dual personalities

Tag: Weekend

March 14, 2022

Come ye before him and rejoice*

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was super cold and then super nice and sunny, so we covered the bases, weather-wise. On Saturday I got up early and went with my friend Becky and her sister to the Vintage Market Days in St. Charles, held at the giant St. Charles Convention Center. We had to stand outside in line in the bitter cold (16 degrees) for a good fifteen minutes, but it was worth it. We had fun perusing the aisles.

By the time we left it was very crowded. I bought a little cement rabbit for the yard.

I was worn out though, so when I got home I lay on the couch and watched three hours of PGA golf.

The boy and WRC jr. joined us at church on Sunday. (Lottie and her mother had a Mommy and Me day to mark the anniversary of the day Lottie came home from the NICU back in 2017…)

After church we ate bagels and then played outside. The wee laddie took the Raptor out for a spin…

…checked out the “moisture” in the grass…

(Nice plank)

…and blew some bubbles…

…in a nice sunny spot he chose for his chair. He (and I) are ready for some driveway sitting!

We missed the girls, but it was nice to have the boys all to ourselves. After they left to go work at the boy’s store, I gabbed on the phone with daughter #2 and heard all about her fun visit with daughter #1 who had moved on to her conference in D.C.

I watched some more PGA to round out the weekend and saw Shane Lowry hit a hole-in-one on the 17th hole which the day before had been giving everyone a super hard time because of insane headwinds. Crazy, man–made my day.

*All people that on earth do dwell,

sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

him serve with fear, his praise forthtell,

come ye before him and rejoice.

Old One Hundredth
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March 7, 2022

What then shall we say to these things?

by chuckofish

This weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and ventured to an estate sale in a part of town that is terra incognita to me. Daughter #2 was in Jeff City so I had no trusty co-pilot…but I found the house without a problem. It was in Affton, a tiny house that would usually never tempt me, but the pictures on the estate sale website had led me to believe that it might be worthwhile because there were lots of Ehrman needlepoint pillows, finished, unfinished and unopened kits. A veritable treasure trove of the best kits from the U.K.! Even though I arrived within an hour of opening, a lot of the best pillows and all the kits were already gone. However, upon investigation, I soon discovered that the woman who had made all the pillows and sewed all the kits was not a very accomplished needlepointer. They were all trapezoidal, not square, and nothing had been blocked. Her stitching was terrible. What a shame!

I bought one that had not yet been made into a pillow in memory of the devoted needlepointer, but I am uncertain pretty sure it can’t be salvaged.

I also bought a good book…

…which happened to have the woman’s name in it. It sounded vaguely familiar and I was curious, so I googled her. It turns out she went to my old Episcopal church! Zut alors–the world is so small.

We had another great sermon in church on Sunday. It was on Romans 8:31-39, one of the greatest passages in scripture.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As usual, I cried during every hymn. All these tears made me think of what Frederick Buechner wrote about tears…

Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention.  They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next. 

–Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark

Nevertheless, it is kind of embarrassing and I need to stop wearing mascara to church.

The boy and his wee family joined us at church and then came over for brunch. The sun wasn’t out, but it was warm enough to do a little exploring in the yard after our meal…

…and I put the wee babes to work picking up sticks after a very windy winter…

This is a game they enjoy. (Lottie made believe we were going to have a bonfire. Make-believe bonfires are the best.) I went out and bagged it up later.

How was your weekend?

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as now.

Elvina M. Hall, 1865
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January 24, 2022

Hey, baby. There ain’t no easy way out*

by chuckofish

Mood. Life just keeps getting weirder, right? But we try to persevere in our own small way. Chin chin.

Happily, daughter #1 came home on Friday and we spent a nice weekend doing what I like to think of as normal things. We went to our new favorite place for happy hour and then came home and listened to music. The OM provided dinner. On Saturday we went to two estate sales and bought a few books and a couple of other do-dads. We went out to lunch. On Saturday night we watched the first part of The Ten Commandments (1956) which, between Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and John Derek, features a lot of old fashioned male pulchritude.

As I’ve noted before, the film really holds up and we will watch the second half at a later date (we know how it ends.)

Sunday morning I made a tater tot casserole to serve for lunch after church. Then we all met up with the boy and his petite famille at church where we sang our Presbyterian hymns lustily and listened to a long sermon on Acts 20: 28-38 by the youth minister about being attentive to yourself (in respect to grace), to one another and to the Gospel. I am so happy to leave church feeling joyful and not annoyed as was previously always the the case. (The boy was annoyed because we sang Rock of Ages with the alternate tune, but this is a small price to pay for doctrinal satisfaction in my opinion.)

Lord, how delightful ’tis to see

A whole assembly worship thee!

At once they sing, at once they pray;

They hear of heaven, and learn the way.

With thoughts of Christ and things divine

Fill up this foolish heart of mine;

That, hoping pardon through his blood,

I may lie down, and wake with God.

(Isaac Watts)

After church we finally celebrated daughter #3’s birthday which was delayed from earlier in January because she was sick and then quarantined.

It had been almost a month since we had seen them! The wee laddie got a chance to drive the Raptor so he was a happy camper.

I suppose this may all sound extremely dull, but for me it was lovely and I am thankful. I am thankful that my husband went out in the cold and brought home a fast food dinner. I am thankful that my daughter spun records for me. I am even thankful that my grandson said he didn’t want to come over to my house after church because it is weird and ugly, but then he did and ate conversation hearts and a donut and was quite content. Life is weird and ugly, but there are also donuts.

Anyway, I am now a certified nerd because I actually understood these two Babylon Bee “stories” and they made me laugh out loud.

*Tom Petty

8 Comments
December 6, 2021

“Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled”

by chuckofish

The OM and I buzzed over to Jefferson City on Friday afternoon to see daughter #1 and partake of some small town Advent fun. We walked over to High Street which had been blocked off to traffic for some Christmas window display viewing. Everyone in town was there–just like in a Hallmark movie–without the romance! We then moseyed over to the Governor’s Mansion which was open for tours.

Then we walked home and watched…

The next day we drove to Boonville to tour the DAR Roslyn Heights house, built in 1895 in the Queen Anne style by Wilbur T. and Rhoda Stephens Johnson. It is currently the Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters and every December the different chapters decorate Christmas trees which are displayed throughout the house.

We stopped in New Franklin…

to view the DAR Santa Fe Trail Marker…

(…pink granite just like every building at my old flyover university.)

Then we headed over to Rocheport to have lunch at our favorite winery on the Missouri River.

That evening we strolled back to High Street to stake out space to watch the Jefferson City Christmas Parade. Once again, everyone in town was there.

It was an excellent parade with lots of high school bands and myriad floats and noisy trucks, but when the sun went down, it got much colder and we walked home. We watched another old favorite, The Muppet Christmas Carol (with Michael Caine!) which is a remarkably faithful re-telling of the Dickens story.

We got up early on Sunday morning so we could head back home and not miss church. I’m glad we made it because we heard an excellent sermon focusing on Luke 1: 26-38. Our senior pastor recommended we try starting each day with the prayer, “Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.” This sounds like a good plan to me.

Also, there was a baptism and an impromptu singing of “Jesus Loves Me” by the congregation. Both Lottie and the wee Bud exclaimed, “I know that song!” and chimed in accordingly. After church we went to Panera because our cupboards at home were bare. While we waited for our food to be ready, I asked the twins what they had learned in Sunday School and Lottie, after a pause, replied, “Fruit…fruit of the spirit.” Her Dad asked, “And what are the fruits of the spirit?” To my surprise, she reeled off, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control!” We were impressed and she repeated this several times, each time ending with a drawn out seeelllfff-controoool.” (I figured out they learned a song about the fruits of the spirit.) Will wonders never cease?

Have fun this week! Watch a Christmas movie, visit a small town or an historic home decorated for Christmas, memorize the fruit of the spirit, and remember you don’t deserve any of this. It is all a gift–and knowing this is a pathway to joy.

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November 22, 2021

Raise the song of harvest home

by chuckofish

Daughter #2 and petite famille left yesterday for Lexington and should arrive later today in our flyover city. We are beyond excited!

Meanwhile I have been readying the old manse for their arrival, stocking up on fruits and veggies for them, Pampers, etc. Daughter #1 arrived yesterday with a case of our house wine and handmade holiday outfits, so we are all set.

Earlier in the week, we heard the very sad news that our favorite local watering hole, Club Taco, was set to close on Sunday, so we dropped by for our last take-out margaritas. We tried so hard to support them through the pandemic, which threatened to close so many small businesses, but it turned out it wasn’t COVID that did them in. Their lease was not renewed. Heavy sigh.

Then we went home and settled in for a somewhat subdued happy hour of listening to music at home, culminating in a good ol’ Bob Dylan singalong.

And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul
From me to you
Tangled up in blue

In church on Sunday we were flying high with a full congregation and the choir back! Congregational singing was awesome. Add to that a solid sermon on the second half of Romans 6 (The wages of sin is death!) and it was all pretty great.

So although we mourn the demise of Club Taco, we are nevertheless off to a good start to our Thanksgiving week. Hope you all are too.

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November 15, 2021

Treat yourself

by chuckofish

My weekend made an interesting zig zag when daughter #1 came home on Wednesday night for a work event on Thursday and stayed until Friday morning. Then we drove back to JC together so we could do some Christmas shopping on Saturday.

We walked over to High Street to eat lunch. The capitol looked beautiful. That night we drank wine, ate some French bread and cheese…

… and watched a favorite Rock Hudson movie, Come September (1961).

That’s the one where where a quartet of hipster college boys take on Rock Hudson and lose terribly. A classic.

On Saturday we drove to Osage Beach and checked out the outlet mall–the four stores we like anyway–and did quite well. We braved the line to get into the Bath & Body Works to buy our 3-wick candles…Buy one, get one 50% off–such a deal!

When we got back to JC we drove around and found the neighborhood with the big old houses and also Hough Park with its serene lake and golf course in the middle of town.

Hough Park is named after Judge Arthur M. Hough who presented 50 acres to the City Council in 1917, requesting the land be used for the city’s first public park. I know you are wondering, but, no, Judge Hough was not a relative of ours–he descended from the Houghs that settled in Virginia. His father George Hough moved west to Jefferson City and helped establish the first Episcopal Church in JC. The name “Grace” was given to the parish and the name of the association was “Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of Grace Church, Jefferson City”. George Hough served on the first Vestry and his wife, Mary C. Hough, was the first person confirmed there on April 17, 1841, by the Rt. Reverend Bishop Kemper.

We also drove around Lincoln University, which, you will recall, was “founded in 1866 by the men of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantries and their white officers, for the special benefit of freed African Americans.” 

It has a very nice campus right in the middle of town.

We also went to Central Dairy and brought some coffee ice cream home to eat.

My plan was to take the Amtrak back to St. Louis on Saturday night. This was a good plan–unfortunately the train was an hour late and then halted (without explanation) for about half an hour outside Hermann, MO. This was quite disconcerting (especially when the lights went out) and caused several children to become hysterical and the already drunk group of young women in my car to become drunker. We eventually got going again and rolled in a couple of hours late. The OM was there to pick me up and I was very grateful to be home in quiet Kirkwood. So all’s well that ends well.

Meanwhile daughter #2 and her petite famille moved into a rented house–so exciting for them! I think they are pretty worn out from their exertions!…

We all made it to church again and I have to say the wee twins are making themselves right at home, which is the whole thing, right? They are very comfortable. They learned about Jonah and the whale (“It was a big fish!”). We discussed this lesson during lunch afterwards and I told them that this had actually happened to a man this year on Cape Cod. But this happened to Jonah because he was disobedient. We adults were treated to another slam-bang sermon on Romans 6: 1-14.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Romans 6: 12-14

Grace abounding–glory hallelujah!

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November 9, 2021

Grace abounding

by chuckofish

Well, we are experiencing some beautiful fall weather and I am grateful. The weekend was beautiful.

On Saturday I gave a talk on the history of the Santa Fe Trail to a group of DAR ladies. Daughter #1 accompanied me and provided tech support, because as I’ve learned in my years in academia, one always needs tech support (plus multiple back-ups, several PowerPoint versions of your talk, dongles, thumb drives etc. etc. etc.)

Everything went smoothly and I guess the ladies enjoyed it. I was pinch-hitting for someone in Kansas City in the Missouri River Outfitters chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association of which I am a member–obviously I’m the only chapter member who lives in St. Louis!

This experience did motivate me to look into the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. My maternal grandmother was a pillar of the DAR and now that I am retired, it might be something I could get interested in. It was the DAR, after all, who originally took on the important task of preserving the Santa Fe Trail and placing markers along the way, thus saving the trail from literally blowing away in the wind. The DAR in Kansas began the monumental task of marking the Trail in Kansas in 1902.  Soon chapters of the DAR in Missouri, Colorado, and New Mexico followed suit and marked the Trail in their respective states. Pink granite markers were placed where one could see the original ruts or swales, or where traders still living indicated the location of the route. Four Madonna of the Trail statues honor the women who traveled the trail. Just another example of private citizens (and women at that) organizing a project, raising money and seeing it through to completion.

We are hoping to make the trek soon to Franklin, Missouri, the original site of the beginning of the trail…

…that is, before Franklin was washed away by a flood in 1827. Then the trailhead moved west to Westport Landing.

We got up early on Sunday and made a Tater Tot breakfast casserole before going to church to meet the boy and the wee babes for the 6th week in a row! They are really enjoying Sunday School. Lottie corrected my pronunciation of Naaman. (You remember him. He was the commander of the Syrian army who was healed of his leprosy by Elijah.) After brunch, daughter #1 headed back to JC and the twins went home to wreck havoc there.

We did get to FaceTime with our precious Katiebelle who is also (obviously) brilliant:

It was a nice quiet weekend.

Now as the week progresses, remember what the @madcapcottage boys say: “Be optimistic. Be happy. Don’t live with fear. Act like a kid. Create new chapters. Ditch the pessimists in your life. And always wear bunny ears whenever the opportunity arises.” Hear, hear!

4 Comments
November 1, 2021

“Talk about your childhood wishes/You can even eat the dishes”*

by chuckofish

I have been thinking about Halloween and how back in the day, the getting of candy was really the big deal. No one had candy at home. Candy was something we got on special occasions and on Saturday mornings when we went to Spicer’s and spent a nickel on penny candy. Five pieces, which we picked out carefully, in a little brown bag. So a holiday like Halloween was about candy and the hoarding of it thereafter. Our mother made some pretty great costumes early on, but later, when we got older, costumes were secondary and frequently were thrown together at the last minute. It was the free candy that we wanted. Those mini candy bars were a seasonal treat and not available at other times of the year like they are now.

I remember when I was in kindergarten or first grade and I was going over to my best friend Trudy Glick’s house to Trick-or-Treat. She lived in a mansion on a street with other very large houses spaced far apart from each other. My older brother felt sorry for me because obviously we wouldn’t be going to very many houses. Anticipating quite a haul in our own neighborhood, he uncharacteristically and magnanimously actually said he would share his candy with me. Imagine our surprise when the denizens of Dromara Lane gave out full sized candy bars and I came home with a heaping bag of goodies. No apples or cookies or raisins. Lesson learned. (I have no memory of sharing with him, but maybe I did.)

Later, in college, Halloween was an excuse to wear makeup and to try to look sultry…

Now we just turn off the lights and ignore anyone who comes to the door.

Over the weekend we watched our share of “scary” movies: Signs (2002), Night Creatures (1962)–recommended by Paul Zahl–and The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (1964). Both Night Creatures and The Scarecrow are based on a book by Russell Thorndike, Dr. Syn. I have to admit, I prefer the Disney version. Those historical movies from the early sixties, filmed in England and sometimes starring Patrick McGoohan, were very good. The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh really holds up. And who doesn’t love a story about an Anglican vicar who has a side hustle as a smuggler so he can steal from the government to help the poor…and, of course, the title song?

We all went to church on Sunday. As a special Reformation Day treat, the men’s ensemble (a sextet) sang “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” at the beginning of the service. At the conclusion the wee laddie turned to me and whispered, “That song was awesome!” and he applauded. Luckily, he was not the only one so moved. We had brunch together at home afterwards, which I hope will be our new Sunday routine.

I served Episcopal Souffle, but I may have to change the name now. Calvinist souffle?

We did not get to see the wee twins in their Halloween costumes, but we saw a lot of pictures.

Lottie was a mermaid (striped shirt optional) and the bud was Kion from the Lion King.

Daughter #3 whipped up the costumes as requested. Very wunderbar.

Meanwhile baby Katie sat out Halloween…

…and looked adorable doing so.

Today is All Saints’ Day, at least in the Anglican world. But it is still a good reminder to pause and think about all those saints who have influenced our lives.

On All Saints’ Day, it is not just the saints of the church that we should remember in our prayers, but all the foolish ones and wise ones, the shy ones and overbearing ones, the broken ones and whole ones, the despots and tosspots and crackpots of our lives who, one way or another, have been our particular fathers and mothers and saints, and whom we loved without knowing we loved them and by whom we were helped to whatever little we may have, or ever hope to have, of some kind of seedy sainthood of our own. 

Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey

Have a great week!

*Willy Wonka

3 Comments
October 25, 2021

What then shall we say?

by chuckofish

We were given a real treat last week when an old friend from my former flyover university offered me her tickets to the Marty Stuart concert at the Sheldon on Friday night. She and her husband are still “not comfortable” with going to venues with a big crowd, so her loss was our gain. We had to show our vax cards and wear a mask, so I’m not sure what the problem was, but whatever. Daughter #1 drove in from JC to go with us and drive. We made it downtown, despite missed exits and closed ramps, and managed not to detour to Illinois. Before the concert started, I sipped my wine so I didn’t have to have my mask up the whole time. It’s like waiting in the bar at the airport, where you don’t have to wear a mask. If you’re drinking, you can’t pass germs, right?

We had fourth row seats, so we had a great view of Marty and the Fabulous Superlatives, who were as always, superlative.

Marty and Handsome Harry Stinson have aged a bit like the rest of us, but they put on quite a show and the crowd was truly on fire. I have been a fan of Marty for 50 years (he’s been touring since he was 12) and we have seen Marty in concert four or five times (at least). This was the best ever. It was a super fun time.

On Saturday we went to a couple of estate sales and out to lunch and then embarked on a search in the basement for some vintage dresses for Katie to try on when she visits at Thanksgiving. Then we had our first fire of the season and listened to some LPs we purchased at the estate sale for 50 cents each.

We also FaceTimed with daughter #2 and Katie who has an ear infection and a runny nose but rallied and only disconnected us once. She can say, “Hi, Mam!” and kiss the screen. Brilliant.

On Sunday the boy dropped the wee twins off before church because he had to open his store and daughter #3 had to go to a craft show where she had a booth.

We had a little play time before heading to church where I was pleased to see them resist their depraved natures and behave. I had to laugh at Lottie, who exclaimed when a member of our newcomer class said hello, “I’m Lottie. L-O-T-T-I-E! With two “T’s!” After church we came home and ate bagels and creme cheese.

(“I just love this arctic seal.”)

(Reading the literally best book ever, “Cars and Trucks and Things that Go”)

In other news, this was interesting.

And I like this old prayer for the unconverted by Newman Hall (1816-1902) which Tim Challies shared:

We pray for those who do not pray!
Who waste away salvation’s day;
For those we love who love not Thee—
Our grief, their danger, pitying see.

Those for whom many tears are shed
And blessings breathed upon their head,
The children of thy people save
From godless life and hopeless grave.

Hear fathers, mothers, as they pray
For sons, for daughters, far away—
Brother for brother, friend for friend—
Hear all our prayers that upward blend.

We pray for those who long have heard
But still neglect Thy gracious Word;
Soften the hearts obdurate made
By calls unheeded; vows delayed.

Release the drunkard from his chain,
Bare those beguiled by pleasure vain,
Set free the slaves of lust, and bring
Back to their home the wandering.

The hopeless cheer; guide those who doubt;
Restore the lost; cast no one out;
For all that are far off we pray,
Since we were once far off as they.

And this meme with Captain Holt is funny:

Have a good week!

5 Comments
October 18, 2021

A bushel and a peck

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine turned out to be very busy and with way more socializing than I am used to.

The OM and I spent five hours going to the Newcomer Classes at our new church (on Friday night and Saturday morning). It was time well spent, but it was a lot for my aging brain to take in.

“This is why Paul upholds the teaching of the gospel in such a forceful way … Seeing such an example and such a picture of man’s great weakness and fickleness, Paul states that the truth of the gospel must supersede anything that we may devise … he is showing us that we ought to know the substance of the doctrine which is brought to us in the name of God, so that our faith can be fully grounded upon it. Then we will not be tossed about with every wind, nor will we wander about aimlessly, changing our opinions a hundred times a day; we will persist in this doctrine until the end. This, in brief, is what we must remember.”

–John Calvin, Sermon on Galatians

On Saturday afternoon I brought in all the plants from the Florida Room and attempted to find suitable winter homes for them throughout my house. Exhausting. Then I took a quick nap before going out to celebrate our 41st (!) anniversary with some old friends at a nice restaurant.

Kids, 1980

On Sunday, instead of going to church with the boy and the wee twins as planned, the OM and I drove to Jefferson City where daughter #1 had purchased a Power Wheels Raptor for the twins at Walmart (spoiler alert: combo birthday/Christmas present from all of us)…

…but, curses, had discovered that it would not fit in her Mazda. (There is a lot of backstory here, but I will not go into it. Suffice it to say, we have been looking high and low for the aforementioned truck, so when she found one, she jumped on it.) So we drove to JC, picked her up and hustled over to Walmart where they were holding it. Two nice young men brought it out to the OM’s SUV…

…only to discover that it was too big for his car! Luckily we were in mid-MO where the two young men took it upon themselves to make it fit. They took it out of the box and persuaded it to fit. Bravo.

We thanked them kindly and headed to Steak ‘n Shake for lunch. Then we bid adieu to daughter #1 and drove back to our flyover town and managed to unload the Raptor into the garage, where we will put it back together at some later date.

What a weekend! I must say, it was a beautiful weekend, weather-wise–crisp and cool. I watched Circus World (1964) starring John Wayne, Claudia Cardinale and Rita Hayworth on Sunday night, which rounded out the weekend nicely.

5 Comments