.”

I like stories like this about real people.

And seriously this video made me cry! I agree with the Bee: Thank you for being a man, sir!

So hang in there with me. Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

4 Comments
July 3, 2023

The sheep of His pasture*

by chuckofish

It’s pretty quiet around here since the boy and his family are in Hilton Head for the week.

Before they left early Saturday morning, daughter #3 brought the wee twins over after soccer camp on Friday to have lunch and hang out with Mr. Smith.

Daughter #1 has a new chuck-it throwing toy which is great and wears Mr. Smith out with fetching.

Five stars for sure! The best part is you don’t have to pick up the slobbery ball with your hand. Of course, getting Mr. Smith to release the ball is an ongoing issue.

We had some wild weather over the weekend with a lot of downed trees and detritus everywhere.

Unfortunately, people were actually killed this time around in crushed cars and houses.

(Photos from KMOV4)

In church on Sunday we heard more from the prophet Hosea. His message, as our pastor put it, is “harrowing and brutal”–but maybe we need that.

“Do not rejoice, O Israel, with joy like other peoples,
For you have played the harlot against your God.” (Hosea 9:1)

Food for thought.

Tomorrow, of course, is the 4th of July and we send happy birthday wishes to my older brother. He was always a hit with the ladies.

The little girl in the picture was a neighbor of whom my mother was particularly fond. (Her name was Katie.) Anyway, here’s hoping he does something fun tomorrow.

And here’s a song–the boy introduced me to this rendition:

*”Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

3 Comments
December 22, 2022

What then shall we say to these things?

by chuckofish

Well, the local weather-casters are pretty excited about a possible weather event today. They have been predicting snow, wind and freezing temps and will be very disappointed if nothing happens. We have all been to the store to stock up on food and daughter #1 came home a day early to avoid the bad weather. The OM is working from home.

As long as the furnace holds out and the electricity stays on, I am happy to hunker down at home.

Meanwhile my BFFs and I toasted the fact that daughter #1 has a new job and is moving back to St. Louis…

…little did I know this was causing consternation with Katiebelle…

Oh, modern life.

In other news, Marty Stuart is just the best. Look what he’s done now!

Daughter #1 shared this Q&A interview with Bob Dylan. “I’m not a fan of packaged programs, or news shows, so I don’t watch them. I never watch anything foul smelling or evil. Nothing disgusting… I’m a religious person. I read the scriptures a lot, meditate and pray, light candles in church. I believe in damnation and salvation, as well as predestination.”

Yes, Marty and Bob and I are on the same page. Marty is rescuing antiques and Bob is reading scripture. That is comforting.

“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth — only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.”

–C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

No wishful thinking here.

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July 28, 2022

“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wind blew and slammed against the house”*

by chuckofish

Well, we had quite a storm earlier this week. We even broke a record for inches rained in a 24 hour period–9.04 inches! There was lots of scary flash flooding, as you can imagine, and people were forced out of their homes and apartments.

STL Post Dispatch photo

Of course, the OM had made an appointment to get his oil changed that day, so he drove off in the middle of the downpour at 6:30 in the morning. He made it there and to work afterwards, but good grief, Charlie Brown!

In other news I am enjoying spending time in the library of my local historical society. It is a pleasure to escape into the archives and read about another world where people were not confused about their pronouns. I am committed to volunteering, so we’ll see where this leads.

I love the #AskLigonier videos! You can learn a lot in these short clips! For instance, What would we be missing if our Bibles lacked the book of Galatians?

This is a good article about wrestling with the hard questions. “When we ask questions, we engage with what we say we believe. It is natural, normal, and understandable to have questions about our faith. The very essence of faith is believing in what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:6). That’s not easy to do!”

Well, all this rain makes me want to settle in with a Kurosawa movie where the driving rain or snow frequently adds a heightened tension to the action. Seven Samurai (1954), anyone?

*Matthew 7:25

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