A federal judge Monday refused to back Missouri’s Republican leaders efforts to block a statewide vote on a gerrymandered congressional map.

Abortion rights became law one year ago in Missouri. How few abortions happened since illustrates the difficulty of rebuilding access once it's decimated.

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We are still staying at the hotel in the town where my in-laws live. This morning, the hubs and I ventured over to a nearby residential area for our walk. It was a nice little neighborhood, with mostly standard ranch homes. Several houses were decorated for Christmas or in the process of being adorned. And then we rounded the corner to the sight of surprise butterflies painted on a privacy fence. What a delight, brightening up the street! You never know where you’ll find art waiting to be discovered. ~~

Today's walk involved a fortunate discovery. The spouse and I are visiting some of his family in Oklahoma and staying in a hotel. I really wanted to make sure and get a walk before over---um, eating. Just eating. Oh, hey, look at this park *right behind* the hotel! The attractive gentleman below was a value-added component I brought to the experience.

A few weeks ago, our neighborhood hosted a day of garage sales, and these two curiosities made their way home with me--tour itineraries for England, Wales, and Contintental Europe, for the years 1913 and 1914. I assume all went well in 1913, since the tour organizer, Ms. Stella M. Weyer of Washington, PA, decided a repeat was in order for the next year.

In this recording from our live conversation, I spoke with Evanston resident Jennifer Moriarty, who was "grabbed by the neck" and then detained while peacefully protesting against ICE.

The spouse’s handiwork The offspring’s creation I do like a good mustache! From my house to yours, happy Halloween!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com I attended a conference this week where the organizers arranged a screening of the newly released documentary The Librarians. In a room of ~400 people, at least 200 of us shed tears during the viewing. Working in the profession in one of those states, I have been well aware of the growing attacks on books, libraries and librarians.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall Photo from the Jane Goodall Institute I assume everyone has by now heard the news of Jane Goodall's passing. Like many others, I found inspiration in her achievements.