The Civil War guy up on the square was wreathed in redbud blossoms a month early last year, but here's how the old boy looked Sunday afternoon --- not a trace of green (or pink) in sight.
By contrast, this photo was taken on March 25, 2012. You get the idea.
And this photograph is from a week earlier, March 18.
It was a bizarre, although pretty, premature spring that led into that long, hot, dry, summer of our discontent. This year's spring, according to the weather guys, is a couple of weeks behind and I'm not minding.
It is time to replace the snow scene that serves as title page for this blog. I'll do that in a few days but have been hesitating because of a few issues with Blogger, the Google engine that powers all of this. I don't want to take down one header, then find out I can't put up another.
The biggest Blogger problem of the moment is that the "links list" gadget isn't working. That gadget allows me to index posts in the right-hand margins, which is frustrating.
The Iowa Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth will open Wednesday at Des Moines Area Community College with a capacity crowd of delegates, roughly 700. This is the eighth year for the conference, intended largely to address bullying issues. The conference, which isn't state-funded, premiered during the term of Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack and continues to use the title during the term of Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who has not complained even though Iowa's best Christians are pissed off about the fact he hasn't.
Last week, a group of GOP lawmakers --- including Greg Heartsill, who represents a portion of Lucas County --- spent a little time threatening to defund DMACC because it is hosting the event, then held a really special news conference to tell the world how bullied they felt, as Christians, by the conference.
You've got to love it, and I was kind of grateful for the reminder during Holy Week --- when it's easy to start feeling all warm and fuzzy about the church in general --- that there are many good reasons not to.
Loved the Cesar Chavez doodle on Google's search-engine home page Sunday. I know some Christians are distressed because it wasn't the Easter bunny, but it was good to see somebody up there who actually had some idea of what the Lord's work is. Happy belated (86th) birthday, Mr. Chavez.
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It is time to replace the snow scene that serves as title page for this blog. I'll do that in a few days but have been hesitating because of a few issues with Blogger, the Google engine that powers all of this. I don't want to take down one header, then find out I can't put up another.
The biggest Blogger problem of the moment is that the "links list" gadget isn't working. That gadget allows me to index posts in the right-hand margins, which is frustrating.
+++
The Iowa Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth will open Wednesday at Des Moines Area Community College with a capacity crowd of delegates, roughly 700. This is the eighth year for the conference, intended largely to address bullying issues. The conference, which isn't state-funded, premiered during the term of Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack and continues to use the title during the term of Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who has not complained even though Iowa's best Christians are pissed off about the fact he hasn't.
Last week, a group of GOP lawmakers --- including Greg Heartsill, who represents a portion of Lucas County --- spent a little time threatening to defund DMACC because it is hosting the event, then held a really special news conference to tell the world how bullied they felt, as Christians, by the conference.
You've got to love it, and I was kind of grateful for the reminder during Holy Week --- when it's easy to start feeling all warm and fuzzy about the church in general --- that there are many good reasons not to.
+++
Loved the Cesar Chavez doodle on Google's search-engine home page Sunday. I know some Christians are distressed because it wasn't the Easter bunny, but it was good to see somebody up there who actually had some idea of what the Lord's work is. Happy belated (86th) birthday, Mr. Chavez.
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