Happy Easter.

Somebunny’s wishing you a pleasant holiday. Open thread.

Posted at 8:50 am in iPhone |
 

72 responses to “Happy Easter.”

  1. Sammy said on April 2, 2010 at 9:39 am

    Ah, Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town; just stay there amongst the fleurs!

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  2. Laura Lippman said on April 2, 2010 at 9:40 am

    While the thread is open and whiter than the above bunny, I thought I’d come by and thank you for the posts about David Mills. Finding out that NN and UBM had corresponded made the world feel that much cozier.

    Meanwhile, as the early reviews of Treme start, I know the Nallians (so close to Nawlins, now that I think about it) will be amused to read that John Goodman’s character is clearly spouting David Simon’s rhetoric. Of course, the one thing a fiction writer is never allowed to say is, “But it’s true! Someone said these things!” And, of course, Goodman’s character isn’t meant to be any one person and even the characters most closely aligned to real-life counterparts (Steve Zahn, for example) ended up being their own people, if you will. Still, it’s funny to read critics who doubt that anyone “real” ever said such things.

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  3. prospero said on April 2, 2010 at 9:41 am

    Photo’s great. Pun’s virtually unforgiveable.

    Actual quote from Ms. Palin’s new scripted TV series:

    “So you, having a kind of a downer day being in a valley, to then have been at this peak now, Angelica, because of your selfless action.”

    Who is going to man up and take that writing credit?

    And I suppose this could be taken as sexist, mean, or both, but too bad, she’s a totally objectionable and rapacious pathological liar and opportunist that has behaved so reprehensibly she deserves everything she gets short of the vigilantism she favors for the President.

    Anyway, I doubt Rich Lowry is sitting up straighter lately when she winks right at him. Looking mighty rode hard and put up wet these days. Ms. Palin is starting to look like Sam Lowry’s mom when the plastic surgery goes south in Brazil.

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  4. Deborah said on April 2, 2010 at 10:51 am

    cute, cute!

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  5. Jim In Fl said on April 2, 2010 at 10:59 am

    Very Cute!

    On a completely differnt topic, I have trouble seeing Leonardo DiCaprio as John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017130.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

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  6. beb said on April 2, 2010 at 11:06 am

    If ever there was a day when I wish I could post pictures in comments…. because I’ve got some really cute kitten pictures. And today’s the day (Here in Detroit) when we can finally open the windows in the house and air out the winter blahs.

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  7. LAMary said on April 2, 2010 at 11:11 am

    I miss crocuses. We don’t get those here. On the other hand, we have night blooming jasmine this time of year so the air smells wonderful after sun goes down.

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  8. moe99 said on April 2, 2010 at 11:25 am

    I remember the jasmine, LAMary. That made evenings in LA magical for me.

    Lately I’ve discovered the joys of http://www.hulu.com and have fallen in love with Dr. Martin Ellingham of Doc Martin. Actually what I’ve fallen in love with is the coast of Cornwall. Doc Martin is a British version of House, MD and Martin Clunes, the actor who plays the title role, is superb.

    He was in a 90’s British series titled, Men Behaving Badly, and Clunes’ character there was the complete opposite of the incredibly repressed and incredibly plain spoken, Doc Martin. Highly recommend and since the first 3 seasons are on hulu, you can view them at your leisure. Youtube has the 4th season.

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  9. Deborah said on April 2, 2010 at 11:25 am

    LA MAry, I was in LA a couple of weeks ago. My sister-in-law lives in Pasadena and must have tons of night blooming Jasmine on their property because it smelled heavenly from sundown to sunrise.

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  10. Julie Robinson said on April 2, 2010 at 11:35 am

    How heavenly that must be! We have to content ourselves right now with crocus and daffodils.

    Did Ruby go for the crocus? The wild bunnies around here love flowers–I have watched them decimate petunias. Slurp, slurp, thank you ma’am for the treat.

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  11. Dorothy said on April 2, 2010 at 11:40 am

    My son and his girlfriend got to Charleston SC yesterday for a vacay weekend. They have gorgeous jasmine blooming all over the place. Mike and I went there three years ago for a weekend because we knew we were moving from Greenville to Ohio, and wanted to experience Charleston one more time. What a lovely city!

    But Gambier and Mount Vernon are mighty fine today as well! Happy Easter weekend everyone, and Happy Passover as well.

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  12. basset said on April 2, 2010 at 11:51 am

    I didn’t know what a hellebore was till I picked some out of our yard this week to brighten up Mrs. Basset’s hospital room, but they’re sure blooming along the creek bank out behind our house. She’s been in there nine days now, abdominal surgery… Basset Jr. and I are going to bring her dog for a visit tonight during her evening fresh-air wheelchair ride.

    Meanwhile, teabonics:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pargon/sets/72157623594187379/

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  13. nancy said on April 2, 2010 at 11:53 am

    Laura, that is so cool that Ashley will live again, even if it’s just some of his better rants, his belly and his attitude. I know the difference between “based on” and “inspired by,” but for now, I’m just…pleased. You tell those dumbass critics to talk to me.

    Ruby did not eat the crocuses. I think they were so lovely she preferred to pose among them. Yesterday was the peak. Today it’s climbing toward 80 and they’re already wilting. I just went down to Joann Fabrice and bought three yards of tulle and covered her pen, just to discourage the hawks and let her know she can’t jump out without wearing a wedding veil afterward.

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  14. coozledad said on April 2, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    I wish we had a fabric store nearby. I’ve got a couple of old chairs to recover. We even lost the Harris-Teeter in Danville. If we want any organic produce, we’ll have to grow it.
    Love that rabbage.

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  15. Sue said on April 2, 2010 at 12:14 pm

    I love the regional differences in this country. I can be buried in daffodils and feel superior until I visit Seattle and see the monster rhododendrons, or go to Savannah and almost hear all the green stuff growing. Every region has something to boast about and something to feel envious of.
    Basset, good luck to Mrs. Basset.

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  16. Bob (not Greene) said on April 2, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    LA Mary,
    I remember being in Monterey walking along kind of a rundown street down near Cannery Row and smelling licorice. And I’m thinking, “Where in the hell is that coming from?” And then it hit me — growing through cracks of broken concrete — all over — was wild fennel. And then to be confronted with hedges of rosemary — well, to an upper midwesterner that was just a revelation. No wonder people all those moved to California.

    Nance, I’m glad Ruby didn’t eat the crocuses. I saw that photo and thought “that’s a dangerous pairing right there.” Eighty degrees on April 2 sure does make you want to not work (like I’m not doing right now) and get out into the garden.

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  17. judybusy said on April 2, 2010 at 12:43 pm

    But they can’t grow lilacs in the south, can they? Sue’s right, we all have so much variety….but I suffer from zone envy on a consistent basis.

    Basset, hellebores en masse?! I keep meaning to buy some, but somehow never get around to it…..

    Other great garden scents: heliotrope, datura, and flowering tobacco. They are on my “must have” list every year.

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  18. moe99 said on April 2, 2010 at 12:53 pm

    Best smell of all is Daphne. Never knew about it til I moved to Seattle, and then one Feb/Mar stepped out of the house and sniffed, “What is THAT?” Ambrosia for the nose.

    Basset–prayers for the Mrs. from here.

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  19. nancy said on April 2, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    Sounds like you all need to run over to friend-of-NN.c Trowel Tart and help her get going. It’s another JCB design job, too.

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  20. Jean S said on April 2, 2010 at 1:05 pm

    cooz, one of the best fabric stores in the US is in Chapel Hill–Mulberry Silks. They sell dress-weight fabric, not upholstery, but call them and ask about options closer to you. The owner is both nice and knowlegeable.

    And on a gardening note, out here in Orygun, hellebores rule. Lots of different strains/colors. I’ve got a few and want to put more in…

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  21. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 2, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    Leo as Travis? I think I’m gonna cry.

    But as it’s Good Friday, why not. But c’mon, DiCaprio as McGee? So I guess we’ll get Ben Stiller as Meyer.

    Which actually might not be so . . .

    My very best wishes and healing prayers for the entire pack of Bassets.

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  22. Dorothy said on April 2, 2010 at 1:30 pm

    Cooz, forgive me but I forget where you are. Aren’t you in North Carolina? Are you near Gastonia? If so you’ve hit the jackpot. I used to drive the 90 miles or so from Greenville to go here: http://maryjos.com/

    Hoping for a quick recovery for Mrs. Bassett. And someone asked the other day if anyone had heard from Whitebeard. Did I miss the reply?

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  23. coozledad said on April 2, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    Thanks, Jean and Dorothy. I’ll bookmark both of them. Did you live in Greenville SC, or NC, Dorothy?

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  24. Dorothy said on April 2, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    SC from September 2004 to August (31) 2007 – moved out on my 50th birthday.

    And Mary Jo’s has LOADS of upholstery fabric. And quilting fabric, clothing fabric, you name it – they have it.I heard that Disney World in Florida purchases their costume fabrics there. Not sure if that’s true, but someone told me that.

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  25. Dexter said on April 2, 2010 at 2:23 pm

    Best surprise-smell: I was walking on Main , near Hill Street in Ann Arbor, heading for M Stadium, when I first heard party noise, music and laughter, and then for two steps I walked through a cloud of herb smoke. That will happen , of course, but this time, a few years since I had even smelled it, it just made me feel good, and flash back to some really great youthful times.
    In nature, I love the first waft of the pine grove scent after the first late winter warm-up, and I don’t know if I like that more than the mid-summer thick pine scent from the grove. I do find myself walking the dog there frequently during both those seasons, and Fall, too.
    The bunny looks content. Nice.
    When I was a kid our neighbors had white rabbits. I grew fond of them. One was named Pinky. What I am about to write is not very pleasant. One Saturday the teenage neighbor boy grabbed Pinky and his pal out of the hutch and set them on the grass…and … it really upset me. To have pet animals for Sunday dinner? That was 52 years ago and it still bothers me. I think the kid should have told me to walk away before he blasted those poor rabbits with his .410.

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  26. MichaelG said on April 2, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    Hope Mrs. Basset is feeling better soon. Don’t tell her about DiCaprio as McGee. It’ll cause a setback.

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  27. prospero said on April 2, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    Rod Taylor played Travis McGee in Darker than Amber, Sam Elliott in a TV version of The Empty Copper Sea. Yall will probably jeer, but since Harrison Ford’s too old, I’d say Bruce Willis, off a stellar performance with Mos Def in 16 Blocks. Actually, in a perfect world, Dave Robicheaux would play Travis McGee.

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  28. Rana said on April 2, 2010 at 2:44 pm

    Cooz, you might consider ordering online. It’s not so great for things where drape and feel are important, but upholstery seems to be more straightforward. (I found this site, for example – http://www.housefabric.com – by googling for upholstery fabric online. What can I say – running to Google is one of my regular default actions these days.)

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  29. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 2, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    Travis should be 6’4″ and almost, but not quite a linebacker for the pros; Bruce Willis, with lifts, could just about do it, especially for the later books. Seeing him in “Nobody’s Fool” changed how I think of him as an actor. But Travis should be more of a Michael Yon character than an action movie cliche; DiCaprio, bless his heart, just doesn’t have that much texture or stretch in his chinos, or in his character.

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  30. Bob (not Greene) said on April 2, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    Hey all, not to take this in a whole different direction, but did anyone see this? Say it ain’t so.

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  31. brian stouder said on April 2, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    Basset – here’s wishing you and yours strength, and as pleasant an Easter weekend as possible.

    Bob(ng) – now THAT article encapsulates ‘the world turned upside down’ worldview of a segment of America as nicely as anything I’ve seen lately!

    Speaking of which, did anyone see Friend-of-NN.c Hank Steuver’s column on She-who’s new teevee show? (it’s understated and incisive; great closer, too)

    Loved the bunny shot! I thought the flowers were artificial, at first glance. Our bunny is now the size of a cat, and very much enjoys being outside. Rather than trusting to wedding veils and the like, one or the other of us sits out there and reads, while the bunny hops to his bunny-business.

    Happy Easter, y’all!

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  32. Joe Kobiela said on April 2, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    Bob and Tom had the audio of this on and the guy sounds like he was stoned to the bone. I can take credit for the weather. I was down in Pensacola on Wed night and Thursday and while I walked the beach in gulf shores Alabama I wished this weather back to all my friends at nnall.com
    Pilot Joe

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  33. moe99 said on April 2, 2010 at 4:46 pm

    Bob (NG), I’ve seen some reports on the internet that Rep. Johnson is in the final stages of Hepatitis C which could explain his mental processing problems. He apparently was a successful attorney before going to the House. I, too, was aghast at his statements, however.

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  34. Kirk said on April 2, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    Dexter at 25:
    I’m with you on unexpectedly picking up a whiff of herb. Has happened to me maybe three or four times since I resigned from the tribe, always evoking hugely pleasant thoughts and memories.

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  35. jcburns said on April 2, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    Oh, crap, now I’m going to have to do gravatars on the Trowel Tart blog too. And Joe, I’m only giving you credit (or blame) for the weather if you’re flying jets. Those contrails you know are what are really responsible for climate change. (Okay, I’m kidding.) Happy St. iPad’s Eve, everyone.

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  36. Julie Robinson said on April 2, 2010 at 5:52 pm

    Add my prayers to those for Mrs. Bassett. Nine days is a long time to be in the hospital; she must be champing (chomping?) at the bit to go home.

    After lunch I was chewing some gum and managed to pop off one of my dental crowns. Our dentist was closed but gave his home number on the machine and when I called him he didn’t hesitate to get in his car to replace it for me. He’s a good man.

    We are heading up to Chicago to celebrate the holiday with our daughter. A Blessed Easter, Passover, or Spring to everyone.

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  37. Holly said on April 2, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    To fill you in on my 12 dozen eggs I had to color today at work. Someone made a mistake in the kitchen. They hard boiled 12 dozen brown eggs. I could not help but laugh.

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  38. nancy said on April 2, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    Best wishes to Mrs. B, as well.

    Just to keep the thread going, this week’s Metro Times contained not only the stripper story previously fawned over and discussed, but this, buried in a typically grumpy Jack Lessenberry column:

    Last week, I talked to a class of college seniors. Similarly, about two-fifths of them were opposed to the new law as well. Why? “Socialized medicine,” one said. “I’m against socialism,” said another.

    OK, I said. But, “Would you support a bill that requires people to buy health insurance from a private insurer, and prevents private insurers from cutting them off for being sick?”

    “Well, yeah,” one said, as they all nodded. “That would be OK. That’s a good idea.” Does anybody not like that? I asked. No, not one. When I told them that is what the president’s health care bill did, they were stunned.

    Thanks, Sarah Palin!

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  39. Julie Robinson said on April 2, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    Holly, we’ll be dyeing eggs tomorrow even though our daughter is 29; she thinks you’re never too old. This was a problem in Australia where she could only find brown eggs. As you already know, they don’t take the colors too well.

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  40. Little Bird said on April 2, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    For those with HBO, there is a new show called Mother’s Courage. It’s all about autism and how children with autism CAN learn. It’s fascinating and I’m sure it will air several more times. Temple Grandin gives an interview and she has a really amazing way of explaining things. I highly recommend it!

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  41. Dexter said on April 2, 2010 at 10:49 pm

    Only the very rich should buy tomorrow’s WiFi edition of the iPad, because it will be obsolete in thirty days when the 3G model is released. WiFi is great, but for anyone who moves around , you need 3G.
    http://computershopper.com/shoptalk/laptops/apple-ipad-with-wi-fi-should-you-buy-now-or-wait-for-3g

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  42. basset said on April 3, 2010 at 1:07 am

    Thanks to everyone for the support – we thought it might be the Big C but it wasn’t, got the path report back this morning. She’ll be in there another couple of days till her digestion gets sorted out, after that it’s back home for 6-8 weeks and we go on from there.

    Sunday is our 29th anniversary, she may be home a day or two after that.

    Meanwhile, B. Jr. and I took her dog to see her tonight, he rolled her outside for her evening fresh air and I was on the curb with the golden retriever. Seemed to help.

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  43. Dexter said on April 3, 2010 at 2:06 am

    basset: So glad to read that it ain’t Big C. Best wishes to your family.
    It was nice to take her dog to see her. I know that helps. Years ago an appendectomy meant a ten to fourteen day hospital stay. I was missing my dog so badly it hurt. One day Dad brought Rusty and walked him so I could see him out my window. It was great. The old man was great, bringing me comic books and little toys every day. Maybe only real dog lovers know how much it means to see your dog when you are sick. I just know your wife is feeling better about life because she got to see her pooch.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    I was browsing Ashley’s posts and he had written he missed seeing Gordon Lightfoot because G. had checked into rehab. My wife was a big Lightfoot fan and we saw him perform twice at the old Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston Michigan, in the 1970’s. I saw a lot of shows there. Anyway, Gordon made the comment, at the last show we had seen him do, that he was really getting fat; he made a few fat jokes.
    After that night I lost track of Mr. Lightfoot for several years, maybe fifteen years. One day the ChiTrib ran a story on him. He had taken to the gym and never quit. He became a gym regular and lost a ton of weight and really toned up and built muscle. He was actually thin…I wouldn’t have recognized him. Let’s see what he looks like now. Still thin.
    http://www.corfid.com/gl/images/g_winnipeg.jpg

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  44. Deborah said on April 3, 2010 at 8:25 am

    Great news Basset! That’s good to hear (read).

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  45. brian stouder said on April 3, 2010 at 11:07 am

    Basset – great, great news from you, that cancer isn’t the matter. But indeed, infections and the rest are nothing to fool with. Congratulations on number 29; I think Pam may want to be paroled from me by then!

    Let me just say – everyone should really, really, really scroll back up the thread, and click on Nancy’s linck to Jack Lessen­berry’s column.

    It is superb; and indeed, Nancy characterizes it as “grumpy” – which is precisely what it is. Good stuff!

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  46. Connie said on April 3, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    Following up on yesterdays ducks and chicks discussion: In my fair city there have been several arrests lately for chickens in the city. Since they are all roosters the police are thinking cock fighting. Our humane society states they are feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all the roosters and snakes that have ended up in their shelter. I believe the roosters must be held (as witnesses?) until the court case is resolved.

    In other news, I was interviewed yesterday by the Lansing State Journal. I am an MSU grad with a kid at Butler and they wanted to know for which team I would be rooting. And all I can say is Go Blue!

    At MSU I was a small town kid lost in the crowd. I wish every kid could have the kind of college experience my kid has had: involved and known. We will be heading to Indy next Saturday to see her receive the biology department’s leadership award.

    Back to animals: Butler has officially gotten permission to bring their real live bulldog mascot Blue II to at the game. At home games Blue is introduced to the crowd and runs across the Hinkle fieldhouse floor to get his dog biscuit from the student section.

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  47. moe99 said on April 3, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    Connie, Count me in the Butler cheering section! Defiance High School teams were the Bulldogs and their colors were blue and white.

    And Basset, so glad to hear that Mrs. B is not joining that club where no one wants to be a member.

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  48. MichaelG said on April 3, 2010 at 2:05 pm

    Prospero, Dave Robicheaux would make a poor Travis McGee. Too angst ridden and too crazy when provoked.

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  49. brian stouder said on April 3, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Gotta root for Butler. And indeed, check out a great little book written around the (civil war) wartime correspondance between Ovid Butler and his family (his dad, a Campbellite[?]) started the school), titled Affectionately Yours.

    The woman who wrote that book (name escapes me, and I’m on dial-up, and cannot easily fool with Google) is in the Butler family, and some years ago she visited the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, prompting me to buy her enjoyable, informative book.

    Ovid Butler served in the Signal Corps and wig-wagged flags at Chickamauga and other places in the west; lived through the war and came home to Indianapolis and eventually took over leadership of the college.

    All through the war, he wrote and received newsy letters to his father and mother and sister, and they kept him up to date about what was happening at home. (All the while, the ever-organized father kept complete copies of the correspondance) The book quickly pulled me in. The next time we were in Indy, I sought out the Butler home; the Butlers used to walk to work from there, and was quite taken by the sight of it. It’s close by the elevated interstates and bypasses, near the cty’s center.

    Anyway – to use a pun that many others must also by using – I hope that this time the Butler really does do it!

    PS – Connie – ya gotta give us a link to the interview!

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  50. Julie Robinson said on April 3, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Big sis loved her time at MSU so much she went back for another degree, so I guess I have to root for them, but the Butler story is compelling.

    Connie, I felt like you my first semester at IU, but after I found my cohort it was a marvelous place to be; big enough that you could find a like-minded group no matter what your interests. If you were in a small department, as I was in religious studies, you ate at the professors’ homes and they at yours.

    Our daughter was afraid to go to a big school and chose Valparaiso instead. For her, it was the perfect place and the small size was part of it. She would meet herself coming and going from all the activities she was involved in. She also had small classes and got close to professors. She was intellectually challenged in good ways: in her freshman class, one-third had been their high school’s valedictorians. Her entire experience was amazing, and since it was only 2 hours door-to-door, we attended many of her performances. There were many students who lived too far away to get home frequently, and she would bring them to FW for some home cooking and mommy time. Great fun, and I miss it.

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  51. coozledad said on April 3, 2010 at 2:39 pm

    I just watched some of the dildo duck movie the Hutaree guy made. Kind of like Luis Buñuel, if he was drinking mouthwash.
    Mustang Grande Guignol?

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  52. basset said on April 3, 2010 at 5:05 pm

    I went to IU from a small-town high school and damn near drowned. don’t know how many times I started to do a Larry Bird and just leave with no warning, probably would have if I’d had anywhere to go.

    did eventually find a smaller group, broadcasting and IUMAC technical crew, and it got better from there, but I still have a hard time feeling like part of an IU community; it’s just too big, anything that happens on a universitywide level is done by strangers. for example… I was there when the basketball team won the NCAAs in 1976 and they may as well have been the Pacers. never met any of them, far as I know never was in the same class or saw any of them in person.

    my son is at Tennessee Tech, which is about a quarter the size of IU, and much happier.

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  53. Dexter said on April 3, 2010 at 5:06 pm

    One kid from my high school class went to Butler and graduated in four years, and my plumber’s daughter is an administrator there, so he’s always talking up the Bulldogs…he’s crazy these days , with the Final Four appearance.
    I’m a proletarian Michigan fan, meaning I root for their teams but never attended any classes there, but I am true Blue and cannot root for the Sparties, those clod-hopping , shit-on-their-shoes teat-pullers and cornaholics. Screw them. Go Butler Bulldogs. Izzo? Iszzatso? Wait’ll he matches wits with this boy-wonder coach from Butler, 33 years old and as smart as old John Wooden himself.

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  54. Deborah said on April 3, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    I must be the lamest person on the planet. I can’t figure out how to make a Gravatar. I go through all of the steps until it gets to the end and then it’s confusing. Like I thought I already did that and then it comes up again. Maybe it just takes time. Hopefully when I hit submit it will appear…

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  55. Deborah said on April 3, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    it’s still the washed out quilt square, I give up.

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  56. Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on April 3, 2010 at 7:25 pm

    Deborah, it’s there — have faith!

    Julie, loved your daughter’s story; grew up in Valparaiso and my folks still live there (well, six months of the year, anyhow). Hope she got to take some classes from Walt Wangerin. That chapel is a part of my mental landscape wherever I go, and I’m not even Lutheran.

    Hey Brian, Ovid was the father, and his son Scot was the one who went off to the Civil War, with their letters making up the book by Barbara Butler Davis, called “Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Home-Front Letters of the Ovid Butler Family.” Ovid was the only one in my ordination tradition (Disciples of Christ/Restoration Movement) who stood up to the great patriarch, Alexander Campbell, and told him he was full of stuff for saying we simply must cooperate with the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. And Campbell still respected him, but was not convinced, and few or none would stand with him — he helped begin the Free Soil Party, the Republican Party, and organized what became Butler (North West Christian College) as an anti-slavery bastion versus the accomodationist approach of Campbell and Bethany College.

    And a blessed Easter morning to everyone! Go Bulldogs . . . (but we’re watching the Cheesefest, aka “The Ten Commandments.”)

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  57. crinoidgirl said on April 3, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    Butler won, 52-50. (hangs her Spartan head in shame)

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  58. brian stouder said on April 3, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    Jeff tmmo- excellent! With my memory, I wouldn’t make a very good witness – but Barbara Butler Davis wrote an excellent book nonetheless, and delivers an excellent lecture; plus – she inscribed the book, which is something an e-reader (Kindell?) will always lack.

    Indianapolis must be a happy place right about now.

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  59. Connie said on April 3, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    Go Butler. Though no matter who won, I would have had a team in the final.

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  60. crinoidgirl said on April 3, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    Another beautiful Sweet Juniper post. Seed-bombing Detroit:

    http://www.sweet-juniper.com/2010/03/bomb-detroit.html

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  61. crinoidgirl said on April 3, 2010 at 10:07 pm

    And Flint is burning:

    http://paxtonland.com/archives/2010/04/153/

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  62. Holly said on April 3, 2010 at 10:18 pm

    Happy Easter to all.

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  63. Rana said on April 3, 2010 at 10:47 pm

    Basset – good to hear the news. I hope she’s back on her feet soon.

    I’ve always been glad that I did my undergraduate work at a small college. We were often grousing about how it exceeded the 1300 “ideal” (by less than a hundred, I remember), so that gives you some idea of what I mean by small. It was a very intense environment, and I lived on campus all four years; I can’t imagine how I would have done at a university-sized institution.

    Going to a big university for grad school was another story; since we were enmeshed in our department and only encountered the larger populace when teaching or visiting the food court, its large size in practical terms meant only that the library was good and there was relatively affordable housing nearby.

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  64. basset said on April 3, 2010 at 11:26 pm

    Thanks for the support, Rana and everyone else; all continues to go well and she should be home Monday evening, twelve days post-op.

    Crinoidgirl, why would you hang your Spartan head in shame? You didn’t have a damn thing to do with it.

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  65. Deborah said on April 4, 2010 at 6:07 pm

    We had a lovely Easter in Chicago. Fantastic weather, a little breezy but warm and sunny. We took a long walk on the lake front, first of the season (and way earlier than usual). Trees are leafing and flowers are blooming. Now we pessimists are waiting for the big freeze to mess it all up. Tomorrow we are supposed to have thunderstorms. I hope they wait till I’m home from work, I love to watch them roll in from our high-rise perch. Hope you all had a great day.

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  66. Deborah said on April 4, 2010 at 6:42 pm

    Well I was wrong about the thunderstorms tomorrow, they’re happening now. Just came out of nowhere, lighting, thunder, hard rain. Glad I got out and enjoyed the day when I did. More apparently tomorrow.

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  67. LAMary said on April 4, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    Just felt the 6.9 quake that hit Mexicali. Long rolling shake here. My colleague’s kids are in Mexicali on a mission trip for their church. I’m sure she’s going crazy with worry. Keep a good thought for Miles and Evan.

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  68. nancy said on April 4, 2010 at 7:09 pm

    Just read the first breaking-news alert on NYTimes.com, and my first thought was, “Hope LAMary’s OK.” Not two minutes later, I know. The miracle of the internet.

    Michael G’s farther north. I ‘spect we’ll be hearing from him tomorrow.

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  69. LAMary said on April 4, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    I emailed my colleague as soon as I heard where it was and she replied that her son texted her on his cell phone and said they were scared but ok. It’s been upgraded to a 7.2 which is a good sized quake.
    We’re Ok here. Nothing but a pretty long rolling shake. Thing is you never know when one starts if it’s going to build to a bigger shake. This was a weird sort of start and stop one, but the shaking never got very hard here.

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  70. Julie Robinson said on April 4, 2010 at 9:56 pm

    Deborah, it was a lovely Easter in Chicago, and we got out before the rain. We had some time to kill while our daughter was rehearsing for the vigil service Saturday and popped into a bar she recommended for its tater tots, I think it was called the Daily Bar. We got to watch most of the MSU/Butler game. I think I have lived in Indiana too long because I was shocked when families with young children walked in as this is not allowed here. But it made for a homey feeling and the place was fun.

    Jeff tmmo, Sarah LOVES Walt Wangerin. He came over to her dorm and read the students bedtime stories from one of his books. We were privileged to hear him preach a few times. A very special guy at a very special place.

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  71. MichaelG said on April 5, 2010 at 12:17 am

    We felt nothing of the quake here. It was covered on TV and it seems that damage was, I hope, minimal, but let LAMary tell the story. It was a spectator thing here. It does seem like we’re about due for a another big one. The weather has been miserable for the last two weeks and looks to be awful for at least another week or so. Cold, wind and rain. It’s raining like crazy right now. High temps have been in the fifties when avg April temps should be in the seventies. I sat here and stared at the 10 day forecast hoping something would change, but no luck. Then I went to another site and quickly clicked back to the weather site hoping to catch a break but no change.

    Stanfurd vs. UConn Tues. Stanfurd needs to pick it up.

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  72. Dexter said on April 5, 2010 at 1:35 am

    I am relieved the 7.2 didn’t cause massive damage; the one death is sad.
    The comments from readers in the LA Times story are good…

    “Comments (30)

    We were working on the 41st floor of a downtown LA highrise when the earthquake hit. We didn’t just feel the earthquake, but felt the entire building swaying back and forth for several minutes after the quake. It felt like being on the deck of a ship in rough seas.

    Posted by: John Champlin | April 04, 2010 at 05:29 PM”

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