Epiphany, or Three Kings Day

Today is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, the reputed day that the wise men found the infant Jesus, though some think they arrived as much as two years later (which would explain Herod’s overkill of ordering the Innocents two years and younger to be massacred). The number of Magi, or Kings, has been stylized into three, perhaps to echo the number of their gifts and the three cultural branches of mankind, showing universality of the revelation. In many countries it is a day of gift giving. The Twelfth Day of Christmas.

Here is their portrayal in Jesus of Nazareth (1977) including a couple of familiar faces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n6S5KBeSsQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfvRjFs_IKY

And I always found this version of We Three Kings an epiphany when I was wandering in the darkness of doubt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_WzVrHjY2M&list=RDs_WzVrHjY2M&start_radio=1

 

[Verse 1: All]
We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

[Chorus: All]
O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

[Verse 2: Melchior]
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King for ever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign

[Chorus: All]
O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

[Verse 3: Casper]
Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Prayer and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

 

[Chorus: All]
O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

[Verse 4: Balthazar]
Myrrh is mine
Its bitter perfume breathes
A life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone cold tomb

[Chorus: All]
O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

[Verse 5: All]
Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice!
Al-le-lu-ia, al-le-lu-ia
Heaven to earth replies

[Chorus: All]
O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

 

Into the Archive: Pearcing the Secrets of Narnia

Further Up & Further In: Understanding Narnia Paperback – June 30, 2023 by Joseph Pearce

Further Up & Further In: Understanding Narnia by acclaimed Catholic author Joseph Pearce invites readers to return with the eyes of an adult to C. S. Lewis’s magical land entered through that most important wardrobe in literary history.

Beloved by generations of readers, The Chronicles of Narnia are thought erroneously by some to be “mere children’s stories.” In this volume, Pearce thoroughly debunks the error as he skillfully explains why there is nothing “mere” about such stories.

Rather, the Narnia books contain profound insights concerning the human condition. Pearce, however, goes beyond even that and illuminates the deeper riches and profound truths found therein—the highest truths, in fact: those concerning God.

Join Pearce as he explores the “grown-up” themes that are so important for a proper understanding of Lewis’ magnificent creation, including the deep and profound Christian symbolism, extensive literary allusions, and the constant theme of temptation, sin, and redemption.

The author of numerous literary works and an authority on the writings of Lewis, Chesterton, and Tolkien, Pearce is uniquely qualified to examine the deeper theological, philosophical, and historical dimensions of the Chronicles.

With Pearce as your guide, “return to Narnia,” and come to understand in new and profound ways that place which has so marked the imaginative landscape of so many. Rediscover your love for Narnia, because “wardrobes are for grown-ups too.”   

216 pages

Well, this one has been on my list for a while. It is about Narnia and by Joseph Pearce, so that makes it doubly interesting to me. It is my sixth book in five days, and barring unforeseen circumstances, the last I shall get this month. I'm still reading the Davies' Letters book so it might be a while before I get to this, but, as I said, it's been waiting a good bit already.

 

2021 Diary: At A Venture

1/5/2021: Up about 6:40 AM. Prayers and Bible. Made ramen with cream of chicken soup. Medicine. Watching between Futurama and Phineas and Ferb.  At 10 AM went out and took some recycling. Peeked in the mailbox and saw a package. Brought the trash bin back and got the key to the mailbox. It was The Venture Bros. Season 6! Set up the TV and watched all the episodes over the afternoon. What a blast from the four-years-ago past! Made roll-ups from my tortillas with cheese and turkey lunch meat.

At 3:30 PM started frying taters, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and cabbage, and put the sausage in. Fed pets and rolled the trash bin in. Finished cooking about 4:50 PM. Started watching the commentary. About 7 PM Kam called me, and I went in to make him supper and clean up. S&A came in just then and brought the big dogs in. Jade stepped in a puddle Ginger had just made. Came back out and watched commentary. Made an order from HEB. Rosary about 9 PM. Commentary and lay down now, I think.

 

1/6/2021: Epiphany. Woke up about 5:40 AM. Prayers and Bible. Took shower, then cartoons on METV at 6 AM. Listening to Dave Thomas on Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast (GGACP).

Got my HEB order at 9:20 AM, and brought it inside in, like, three installments. For breakfast had a ramen. Finished Season 6 commentary. Wrote a review on “Tolkien” for NOT. Started watching Season 5 of Venture Bros. About 3 PM I started working on the salmon patties. Weather was nice all day (with a little rain) but temperature in the 60’s, so pleasant to have the windows open while I fried. Done at 4:30 PM. Rosary at 8 PM. Washed dishes at 8:30 PM. Now almost 9 PM and getting ready to settle down for the night. Oh, completed my WWF game for the week.

Just a little before midnight I was woken up by a bunch of sirens and barking dogs all over the neighborhood. What the deuce?

 

1/7/2021: Up just before 6 AM by instinct. Had time for prayers, then watched cartoons on METV. Then read Bible, made some ramen with mushroom soup, took medicine, then started Venture Bros. Season 4 Vol. 2. It is now almost 8:30 AM, and I’m catching up diary.

Went in at 9:20 AM and made a 9-egg scramble with 2 pieces of toast. I am anxiety eating way too much. Also, I’m in a sort of weird time-warp that’s been induced by watching VB, which I haven’t done for like 4 years now. It’s dragging me back to before my book was written, before I joined the church, before my book was published, almost before I had my TIA. Had a toast and 2-cheese and turkey sandwich for lunch and ate a can of fruit salad. Watched VB all afternoon, then made supper (chili, rotini, and corn on the cob), fed pets. Andy came over to direct the exterminator just as I finished cooking, and I came back out to the guest house. Ate, finished the VB Season 4. Rosary at 6:20 PM. Pootled around and then went to bed. When? I’m not sure. After 9 but before 12.

 

1/8/2021: Woke up about 20 minutes to 6 AM and the cartoons, turned the TV on, then fell asleep until about 15 minutes after the cartoons were over. Prayers, Bible, then breakfast ramen (2 beefs with mushroom soup), then medicine. Kam called me about 9 AM and I went in and made him biscuits, which we split between us. I checked for the green keys to go out and look at the mail, but Andy had taken them with him (thank God; I thought perhaps I had mislaid them). S&A dropped in a little before noon and Andy brought me over the Season 7 of VB, which came in the mail today. Lunch a toast with cheese and turkey. I spent most of the rest of the day watching the episodes, and then again with the commentary. About 3 PM I started frying potatoes, and later put the fish in. A little after 6 PM I took the potatoes in, just as Andy arrived. I fried 2 more batches of taters, which I ate, then went in about 7:30 PM to clean up. Finished the last commentary a little before 9 PM and took the frying pan in after checking my RBFCU account and confirming my check had been deposited on December 29. Rosary. Cleaned up kitchen and caught up diary by 10 AM. Didn’t activate my Direct Express card, which I thought about doing all day but somehow couldn’t muster the resolve. Bed at about 11 PM.

 

1/9/2021: Awake at about 5 AM and decided to dive in right away and called Direct Express. Activated my card and am now awaiting a callback. Prayers, Bible.

Got the callback at 6:10 AM, did some confirmation, then watched more Popeye show on METV. At 7 AM watched “The Bookworm Turns” on TCM, then shaved. Hurray! I’ve done things. Ramen for breakfast.

Went in about 11 AM to return the potato peeler and talked to Susan, then they gave me a lift to Family Dollar. Got some peaches, prunes, cream of chicken soup, chili, ravioli, Bugles, and some frosted honey buns. Walked home and had ravioli and honey buns for lunch.

Watched VB Season 1 throughout the day and finished about 7 PM. Had a big can of peaches. Rosary at 7:30 PM. Tomorrow is supposed to be really rainy, even stormy. Now 8 PM and kind of shutting down already. Heater on. Bed at 11-ish.

 

1/10/2021: Up at 6:30 AM. Very cold, very rainy. Prayers, Bible. Decided I couldn’t manage the walk to church, found they hadn’t been able to upload to YT, so watched Mass on EWTN at 7 AM. Had peaches, then ramen and cream of chicken soup for breakfast, took medicine.

Andy called me at 11:19 AM and asked if I wanted to go to Walmart. I hesitated a moment then said yes and got dressed quickly. Andy dropped me off and he went to HEB. I got my money order and Microsoft 360 and Norton protection and stamps. Hurrah! I’ve been wondering and worrying about how to do it, and in 20 minutes it’s done. Had chili for lunch (with tortilla chips). Boiled my FD prunes (which later, I believe, combined with chili to let things flow). Watched Gravity Falls and other animation all day, as more and more rain fell and it grew colder. Had another can of chili and chips for supper. Blogged. Bed about 9:30 PM.

 

1/11/2021: Up at 6:30 AM. Prayers. Made out MoneyGram to Sarma Collections Inc. and put the stamp on. Bible. Went out at 7:30 AM to mail the payment. When I got back about 7:45 AM Andy came out and brought me the chicken garippe from their yesterday’s supper and told me that they wanted the boiled eggs and egg salad as usual. Put on Perry Mason (PM), which today has Walter Pidgeon as guest star. Took out chicken bones and recyclables. Straightened up hanging clothes in the closet. Now 8:30 AM. Will start wash at 9 AM and boil eggs. Awaiting call from SSI at 9:30 AM. Getting things done this morning.

At 9 AM started wash and boiled eggs. When SSI called at 9:30 AM I had chopped the eggs. Went through the interview, then finished the egg salad and cleaned up at 10 AM. Switched the wash a little after 10, then ate breakfast (ramen, 3 eggs, and a slice of bread). Now 10:45 AM.

About 11:10 AM I went out to get my load and S&A had just got home. I ran the keys in, and they gave me some mail, which turned out to be about Medicare now too, which I hadn’t been expecting. Folded and hung my clothes. Now 11:38 AM and except for making broccoli salad my business is done for the day. Wow. I should post on NOT before noon.

And so I did, more autobiography on NOT. Kameron called me a little after noon, and I made him toasted cheese, then made broccoli salad, which I finished at 1:30 PM. Let out the big dogs about 12:45 PM at Susan’s behest, after the pool guy was here.

Watched most of Disc 2 of VB Season 2, until it started to get a little buggy in the last two episodes about 3:45 PM. Before that took out my garbage and ate some broccoli salad. At 4 PM I shall go in, feed pets, make fish patties and couscous.

Did so and came back to the guesthouse a little before 5 PM with my supper. Lay down a while listening to music, then rosary at 7 PM. Going in at 7:30 PM to clean up. Bed at 10:30 PM.

Notes

Kind of strange to see my old schedule; it's still largely the same, but kind of drifting. Meals changing, no dogs to worry about, sleep schedule all boggered up. I haven't watched much Venture Bros. since; finding the first season of DVDs not working so well depressed me. I did watch the movie, though; that's sort of a finale. I really don't want to have to buy a new set. The longer time passes the harder it will be to find. A complete set beckons, but ... I have them all. It seems unfair to expend resources on it.

Just a Reminder

So far, I'm doing alright.

Into the Archives: 'Classical Gas'

King Arthur: A Fascinating Historical Exploration of Camelot and the Enduring Legend That Captivates Readers  by Norma Lorre Goodrich

From the Back Cover

The many readers who are enthralled with the enduring legend of Camelot will be drawn to this fascinating book, which "may become the definitive work in the effort to prove the historical authenticity of King Arthur."--UPI

About the Author

Norma Lorre Goodrich, Ph.D., K.C., FSA Scot, has been teaching for forty-five years and is a professor emeritus at the Claremont Colleges. She is the author of King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Heroines, Priestesses, Ancient Myths, and Medieval Myths. She lives in Claremont, California, with her husband.

100 Selected Stories (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback by O. Henry 

This selection of a hundred of O. Henry's succinct tales displays the range, humour and humanity of a perennially popular short-story writer. Here Henry gives a richly colourful and exuberantly entertaining panorama of social life, ranging from thieves to tycoons, from the streets of New York to the prairies of Texas. These stories are famed for their 'trick endings' or 'twists in the tail': repeatedly the plot twirls adroitly, compounding ironies. Indeed, O. Henry's cunning plots surpass those of the ingenious rogues he creates. His style is genial, lively, and witty, displaying a virtuoso's command of language and allusion. This great collection offers delights for the mind, imagination, and emotions. - Amazon

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee (Author)

---

A bitter marriage unravels in Edward Albee's darkly humorous play—winner of the Tony Award for Best Play.
“Twelve times a week,” answered actress Uta Hagen when asked how often she’d like to play Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In the same way, audiences and critics alike could not get enough of Edward Albee’s masterful play. A dark comedy, it portrays husband and wife George and Martha in a searing night of dangerous fun and games. By the evening’s end, a stunning, almost unbearable revelation provides a climax that has shocked audiences for years. With its razor-sharp dialogue and the stripping away of social pretense, Newsweek rightly foresaw Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as “a brilliantly original work of art—an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire [that] will be igniting Broadway for some time to come.” - Amazon

Inherit the Wind Publisher: Ballantine Books

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Inherit the Wind is an American play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, which debuted in Dallas. The story fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes trial as a means to discuss the then-contemporary McCarthy trials.

Inherit the Wind is a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, which resulted in John T. Scopes' conviction for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to a Tennessee state law. The role of Matthew Harrison Brady is intended to portray famed orator and politician William Jennings Bryan, while that of Henry Drummond resembles noted defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Bryan and Darrow, formerly close friends, opposed one another at the trial. The character of Bertram Cates corresponds to John Scopes, and the character of E. K. Hornbeck is modeled on that of H. L. Mencken, who covered the trial for The Baltimore Sun and whose sensational reports helped attract national attention.

However, the playwrights state in a note at the opening of the play that it is not meant to be a historical account, and there are numerous instances where events were substantially altered or invented. For instance, the characters of the preacher and his daughter were fictional, the townspeople were not hostile towards those who had come to Dayton for the trial, and Bryan offered to pay Scopes' fine if he was convicted. Bryan did die shortly after the trial, but this occurred five days later, in his sleep.

Political commentator Steve Benen has said of the play's inaccuracies: "Scopes issued no plea for empathy, there was no fiancée, and the real Scopes was never arrested. In fact, the popular film that was nominated for four Academy Awards and has helped shape the American understanding of the 'Scopes Monkey Trial' for decades is an inadequate reflection of history."

Playwright Lawrence explained in a 1996 interview that the drama's purpose was to criticize the then-current reign of McCarthyism and defend intellectual freedom. According to Lawrence, "we used the teaching of evolution as a parable, a metaphor for any kind of mind control [...]. It's not about science versus religion. It's about the right to think.” – Wikipedia

Ever since I got some Christmas money, I’ve been thinking I needed to get down to the Library Bookstore and see what they had to offer. This morning I girded my loins and set off down the road. I got there exactly at 10 AM (when the store opens) and was back by 11 AM on the dot. I’ve had Goodrich’s book on Merlin for years and thought her book on Arthur a good catch: $5. The O. Henry short stories seemed to be an interesting resource: $3. The plays between them were another $4; I was interested in them because their film adaptations necessarily left things out and I wanted to see what they were. So, some classics into the Archive, a lot of which I’d categorize as high school reading.

"Remembering Him Like Anything": Tolkien's Birthday

Today, January 3^rd, would have been Tolkien’s 134^th birthday. I remember for years I had pronounced his name TOLKINE (I’d only ever seen it written down). I was only corrected when the Carpenter biography came out, but it still took me years to make the switch over. Even today I sometimes, out of old habit, will still do so. It is, of course, more properly TOLKEEN, with TOLKIN an acceptable, if less accurate, more popular way. I remember seeing Mel Tolkin credited as a writer on All in the Family and kind of wondering. According to David Bratman (on John D. Ratliff, Tolkien scholar’s, blog), “I once knew a Tolkien fan who also collected material relating to the TV writer Mel Tolkin, because his name resembled "Tolkien" - though there was no genealogical nor etymological relationship at all.”

While looking up material I found another ‘icon’ style portrait of Tolkien. Whether such pictures are related to the fact that he was Catholic, or that many fans consider him a secular saint, a sort of patron of Fantasy writing in its highest sense, I find it hard to tell. If it was because he was a Catholic, I wonder how sincere such efforts are. Is anyone seriously pursuing the cause for sainthood? If so, I can think of at least one miracle connected with the man.

Whatever the case, Happy Birthday, Professor. You would have been way past the Old Took now.

“And while the vain world careless sped
Unheeding the heroic name—
The souls most fed with Shakespeare's flame
Still sat unconquered in a ring,
Remembering him like anything.”

-         The Shakespeare Memorial, by G. K. Chesterton

Into the Archives: The First Catch of the Year

LETTERS BETWEEN FATHER AND DAUGHTER: Robertson Davies & Miranda Davies Paperback – January 27, 2025

by Miranda Davies (Author, Editor)

---

Robertson Davies had a remarkable literary career as one of Canada’s most distinguished novelists. This book shares a collection of fascinating letters written between Davies and his eldest daughter Miranda over a long period (1950-1994). These letters offer insights into Davies' private life, revealing his deep appreciation of theatre, his interest in Jungian psychology and his bond with Miranda. Davies and Miranda shared an interest in theatre, literature, music, psychology, and people. Throughout the book, this interest matures and evolves as father and daughter become closer through shared adulthood. Davies was a pre-eminent literary voice in Canada for more than half a century, while posthumous publications include plays and essays as well as two volumes of his letters and one of his diaries. This volume is a contribution to his wide-ranging literary legacy.

Miranda Davies took an honours degree in English at the University of Toronto and moved to London where she studied and performed as a singer. She then trained as a child analyst at the Society of Analytical Psychology, worked as a child psychotherapist in the National Health Service, taught and gave papers in the U.K. and abroad and served as Co-consultant to the Child Analytic Training from 1999 to 2006. She has co-edited two books and written a number of clinical papers published in professional journals. She is now retired in Gloucestershire. – Amazon. 

The first bit of Robertson Davies material I've got since 2021 (I think), and at 580 pages and 5x1.45x8 inches, it's quite a fat little brick. I ordered it less than a week ago, part of the post-Christmas flush, and it arrived today about 12:30 PM.  I'm in that strange little stretch of time between holiday hours and when 'regular time' winds up again and the daily schedule reasserts itself. Letters should help tame that floating feeling a bit.

Resolutions Report Card for 2025

I was trying to think what I could post about today, when it struck me that I had recently run across my New Year’s Resolutions for 2025, and I figured I might as well give myself a report card on how well I did with each. So here goes.

1.  Go to every Holy Day of Obligation, and that includes Sundays. [I missed a few Sundays. So, broken.]

2.  Go to Confession, at least once during the year. [I went twice. So kept.]

3.  Write for one hour, each day. [Nope.]

4.  Read for one hour, each day. [Not even this one.]

5.  Keep better track of all medication refills and doctor appointments. [Kept.]

6.  Walk for at least 20 minutes a day. [Hah!]

7.  Pay more strict attention to diet, both in types of food and hours. [On and off, so to a certain extent.]

8.  Order no more than one book a month. [Also hah!]

9.  Shower every day. [Ummm… Well… There were some cold days …]

10.                    Try to get a leg exerciser. [Nope.]

11.                    Clean one shelf or nook a day. [Did so, then ran out of nooks. Should probably go through that cycle again.]

12.                    Play at least 1 DVD movie a day. [Well, no. I made this resolution because I noticed I had a bunch of movies in the Archive that I never watched much. But the whole point was to have them on hand when I wanted them, not to constantly be viewing them. So, I don’t particularly regret not keeping this one.]

So I kept 2, broke 7, wavered on 2, and discounted 1. It seems kind of disappointing. Or you could say it was a net benefit, because I was already ‘doing’ the negative things anyway, and accomplishing the positive things was … well, a positive thing.

Bouncy Early Earworm

George Baker: Paloma Blanca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R36CixkIaIc&list=RDR36CixkIaIc&start_radio=1

"Paloma Blanca" (Spanish for "white dove"), often called "Una Paloma Blanca", is a song written by Dutch musician George Baker (under his real name, Johannes Bouwens) and first recorded and released by his band, George Baker Selection. In the United States, the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Easy Listening Singles chart on 14 February 1976 (becoming that chart's overall No. 1 song for 1976). The song sold over two million copies worldwide. Baker has been quoted as saying the song is about "a poor South American farmer who works hard all day and then sits by a tree and dreams of being a white bird with its freedom.” – Wikipedia

The song was everywhere when I was in middle school. It was never a favorite of mine; though I found it upbeat. It is redolent of a certain period; you don’t hear a lot of flute (or recorder) in music these days.