dual personalities

Tag: Weekend

March 10, 2026

We shall gather at the river

by chuckofish

We made it back from the prairie–a very blustery drive! (Par for the course.) The speedwagon did great though.

The weekend was delightful. The grandkids are so entertaining and DN served up gourmet meals–a real step up from my usual egg salad sandwiches! And at dinner Saturday night three-year old Ida, unprompted, broke into shout singing this song (She knows all the words.)

Devil get behind me, run on home
Back to the grave where you belong
In case you forgot, let me tell you the truth
You’re stuck under my blood bought boots
Devil get behind me, you got no hold
I’ve been changed by the Holy Ghost
Try all you want, but it ain’t no use
You’re stuck under my blood bought boots

Get behind me (oh-oh)
Get behind me (oh-oh)
Devil get behind me (oh-oh)

It was one of the greatest things ever. Can you even?

The triple baptisms went off without a hitch on Sunday. Pastor Luke gave a very nice introduction to covenant baptism and why it is entirely appropriate and biblical to baptize a household.

We also heard a fine sermon on revelation 1:9-20 about how God reigns now even as we wait until He comes again–the already and the not yet overlap in the present. So let your light shine, even as we long for the fullness of the kingdom to come!

Afterwards we drove to Bloomington for a lovely lunch at the home of DN’s parents, who have moved there from Maryland.

Mr. Smith was a good boy, although he had to stay home and miss the festivities. He got along great with the baby.

Praise the Lord!

And I love this so much.  It takes a minute and a half.

Now Go out there and kick it!

3 Comments
March 6, 2026

Let the children come

by chuckofish

It’s Friday again–another week has skied by and once again I did not accomplish everything on my To Do List. Some things, but not everything. As Grant famously said to Sherman after the first day of fighting at Shiloh did not go well, “Lick ’em tomorrow though.”

Daughter #1 and I (and Mr. Smith) are planning to drive up to the prairie tomorrow morning so that we can go to church with daughter #2 where the three kiddos are being baptized on Sunday–praise the Lord! (You will recall that we had planned to do this last weekend, but the flu delayed us.)

This is our first Presbyterian baptism! According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q. 94. What is Baptism?
A. Baptism is a Sacrament, wherein the washing with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s.

“Consider the Apostle Peter’s striking admonition to his fellow Jews on the day of Pentecost, ‘For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself’ (Acts 2:39). In other words, those who follow Jesus Christ as His disciples are responsible by faith to entrust the spiritual awakening of their own children to God’s gracious work (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5-7). We do this by presenting our “Covenant Children” for baptism and by instructing them in the truths of the Gospel as they mature.” (The Genevan Foundation)

So please pray that our travel is smooth and easy and rain-free!

Soli Deo Gloria!

3 Comments
March 2, 2026

Don’t think twice

by chuckofish

I didn’t do a whole lot this weekend, but I did get the very large framed Asian watercolor that I picked up last week from Link Auction back into my car and took it over to daughter #1’s house where she successfully hung it on the wall. (Her father would be so proud.) Doesn’t it look great?

I went to church on Sunday with the boy and the twins. We heard a really good sermon on Joshua 6:1-27, all about walking and waiting, destruction and deliverance, trusting in God’s timing. Then we went to Sunday School and I chose the class on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which I really enjoyed. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

After that we went to the Sunny Street Cafe for our usual brunch and talked about our different Sunday School classes. We had a good time and everyone ate heartily.

And here’s some exciting news–Don reports his first flower of the season!

And we see some buds in our yard…

Finally, here’s a great Bob Dylan cover I hope you will enjoy:

Wow. Here’s some more of Billy and his band if you’re interested.

Looking forward to a week full of rain–haha–not really, but c’est la vie.

4 Comments
February 23, 2026

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was full of missions and missionaries. It got cold again, but the sun was shining most of the time. Hopefully the daffodils will pull through. I mean, this happens every year, so chances are, all will be well.

There were no good estate sales on Saturday but daughter #1 and I did hit an antique mall and found a couple of odds ‘n ends. I was more successful at the Link online auction on Thursday and Friday. Auctions are fascinating to me. One can usually find a few good bargains (I did) but occasionally there is a real surprise. One such surprise was when a geltone reproduction of Grant Wood’s Midnight Ride of Paul Revere came up.

It was estimated at $50-$100. I was interested in it as I have always liked it and I thought I might get it for $15 or so, but a bidding war took off and it eventually sold for over $800!

Another watercolor painting, estimated at $75-$100…

…went for $1800! Fantastic. Now that’s entertainment!

I hadn’t seen the twins in over a month, so I was glad they were able to make it to church with their Dad on Sunday morning. We heard a good sermon from a visiting missionary to Norway. They couldn’t stay for Sunday School (their Papaw was leaving to go back to Florida) so that meant no Sunny Side diner either. C’est la vie. Life is full of disappointments, right? But we are steadfast.

Daughter #1 came over later in the afternoon in order to bring Mr. Smith who spent the night with me. (I am taking him to the kennel this morning while she heads to Arizona for work.)

Later I will head down to the Link Auction House to pick up my winnings. It’s a new week! Have a good one.

(And here’s a new song I like.)

1 Comment
February 10, 2026

Gracious God my heart renew; make my spirit right and true*

by chuckofish

Well, I had a swell time visiting the prairie girls (and boy). We stayed inside except for a quick walk around the block and a trip to church on Sunday. But I got to hold the bud a lot…

We read a lot of books…

…and we played with a lot of Magna Tiles (which can be very frustrating)…

We watched some of the Olympics and Katie and Ida think they would be good at snowboarding…

I was impressed that she included those slalom flags in her drawing.

I enjoyed visiting their church on Sunday which was packed. It is a very different vibe than my church–lots of U of I students. (They have an active RUF chapter.) We heard a good sermon:

(Katie’s sermon notes)

I drove home in the speedwagon on Monday morning after DN gassed it up and procured a Polar Pop for me. I listened to the Springfield country station and was a little shocked by the current songs–all whiskey, bars and loose women–but this one by Morgan Wallen had a clever twist.

Yeah, the night I said, “I’m leavin’,” I turned into Richard Petty
Broke my heart, so I got even in my ’97 Chevy
Now I’m walkin’ on this water mixed with Johnnie Walker Black
There’s a lotta reasons I ain’t Jesus, but the main one is that

I ain’t comin’ back
Oh, no, no, I ain’t comin’ back

When I got closer to STL I switched to Joy99.

Now it is Tuesday and I am discombobulated about what day it is. C’est la vie. Have a good one!

*Scottish Psalter (after Psalm 51)

3 Comments
February 2, 2026

Another weekend: postcards from the frozen midwest

by chuckofish

February is here, so can spring be (too) far behind?

How was your weekend? Mine was very quiet. Daughter #1 was out of town, laughing it up with the prairie girls…

…and the boy and his family were all down with the flu.

I had lunch with a friend on Friday, but otherwise I was on my own. So I was extra glad to go to church on Sunday–even when it was 8 degrees outside. I donned my vintage fur coat for the third week in a row and braved the elements. We had a hardy band of believers at the 8:30 service. I noted that there were more men than women in the choir! We also ordained and installed new elders and deacons.

But my reading glasses were not in my purse, so I had a challenging time. I managed, but I was definitely playing the trombone. Getting older is not for sissies.

This is a thoughtful post about doom-scrolling: “The internet gives us a false omniscience, presenting everything from everywhere to everyone at any time. But we are not God. We were not designed for omniscience. Not even the digital imitation. Yet here it is. Everything. All the time.”

And in memory of Catherine O’Hara, who died last week, here’s a classic scene from Best In Show (2000):

God does love a terrier.

5 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
January 12, 2026

Lay your worries down

by chuckofish

Well, I had quite a weekend, starting Friday night when the twins came over for dinner and a movie and spent the night. Daughter #1 and Mr. Smith joined us for pizza from Dewey’s and we watched one of our favorite movies, The Court Jester (1955).

After they went home, the twins and I went to bed. I have four bedrooms and plenty of beds, but unfortunately, as the night wore on, we all ended up in the same bed (mine) and it was like trying to sleep with squirrels. Hopefully we will do this again soon, but I will have to make sure everyone is prepared to stay in their assigned space–my life is not a Shirley Jackson story, after all! Right? Right?

The boy picked them up in the morning. I spent the rest of the day recovering from getting no sleep, but daughter #1 and I did manage to meet for margaritas and visit our favorite antique mall and re-sale shop where we got some DVDs and books.

It was 25 degrees when I left for church on Sunday morning, so I wore my vintage fur coat. The wee bud asked me what kind of fur it was–bear? I said, no, mink. He said, oh, like a ferret? I said, no like a mink. He said he would like to have a ferret for a pet…Anyway, church was good. We heard a great sermon on Rahab (Joshua 2:1-24), a story I’m happy to say I was familiar with. Rahab is one one of those great women of the Bible–a Canaanite prostitute who does the right thing and believes in God, the one God of the heavens above and the earth beneath. After church I went to the new adult ed class which is for everyone and is the Intro to Covenant class, in other words, the newly developed new members class. They want everyone to take it and I think that is a great idea. It is a wonderful reminder of what we believe and why we go to Covenant. It made me very happy.

In the evening I returned to church for our annual meeting. Once again I was very impressed. Our session has a strong grip on things and boy, those Presbyterians can handle money. We send 25% of our budget to missions! And no deficit!

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

all I have needed thy hand hath provided–

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923

And now it is Monday. Onward and upward!

P.S. It was an amazing week for memes, but my favorites are still all the Marco Rubio ones.

3 Comments
December 15, 2025

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy

by chuckofish

(Not a bad likeness of the new baby by his older sister)

I made it home on Friday afternoon between two snow events on the prairie. Phew. I had a lot to do over the weekend–the Kirkwood Historical Society annual meeting and Christmas tea…checking in with Mr. Smith…

…catching up at church on Sunday (twice!), making Episcopal Calvinist souffle and celebrating the twin’s 9th birthday at my house!

Now I am on Jury Duty of all things! What a December. I don’t know when I’m going to mail my packages or wrap presents, much less send Christmas cards, but I’m not going to worry about it.

P.S. I hear the prairie girls watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers again–seems they can’t get enough of those wild boys!

And I thought this was funny (and true)…

4 Comments
November 24, 2025

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was pleasantly uneventful. Daughter #1 and I were moderately successful at an estate sale run by our favorite company–and by that I mean we got quite a few books and DVDs for an amazing Lamar discount.

The highlight of the weekend was going to church and seeing the boy and his family stand up in front of the congregation and be welcomed as new members. When the wee bud returned to our pew he said, “That was the best moment I’ve ever had!” They have been attending for four years, so I don’t think the twins really understood what was happening, but something clicked. We sang good hymns and, I must say, it melts my heart to hear little Lottie singing in her sweet falsetto “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow” from memory beside me.

We also had a great sermon on the final verses of Philippians–4:10-23–and an in-context explanation of I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Ah, the secret of Christian contentment: you may not get what you want, but you will get what you need.

My adult ed class was a panel of elders talking about various topics, including stewardship, and it was very instructive and so incredibly different from my experience in the various Episcopal churches I have attended over the years. At Covenant the session sets a budget and trusts the Lord will provide. There is no lengthy Every Member Canvas, no fund-raising, no talk of gross vs. net pay. This continues to blow my mind. When there is an opportunity to preach about giving from the Gospel lesson, as there was on Sunday, the pastor talks about giving: And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

We went to the Sunny Street Cafe after church to celebrate and daughter #1 met us there. We gobbled down our food and talked about her business trip to Wyoming and Devil’s Tower and giant coal-mining equipment much to the twins’ amazement. The bud already knew all about Devil’s Tower and the legend of the two Indian sisters and the bear, because he is a whiz on landmarks. Speaking of bears, did you know they are wrecking havoc in Japan? Neither twin knew there were bears in Japan and were skeptical when I told them.

I am re-reading Shane by Jack Schaefer and enjoying it. It is interesting to see how it is different from the movie and how the screenplay (in the hands of the great A.B. Guthrie) changes some things and emphasizes others to make a truly great film. I can’t wait to watch it again soon.

Have a great week–be thankful for your many blessings! Be content, give generously, rejoice. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.

(And pet a nice dog.)

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

–Henry F. Lyte, 1834

5 Comments