Minnesota Nice??

Last weekend, I finally bundled up and biked over to Minnehaha Falls to see just how bad an effect the 2012 drought had on it. It was reduced to just a trickle: Compare that to how it normally looks, from about a hundred yards further away: Much of Minnehaha Creek upstream from the falls has been reduced to a muddy trench with puddles, with at most a trickle flowing along. This is one of the wetter sections near the falls: Again, compare that to a different view from a slightly different angle a few years ago, at sunset, a couple weeks later in the calendar year: Nasty stuff. As much as I hate to shovel it, this is making me hope we actually get a lot of snow this winter.

Sara and I attended a very meaningful All Saints Sunday service at our church, Lutheran Church of Christ the Redeemer , yesterday. The service had special meaning to us with the passing of Sara's father early this year. The most moving part of the service was when those who wished to do so walked to the front of the sanctuary, picked up a lit candle, and placed it on the altar in memory of a loved one who passed away in the past year. As I looked at all the people standing in line, it was hard not to be reminded that LCCR is a Reconciling In Christ congregation - that the church weleomes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, as well as those who may have been excluded because of other human distinctions, such as race, economic status, or gender. We thus affirm that this welcome includes all people. We pledge to ourselves and to all others that we will strive to live as a reconciling people, in our life together and in our outreach to the world. I saw all kinds of ind