And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus

... that one of the diagnostic tools of “head doctors” is, or used to be, free association. That is, mention a word or phrase and ask for an association with that word or phrase, to see how the individual’s mind works.
I have had such an association a couple times this spring.
There is a portion of a Biblical phrase, from Isaiah, which goes “and the voice of the turtle was heard in the land.” I don’t recall hearing much from turtles, but that phrase came to mind those times when, after a series of rainy days this spring, there was a sunny day, and seemingly every power lawn mower within earshot was heard ... the voice of the mowers was heard in the land.
Another association, maybe more, occurs when someone mentions the importance of the milkweed plant to Monarch butterflies.
When I was a lad, which is a long time ago, the field south of us was pasture more often than not, and there were milkweed plants growing there. Not enough to get excited about, unlike those war years when farm kids used to range their fields to gather the pods and turn them in, so the fluffy seed carriers could be used for kapok which was used in life preservers by the military. An aid to the war effort.
Association number two. The stem of the milkweed pod sometimes contained the larva of some eventual winged creature (not the Monarch, I think) and that larva was much prized as a bait for ice fishing the following winter.
Association number three. I think the statute of limitations on stupidity has run out, so I can report that as kids, in an era when smoking was a sign of sophistication, and when both of my parents smoked, we would try to emulate them by finding a hollow stem, not milkweed, I think, and stuff dried corn silk into the hollow, then light it and draw the god-awful smoke through it like a cigarette. Once, with a stem thus stuffed, I found I could not pull any smoke through it, so broke it open, only to discover it was a larval obstruction that was responsible. I think I gagged for an hour!
A reader told me that because of my column about the bee deaths and my suggestion we pray for them, he was doing so Sunday. Might not hurt to include the Monarchs in that prayer list was well, although they are not as important to our future food supply.
I think maybe Republicans are misunderstanding the old adage about how anyone can grow up to be president. As of this writing, there are at least 11 potential candidates for nomination for president. The old saying is “anyone” can be president, not “everyone.”
In the other party, there appears to be no real competition for the nomination.
Given the situation the winner will inherit, I can’t imagine why “anyone” would even want to be president!