April 15–Tulips have joined daffodils in my backyard gardens. There I was, between the heavens and the earth, perched and pulling on an object that looked like it could take me out. It was Saturday, the second Saturday of April, a spring day that was giving Iowa a taste of summer. Temperatures that seem normal in the first week of June, with the thermometer flirting with 80, bright sunshine—all in all, a pretty day. Almost four years ago, a derecho storm blew through Cedar Rapids, wreaking havoc with sustained winds over 100 mph. We lost a giant ash tree, a magnificent old maple and much of th ..read more

I was asked, for a general faculty meeting April 8, 2024 at Mount Mercy University, to do the “opening reflection.” The invite came the Thursday before, so I didn’t have a lot of time, but I immediately thought of a song that I have played in classes for students. So I wrote the following: You don’t need a journalist to like me to tell you the news: these are difficult times on The Hill. It’s easy to become discouraged—so, I wanted to play a song for you by one of my favorite contemporary bands, a song that I find full of hope; one that I often play for students during the first week of class ..read more

March 30–Dandelion in bloom on back wall, visited by small bee. Little call back to “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” which we used to watch every Easter season. What with one thing and another, we didn’t get the movie watched this year—but there was still some Easter buzzing. On Thursday, a daughter’s family made the drive down from the Twin Cities. The weekend was a bit of a pleasing whirlwind—family outings, two bike rides with a Tag-A-Long seat for a young grandson, an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. On Saturday morning, we went to Monticello to the Creative Adventure Lab–worth the drive if you ..read more

March 22–Snow falls on backyard bird feeders. Well, that was a surprise. They had forecast a winter storm would pass north of Cedar Rapids today, with several inches of snow in the northern tier of Iowa counties. In Cedar Rapids, we were to see some snow and rain. But the track of the snow, as it sometimes does, shifted at the last minute, and the temperature stayed just cold enough. The rain came last night, and then we got an unexpected generous serving of wet snow this morning. And as big as that surprise was, it was, for me, one of the minor surprises this week brought. The morning scene F ..read more

Dr. JJ Wright of Notre Dame speaks March 18 at Mount Mercy. Well, I don’t suppose most genres of music can be but aren’t always. There is such a thing as Christian Rock, and if it moves people’s hearts towards salvation, it may not be my preferred listening music but that that doesn’t mean it’s not sacred. And even ancient choral tunes can either praise the lord or express human desires—be sacred or secular. Dr. JJ Wright, folk choir director at Notre Dame University, spoke March 18, 2024, in the Chapel of Mercy at Mount Mercy University, giving a presentation called “Sacred Music & Jazz ..read more

March 6, 2024–first Daffodil in my garden in bloom. I know many gardeners in the Midwest are going gaga over native plants, and in recent years, I too have shifted my focus in that direction. I plant many more native flowers, now. To be honest, it’s partly because the Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids, at its annual Monarch Festival each summer, gives away native flowers—and “free” is a pretty good bargain. But it’s my choice, too. The most common flower I’ve probably planted for the past three years or so are varieties of Milkweed. They are hardy, pretty and do a service in that that ..read more

First flowers at Mount Mercy Campus, which I saw coming home on a bike ride Feb. 25. Will there be spring rains? I’m not asking for a flood, but the ground is pretty dry, and we need more moisture from the sky. Spring came early this year to Iowa. In this time, as February has turned into March, you can already see some insects active on warm afternoons. The snowdrops and crocus are in bloom, and I’ve even seen the first dandelion. Tulips are showing and daffodils are pregnant with flowers that look like they could bloom any day now. Trees are mostly still asleep, but I have seem some maples t ..read more

Krystal Colbert, a second grade teacher in the Southeast Polk Community School District, was named Iowa Teacher of the year by the state Department of Education in 2023. She spoke Feb. 28, 2024, to a group of education students at Mount Mercy University. What do I not know about each student? What “invisible backpack” do they carry? Krystal Colbert, 2023 Iowa Teacher of the Year, spoke this morning, Feb. 28, at the Wente Education Center at Mount Mercy University. The audience was mostly colleges students on their way to becoming classroom teachers, but included education professors, me (a com ..read more

Dr. William Cavanaugh, professor of Catholic studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology and DePaul University in Chicago, speaking with a small group of staff and faculty in the McAuley Penthouse, Feb. 15. When a journalist writes about a speech, ideally, they should do their story the same day. They should look at their notes while they’re still fresh, when new memory can help fill in the gaps, when their recollections haven’t been dulled by the fuzzy lens of time. Well, I’m not living in an ideal world. Dr. William Cavanaugh, professor of Catholic stu ..read more

Scene in downtown Des Moines as ICMA advisors walks to lunch break. Warm, sunny day in Des Moines. Well, thank you, Iowa College Media Association. This year, at its 2024 convention Feb. 8, the organization gave me the Eighmey Award, its highest honor for a person who supports student media at Iowa colleges and universities. It’s sweet to receive the award that is voted on by ICMA members—professors and advisors in media at many of Iowa’s colleges, community colleges and universities. It was a heartwarming moment for me, and I appreciate the recognition from my peers. Image make in journalism ..read more