In Memoriam: Eva Marie Saint, 1924-2026

Academy-Award-winning actress Eva Marie Saint died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles.  She was 102.  For me, her most memorable role was that of the glamorous spy lady in Hitchcock's 1959 thriller North by Northwest.

The late Robert Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies, interviewed her in 2014:

 

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What Do You Do with a Hungry Sailor?

Feed him, of course.  Here is a rather fetching, well-informed young man from the Naval History and Heritage Command who walks us through the preparation of Beef Chili Con Carne, straight out of the pages of the U. S. Navy's official Cook Book, 1945: 

You can find the 1944 edition of that cook book online at Internet Archive. It's quite fascinating, chock full of very good recipes for all kinds of down-home cooking that will fill a hungry man's belly and leave a smile on his face. Support Our Troops! And here's the recipe itself, if you're in a hurry to start cooking; but of course you'll have to cut the recipe down to size, as Thomas showed in his video.

I would add chopped onions and bell pepper.
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Bonus:  Here is another chili recipe from the United States Merchant Marine Cook Book, 1945.  I think it's better than the Navy version:

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Sunday Drive: Shall We Dance?

One of the most beautiful song-and-dance scenes in all movie history, as performed by Deborah Kerr and Yul Brenner in The King and I (1956):

Bonus: The story of Marni Nixon, the actual voice of many famous musicals:

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Photos of Men I Love #4" by Clint Collide:

The guy with the dogtags is one gorgeous hunk of man.  Wooof!

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Unlikely Couple, Lifelong Love

From the video description:

Lawrence Moore and Richard Hubbard, a biracial couple, reflect on 56 years together after meeting as military Russian linguists in Japan in the 1970s. An unexpected twist of fate brought them together just as Richard was about to begin a heterosexual life.

They share how friendship, mutual respect, and accepting each other’s differences helped them build a lasting love.

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Who Ordered the Bear Claws?

Everybody loves good pastry.

According to the video description, the police used non-lethal beanbag rounds to get the bear to leave the market. But my thought would be, if that's the baby, where's the mama?

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Sunday Drive: Some Sunday Morning

A vision of glimmering beauty that this ugly, vulgar, modern world cannot understand or create.  The lovely Alexis Smith performs this Oscar-nominated song in the film San Antonio (1945):

Studly Errol Flynn is the appreciative listener at the foot of the stairs.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Just Passing Through #1" by Clint Collide:

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Fat Bear Week 2026

Eliminated from competition:  too skinny.
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I never heard of this event before, but what a great idea!  It started in Katmai National Park in Alaska in 2014, and now attracts millions of spectators and voters.  I wanted to send in our names for the competition, but M.P. won't let me.  Spoilsport.

NBC's Today program reports:

Here's a link to the live bear cam (not embeddable) if you want to get a good look at all the naked competitors. Clothing is strictly prohibited, of course.

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Pete Does Dallas

Pete speaking in Dallas, 9/19/26.
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Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg spoke at the Texas Democratic Party's annual Johnson-Jordan dinner on Saturday night.  What.A.Man.  Intelligent, eloquent, honest, modest, compassionate, courageous, and a true patriot.  I believe he will make a fine statesman in time to come.  May God bless, guide, and protect him.

But the sensational title of this video is quite misleading - some young staffer must have stuck that on there.  This is no mere "roast" - the mad bull in the White House is mentioned only once, I think - but a brilliant, upbeat review of the problems we face and the way out of them.  Well worth your time.

Bonus: Last week, Pete had a lively conversation about the future of the nation and the world with the Atlantic's editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg:

P.S. -- Whatever happens, I do hope Pete will always keep his very handsome beard.  It gives his youthful face gravitas.

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Sunday Drive: The Lord's My Shepherd

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Today's readings from the Episcopal Lectionary speak to me in a special way; but today I wish to focus on another reading.

Yesterday, September 19th, was the fourth anniversary of the funeral of H. M. Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, which was broadcast and streamed worldwide to billions of viewers.  It was deeply moving for me, and I particularly liked the rendition of the 23rd Psalm from the Scottish Metrical Psalter, set to the tune Crimond.  It was a favorite of the Queen's, who was raised by a Scottish nanny, who later served as her dresser (lady's maid) for many years.  

The Queen's Christian faith was the bedrock of her life and long reign, as she expressed many times in her annual Christmas broadcasts to her peoples around the world.  Here is the Psalm as performed at the funeral by the  Choir of Westminster Abbey:

The 23rd Psalm is, of course, deeply meaningful to all Christians, and is frequently used in funeral services.  It is dear to my heart because I learned it by heart in kindergarten at a Christian school, and it has comforted me through all the sad or lonely or grieving times of life.  And in my mind, it ties in with another comforting passage from the New Testament:

My grace is sufficient for thee: 

for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

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