Yes, it is full-on summer here in flyover country–hot and humid–and you better not walk barefoot on your asphalt driveway, that’s for sure. Heavy sigh. Well, we had a nice long spring and it was great while it lasted.
We kept a low profile this weekend, but Katie turned three in style back in Maryland.
She celebrated appropriately. (She is wearing her favorite vintage nightie, which my mother made for daughter #1/Aunt Mary about 36 years ago.)
Aunt Mary made her a tote bag with Pete the Cat fabric she found at Joann’s!
She immediately filled it up with books–a girl after our own hearts. Love the matching bow!
And, of course, there was cake!
I stayed after church on Sunday to go to a meeting for VBS volunteers–because, yes, I am once again doing my part, even after I said never again last year. This year I am on my own with 14 4th/5th graders! Am I crazy? Yes, yes I am. I will never be able to remember their names, much less keep track of them. I am praying for a teenage helper to step up to the plate.
I got a new t-shirt, since I threw mine away last year thinking I would never need it again. Well, I have a week to psych myself up for this. Please pray for me.
Ah, three-day weekends are nice. Everyone is more relaxed. We are on the summer schedule at church now, which means that although there are still two morning services, there is no children’s chapel at the 11:00 o’clock. I missed that memo somehow and we brought the twins to the 11 o’clock. The wee bud teared up at the offertory hymn at the prospect of staying with us through the whole service, so Pappy took him out to the fellowship hall to hang out. (He was not the only parent/grandparent to do so.) But Lottie stayed with me and did a very good job of curbing her depravity and listening/keeping quiet during the 40-minute Presbyterian sermon. She went up with me to get communion (although she did not take communion.) She had a lot of questions. Is that blood? I said I’d explain later.
We had the whole gang over for a Memorial Day bbq and driveway sittin’ on Sunday evening. Daughter #1’s friends Liz and Brenton came too, plus their two-year old twins. And Mr. Smith, of course.
Start ’em early!
As usual, we missed Katie and Ida and their parents, but they had fun too!
Enjoy your Monday off!
*Hosea 6:4 (wherein God gets exasperated like the rest of us parents)–press on.
How was your weekend? We had glorious spring weather here in flyover land and it was a joy to revel in it. We went to our favorite winery in Hillsboro and sat outside under the wide blue sky with other like-minded individuals and listened to the 1970s playlist of the band–so, perfect.
Earlier in the day we also went to a couple of good estate sales including one at the home of an old friend from my work days. Bettye was a sweet lady from Arkansas who was a founding member of the St. Louis Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. In January she went to Australia to visit her daughter, went off hiking by herself and never returned. They found her body the next day. I was truly saddened by this turn of events. She had been one of my right hand lieutenants for many years. I deduced that one of the estate sales was at her house and I wanted to see her lovely century home in U. City and hopefully find a few books (which I did) so we went. Granted, it is always a little disconcerting to snoop through the home of someone you knew. Hers was just like I expected–lots of books and old furniture, good art, a lovely garden.
Daughter #1 went back to two of the estate sales the second day, when prices are 50% off, and came away with quite a haul. IYKYK how exciting this is. I know Bettye would be pleased that a few of her things are in my daughter’s home.
I must also mention the passing of Timothy Keller on Friday. He was a pillar of the PCA. I credit him with bringing me into the Presbyterian fold. Back in 2017 (or thereabouts) I used to ride my stationery bike for 30 minutes before breakfast every morning and I would listen to Tim Keller sermons. He preached the gospel and talked unironically about John Calvin and Jonathan Edwards. I have a notebook full of notes…Do not put yourself in the place of God, but become godly. He talked about sin, immersing yourself in the Bible, going to church. He knew what the harm was in blending worship of our triune God with the worship of our man-made idols. He knew God has no patience with this. Keller taught me about his intellectually stimulating denomination and that it is possible to spread the Word even in Babylon.
“Expository preaching should provide the main diet of preaching for a Christian community. . . . [It] is the best method for displaying and conveying your conviction that the whole Bible is true. This approach testifies that you believe every part of the Bible to be God’s Word, not just particular themes and not just the parts you feel comfortable agreeing with.”
And I love this last word from John Piper about Keller:
Also, rest in peace Jim Brown, who died last week. We all know he was an awesome athlete, but did you know that besides being a great football player at Syracuse University, he was a sensation on the lacrosse team? (He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1984, 13 years after he made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)
As you know, Brown retired at the height of his NFL career to be a movie actor and he made some good movies. “I had a great appreciation for Harry Belafonte and Sidney [Poitier] and Sammy Davis [Jr.] They were all great in their own way,” he said in A Football Life documentary from NFL Films that premiered in November 2016. “But I was a physical actor, I was a hero … We needed that as African-Americans.” He makes a good point. I think Woody Strode felt that way as well.
I recently watched 100 Rifles (1969) when Raquel Welsh died earlier this year, so I think I’ll opt for The Dirty Dozen (1966) or Ice Station Zebra (1968) or one of his other films.
Into paradise may the angels lead thee and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.
How was your weekend? Mine was very low-key and nice. I went to a few estate sales on Saturday and picked up a a couple of books and daughter #1 got a very nice vintage wastebasket. This makes us happy.
The OM and I went to church on Sunday and afterwards we went to daughter #1’s new house where she had brunch ready.
Very nice indeed–and, of course, there were mimosas. The Joanna Gaines bacon biscuits were magnifique!
Daughter #2 had even sent a bag of Compton Lady treats ahead for me. All in all, a lovely day.
And the OM was able to reunite with his special friend.
We sat out on her front porch and finished the Prosecco and had a lovely afternoon. I gather that daughter #3 wanted her petite famille to work in the yard with her so they did that, following a trip to Home Depot. I have not seen any “after” pictures.
Meanwhile DN stood in line with all the other dads in town to get donuts…
I have no doubt that Mommy enjoyed them and had a lovely day!
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
How was your weekend? Mine was very nice although the weather has turned hot and muggy in flyover country and that is never a cause to rejoice (although we try to rejoice in all things).
I helped set up for the Kirkwood Historical Society attic sale. And I bought a stack of books (just what I need, right?)…
I have a small collection of books on the Santa Fe Trail, so the Diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin is a great addition. The Seifert novel is about Magoffin. Shirley Seifert was a mid-century writer from Kirkwood who wrote quite a few historical novels, published by J.B. Lippincott. She was really into her research, but her writing is pretty dry, but I have a growing collection of her books. She also wrote the centennial history of my old church, Grace Episcopal, where she was a member for many years.
Daughter #1 and I went to the actual sale on Saturday and she got a nice table for $20 on which to put her Civil War officer’s desk, which I had bought at auction a few years ago.
We also got some more books. Afterwards we went to a couple of estate sales where we were successful again, rescuing a nice Hitchcock chair for $10.
She had many other adventures dealing with Lowe’s delivery men, UPS men, and ADT installers, but I will leave that to her to describe to you.
I watched the Kentucky Derby–whoop-di-do–but my horse did not win. I remember when Secretariat won fifty years ago. My Sunday School teacher went to the race and he assigned everyone in our class a horse. Mine won, but I think all I got was a $5 gift certificate. Typical Episcopalians–betting in Sunday School!
I did not watch any of the coronation, but Anne wrote a long article about it. Read the whole thing.
It was so strange for example, to listen to that glorious Colossians text read in that exquisite church by a practicing Hindu. Dissonance, at the very least, is the word one gropes for, if not blasphemy. How can that person stand there, after reading aloud about how all things are put in subjection under Christ, how he is the Firstborn in whom all things hold together, and then say, “The Word of the Lord” if he doesn’t really believe it? How can Justin Welby face Charles and command him to stand on the authority of the Bible when he himself has been unwilling to do any such thing?
On Sunday the kindergartners received their very own Bibles in front of our whole Presbyterian congregation. The wee bud stood up beaming with his father and I was very proud. (Lottie was home sick, bit she still got her pink Bible!) I may have gotten a little verklempt.
Afterwards we all went home to eat bagels and sit outside. Good times.
Savior, if of Zion’s city, I through grace a member am, Let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Thy name; Fading is the worldling’s pleasure, All his boasted pomp and show; Solid joys and lasting treasure None but Zion’s children know.
–John Newton
P.S. On Saturday we had three blue eggs in our Robin’s nest, but sadly they have all been destroyed by other birds. Nature. C’est la vie.
Well, the weekend was quite a whirlwind of activity. Finally daughter #1 is all moved in to her own new (100-year old) house.
I have been in a Dayquil-induced fog for days and will probably remember very little of it in the days to come. Mostly I remember six giant mid-MO dudes who were like refugees from the Sons of Anarchy arriving from Jeff City with two trailers pulled by pickup trucks and hefting everything around like it was doll furniture. I met them at the house and was assigned to tell them which rooms to put everything in since daughter #1 did not arrive for an hour and a half after that. They were polite, amenable, patient, and cheerful. My kind of people. I wish I had taken pictures, but, alas, I did not. But this works…
They were intrigued with the balcony to nowhere.
As we all are.
I will let daughter #1 tell you all about the house herself. Suffice it to say, we all think it is swell and are very happy for her. It all worked out in God’s good time.
On Sunday afternoon everyone came over to celebrate my birthday. The OM barbecued. There was cake.
Bless and sanctify with your peace, O God, this home and those who live in it, that within these walls they may know the blessings of this life and to know the promise of the life to come in that heavenly home where with saints and angels you live and reign, one God forever and ever. Amen.
We had a quiet weekend, but the weather was not quiet! We had some big storms on Saturday.
The local stations stayed on the air without commercial breaks for at least three hours. At one point we even got Mr. Smith and went down to the basement as tornadoes moved through the area. But that’s par for the course this time of year.
(Mr. Smith gets a peak into the OM’s dark lair.)
On Sunday the temperature had dropped 40 degrees and it was very blustery, but nothing serious. The boy and his family lost their power during the storm on Saturday, but we (thankfully) did not. When we picked up the twins to go to church, the power was still off at their house!
Church was very special because we had a guest preacher who was a beloved former pastor. I had heard a lot about George Robertson, so I was very curious. He gave a great sermon on Habakkuk 1:12–2:3, all about doubt and dealing with it by running to God not away from Him. The church was of course full and when we sang the doxology at the end of the service–wow–I cried like a baby as usual. I am just so happy to be there.
Daughter #1 was in Jeff City most of the weekend finishing up packing her apartment and getting ready to move next Saturday. She closes on her house this Wednesday.
Meanwhile I am reading Vittoria Cottage by D. E. Stevenson.
My DP recommended the author in a blogpost some years past and I am finally taking her advice. Written in 1949, the action takes place in a quiet village in postwar England. Just what the doctor ordered. I am also reading In the Heart of the Rockies by G.A. Henty, whose author I mentioned a few weeks ago in reference to Louis L’Amour being a fan.
I am enjoying it also.
Enjoy your Monday! Enjoy the ordinary. Step into the the sun, step into the light! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Oh my goodness, what a busy three days! We even managed another trip to Jefferson City to pack more of daughter #1’s apartment. (One more trip should do it.) I was so tired on Friday and Saturday night that it took three nights to watch Ben-Hur (1959)! We concluded it on Easter night and it was great as always.
We had a lovely Easter and I hope you did too. Our weather was perfect. After a rousing church service we were able to frolic outside with Mr. Smith (who was sporting a plaid bow tie) and search for Easter eggs..
We were a little alarmed to see a coyote run across our neighbors’ yards (no kidding) and daughter #1 ran inside with Mr. Smith! Yikes, that was a first. I mean really.
Then we ate a yummy brunch featuring barbecued pork tenderloin. Thankfully the OM managed to not get attacked by the neighborhood wildlife while doing so.
Afterward we enjoyed some primo driveway sittin’ while the wee babes drove around the yard.
Even Lottie (finally) got behind the wheel!
She dragged her brother around for awhile–par for the course. Mr. Smith took refuge under a chair and chewed on a frisbie.
Meanwhile back east, daughter #2 had a nice Easter and everyone looked very festive indeed.
I made it back to mid-MO from my quickie visit to Maryland. Easy Peasy. The OM did not burn the house down. Life is good.
For
“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it…”
dual personalities 