And then I wrote...

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that timing, they say, is everything in life.

I thought about that as I went to Lansing one day recently to make my gift to the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center south of the city, at what we used to call Columbus. I took the highway from Waukon because the area had been subjected to very heavy rains the day before. I expected to see signs of flash flooding along that wadi which eventually turns into Clear Creek as it nears Lansing. And the evidence was there, in spades.

Still, I guess I was not prepared to see the Mississippi in the condition I found it.

When you make a contribution to the center, you are given a brochure which shows what the outside and inside will look like when completed. There are also photos of the river taken from the location, looking up river toward the city and the bridge. It’s a beautiful photo, with a single boat moving over a calm, beautiful blue river.

That’s not the way it looked that day. The water was dirty, at or near seasonal high stage, and with debris floating instead of a boat.

I kept a boat at Lansing for many years. The river has not behaved well this year. Had I had a boat there this year, I would have been very upset. I used to take my vacation in the fall, when predictably the river would be at or maybe even slightly below normal, which meant 7.8 or 7.6 feet or so. This year, it was over 13 feet when I visited.

But I am certain that another day, another year, it will once again look as pretty as it does on the brochure.

Both candidates for president have talked about their desire to bring jobs back to America from overseas.

There’s an old adage to be careful what you wish for.

I fly the flag on nice days in all but the winter months. I have gone through many flags over the years. I normally have two to use, one a very light, foreign made model for use on windy days, and the other a heavier, American made model for ordinary wind days. I worry the heavy flag in a heavy wind might snap the pole. It bends it like a fly rod hooked to a big fish.

The lesson learned is that the best flags are American made, but they cost three times as much as the foreign type. As with many things, you can “buy American,” if you think you can afford to.

Another example of stupid things from higher education. A University of Iowa prof wants to change the facial expression of Herky the Hawk, the athletic teams’ mascot. She says it is too grim and angry looking. She wants one that is more “nurturing, calming, welcoming and happy.”

I’m guessing she’s tenured and protected by her union.