Redbuds, the Peace Tree & other breakfast links

Since spring is here, sort of, it seemed like a good idea to change the Lucas Countyan header. The redbuds (above) bloom every year around the lake at Red Haw State Park, just east of town, as well as all over town. The big photo was taken a couple of years ago; the Civil War monument photo, last year --- when these non-native bloomers burst forth a month early.

Chariton's annual Redbud Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 20. We're hoping the day will coincide with the blossoms this year. That's always the problem with flower-related celebrations. Our neighbor, Pella, has written the book on tulip trials and tribulations.

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There have been rumblings in the Blogosphere and elsewhere this spring about Marion County's legendary Peace Tree --- to the effect that it finally had disappeared beneath Lake Red Rock's waters, or floated off. John Pearson and his merry band of kayakers set out recently to investigate. You can read all about the expedition --- and the Peace Tree itself --- by going to John's Out and About blog. This is a link to the blog rather than to the specific post, so if you tune in weeks or months after this is written, you will have to scroll down to find the Peace Tree post.

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Down the road in Decatur County, William and Sylvia Brown have located the grave of Napoleon's drummer boy in a cemetery near their woodland home. You can read about that, a bit of archaeology and lots of other stuff at Sylvia's Timberhill Oak Savanna blog. Again, this is a link to the blog in general rather than a link to a specific post.

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South-of-Iowa (Wayne County) neighbor Brenda has been blogging for years at Simple Pleasures --- and I didn't know about it until she introduced herself recently. The nice thing about a blog, however, is the easy process of catching up. Everything here is beautifully done and the photography, wonderful --- a source of inspiration to those of us who have gotten fairly careless about honing our photography skills.

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Finally, I've decided to be nice this morning, but doubt that Michael Libbie has. So tune in after a while (6 a.m. is a little early) for the latest installment of Sunday Morning Coffee. This stuff is almost as good as caffeine for enlightened, liberal-minded Iowans.