It’s one of those weird things that happens. This morning, I wondered where the finches were. Every January for years, one of my favorite things is to watch the finches at my feeders (I live an exciting life). This year, I’d seen none, even though I’d been at home during the day [...]
I’ve seen none this year. Zero. My feeders have always been crowded by this time. No goldfinches, no house finches, no purple finches. Where are my finches?
Now that Republicans are feeling emboldened by the Massachusetts Senate victory, we’re hearing about their health care reform proposals again. One of their key provisions would allow the sale of insurance policies across state lines, with the supposition that this would foster greater competition among insurance companies. State insurance regulators are leery, because [...]
The Supreme Court ruling last week on corporate political spending was based on the determination that corporations have the same first amendment rights as an individual where free speech is concerned. And while many, primarily in the Republican camp, have greeted this ruling as if the very essence of democracy had been restored, I [...]
I posted this as a comment on another blog, in response to a post on writing among college students. Chris made the statement that “I recently heard somewhere that you learn to write not necessarily by writing, but by reading”. Reading introduces you to the art of language, while writing introduces you to [...]
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — [...]
We awoke this morning to discover that Massachusetts had elected Republican Scott Brown to the Senate seat held since 1953 by a Democrat, primarily either John or Edward Kennedy (Benjamin Smith held the seat by appointment from 1960 until 1962, pending Teddy’s election). The right wing is trumpeting the news as a resounding victory [...]
Many years ago, I saw a cartoon that had two Native Americans looking out at a mountain in the distance. In the second pane, the mountain explodes. In the third pane, one turns to the other and says “I see the Corps of Engineers is at it again”. And so they are. [...]
I was looking back through some pictures I took last October, and found this one, of a grumpy-looking hummingbird at one of my feeders:
I suspect he’s in a warmer place right now.
Driving to church this morning, I realized that I was seeing something you hardly ever see here - ice on the surface of streams and ponds. Granted, it was a thin layer, but it just never happens. You’ll sometimes see some icing along the stream bank, or at the edge of a pond, [...]
