Please read this...A beautiful day in the neighborhood? Nah
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<p class="p1">It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood...</p><p class="p1">...oh, who am I fooling? </p><p class="p1">It was yukky and cold and snowy and icy and sleety and slushy. And that was just on Friday.</p><p class="p1">Lucky for us, we had a repeat performance last Sunday, with even more yukky and cold and snow and ice and sleet and slush.</p><p class="p1">Last Friday morning, and again last Sunday morning, yours truly went wandering through the winter wonderland which has been part of our landscape for more time than some folks might really appreciate.</p><p class="p1">Truth be told, we haven't had much of a winter this winter. It just seems like the yukky stuff showed up during the past couple of weeks. </p><p class="p1">This week, since my brain waves froze in the cold, I thought I would share a few photographic memories of our winter weather. And, just so you know, the hand which I use to operate the camera pretty much froze, too, especially last Sunday morning. It was really cold, as in my hand got so cold that it started to hurt. Dedication? Nah. Dumb. Hope you enjoy the pics.</p><p class="p2">***</p><p class="p1">Oh, in closing, this week we'll share some kind words from folks who read last week's column. You know, the one about that Abraham Lincoln fellow. The following letter arrived via cyberspace at 10:50:39 AM CST:</p><p class="p1">Letter to Editor Skinner: </p><p class="p1">Thanks for “Making note of Mr. Lincoln’s birthday.” When there was not much other mention of President Lincoln’s February 12, 2016 birthday, your historical reflections, items and photographs were very fitting. </p><p class="p1">Appreciated, too were the references to the remarkable work of historian Darrel Dexter. Thanks for highlighting the wealth of local history he has made available to the people of Southern Illinois.</p><p class="p1"> Reading and rereading accounts of the past do help to evaluate the present and make decisions for the future. And like you said, there is so much more to research and learn about. </p><p class="p1">Union County is a treasure trove of historical resources and stories to tell with lessons to be learned. Thanks for the well-put “walk down memory lane.” </p><p class="p1">Signed, Norm and Barbara Bauer, Anna</p><p class="p1">Thank you, to the Bauers, for the kind words.</p><p class="p3"> </p>