QUARANTINE BLOG # 464

July 7, 2021

The morning that our daughter Amy Elizabeth announced – 47 years ago today – that she was moving from the warm accommodations in her mother’s womb to the world of Windber, PA, I was preaching.  According to the doctor’s calculation it would be a week or so before Amy would be born, but what do doctor’s know?  Bonnie was sitting in the steps that led to the basement of the church, counting her contractions.  While I was shaking hands with the departing flock, one of the teens came up and said, “Your wife is in labor, and she says you need to come now!”  I did.  And a little over an hour later our family had increased from three Sislers to four.  Happy Birthday, Amy!

👉  In honor of Amy’s birthday, here is a Peanuts strip I think she would “Amen.”

👉  Michael reminded me of another anniversary which happened 25 years ago today: Hulk Hogan made the incredible switch from face to heel and joined the Outsiders, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (the commentary is a little bit spicy).

👉  I’m going to wrap up the Tootsietoy feature with some lines that they produced in the late 20s and into the 1930s that are just neat and unusual.

1927 Model A Ford

1927 Cadillac

1931 U.S. Mail Van

1933 Overland Bus

1934 Wrecker

And the 1935 Doodlebug.  The Doodlebug is a faithful reproduction of a hand-made car built by the Briggs Manufacturing Company for the Ford-Lincoln organization.  It was shown on “The Ford Exhibition of Progress,” a tour throughout the country in 1934 (the prototype having been a rear engine model which influenced Ferdinand Porsche’s original Volkswagen design). 

There is a lot more to the Tootsietoy story than what I’ve covered in these 4 parts.  If you’d like to read more or just look at many more great toys than I’ve featured, check out this link by Clint Seeley, a real Tootsietoy historian.

👉  Looking for something to do travel-wise while I wait for cruising to start long distance sailings where they need a certain Destination and Special Interest Lecturer of your acquaintance, I found a list of luxury train trips.

There is the Palace on Wheels through northern India in a cabin with an en-suite bathroom and a butler who looks after the three suites in your carriage.  It sets off from Delhi and stops in the cities of Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Agra, and more, with even an early morning tiger safari along the way.

One of the stops is the city of Jaipur and one of India’s architectural wonders, the “Pink City.”  It houses elaborate structures designed hundreds of years ago under the order of Rajput ruler Sawai Raja Jai Singh II.  A romantic dusty pink hue – which has defined the city since 1876, after it was painted pink to welcome Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert – gives Jaipur its status as the “Pink City,” as it is commonly known.

The Hawa Mahal is an extension of Jaipur’s City Palace.  Its windows allowed royal women to observe street life without appearing in public.

The next to last day the train stops in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, literally “Crown of the Palace,” the ivory-white marble mausoleum commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.  The 32 million rupees it cost to build it would double today – $1 billion.

If you are interested in booking the Super Deluxe Cabin during peak season, the 7 nights, 8 days on the Palace on Wheels (January through March) the tariff is $6,300 per person, double occupancy.  When I win the lottery.

👉  Matt sent me this picture of a “honey dipper.”  The sign on the back may be a bit cynical, but hard to argue with.

👉  Speaking of political statements, here is a good one from Shoe.

👉  These next two are funny, but the potential for working them out in real life is somewhat scarey:

👉  Today’s close is from Praying with the Psalms, by Eugene H. Peterson.

“My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word. I cling to your decrees, O Lord; let me not be put to shame” (Psalm 119:25,31).

The man in despair (“My soul clings to the dust”) embraces God’s word as a means of salvation (“I cling to your testimonies”) and is not disappointed.  God gives hope to the downhearted and strength to the weak.  His word is truth and tonic.

Prayer: O God, forgive me for looking in all the wrong places for refreshment and renewal – I waste so much time trying out the promises of other people.  I return to your promises and find what I need: forgiveness and counsel and command, even in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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