Carving the Pumpkin

Carving the Pumpkin by Franck Antoine Bail, 1910
via J.R.'s Art Place

The Autumn People

For some, autumn comes early, stays late through life where October follows September and November touches October and then instead of December and Christ's birth, there is no Bethlehem star, no rejoicing, but September comes again and old October and so on down the years, with no winter, spring, or revivifying summer. For these beings, fall is the ever normal season, the only weather, there be no choice beyond. Where do they come from? The dust. Where do they go? The grave. Does blood stir their veins? No: the night wind. What ticks in their head? The worm. What speaks from their mouth? The toad. What sees from their eye? The snake. What hears with their ear? The abyss between the stars. They sift the human storm for souls, eat flesh of reason, fill tombs with sinners. They frenzy forth. In gusts they beetle-scurry, creep, thread, filter, motion, make all moons sullen, and surely cloud all clear-run waters. The spider-web hears them, trembles -- breaks. Such are the autumn people. Beware of them.

Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Proof that horror fantasy can also be poetic.

All Decorated

Decorated House, Weatherby, Pennsylvania

Is there such a thing as being too decorated for Halloween? The answer is no, definitely not.

The Ghosts' High Noon

From Ruddigore by Gilbert and Sullivan.

When the night wind howls in the chimney cowls, and the bat in the moonlight flies,
And inky clouds, like funeral shrouds, sail over the midnight skies –
When the footpads quail at the night-bird's wail, and black dogs bay at the moon,
Then is the spectres' holiday – then is the ghosts' high-noon!

Ha! ha!
For then is the ghosts' high-noon!

As the sob of the breeze sweeps over the trees, and the mists lie low on the fen,
From grey tomb-stones are gathered the bones that once were women and men,
And away they go, with a mop and a mow, to the revel that ends too soon,
For cockcrow limits our holiday – the dead of the night's high-noon!

Ha! ha!
For then is the ghosts' high-noon!

And then each ghost with his ladye-toast to their churchyard beds takes flight,
With a kiss, perhaps, on her lantern chaps, and a grisly grim "good-night";
Till the welcome knell of the midnight bell rings forth its jolliest tune,
And ushers in our next high holiday – the dead of the night's high-noon!

Ha! ha!
For then is the ghosts' high-noon!

Pirates

Illustration from page 141 of Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates

 Terrifying, am I right?

Just Plain Fun Reading: Galaxy Outlaws by J.S. Morin

I've been rereading this light, fun series which I first reviewed below in 2019 as I was listening to the audiobooks. Now, I've got the series of four-packs on my Kindle. They're just what you want for brainless reading fun.

Meet the galaxy's unluckiest outlaws.

Carl Ramsey is an ex-Earth Navy fighter pilot turned con man. His ship, the Mobius, is home to a ragtag crew of misfits and refugees looking to score a big payday but more often just scratching to pay for fuel. 

Along the way, the Mobius crew crosses paths with the Black Ocean's vilest scum, from pirate fleets to criminal syndicates, and most law-abiding scum, including Earth Interstellar Enhanced Investigative Organization, ARGO high command, and the Convocation of Wizards.

Time and again, riches lie just out of reach, because for all the talents Carl Ramsey and his crew possess, they've also got an outlaw's greatest weakness: a conscience.

Galaxy Outlaws is a collection of all 16 Black Ocean missions chronicling the adventures of the starship Mobius and her crew, along with six short stories. This series is the perfect cure for the Firefly Season 2 blues.

This was $5 on an Audible sale and the reviews were mostly so glowing that I didn't let the 85 hour length intimidate me, especially since it is a 16 book series inspired by Firefly. (How much did we love that show? Our dogs are named Zoe, Wash, and Kaylee - which gives any fellow fans the clue.)

It definitely has that vibe and is just plain fun - space opera in the old style. The narrator is really great, perfect for voicing these scalawags. I like the idea of having these stories in the background always ready to pick up.

I'm halfway into the fourth book and I'm enjoying the heck out of these stories so far.

I, Cthulu

This is too good to sit in my archives from way back in 2010 when I first posted it.

Brilliance from Neil Gaiman for Lovecraft afficianados. Here's the beginning ...

Cthulhu, they call me. Great Cthulhu.

Nobody can pronounce it right.

Are you writing this down? Every word? Good. Where shall I start -- mm?

Very well, then. The beginning. Write this down, Whateley.

I was spawned uncounted aeons ago, in the dark mists of Khhaa'yngnaiih (no, of course I don't know how to spell it. Write it as it sounds), of nameless nightmare parents, under a gibbous moon. It wasn't the moon of this planet, of course, it was a real moon. On some nights it filled over half the sky and as it rose you could watch the crimson blood drip and trickle down its bloated face, staining it red, until at its height it bathed the swamps and towers in a gory dead red light.

Those were the days.

Read it all here. Via Redecorating Middle-Earth in Early Lovecraft.

2025 Schedule for A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast

 We've had fun coming up with this schedule. I think it's going to be a great year of viewing and reading ... and TALKING! 

• Jan. 14 — Guest Father Stephen Gregg, book TBD
• Jan. 28 — All Flesh is Grass by Clifford D. Simak
• Feb. 11 — Parenthood
• Feb. 25 — Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
• March 11 — Chariots of Fire
• March 25 — Ad Limina by Cy Kellett
• April 8 — Oppenheimer
• April 22 — Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
• May 6 — Vikram Vedha
• May 20 — The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
• June 3 — Star Trek: First Contact
• June 17 — The Scum of the Earth by Alexander C. Kane
• July 1 — Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• July 15 — The Twelve by C. Bernard Ruffin
• July 29 — Much Ado About Nothing (dir. Joss Whedon)
• August 12 — The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
• August 26 — Warrior
• Sept. 9 — Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
• Sept. 23 — The Wrong Man
• Oct. 7 — Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge
• Oct. 21 — Godzilla Minus One
• Nov. 4 — 1 & 2 Peter
• Nov. 18 — The Truman Show
• Dec. 2 — Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
• Dec. 16 — Freaks (1932)

If you haven't tried the podcast, we're finishing up our 13th year and there is a lot to explore. The blog is here and the podcast is in the usual places.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #97 — Warrior

Warrior relies on many of the clichés that critics of the genre love to mock -- and it transcends them with gripping action, powerful acting, and heart. — Critics' Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes

Let's face it. The poster above would never get me to watch this film. Family conflict would put it even further down the list. Yet here we are.

I'd never even heard of it until Dave VanVickle from the Every Knee Shall Bow podcast said this was his favorite film, even if he was embarrassed to admit it. Rose heard that and felt vindicated in her fondness for it. She said it's hard to believe this movie is as good as it is.

And now, here I am to say that they're both right. This definitely is a movie most everyone has missed. 

Instead of a tale of two cities, we have a tale of two brothers. With Moby Dick generously woven through the story. Each is struggling with a burden from the past. Each looks to a future where winning a mixed martial arts contest gives them what they need to get their lives back on track. It does too. Though not in the way they imagined.

Warrior has excellent acting and direction, with a story that tells you just enough but doesn't talk you to death.

Bust of Louis XIV

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Bust of Louis XIV of France

Doesn't that clothing look as if it is flying in the wind? Sculpting is truly a mysterious and amazing art. Bernini was a true genius and this bust seems to encompass so much of what made him great.

Psalm 44 — Prayer for Victory

If you wish to call to mind constantly the benefits of God to the patriarchs, the exodus out of Egypt, the passage through the desert, and how, while God is so good, human beings are ungrateful, you have Paslm 44.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

We've seen a lot of lamentations in the psalms but what strikes me about this one is that it begins with thinking over the past and realizing the God's people didn't succeed by their merits but by God's grace, given in utter kindness. 

It's a truth that I would do well to reflect upon more often because it's definitely true in my own life.

Vassily Maximov, Grandmother's Tales

Family stories are how we first learn who we are, what the world is like, how to live, and what our culture is. Each civilization has those stories too. It is how we know who we are in a larger way. St. John Chrysostom has two wonderful reflections on this psalm that touch on that point.

I also love the question he asks in the second quote we read here — which triumps is the psalmist recalling? I thought of exodus, but Chrysostom gives us an example which happened later in history. Through imaginative reflection, the retelling puts us in the story becomes truly inspirational.

44:1 We Have Heard

Divine Stories. Chrysostom: Listen to this, all you who are heedless of your children, who ignore their singing diabolical songs, while you pay no attention to the divine stories. Those people were not like that; on the contrary, they passed their life without interruption in stories of God's great deeds and achieved a double advantage. On the one hand, it was a good experience for them to keep in mind the divine favors, and they were the better for it; on the other, their offspring gained no little grounding in the knowledge of God from these stories, and were moved to imitation of virtue. For them, you see, books were the mouths of their forebears, and these stories were a feature of every study and every employment, nothing being more agreeable or more profitable. 

44:2 With God's Own Hand

A Marvelous and Extraordinary Sight. Chrysostom: So which triumps is he recalling? Which successes? Some in Egypt, some in the desert, some in the land of promise, but especially those in the promised land. ... They had no need of weapons; instead, they captured citires by a mere shout, and crossing the Jordan they overran the first city that stood in their way, Jericho, as though by dancing ratner than fighting. I mean, they went out fitted with weapons not as if for battles but for a festival and dance, bearing arms for appearance's sake rather than security; wearing sacred robes and having the Levites preceding the army, they encircled the wall. It was a marvelous and extraordinary sight to see, so many thousands of soldiers marching in step and order, in silence and utter regularity, as though no one was about, with tht daunting harmony of trumpets keeping everything in time.

Both quotes from Chrysostom's Commentary on the Psalms 44
Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

An index of psalm posts is here.

Julie and Scott hide all the knives. Hannah gets ready to take all the vampires with her.

 A Good Story is Hard to Find - Episode 342: conclusion of Midnight Mass, written and directed by Mike Flanagan.

Architecture

Figure representing "Architecture" from Hunt Memorial
drawn by Melissa B. Tubbs

Halloween Lagniappe: H.P. Lovecraft

Through all this horror my cat stalked unperturbed. Once I saw him monstrously perched atop a mountain of bones, and wondered at the secrets that might lie behind his yellow eyes.

H.P. Lovecraft, The Rats in the Walls

Another of my favorite horror authors chimes in for Halloween from one of my favorite of his stories. A lesser tale, but still a good 'un.

Notes on Mark: They See But Do Not Perceive

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Parable of the Sower, 1557
That's the one that made the disciples ask what the heck the story meant.

MARK 4:10-12
I like what Wikipedia tells us about a parable:

The word parable comes from the Greek παραβολή (parabolē), literally "throwing" (bolē) "alongside" (para-), by extension meaning "comparison, illustration, analogy." It was the name given by Greek rhetoricians to an illustration in the form of a brief fictional narrative.

Jesus' parables often are illustrations that need extra explanation!

I always thought it was unfair the way that Jesus would explain the parables to the disciples and then say, "But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that 'they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.'" 

The comment below puts the proper spin on that passage by explaining the context of Jesus' quotation, which surely faithful Jews would have understood.

But what about those outside? Jesus describes their predicament with a quotation from Isaiah (Isa 6:9-10). In the context of the passage, God forewarns Isaiah that he would be called to preach judgment ot Israel at a time when the people were mired in sin and injustice, and so his message would meet with stubborn resistance. The forceful language does not mean that God himself will block the people's eyes and ears. Rather, the prophet's message will cause the people to blind and deafen themselves to avoid hearing it, in order to persist in their rebellion. Jesus, likewise, is addressing a wayward generation, many of whom will harden themselves to avoid grasping the implications of his words. His parables, by their hidden depths veiled in simplicity, will cause a separation by the response they evoke in listeners hearts. For those who ponder the parables with sincere openness, the mystery of the kingdom will be gradually unveiled. But for those who prefer to resist in their own rebellious ways, the parables will remain opaque ...

The Gospel of Mark: Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture

=====

Sources and Notes Index 

What is the question?

I don't think the question is, "Is the customer always right?" but rather, "Do you want to make your customer happy?"

Chef Thomas Keller

This seems to be in line with "love your neighbor as yourself." The question then becomes willing their good (which was Thomas Aquinas's definition of love) because what will make someone happy is not always the thing that the person thinks will make them happy.

Cast Shadows

Emile Friant, Cast Shadows, 1891

A Movie You Might Have Missed #99 — Cabrini

Italian immigrant Francesca Cabrini arrives in 1889 New York City and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society’s most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini uses her entrepreneurial mind to build an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.

This is a great bio-pic of the sort that Hollywood used to make so well. It is gorgeously shot, well framed, and compellingly told. The real payoff is in the last of the flashbacks of her near-drowning as a child which puts a new layer of perspective on the story. 

It received positive reviews from secular and religious film critics and you can see why. My book club watched it and our discussion afterwards went in a lot of tangents because Cabrini doesn't shy away from difficult topics. It's definitely a good movie worth watching.

Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong

A young “national model worker,” renowned for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up dead in a Shanghai canal. As Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau struggles to trace the hidden threads of her past, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. Chen must tiptoe around his superiors if he wants to get to the bottom of this crime, and risk his career—perhaps even his life—to see justice done.

I really loved this book and couldn't put it down. China and the Chinese people are almost as much characters as the police detectives in the book - Inspector Chen and his assistant, Detective Yu. It is a great mystery but so much more as we are immersed in the culture of 1990s China.

Like his protagonist, Qiu Xiaolong is a is a poet, translator, and academic. He was born in Shanghai and came to the US in 1988 to write a book about T. S. Eliot. After the 1989 protests and massacre in Tiananmen Square, Qiu stayed in the U.S. Ten years later he wrote this book, set around the time of the Tiananmen massacre, which looks at the changing political culture as experienced by Inspector Chen in his investigation.

The mystery was good, as I mentioned, but I also loved the way the tension was ratcheted up partway through when Chen comes under political pressure to save face for the party.

I'm waiting for the second book from the library!

WARNING NOTE: There are some descriptions of sex and of photos thereof. It is easy to skip, which I did, but I wanted to mention it.

Moulin de la Galette

Vincent van Gogh, Moulin de la Galette, 1886

This has a fall-ish vibe to me. We've still got green trees and sunny weather in the 90s. So I'm going for the autumnal feeling.

And the Winner Is — 1932/1933

Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since the early films can be hard to find. For 1932 we were excited to see so many nominees available. 

This was an unusual year because they hadn't regularized when the awards would take place. This meant that standards about which year something came out were still rather loose.

BEST PICTURE

Grand Hotel remains a classic masterpiece as the first all-star Hollywood epic with many high-powered stars of the early 1930s. The episodic film is set at Berlin's ritzy, opulent art-deco Grand Hotel, and tells of the criss-crossing of the lives of five major guests whose fates intertwined for a two-day period at the hotel. Its ensemble cast of stars were occupants of a between-wars German hotel, all struggling with either their finances, scandals, health, emotional loneliness, or social standing in multiple storylines.

Filmsite

This is the movie where Greta Garbo's famous "I want to be alone" line originated. An all-star cast acts their hearts out in this mother of all melodramas. We thoroughly enjoyed this very good movie which can hold its own against stories of today. I especially enjoyed it as a look at life, from waiting for a new baby to someone preparing to leave this mortal coil. And lots of things in-between!

I will add that we were all quite concerned about the fate of Adolphus the dachshund. Our rating - 5 stars out of five. Definitely watch this one.

NOMINEES

Searching for headlines at any cost, an unscrupulous newspaper owner forces his editor to print a serial based on a past murder, tormenting a woman involved.

If I hadn't already seen Ace in the Hole I'd have been blown away by this scathing indictment of yellow journalism. Once you got past the first set ups of the hard bitten reporters and managers, the story was riveting.

An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side. My heart was wrung by the story of the woman whose 20-year-old scandal was raked up to provide higher circulation. The daughter's final speech was tremendous, as was Edgar G. Robinson's final speech.

Grand Hotel deserved to win but this was our favorite of the other nominees. Our rating - 3-1/2 stars.

When Colette introduces her husband Andre to her flirtatious best friend, Mitzi, he does his best to resist her advances. But she is persistent, and very cute, and he succumbs. Mitzi’s husband wants to divorce her, and has been having her tailed. Andre gets caught, and must confess to his wife. But Colette has had problems resisting the attentions of another man herself, and they forgive each other.

This is very French and also before Hollywood's self-imposed code that monitored sexuality and immorality onscreen. As you can tell from the fact that the husband is happily playing around with another woman in a popular screwball comedy from Ernst Lubitsch, who was on his way to becoming the king of clever, romantic comedies. Before there was Cary Grant, there was Maurice Chevalier but even he couldn't save this.

We were mystified at how this got nominated. There's precious little of Ernst Lubistch showing and it seemed tedious. Our rating 2 stars.

An amorous lieutenant is forced to marry a socially awkward princess, though he tries to keep his violin-playing girlfriend on the side.

We enjoyed this a lot more than One Hour with You, although both films starred Maurice Chevalier and were written/directed by Ernst Lubitsch. This was also our first movie starring Claudette Colbert who was a huge star in this era. It was early in her career but she lit up the screen.

Light, frothy fun and you can tell it was pre-Code which is also interesting.

A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey when they are held hostage by a warlord during the Chinese civil war.

A visual treat beginning with Marlene Dietrich and her wonderful acting and costumes. This was a real period piece in more ways than one, set during the Chinese revolution and featuring several actors we know from watching other Oscar nominees. As the final film of our 1932 nominees review it was a great way to end those movies. Grand Hotel definitely was the correct winner but this was a notable contender.

Our rating 3-1/2 stars.

=======

All the Oscar viewing is here.

Sit a Bit

Sit a Bit
by Karin Jurick

Artist Karin Jurick says this is "From the Sculpture Gallery in the Art Institute of Chicago." As soon as I read that, I knew how those feet felt. Tired, a bit aching, and ready to be surprisingly tender when an upright position is assumed again.

But what a place to wear 'em out. Love that museum!

Just Plain Fun Reading — Andrea Vernon series

The Andrea Vernon books are perfect light, fun reading. These are what you get when you mix the workplace, romance, and superheroes. Andrea sees all the action from behind-the-scenes at a corporation which manages their contracts and assignments. Which is very funny indeed.

The audiobooks are read by Bahni Turpin who is as good as you can get for expressive reading.

Andrea Vernon's drowning in debt and has no prospects. Then, one morning, she is kidnapped, interviewed, and hired as an administrative assistant by the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection. Superheroes for hire, using their powers for good.

Her coworkers may be able to shoot lightning out of their hands or have skin made of diamonds, but they refuse to learn how to use the company's database. And there's the small matter of a giant alien space egg hovering over Yankee Stadium, threatening civilization as we know it.

Alexander C. Kane has an inventive mind when it comes to superheroes and villains. The range of abilities and the uses to which they are put are both believable (in a superhero universe) and funny. Combining this with an office atmosphere full of sales meetings, government restrictions, and contracts is surprisingly effective and ... of course ... funny. My favorite hero is Inspector Well Actually. He's the most brilliant man on earth but can't analyze a situation unless someone makes a flatly wrong statement that he can contradict. Hence the name "Well Actually."

Andrea's adventures wrap all these elements together into a surprisingly tense tale of saving the world from aliens. It's like a comic book but without the pictures. And that works because Bahni Turpin's narration is spot on.

More than a year after she helped save the world, Andrea Vernon is in a good place. Her boss is giving her greater responsibility and she’s getting to travel a lot. And she has a really fun new BFF, Never More.

One small issue, though — Never More is a supervillain bent on world domination, and it looks as if nothing can stop her. Especially since Congress is determined to bring the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection and all of “Big Supe” under government control.

Even with mankind’s greatest heroes fighting back, will it fall on Andrea to save the day — again?

This book is even better than the first. Alexander Kane has a positive genius for combining superheroes with the mundane activities of business and life. Corporate takeovers, inappropriate best friends, and adapting to new business techniques are melded hilariously with some of the most inventive superheroes yet. As always, I love Andrea's personality, Ms. O, and Inspector Well Actually. Now I can add Andrea's frenemy Never More to the list.

The supervillains of DESTRON have conquered the country, The Big Axe has been imprisoned, and the heroes of the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection have been reduced to hiding behind a force field surrounding New York City.

And if that's not enough, Andrea Vernon is pregnant. With a Little Axe.

But Andrea’s not one to sit on the sidelines. She has to make a plan to save the country, rescue her boyfriend, and figure out what exactly people do with babies. And a whole new slate of enemies is coming for CUP, led by the newly installed dictator of America, Dr. Robotfury, and his ingenious mecha-administrative assistant who bears a rather frightening resemblance to Andrea.

It’s a lot to wrap up before you go on maternity leave.

This was a good addition to the series. I thought the Executive Committee subplot was very, very dumb. However, the rest was great fun. I especially liked the new super C'Mon.  Recommended to anyone who likes Andrea Vernon.

Saint Cecilia with an Angel, Gentileschi

Saint Cecilia with an Angel, Orazio Gentileschi

The Cardsharps

The Cardsharps by Caravaggio (c.1594)

Wisdom from the ages — don't let anyone you don't know well stand behind you when you're playing cards.

Italian Vibe

Italian Vibe, Edward B. Gordon

Gordon says: Here in Dresden, I kept finding memories of Italy. The atmosphere, the light, the architecture, everything was full of wonderful surprises.

The Lemon Wins

If I were forced to give up every fruit in the world but one I would have absolutely no trouble choosing. The lemon wins, hands down.

The lemon is the workhorse of the food world: dependable, versatile, and available all year round. You can preserve it in salt, as the Moroccans do, and stuff your chicken with it, or you can stick it into a suet crust surrounded by butter, as the British do. You can dice it up and put it into a salad with red onion and Italian parsley. You can make lemon cookies, lemon cake, lemon icing, lemonade (hot or cold), lemon flip, and lemon rice pudding. A drop of lemon juice and a strip of lemon peel make a chicken soup divine. A tablespoon of lemon juice in your pesto brings all the flavors together. People who find vinegar hard to take love lemon juice in their salad dressing, and people on low- or no-salt diets find lemon juice just the thing. The ascorbic acid it contains makes things taste salty.

Laurie Colwin, A Writer Returns to the Kitchen

After a long absence, I have been rereading Laurie Colwin's food writing. It is so delightful and evocative. It makes me want to cook. 

And it surprises me. Mostly because a lemon isn't categorized as a fruit that I'd have considered as an answer. I would have thought of fruit for eating — grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, even the humble banana. But I would have been wrong.

Gladioli

Gladioli, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Just Plain Fun Movies — The Fall Guy

Fresh off an almost career-ending accident, stuntman Colt Seavers has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job.

This has a slow start but once it gets going it never slows down. It is such a clever and funny homage to action movies, from the many references dropped to the way the soundtrack features the songs up front and loud. As always, main attraction Ryan Gosling is wonderful. I would watch him read the phone book.

It wasn't perfect. There is that slow start. Emily Blount is, for me, always unremarkable. A stronger female star was needed to provide a spark strong enough to match Gosling and the script in general. The script could have used another pass to clean up the main storyline but all the asides and references made it great fun to watch. 

However, those are small quibbles. Overall The Fall Guy is just a great popcorn movie.

A Summer Day on the Elbe

A Summer Day on the Elbe, Edward B. Gordon

Three Sisters

 

Three Sisters by Yamakawa Shūhō

Simply delightful!

Psalm 43 – Hope in God

If [enemies] persist, and, with hands red with blood, try to drag you down and kill you, remember that God is the proper judge (for he alone is righteous while that which is human is limited) and so say the words of ... [Psalm 43].

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

As we noted for Psalm 42, Psalm 43 used to be a the last part of that hymn until they were separated to be used in the prayer book. They express a longing for restoration by God which is combined by confident trust.

Medieval painting of guitarra latina (left) and guitarra morisca (right)
from the Cantigas de Santa Maria (13th. century)
I like the way that the musicians are watching each other's playing.
Kind of like jamming at a rock concert.

Saint John Paul II has a meditation on this psalm as part of the series he did covering the prayers of the evening in the liturgy of the hours. Read the whole thing here if you like. I share this bit which talks about the Psalmist as a pilgrim toward Heaven, struggling through the darkness of trials but with joy in his heart because of the encounter with God that awaits at the end.

With Confidence on the Road Toward Heavenly Zion

The person praying has not yet reached the temple of God, he is still overwhelmed by the darkness of the trial; but now before his eyes shines the light of the future encounter, and his lips already experience the tone of the song of joy....

The Psalm then becomes the prayer of the one who is a pilgrim on earth and still finds himself in contact with evil and suffering, but has the certainty that the endpoint of history is not an abyss of death, but rather a saving encounter with God. This certainty is even stronger for Christians, to whom the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims: "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God that judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel" (Heb. 12: 22-24).

An index of psalm posts is here.

Marbles Play Rush E on Different Instruments

Bonkers in the best possible way. Be sure your sound is on because that's the point.

Scum of the Earth by Alexander C. Kane

I have enjoyed Alexander C. Kane's writing from the moment that Andrea Vernon and the Corporation for UltraHuman Protection came out on Audible. That series dealt with superheroes from a business management point of view. The Orlando People series featured X-men style mutants and the prejudice they faced for having small talents. Dragon Heist was just glorious fun looking at looting a lair, pulling together a band of thieves in a small Southern town, and Alabama football. (Also the funniest dragon you will ever meet.)

All of these books all fell under the category of "fun summer reading." Sure, they had underdogs and might touch on deeper issues but it was always in service of the adventure and humor. They are popcorn books, fun and funny.

This book is something else. Kane actually writes a real science fiction novel. This book looks at alien invasion from the point of the collaborators, the turncoats who wholeheartedly cooperate with the subjugation of the human race to a life of fear and misery.

So it's dark. And it's about a topic that I do not want to read about. That's why it came out in January and it took me until September to try it. In fact, I did something I never do — I picked up the Kindle copy (only $4.99 - his books are always reasonably priced) — and read the last chapter first. Hey, I read 1984 last year and I didn't need that kind of thing hitting me again. So I'll tell you it isn't 1984.

Reassured I began reading. Then, as is the case with Kane's books, I began reading faster and faster, unable to put it down. Although the book is definitely dark, it has ironic moments that help lighten the mood. There also are small humorous comments that I didn't notice until I was listening to the audio book. Kane's books have always really shone in audio.

I was surprised to see that, although it isn't 1984, there are definite echoes of concepts and themes that I found when reading it. Doublethink, to name just one example, is everywhere.

There are chances for redemption which are examined through the lens of all sorts of characters from True Believers (ah, but what do they hitch their belief to?), opportunists, and those seeking fulfillment in doing what they do best. All of this is expressed through the way people are living under the invasion.

And all this is still, as is Kane's talent, expressed through a riveting adventure story that you can't put down. Highly recommended.

NOTE: I realized that I've been very lax about posting reviews of Kane's other books. I'll be catching up on that soon!

Autumn in Oirase

Autumn in Oirase by Kawase Hasui, 1933

 It won't look properly like fall here until a month or two from now. So we'll keep reminders like this until the real thing.

Le Dejeuner

Le Dejeuner, Henri Le Sidaner

I want to go to there.

The Play is Ended

The Play is Ended. Walter Ernest Webster (English, 1878-1959)

This just looked rather dream-like to me and suited my mood.

Fishermen at Sea

Fishermen at Sea, William Turner, 1796
via Wikipaintings

When I came across this I couldn't tear my eyes away from the waves. They look so very real. Click through and take a look at this close up. I can almost feel the spray hit my face.

Gentle Reading of Long Ago Times: Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson

I've read this on and off over the last 30 years. My daughter, Hannah, has my copy of this book and I recently remembered that it is gentle reading for troubled times. There is an inexpensive Kindle version which is perfect for occasionally dipping into this soothing, fascinating look at bygone days. 

My original review is below.

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This is probably my third time reading this trilogy. I used to keep it in my desk at work for lunchtime reading when there was no one else in the break room.

These three books are chronicles of small village, larger village, and small town life in rural England in the late 1800s. Told with fictionalized names this is nonetheless acknowledged to be a good record of what life was really like back then, from the farming/working class point of view. As such, Thompson didn't populate it with a main story line but centered it on one family (her own, one presumes) and then told all she had observed growing up. We see working habits, tavern stories and songs, pig killing day, and much more. In a sense, I suppose one could call it "Little House" stories for grown ups - set in Britain.

The rhythm of life gently washes over the reader and, if one isn't too worried about driving storylines as I mentioned, then there is a great reward in these books. They are perfect for unforced reading whenever one has a chance.

I was unaware that there was a television series based on these until reading some GoodReads reviews. No wonder many of them were slightly disappointed. There would have to be a great deal of "reading into" to get storylines for the Lark Rise village setting. I've also seen a variety of rather judgmental reviews commenting on sexism, politics, and so forth. Those entirely miss the point of history, for one thing, and of these books, for another.

Here is an excellent overall review of the book for anyone who'd like an overview.

The Artist in His Studio

Rembrandt, The Artist in His Studio
via Wikipaintings

I am endlessly fascinated by artists who show themselves painting or in somehow in their work environment. This one grabbed my attention because of the looming size of the canvas and the small figure of the artist who surveys it from a distance.

Is it just a reflection of my own psyche when facing a writing session that I see intimidation in beginning or continuing a project in this piece? I guess that's the interest in such a piece of art. It has left the artist's hands. Now, what does it say to us?

Notes on Mark: Broadcasting Seed Upon Soil

Pulpit of the Roman Catholic church in Sarud, Hungary. Source.

MARK 4:1

"The entire crowd was on the land right up to the sea"

"On the land" is literally "upon the soil," (epi tes ges). The same or a similar phrase is repeated frequently in the parables of this chapter, as if the soil upon which the seed (the word) is broadcast is the very crowd which is "on the soil." Jesus preaching from the boat is broadcasting seed upon the soil. That is, telling the parable of the sower, he is engaged in the very activity he is talking about.

The Memoirs of St. Peter by Mark Pakaluk

This comment drives home the idea that Mark was a talented writer who knew how to use language and repetition to make a point if only we have "ears to hear." The mental image this brought up really has captured my imagination.

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Sources and Notes Index

And the Winner Is — 1931

Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since the early films can be hard to find. We began in January 2023 with Cimarron from 1931, which won Best Picture for the 4th Academy Awards.

When the government opens up the Oklahoma territory for settlement, restless Yancey Cravat claims a plot of the free land moves his family there. Cravat soon becomes a leading citizen of the boom town of Osage.

Once the town is established, Yancey is restless again and goes to explore the wilderness while his wife Sabra must learn to take care of herself. She soon becomes prominent in her own right.

This 1931 movie swept the Oscars and they did a good job. It is dated in some ways, of course, being 92 years old. That being said, it also was surprisingly progressive for the time. There were some elements that would now be called racist but there were also distinctly pro-woman, native American, Jewish, and mixed marriage elements.

We enjoyed the dynamic between the husband and wife, with neither being perfect - he keeps abandoning the family to go off adventuring, while she falls prey to the conventions that keep parts of society down. Both influence the other for good.

Interestingly, Edna Ferber patterned Yancey on Sam Houston's youngest son who had all Yancey's best attributes without the wandering off element.

No other movies from these Oscars were available. We were glad this movie was so enjoyable. Our rating - 3-1/2 stars out of five.

Chai-Spiced Pound Cake Anyone?

 Get it here.

Boy Ridding His Dog of Fleas

Gerard Terborch, Boy Ridding his Dog of Fleas, c. 1665

I love the look of patient suffering on the dog's face.

Portrait of Renoir

Frederic Bazille, Portrait of Renoir, 1867

My goodness, who knew that Renoir was so handsome?

Mulk (Country)

I recently rewatched this for an upcoming podcast episode. It was my third viewing and I was surprised that it was just as powerful as the first time. It speaks to modern times in America as well as to the original Indian audience.

My original review is below.

This was based on a true case where a terrorist's entire family was taken to court and accused of being a terrorist cell. We were invested on the family's side, as most American viewers would be, and as the movie intended everyone to be. It was also very interesting to see how the top terrorist persuaded the family son to his cause.

The movie did an especially good job of showing the friendly Hindu-Muslim relations between neighborhood families which then spiraled downhill after the terrorist act. And we appreciated the inside views of the horror-stricken family and how they also got different reactions to the crime from inside their own Muslim community.

The actors were all great, especially Rishi Kapoor as the family patriarch and Ashutosh Rana as the public prosecutor. Rana is well known for his "negative roles" and we could see why.

Some reviewers criticized this for a lack of subtlety but c'mon. It's a courtroom drama. That means over-the-top speeches whether in America or India. Even the venerable Twelve Angry Men doesn't escape that. Overall, a good legal movie with a message that works today in America in a lot of ways.

Rating — for viewers with medium to difficult Indian film experience. (It's not rocket science, but without any cultural background at all you might feel kind of lost.)

King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels

An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and
the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village

I ran this review back in 2013 when I first read it. Since then I've read it several times and it has become one of my favorite books. I thought I'd rerun this for anyone who missed it the first time around.

A native Ghanan, Peggy was working at the Ghanan embassy in Washington D.C. when she got the call that her uncle, the king of their village, has dies and that she was chosen the next king. This was really unusual because women were not usually kings.

What is fascinating to me is that, because she lived in America, Peggy sees her home town through new eyes. Just thinking about the 7,000 people she will lead, she flashes on the children carrying buckets of dirty brown water home each day and realizes she has to get them clean water (a minimum standard for living in America). Stuck in traffic on the way to the village, Peggy watches young people peddling junk to make pennies a day and realizes that, as in America, the teenagers from her village should have a high school.

As someone straddling both worlds, Peggy clearly sees the good and bad in both America and Ghana. The book also becomes an open door, inviting us to learn more about Ghanian life (albeit from a king's perspective, which is not as removed from regular life as one might think). I like the way that tidbits of Ghanian history are slipped into the book for context without being lengthy or overwhelming, but giving a perfect perspective for understanding Peggy's situation.

Some of Peggy's realizations about needed change are very straight forward, some are more complex, but they all come from a place of sacrifice for the good of her people. She always knows she can never do this job by herself so she depends on Jesus, God, and her ancestor spirits because she blends belief in Christianity and ancestor worship. Peggy receives spirit guidance, which I tend to view as God speaking through the saints, but ... whatever. As the book continues, we are shown that, in giving, Peggy also receives. We see that Peggy's sacrifices lead to unforeseen growth in character and that the skills she learns to be an effective king may eventually influence those far beyond her village. This is a story not only of a fascinating situation but also of the way to make a healthy community.

And I've kind of fallen in love with her soul stool (something each king is given but can never sit upon). You'll have to read the book to know what I'm talking about but it has a personality all its own. Peggy is always given encouragement for the difficult task because only God can make a king, as a friend tells her. This is a fascinating blend of Peggy using her innate talents, the skills that have been developed in her life thus far, and spiritual guidance.

It is really well written so you feel as if you can almost "hear" Peggy's voice. To say the least, it is fascinating and I am really fond of Peggy.

The key to the story, though, is King Peggy's servant heart.

Belly laugh

Belly laugh, Remo Savisaar

This seal looks so happy! The photographer named this "Yawning" and that is probably what it is doing, but I love the happiness of this image.

Apples

Apples by Thomas Worthington Whittredge, 1867.

 Fall is here. Let's celebrate with apples fresh from the tree, maybe in a pie!

At the Sunrise

At the Sunrise
taken by the incomparable Remo Savisaar

Major

This was a really excellent biopic/action movie showing Major Sandeep's story. He was a hero of the Mumbai attacks who rescued many people and directed his team in saving others.

I knew very few details of the terrorist attacks and hadn't heard of Major Sandeep, including whether he lived or died. That made it very suspenseful. Knowing it really happened made it hit much harder than the usual action film even though this did have a lot of big moves that you would expect from a Hollywood film.

Breeze in the Autumn

Breeze of Autumn photo
taken by Calligraphy in the Landscape

Mark of harvest season approaching.

Color, and taste. It is the master of Japanese food.

The highest quality rice.

初秋や　海も青田も　一みどり　

松尾　芭蕉　(1644 – 1694)

early fall　　sea and rice fields　　filled with green 　

Matsuo Bashō　(1644 – 1694)

I urge you to go to the post at Calligraphy in the Landscape, not only to see this photo in greater detail, but to also see all the other lovely images and poetry in the post about autumn.

Coke

Coke
painted by James Neil Hollingsworth

This is from a long time ago but it is so perfectly painted that I have to share it again.

Notes on Mark: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Depiction of the Christian Holy Spirit as a dove,
by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, in the apse of Saint Peter's Basilica

MARK 3:28-30
I always wondered why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was the only unforgivable sin. This makes it crystal clear.

Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it "for they had said 'He has an unclean spirit'" (v. 30). They do not want to admit that God is the author of the miracle. In this attribute lies the special gravity of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit -- attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the good works performed by God himself ... That is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven: not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in his blindness towards God, rejects Jesus Christ, his teaching and his miracles, and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him (cf. St. Pius V Catechism, II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, II-II, q. 14, a. 3). CF. note on Mt 12:31-32.

The Navarre Bible: St. Mark

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Sources and Notes Index