Rambling through central Illinois, pondering squirrel pups.
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Well, I’m not sure of the legal term for what the 4th District Court of Appeals did in the wee hours last Thursday. But I’d say “weaseling out” adequately describes the court’s non-decision on the temporary restraining order issued by Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow, a Toulon native who definitely did not weasel out when she was faced with a difficult decision. The appeals court basically passed the buck, though Justice Lisa Holder White did note they should have ruled on whether Gov. Pritzker’s executive orders were proper. Now, the issue is left to twist in the wind for a bit longer until the Supreme Court rules on yet another appeal. By then, we will be past the Feb. 28 date Pritzker arbitrarily set as the end of the state’s mask mandate. Sigh. Is it really any wonder people are leaving this state?
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Once a month for the past year, a thought would briefly invade my oft-addled brain. “Whatever happened to Jeanne Harland?” You may recall Harland, whose enjoyable columns about farming with her husband in Knox County near LaFayette were published in this paper once a month for a year or two. For some reason, the columns stopped last winter. When I wondered why, another thought would snatch my brain off to something less productive. Thankfully, a prod from reader Jan Agnich of Bradford made me stay on task, for a change. It seems after 20 years of writing, Harland basically decided it was time to stop writing. In her farewell column (which somehow slipped through the cracks), she wrote, “I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to share our lives here on the farm with my readers for so many years, and my heartfelt thanks go out to all who have taken the time to read and comment on my stories.” … For about 10 seconds I thought, “Let her be.” But there are too few people who assemble words in a fashion worth reading. Jeanne is one. Others share the same opinion. So in an email, I asked if she would come out of retirement. She said she might consider it, which is where you readers come in. If you know Jeanne, let her know you miss her. Tell her to make me pay her this time around. We need more women’s views in this paper, particularly from someone who offers farm stories and recipes that help take us away from the troubles of our days.
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A few weeks ago, the late Dorwin “Salty” Hedden earned a mention in this space, since he looked and sounded like a nice guy in his obituary, not salty. Reader Christi Garlish of Farmington, who is a Hedden, provided an answer. She made some calls and, eventually, Salty’s brother, Carol Hedden, explained that three of four Hedden brothers earned nicknames at one time, the others being Pepper and Sugar. Only Salty stuck. “My Dad says if three of the four brothers had nicknames, then the fourth probably issued them,” Christi said. And yes, Christi confirms that “Salty was a good man and very kind.” … Parting shot: Thank you Mother Nature. Sort of. Over the past few days, a black squirrel started building a nest in the soft maple in our back yard. Better yet, the squirrel trimmed about 50 branches from the messy maple to help build the nest that it has since lined it with leaves. My hope is to see what babies will emerge. My concerns are many, the primary one being that nest building started while our dog was at the kennel. Buck is home now and spends his time sitting under the tree, staring at the nest. I fear this won’t end well.
Contact Jeff Lampe at (309) 231-6040 or jeff@wklypost.com
