Spring Around Us

Puddles of water from Saturday's cold storms 

remained on the sidewalks when I walked 

to the store Sunday morning. 

Here, one of last summer's hydrangeas had been 

blown into one of those puddles.

Barely more than a wisp of its former self, 

the dried flowers served as both 

a reminder of past beauties and 

the promise of more to come.

Earth Day Dawned ...

... Not bright and clear, but with cold rain whipped 

by gusts of wind and thunder.

I went to swim practice this morning,

my new blue training fins sticking out from

a pocket on my backpack.

The irony was not lost on me --

that I should huddle and cringe from the rain,

all the while looking forward to jumping

into a pool full of coolish water.

There, I would relish the feel of my body

pushing through the clear liquid,

knowing that later I would stand, stolid

and miserable under my umbrella,

as I waited for the bus to return home.

Morning Light and Mini-Bulbs

Saturday morning, I left for swim practice

at my usual hour. It wasn't until I was downtown

that I realized I'd left an hour early.

Damn.

But the light was beautiful.

After nursing a chai latte at Starbucks,

I hefted my backpack onto my shoulders

to take a walk around the Circle.

I found myself caught up in the crooked-y stance

the trees make against the more strict lines

of the buildings and grids.

And the colors! The new green of the budding

leaves made a lacy aura on some trees, 

while a mossy green patina shaded others.

Then the mini-lights accented the figures of others,

shapes that at night provide twinkly beauty,

as well a sense of security to walkers.

Rainy in Speedway

I walked over to the grocery late this morning. 

It was overcast with light showers then.

When I left the store heavy showers drenched 

the neighborhood. Rain ran down the sides of the bus stop 

where I took the first picture, and added strings 

of crystal pendants to the benches.

Satiny Pink Gowns and Fuzzy Sweaters

No sooner than they bloom, a breeze come in 

to whip the magnolias' petals away, 

creating a wet matted carpet below their parent

tree. Maybe it's so the redbuds won't

have to share the glory.

It's time for those trees to don 

their fuzzy pink sweaters,

astonishing us with their floret cuteness.

Before the Rust Appears

April has entered, as promised by the adage, 

with showers. Heavy rains have grayed the skies 

all around, creating a backdrop for the newly 

bloomed daffodils, jonquils, and -- dare I say it?

dandelions. Better yet, the magnolias have

shed their little velvet sweaters and

are starting to bloom delicate shades of mauve.

I got these pictures just after the flowers

had opened, and well before chilly spring winds 

whip the flowers into a frenzy, coating the 

petals with rust-colored tears.

Bleh.

April has so far been cold and chilly, 

with icy showers that knocked down daffodils' 

efforts to show off  their blooms.

The people of Indiana rose up in furor this past

week, when the Governor, a man who achieved the

office with backing from a narrow segment

of the state's population, radically conservative

and hell-bent on bending the state government

to suit their interpretation(s) 

of the Bible -- never mind the ol' "separation 

of church and state" bugaboo. 

Last year, the state legislators' efforts to enact

a ban on same-sex marriages was knocked down

by the Supreme Court. In a snit of revenge, 

a couple of those legislators wrote what is commonly called

the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA),

widely regarded as an effort to allow discrimination

on grounds of "religious conviction" against

members of the LBGT community.

Thirty legal professors told him it was a bad law.

 Several state corporations advised him that, never mind

just doing business, they would have difficulty 

recruiting the best people for their businesses. 

Travel and tourism would suffer. 

Saying it was "no different" than a similar federal law 

passed in 1993, Pence insisted he would sign it. And did.

With the NCAA Final Four basketball tourney

being held in Indianapolis this year, the commercial 

gloss was off the prestige of that event, and eyes were

focused instead on the efforts of a minority

of tawdry folks who want to keep us all mired in

their prejudices and fears. 

After days of bad press and downright acrimony, 

Pence finally got the message and requested 

that the law be fixed. A patch was written and passed

before the week was up. The governor had acted

solely for benefit of the small-minded constituency

he was used to serving as a Senator, and suffered the

outrage of a more reasonable, tolerant, and practical 

general population. He signed the paper. 

Then left town.

With the promise of some wonderful college

basketball to be played here, he decided he needed

to take care of some business in Europe.