dual personalities

Tag: Weekend

March 22, 2021

One insular Tahiti

by chuckofish

Spring is here and the Florida Room is open for business. I worked all day on Saturday, taking everything out of the room, cleaning it, cleaning everything, moving it all back. Then I moved all the plants in. Phew, was I tired when I finally finished.

I deserved some refreshment afterwards.

My friend Carla came over on Sunday for an inaugural SP21 visit to the Florida Room and we gabbed away, catching up–sans masks. All these little steps seem like a bigger deal these days, don’t you think?

The wee babes came over after that and frolicked outside. Running down the hill,

playing velcro catch,

driving the Cooper,

drawing the solar system on the driveway,

and so on. All the fun stuff. Pappy barbecued a feast of hamburgers and hotdogs. We had ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

And I have to say, after a work week full of rain and dark skies, there is nothing like sitting in a folding chair on the driveway in the sunshine watching the wee babes frolic.

Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure. Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks. Consider, once more, the universal cannibalism of the sea; all whose creatures prey upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began.

Consider all this; and then turn to the green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself? For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half-known life. God keep thee! Push not off from that isle, thou canst never return!”

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
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March 19, 2021

“We’re all between perdition and the deep blue sea”*

by chuckofish

I had a very busy week at work and I hardly left the house. No trips to the recycling center or the Post Office to break up the monotony. I poked around in my yard from time to time, cutting daffodils, but it rained a lot, so I really didn’t go outside much. Our lives have been reduced to a very small scale indeed. If it weren’t for Zoom meetings, who would I see but the OM?

(Yes, I am grateful he is here!)

Thankfully I get to FaceTime with this precious babe who is taking after her namesake and dressing in my favorite neutral–leopard print. She is clearly feeling the vibe. (I think I need a jumpsuit!)

This weekend I plan to clean up the Florida Room in anticipation of warmer weather and being able to move all my houseplants out there soon. And I hope the wee babes will find time to come over and wreck havoc at our house. Life would be way too neat and tidy without them.

I’ll watch a movie from my Lenten List, because Easter is coming sooner than you think–two weeks! Maybe I’ll watch La vita è bella (1997) although it is a hard one, because the little fellow in it really reminds me of another little fellow I know.

But we need to watch, lest we forget what can actually happen. People who openly talk about re-education camps and deprogramming don’t seem to be able to make those connections.

Well, I’m feeling like some Ben Folds. How about you?

Yes, life barrels on like a runaway train. It won’t be too long until I am packing up my stuff in the office I haven’t been to in a year. And that’s okay with me.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances”

*Frank Loesser, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”

6 Comments
March 8, 2021

Create in us clean hearts, O God

by chuckofish

The OM and I drove down to Jeff City to get our first vaccine shots on Friday, because God Only Knows when we would have gotten them in STL County.

Here we are after our shots, waiting for 15 minutes in the HY-VEE grocery store. I am on the phone, dealing with a problem at work that my assistant called me about–(“Call me as soon as you can!!”)–apparently I am indispensable. Also I look 100 years old and have morphed into my Mother or maybe my Grandmother. C’est la vie. Whatever.

We were there for less than 24 hours but we had fun with daughter #1. We ate lunch at an actual restaurant and drove to the outlet mall at Osage Beach where we did a wee bit of actual in person shopping. It was kind of mind blowing. We had ice cream at the Central Dairy, Jeff City hot spot.

Back in St. Louis, I caught up on laundry and vacuuming and all that stuff. I watched Sling Blade (1996) from my lenten movie list.

I hadn’t seen it in many years as it is super intense, but it was awesome. It actually has a lot in common with Shane–particularly the relationship of the boy and the stranger who comes to town. He is very passive and mysterious and he doesn’t say much, but he is taking it all in, and in the end he knows he must act to protect those he has come to love. It reminded me of Woody Allen’s comment about Shane–“Sometimes there is no other way out of a situation but…to go in there and kill them. Very few of us are brave enough or have the talent to do it….there are times when that evil reaches the level of pure evil.” Spoiler alert–This is also the situation in Sling Blade. Anyway, I highly recommend it. John Ritter as the gay friend, who like the farmers in Shane is helpless against the evil badman, is priceless, and, of course, I love Lucas Black so much. Cousin Dwight Yoakum is equal to Jack Palance in menacing scariness. Billy Bob Thornton, who wrote, directed and starred as Karl Childers, won an Oscar for screenplay, but deserved more. It is a gem of a movie.

The wee babes came over on Sunday night and brought their scooters and chalk, because it was a beautiful day.

Lottie drew a picture of me.
And I drew a picture of Lottie.

We saw lots of people walking by and a myriad of dogs, plus one red sports car, which was extremely exciting. Good times.

I liked this article. “Sin is not just the doing of bad, but also the failure of doing good.” Episcopalians know a lot about this:

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone…

Oh, those sins of omission. They do pile up.

O Thou that asketh much of him to whom thou givest much, have mercy. Remember me not for the ill I’ve done but for the good I’ve dreamed. Help me to be not just the old and foolish one thou seest now but once again a fool for thee. Help me to pray. Help me whatever way thou canst, dear Christ and Lord. Amen.

Godric in Godric by Frederick Buechner

We’re off to a busy week. Have a good one.

5 Comments
February 22, 2021

Tout va bien

by chuckofish

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Well, my big errand of the weekend was loading up the Cooper and driving to the recycling center to unload boxes. Quite satisfying, but not very exciting to say the least. My hands got very cold. The OM and I also moved the 1000 piece partially finished jigsaw puzzle, which daughter #1 and I had started last weekend, off the coffee table in the living room onto a salvaged wooden dresser top to get it out of the way in anticipation of the wee babes coming over on Sunday night. Oh, the exhausting issues of our bourgeoisie life.

The babes did come over and we had tacos and they played (mostly) happily while the grownups talked.

Today starts our last full week of winter term classes at my flyover institute. March–and spring–are just around the corner, right? In fact, when tromping through our snowy yard yesterday, I came upon these in the southside forsythia bed…

…daffodils coming up! Zut alors! I can’t believe it. Spring will come, no matter what we do. Best to enjoy each day (and its weather) as it comes. We will endeavor to do the best we can and no more. It may not be enough, but so be it.

Labor with what zeal we will,
Something still remains undone,
Something uncompleted still
Waits the rising of the sun.
By the bedside, on the stair,
At the threshold, near the gates,
With its menace or its prayer,
Like a mendicant it waits;
Waits, and will not go away;
Waits, and will not be gainsaid;
By the cares of yesterday
Each to-day is heavier made;
Till at length the burden seems
Greater than our strength can bear,
Heavy as the weight of dreams,
Pressing on us everywhere.
And we stand from day to day,
Like the dwarfs of times gone by,
Who, as Northern legends say,
On their shoulders held the sky.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Something Left Undone”

The photo at the top is from Pinterest. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

6 Comments
February 15, 2021

“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”*

by chuckofish

We had a fun-filled weekend, despite the fact that temperatures never got above 8 degrees.

Thank goodness for a fire and a new puzzle to do!

Daughter #1 had planned on leaving bright and early on Sunday morning in order to get ahead of the snow headed our way, but the bad weather had already hit mid-MO, so she stayed in town and will head back as soon as the roads clear.

The wee babes came over on Saturday for our little Valentine party.

A couple of new books, some candy and a frolic in the Beanie Baby mosh pit are all it takes for sustained gaiety. Pizza from Deweys. Voila. We all loved our handmade gifts from the babes.

Baby Katie was sorry that she missed the fun…

…and we sure missed her, but we FaceTimed twice and exchanged our Valentines via mail.

We watched Bullitt (1968) which has become our Valentine tradish. We enjoyed it thoroughly.

And now it is a new week. Here’s a poem to start it off:

How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live ’em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give ’em.

Shel Silverstein

*Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

3 Comments
February 5, 2021

“Some day we’ll look back and smile”*

by chuckofish

It is Friday at last. The weekend is upon us. Huzzah!–although the weather doesn’t look great. Nevertheless I am happy, because…happiness is the weekend, right?

I have no plans per usual, but I will think of something. An estate sale, a trip to the antique mall–anything to get out of the house. Maybe I will just walk on the curb for some excitement.

This is a great podcast/article from John Piper on the Fog of Triviality that our culture embraces.

One of the curses of our culture, and it has permeated the church and most Christian communication, is banality, triviality, silliness, superficiality, and an eerie addiction to flippancy and levity. This is accompanied by what to me seems a baffling allergy to seriousness, dignity, articulate precision, brokenhearted joy in public speech. Carelessness in speech and casualness in demeanor turn up in places and times where you would least expect them — where you hope for clarity and earnestness and gravity.

Somebody had to say it. I am certainly guilty of it. It is good to be reminded of the “awe-fullness of God.”

On the bright side, I have good news for Richard Farnsworth fans! The Grey Fox (1983) is finally available to watch! I found it on Prime to rent for 99 cents.

I had not seen it since it was originally released in 1983 and it holds up very well. I am a great fan of Farnsworth who started his career at the age of 19 as a stuntman and extra in such movies as Gone With the Wind and Gunga Din in the 1930s.

Over the years he herded cattle on Red River where he doubled Montgomery Clift. He doubled Kirk Douglas in Spartacus and Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive. He doubled Henry Fonda in Fort Apache and on and on. When he finally turned to acting, he was nominated twice for an Academy Award. And he got to play Dolly Parton’s father!

He had quite a career.

So have a good weekend! Watch a good movie! Smile.

*Chris Stapleton

6 Comments
January 25, 2021

Small town Saturday night

by chuckofish

We are now in the last week of January! Time slips by even though we don’t do much.

On Friday night the wee babes and their parents came over for pizza. Daughter #1 arrived in town in time to join in the fun. While the adults gabbed, the wee laddie set up a Beanie Baby school with his favorite Collie as teacher. (Is that the cutest thing or what?) School must be on his mind and I guess he likes it!

In other news daughter #1 found this handmade mid-century child’s apron for me at a mid-MO antique mall.

How much do you love that fabric?

On Saturday I had the pleasure of daughter #1’s company while running a few errands. Gone are the days when we could enjoy lunch out, but we did get take-out margaritas from Club Taco to bring home and drink in front of a crackling fire.

The Bob Dylan sing-along started early and the music flowed far into the night. (The OM remained engrossed in his iPad.)

It was a good weekend. So onward and upward, remembering that today is the feast day of the conversion of Saint Paul on the road to Damascus.

Great painting–but please note that there is no mention of a horse in the scripture. Saul/Paul was on foot.

I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 

II Corinthians 11: 16-31

Have a good week!

4 Comments
January 11, 2021

Frosty wind made moan

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was very quiet. The weather was cold and gray and overcast–very conducive to staying home and reading. The wee babes shook things up a bit by coming over on Sunday to celebrate there mother’s belated birthday. We had meatloaf (her fave) and birthday cake and opened a few more presents.

This was real cake…not cornbread in disguise. The OM had very specific instructions when he went to the store.

From November 28 through January 6 it is one big birthday party in their little family–with Christmas thrown in for good measure. Zut alors! Daughter #3 is a good sport about her anti-climactic day.

The babes have been back at school for a week and are happy to have returned to their old routine. I wish I could say the same. C’est la vie–Zoom classes! Oh well.

But this is great: Seven Things I Pray You Experience in the New Year by James Smith, one of Charles Spurgeon’s predecessors at New Park Street Chapel in London. And, BTW, “Laodicean” means lukewarm. I looked it up.

Have a good week.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26
4 Comments
November 2, 2020

Foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved

by chuckofish

Another Halloween has come and gone without much ado. The boy dressed up as Blippi and went trick-or-treating with a little monster and Princess Celestia.

What you say? You are not acquainted with Blippi? Well get with the program–he is all the rage with the toddler set. You can check him out here.

In other news, daughter #1 and I went to the drive-through Sticker Treat…

…where we got 99.1 Joy car stickers and candy! How fun is that? We are huge nerds and we just don’t care any more.

We also went to a fabric store, bought Diet Cokes in a strange neighborhood McDonalds, bombed out at two estate sales, and had a margarita-fueled sing-a-long with Alan Jackson. I re-read a Longmire mystery. We watched The Blob (1958) and several Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. We FaceTimed with precious Katiebelle and her mommy who had an equally exciting weekend.

Now it is back to another Zoom-filled, election-punctuated week. Yikes.

Slander no one … be peaceable and considerate, and always gentle toward everyone. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us… (Titus 3:2-5)

5 Comments
October 26, 2020

“Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist? “*

by chuckofish

Another busy weekend went by too fast. We accompanied this little monster and this little unicorn (“Princess Celesia”)…

to the haunted drive through at Grant’s Farm.

Good times (and appropriate social-distancing!)

Our family “pod” had fun with the Beanie Babies and ate pizza.

Climbing in that mosh pit never gets old.

We also picked out some pumpkins at the Methodist Church pumpkin patch on Friday. It was cold and rainy, so I did’t get any pictures, but I was glad to load up the Cooper with pumpkins recklessly chosen by the wee babes.

And there were donuts…

All in all, a fun weekend indeed. Now it is back to the salt mine and another gloomy week of overcast skies and rain. I think we’ll see the sun on Friday.

And as they say, “I’d tell you a pandemic joke. But there’s a 99.9996% chance you won’t get it.”

*Leonard Capizzi / Bob Pickett, “Monster Mash”

3 Comments