dual personalities

Tag: Weekend

March 17, 2025

Be thou still my strength and shield*

by chuckofish

We had quite a storm on Friday night–wind, rain, hail–the whole nine yards. Luckily for us, there were no tornadoes in our immediate area.

Our internet was out, so we couldn’t watch our local TV weathermen, which was troubling. We never really knew if we needed to go to the basement. But we had a text thread going with our three children…

Anyway, we are all right. Spring storms are par for the course here, although you never really get used to them. When I was driving over to daughter #1’s house on Sunday afternoon, I had to detour around a large tree that was blocking Price Road!

The further excitement of that stormy evening was when I was awakened at 4:00 in the morning by a dog howling outside. I thought how odd, but went back to sleep. Then at 4:30 a.m. I heard it again. I got up to look out my window, and lo and behold, there was a large coyote in my front yard! He ambled across the street and disappeared behind the neighbor’s house. Zut alors!

Well, it was a very busy weekend besides the weather, indeed, with lots of activities. The twins earned an A+ for behavior in church. But for now, I will leave you with a reminder that it is St. Patrick’s Day today, so it’s time to watch The Quiet Man (1952)…

I love this Simpson’s version of the famous kissing-in-the rain scene with JW’s yellow skin showing through his rain-soaked shirt.

In other news, I have my semi-annual cancer check-up today as well, and an infusion, so Fun Times. Onward and upward.

*William Williams, 1745, Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah

6 Comments
March 10, 2025

Hold on wait a minute

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was routine–an estate sale, happy hour, DAR meeting, church–and that’s the way I like it. [At the DAR meeting, when we recited the preamble to the U.S. constitution, I thought of Barney Fife.] Also, the OM accompanied me when I took my car to the carwash. Usually he does this for me, but I wanted to take my new car myself–so, very exciting indeed.

I picked up the twins and took them to church and Sunday School where they had a good time learning about the Great Commission. The service was long, but this week they got an A for effort despite the fact that the bud brought his new Stikbot with him to church. He knew I would take it away if he misbehaved, so…

…maybe that helped. The bud said the Apostles Creed unprompted and from memory and they both held up their hands during the benediction like good little evangelicals. I was so proud. After church we went to the Sunny Street Cafe for pancakes and daughter #1 met us there. I had to drive them back to their Dad’s store afterwards, but I don’t mind since I always hear lots of interesting stuff emanating from the back seat. Such as: the bud went to his first rock 101 class (in addition to drum lessons) wherein he plays with a band! Zut alors. Girls and boys lacrosse also has started outside. Lottie plays with 10 year-olds.

Meanwhile Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana is my favorite new Instagram follow:

Have a great week!

P.S. The picture at the top is a drawing Katie made of her sister Ida, complete with pigtails and an “I” Illinois orange t-shirt. Brilliant.

2 Comments
March 3, 2025

Postcards from the weekend–it is well with my soul edition

by chuckofish

Is anything more stressful than having tech problems? Yes, I can think of several things, but still you understand what I mean…My email account was locked for three days and it took three attempts and finally daughter #1 mediating for her elderly parents with Vijay in India to get it fixed…

But fixed it is and, praise Jesus, I am slowly regaining my composure.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul. 

It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.

We had a lovely, sunny weekend. After reaching 70 degrees on Friday (not a record) when everyone was out and about and a parking place in downtown Kirkwood was not to be found, the weekend was much colder. On Sunday we picked up the twins and brought them to church. (Lacrosse season is about to start and their Dad’s store was a madhouse over the weekend.) They enjoyed Sunday School, but their depravity self-checking during the service earned them a B- from me. C’est la vie, they are eight and the sermon was a long one on Hebrews 10:26-39. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

After depositing them back with their Dad at the store, we went to lunch at the house of our “fold” leader with two other couples. It was very nice–and the conversation was excellent. Then we headed home to meet daughter #1 and Mr. Smith, who stayed with us overnight so I could take him (again) to the kennel this morning. Daughter #1 had to get up early and head to Colorado for work.

So remember what Frederick Buechner said: “In everything,” Paul says, they are to keep on praying. Come Hell or high water, they are to keep on asking, keep on thanking, above all keep on making themselves known. He does not promise them that as a result they will be delivered from the worst things any more than Jesus himself was delivered from them. What he promises them instead is that “the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  

Amen, brother.

And here is a talk Anne gave last week wherein she asks (among other things) “Where Are We Going, and Why Are We in This Handbasket?”

Have a great Monday!

2 Comments
February 24, 2025

You never gave up on me

by chuckofish

Well, the sun came out and it warmed up a lot here in flyover country. Everyone was out and about on Saturday. Daughter #1 and I ventured out to go estate sale-ing and drove all over but we were not very successful–got a couple of books and said ‘hey’ to Lamar. We were more successful at the Joann’s fabric store going-out-of-business sale. We went out to lunch, which we had not done in quite awhile, and got pretty silly thinking about Steve Gutenberg and his faded stardom. “The stonecutters aren’t doing their job.”

It was our Missions weekend at church so the OM and I were there twice. On Friday night we went to the banquet where we heard an update on the missionaries we support. There was more about that on Sunday morning during Sunday School and in the sermon. We picked up Lottie and brought her with us (the bud was busy doing something) and she went to Sunday School and then church with us. She seems so grown up these days! We went to the Sunny Street diner after and that was fun. Then we went home…

…and after the obligatory jump in the Beanie Baby mosh pit, we found all my old Barbies etc in the basement and got them out. She entertained herself while we talked to her Dad for awhile when he came to pick her up. Then they left to go to Lacrosse practice. Busy, busy.

Shortly after that daughter #1 came over to drop off Mr. Smith who spent the night with us, so that I could take him to the Kennel this morning while she left bright and early to go to Indiana for work.

In other news, back in the fall I got the idea of bringing some pelargoniums inside for the winter from @carlosgarciainteriors and I’m glad I did. They are doing great inside!

They are even blooming!

This is what I call exciting in my life!

And here’s a song I like:

Have a good Monday!

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.

–Robert Robinson, 1758

7 Comments
February 17, 2025

Postcards from a busy weekend

by chuckofish

Well, I made it up to Champaign-Urbana and back again–through fog and mist–and my new car did great! The Countryman has been broken in! Although stressful, it was well worth it to see darling daughter #2 and the Prairie Girls, not to mention DN who gassed up my car and cooked a yummy dinner. And I can report that, although she was barely speaking at Christmas, Ida is talking a blue streak (and in full sentences) now. She has quite a vocabulary!

On Friday, while Katie went to her pre-school Valentine’s Day party, Daughter #2 and Ida and I went to Costco. Ida insisted on pushing the cart.

We also went to an estate sale in Monticello and daughter #2 found the one thing in the house worth buying. I was very proud of her. She and her sister have both developed a ‘good eye’. On Friday night I babysat while the lovebirds went out for a Valentine’s Day drink. Easy peasey. I went home on Saturday because of the threatening weather and I’m glad I did as it snowed some more and was very windy on Sunday.

Meanwhile daughter #1 went to her church’s women’s retreat and Mr. Smith had a sleepover with the twins. I hear it went very well and he was a good dog…

They watched Lady and the Tramp. Daughter #1 picked him up after her retreat, and they stopped by at our house for happy hour. Then they went home where Mr. Smith mellowed out and watched a Woody Allen movie.

The OM (who did not burn the house down while I was gone) and I watched Bullitt (1968) as is our Valentine’s Day tradition. I enjoyed it very much per usual. 😍😍😍

We braved the elements and went to church on Sunday, along with most of our stalwart fellow church members. We heard a good sermon on Hebrews 10:19-25 where we were reminded “to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some…” We had a ‘fold’ meeting during adult ed time which included a zoom meeting with some missionaries we support. It’s always good to be back in the fold!

My faith has found a resting place,
From guilt my soul is freed;
I trust the ever living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

–Eliza E. Hewitt [Lidie H. Edmunds] 1891

Have a good Monday–stay warm!

5 Comments
February 10, 2025

Morning by morning new mercies I see

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? I went to my DAR meeting on Saturday morning…

…where we had an excellent program on genealogy (that was kind of over my head). And then I watched an auction online back at home. I didn’t bid on anything–I was prepared to swoop in for a rescue, but that proved unnecessary. I practiced restraint.

On Sunday the OM and I reversed our usual schedule (which was quite discombobulating) so that we could pick up the twins at their dad’s store–he had to work–and then go to Sunday School first followed by the 11:00 service at church. Having been to Sunday School (after which they usually go home), the twins were not thrilled to have to go to the church service. I had to give Lottie stern looks several times and during the sermon I had to sit with my arm around the bud. At least they still respond to a stern look! I gave them a B+ for keeping their depravity in check. We delivered them back to their dad’s store, which was hoppin’, and went home.

We watched some pre-Super Bowl stuff and ate some dips. We saw Lauren Daigle sing. But I just couldn’t get excited about the whole thing. I mean I hate commercials!

Meanwhile, the week was wild:

And now we are supposed to get more snow! C’est la vie!

4 Comments
February 7, 2025

It’s Friday again

by chuckofish

…Have a good one!

The Super Bowl is on Sunday and the Chiefs are playing, so I am kind of interested. I do not hate them as some Missourians do. I have no idea who Jon Batiste is–he will sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl–but I am looking forward to hearing Lauren Daigle sing “America the Beautiful”. And, by the way, there is only one national anthem and it is for everybody.

I will probably watch the kick off and then turn the channel. Then I will decide to watch an old movie instead. Can you think of a good football movie? I like The Best of Times (1985) but I have seen it recently. Maybe Friday Night Lights (2004) or The Blind Side (2009)?

And I do like this cold brew ad with Chan…

Well, this afternoon Mr. Smith is getting a shampoo, so that means happy hour afterwards.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

3 Comments
February 3, 2025

Well may we rejoice and sing

by chuckofish

It has warmed up quite a bit (thank goodness) and I got out and about this weekend. I did the flowers at church first thing on Saturday morning and then ventured down to the city to go to an estate sale. Daughter #1 and I were so adventurous! It was a nice house in Compton Heights down by St. Louis University, the same vintage (c. 1903) as the house I grew up in with three stories and lots of dark wood. We got a couple of books and a tassel curtain tieback for the window in my office. We said hey to our friend Lamar (who gave us our Lamar discount). We stopped at Straub’s on the way home and treated ourselves to lunch which we ate back at her house.

On Sunday, church was wonderful, as usual, but the communion hymn just broke me down to tears. They streamed down my face and I was such a mess at the end of the service. My son laughed at me a little, but with love.

William Cowper wrote this hymn in 1771 and it still packs a punch. The old Anglican hymns are pretty much all we have left of the Episcopal denomination, which is really sad. And I doubt if they sing this hymn anymore.

In our adult ed class we continued to learn about Francis and Edith Schaeffer and the founding of L’Abri, the French word for “shelter,” because they sought to provide a shelter from the pressures of a relentlessly secular 20th century. As time went by, so many people came that others were called to join the Schaeffers in their work, and more branches were established. Even Bob Dylan spent time there.

I had plans for after church, but everything fell apart, as sometimes happens. But it was a nice afternoon so I went over later to daughter #1’s house and enjoyed having Mr. Smith balance on my lap for some Mamu scritch-scratches until too many people had the nerve to walk by the house and he lost his doggie mind doing his Westie duty (i.e. barking).

This strikes me as very true. “Our phone has given us a constant stream of information. One thing it hasn’t given us is boredom. What if that was a costly bargain? A priceless forfeiture? What if it turns out that downtime from the fire hose of infinite data is necessary for good thinking, and for good life?”

By the way, don’t miss 31 Days of Oscar on TCM this month. The next ’31 days’ are dedicated to celebrating Academy Award-winning and nominated films leading up to the 97th annual Academy Awards, which air on March 2. I couldn’t care less about the Oscars in 2025–I haven’t seen a new movie at the movies since 2006–but there is a treasure trove to DVR this month on TCM. For instance, The Sting (1973) and Double Indemnity (1944) are on tonight!

So sing an old hymn, watch an old movie, pet a nice dog. Enjoy your Monday!

“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” (Zechariah 13:1)

3 Comments
January 27, 2025

And the Lord will be my portion/ In the empty wilderness*

by chuckofish

Is it still January? This month seems endless, doesn’t it? I stayed home most of last week and there was no happy hour on Friday because daughter #1 was sick (and no shampoo for Mr. Smith!) The OM and I did have a social event on Saturday night which entailed getting dressed up and driving at night, but we went and I had a very good time. We had cocktails and dinner and listened to a talk by the daughter of Vincent Price about her father who grew up in St. Louis. He was quite a character. I talked to more people and socialized more than I had all week (maybe all month).

Sunday I went to church with the boy and the twins and then we had brunch at the Sunny Side Diner, which is a favorite of ours. They had dinosaur-shaped pancakes and bacon and were ready to go to lacrosse in the afternoon, sated and full of the Holy Spirit.

I liked this article about the ministry of small things: “The ‘ministry of small things’ is consistent with how the Bible teaches us to think about God’s kingdom. In His parable of the yeast, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven starts with something as modest as a dash of leaven. Yeast is practically invisible, and you don’t see it working, yet as it slowly permeates the dough, it has a formidable impact (Matt. 13:22). Our little works, patiently and consistently done, can bring about something big.”

I sure. like to think so.

And here’s a new song I like:

Tomorrow there will be a guest post from daughter #2, so don’t miss it!

*Wendell Kimbrough & Paul Zach

4 Comments
January 20, 2025

Skies could not blue-er be

by chuckofish

Because ice was predicted on Friday night, daughter #1 decided to hold our Saturday morning DAR meeting on Zoom instead of at the country club where we usually meet. I had not experienced a Zoom meeting since retiring in 2021, but it worked just fine, I did not suffer PTSD and daughter #1 looked very glamorous indeed.

Sunday morning we went to church in the freezing cold. I was able to wear my vintage fur coat again. The twins were there with their dad and everyone kept their depravity in check. They drew in their journals with half an ear cocked to the service and the sermon on Hebrews 9:1-14. I am very proud of them. In Sunday School they are finishing up the book of Acts. We came back to our house after church for Episcopal/Calvinist Souffle and conversation. Plus, the boy and daughter #1 got my car set up with Apple Play. I tried to read the car manual but it is all Greek to me. Cars are so complicated now and I am such an old lady! Oh well, c’est la vie. I do the best I can.

Sunday night the OM and I returned to church for our annual meeting. We elected new elders and deacons and went through the annual report. I am so blessed to be a member of this church community. I thank God every day that he has led me to this place and that, although it has taken me a long time to get here, I will finish strong.

So–a typical January weekend. I watched The Court Jester (1955), a movie that I just love. Danny Kaye et al will lighten your mood, if you need it lightened. And if you are actually feeling pretty good, as am I, it will just add to your joy. I told the twins they should watch it and they did on Sunday night–according to their Dad, they were “transfixed”–of course they were! Even the credits are great:

Meanwhile daughter #1 and I are working on getting a new blog launched, so maybe this week we’ll have something to show you. Courage, dear hearts!

3 Comments