It probably comes as no surprise to those who know me that I’m feeling somewhat uplifted by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which made it clear, Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land. This column isn’t some kind of victory lap. But as an unapologetic advocate for life, I take great personal joy from Friday’s announcement which seems to have turned the country on its head.

This is what minority ruled theocracy looks like. Abort the court! Specifically the unelected, unaccountable five that LIED! LIED! LIED! LIED! LIED! to get their lifetime jobs. Three appointed by a lying traitorous criminal, two of them stolen seats. Confidence in SCOTUS is at a 50-year low of 25%. Consistently inconsistent rulings like these examples are why.

Two sold-out performances attest to the talent and showmanship of Leonid & Friends. The audience arrived expecting to hear some great music and were definitely not disappointed. Wednesday night's audience included fans from 13 states. There was a large waiting list that unfortunately did not get to hear this amazing troupe of musicians.

People tell me they want to keep learning about God and the Bible. So here is a perspective for you to consider, if it is new to you.

First, Jesus. Along with the comforting image of him as gentle Savior, he also challenged traditional understandings of the Levitical laws. He “broke” the Sabbath. He talked to women as though they were as intelligent as men. He conversed with Gentiles, touched the unclean and hung out with sinners, thus associating with all the “wrong” people.

A headline read, "Farmer sentiment plummets as production costs skyrocket." They were referring to a 22-point drop in the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer that surveys farmers. Let's start at the beginning … my beginning. I started writing these reports back in about 1985. One of my first major reports talked about how there were separate producing and consuming economies.

If you ask any aquatic ecologist or botanist, limnologist, fisheries or marine biologist about aquatic plants they will tell you how important they are to the health of a lake, an estuary, river, pond or wetland. They’ll tell you about the interactions the plants have with all the creatures below and the delicate balance they help keep with water chemistry and nutrients. They will tell you cool facts about each plant and its habitat.

In the world of fishing, new lures and new techniques are developed regularly. Some of those lure types and techniques take a long time to become popular. Ned Rigs are like that. I’ve been aware of the Ned Rig and Ned Rigging for a good number of years, but have never really put it to use.

What a great time of year: long days of sunlight, summer activities in “full throttle” and our nation’s celebration of independence on the horizon.

This past week I have been working on a new piece: “A Song of Liberty (A Patriotic Medley for Organ.)

If you are like me, some of those lyrical phrases become repetitive mental images that bring a smile: “From sea to shining sea,” “for amber waves of grain,” and “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

The Avenue of Flags Board members and their families would like to thank all who came out to help to look for holes on Thursday, May 26, at Riverside Cemetery. Without our incredible volunteers, we could no keep this going.

An article produced by the Iowa Capital Dispatch caught my attention last week. The piece written by Robin Opsahl on Thursday centered around an ACLU prison labor report indicating Iowa prisoners earn less than $1 per hour while working.

Just as a clarification, while they are working in prison.

As we finish weighing in and tagging animals for Clay County Fair, I started to reminisce about my many memories at the Clay County Fair. I had commercial heifers, market steers, prospects calves, junior feeder pens, horses, and photography. The first specific fair memory that came to mind was one of my Junior Feeder pens. They were three home raised steers and they were not ready at fair time. They could have used another probably 30 days on feed to really be finished.

Voting is not just a privilege, but a civic responsibility.

Members of my family and yours spent time in battle dating back to the Revolutionary War to secure that right and privilege for today’s generation. Blood has quite literally been spilled to ensure the citizenry of today and generation’s past would have the right to go into a private ballot box and make their voice known regarding to representation at the local, state and federal.

As Father's Day approaches, there are many things for which we can and should be thankful. We live in northwest Iowa, and the Spencer area specifically. Our law enforcement personnel are not defunded or underfunded. Patrol vehicles are out and about the communities, despite the escalating price of fuel. We don't threaten or deface churches and congregations as a protest against views concerning the right of babies to be born, rather than be "terminated" on demand.

With 38 years of Flagfest behind us, the celebration truly is a Spencer tradition, a good one. I must confess I was tempted to miss festivities this weekend and head northeast to my hometown Mapleton, Minnesota, sometimes known as the “Curling Capital of Southern Minnesota.”

The gangs all here for the “final” go around with modern day dinosaurs in “Jurassic World: Dominion.” Mixing the three heroes form the original “Jurassic Park” trilogy with the duo who have battled through the past two films, we’re introduced to a world where the prehistoric beasts and humans are thrown together and forced to live side-by-side.