Bits and Bobs

by chuckofish

Today is the anniversary of the passing of the Antiquities Act which was signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906. This law gives the President of the United States the authority to create national monuments from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. The first use of the Act protected a large geographic feature, Devils Tower National Monument. The Act has been used more than a hundred times since its passage, but only once in Missouri. We have the site preserving, by act of Congress in 1943, Moses Carver’s farm, which was the boyhood home of George Washington Carver, who, you will recall, developed many uses for peanuts. It was the first national monument dedicated to an African American and the first to a non-president. It is in Diamond, MO in southwest Missouri, south of Joplin.

I’ll add it to my growing list of places to visit.

If you were wondering, I did get to experience the cicada invasion in Maryland.

It was really special and extremely loud, but I seem to remember that when we had the same thing happen here at home twenty years ago, it was even more intense.

Here’s something great–Tim Allen (another former Episcopalian) giving a commencement address at Hillsdale College this year. Watch the whole thing. There’s more to Buzz Lightyear than you might think.

This article was written by a woman I went to school with, oh, so many years ago. “Parents, we get to pray—with the body of Christ. We are not meant to parent without community. The members of a church congregation are called to help one another raise up the next generations to know and serve the Lord.”

And I know everyone wants an update on the bear sighting situation in my neighborhood, so here you go.

Look up! Here’s an awesome video about cloud formations. I enjoyed looking down at the clouds on my plane rides last week.

May the Lord bless and keep you today.