My Week That Was - Feb 29

Madison  2/18/2020  dwm photo

The week started warm and sunny.  During those first two days a lot of snow melted, reducing piles by inches and creating wet patches across sidewalks and streets that froze solid as night plunged temperatures below freezing.

It was also when the weather forecasters were urging us to beware of the weather due to arrive late Monday.

The expectation was 6 inches or more heavy snow.  Advance precautions were taken, falling just short of cancelling events in advance.

Monday, different news arrived as the predictors were now telling us the snow was sliding south and east leaving our area with nothing.  Weather systems can change in a hurry, of course, but the whole thing demonstrated the futility of the weather men and women trying to make predictions.

Just a couple weeks ago I mentioned starting a "walk" to California.  I'm on a team with three other people; there are 17 other teams.  We compile mileage together, and as of Monday we had "walked" as far as Mason City, Iowa.  Our next destination, Des Moines 123 miles away.

It was back on the road to talk covered bridges, this time at the Monona Senior Center.  45 bridge enthusiasts filled the seats.  It's the fourth time sharing stories about looking for bridges to shoot and telling tales about them.  The group seemed to enjoy it, in fact, we're invited back this fall to share lighthouses.

Thursday morning I headed to work early to join an employee early yoga session.  The yoga is free to employees thanks to donors, so it seemed like a good idea to check it out.  It went better than I expected.  It was flow yoga, one move leading to another.  It's one of two weekly sessions - one meets at 7 am, the other at 4:30.

Like many of you, Wednesday we went to church for Ash Wednesday service.  The church we attend is in its early years, worshiping in a clubhouse meeting space, so this is the only mid-week worship during the season until Holy Week.  In the midst of a hectic week, it was good to take an hour in prayer.

You may have missed this in the news, but did you know lynching is now a federal crime?  In a story I saw on the news and read more about in the New York Times lawmakers began attempting to outlaw this horrible crime, but it was consistently thwarted.

I couldn't imagine why this wasn't a law a long time ago.  If you had asked me at any point in the last 40 years, I would have assumed it was illegal at the state and federal level.  The fact it took this long to outlaw is as embarrassing as the fact a law was needed.

To see the glass half-full, final checking this last box is a small comfort.