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Ahlin: Like fledgling spring crops, friendship gains and grows 
Time to check my crops. OK, “my” might not be the right word, since I don’t own the land and don’t know who does.
It’s a time of cosmic hope and the tenderness of love
For my birthday a good friend gave me a coaster that reads, “All I want is PEACE on EARTH…& a really cute pair of shoes.”
Ahlin: Trends in modern marriage harbingers of renaissance?
The analysis of marriage statistics released last week by the Pew Center doesn’t say much for the ongoing health of the institution. In fact, “marriage rates have hit a historic low.”
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Even in heart of Bible belt, ‘personhood’ is a tough sell
What happens when the state criminalizes birth control methods? What happens when the state forces a 13-year-old incest victim to carry a pregnancy to term? What happens when the state stands between young couples with infertility problems and their ability to conceive?
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Loss of CRP acres threatens North Dakota’s quality of life
Sunsets are earlier, nighttime temperatures dip into the low 50s; big yellow school buses are everywhere. Rational folks allow a moment on Labor Day weekend to sigh and bemoan the end of summer; yet, not everyone experiences that normal sense of loss.
RELATED CONTENTNorwegian leader’s words ring with the clarity of FDR
Since the world learned that a bombing outside the Norwegian prime minister’s offices plus a shooting at a youth camp killing a total of 76 people were the work of a 32-year-old right-wing Christian Norwegian by the name of Anders Behring Breivik, much of the coverage has referred to the event as Norway’s “loss of innocence.”
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: As Earth spins to perihelion, dark days, but lots of hope
Perhaps most earthlings already know that on Jan. 3, 2011, this good old planet of ours will reach perihelion. But I didn’t. Of course, until I read about it, I’d never heard of “perihelion,” much less known its meaning.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Three women of faith discover interfaith dialogue is not easy
"A Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew Walk into a Room …” The sentence sounds like the first line of joke. Instead, it is the title to the second chapter of “The Faith Club,” a book about three women in New York City and the unusual and unintentional faith journey they found themselves taking together.
Ahlin: Negative political advertising means no television for a while
Watching the constant, negative national TV advertising pumped into North Dakota for the Earl Pomeroy-Rick Berg U.S. House race night after night has me thinking a silent room with padded walls might not be a bad place to hang out. Consequently, no more television for me until the election is over.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Uncertain economic times put a new spin on happiness
Remember all those sayings that began, “Happiness is …”? Charles Schulz started the trend in the early 1960s in his comic strip “Peanuts,” with the line, “Happiness is a warm puppy,” but it grew in scope until it was popular enough to be mocked and used ironically. (Think the Beatles’ “White Album” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun.”)
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Ahlin: Angelina Jolie, cancer and health care choices
Only once did I come close to seeing Angelina Jolie in a movie and that wasn’t in a theater. While flipping TV channels, I happened onto “Mr & Mrs Smith,” the movie infamous for beginning her relationship with Brad Pitt. I remember watching for a few minutes and thinking, “Gee, this is dumb,” and changing the channel.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Most of all, do justice to our mothers’ stories
Concluding her acknowledgements following her 500-plus page book, “Wild Swans,” the Chinese-born writer Jung Chang made brief mention of her mother. Had she made the mention in a prologue, I might not have noticed. However, coming at the end, it stuck with me.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Congressional action exposes phony nature of sequester
Wow. For one brief moment, Congress acted decisively.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Mary sees parallels between ND and China child policies
As if jet lag and moldy food in a refrigerator not opened in almost a month weren’t bad enough, the first words I heard after parking my car in the grocery store lot were, “Hey Sunshine, I hear you’ve been to China.”
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Angle of sun changes to tell us what is coming
The grandson of a friend was born on a recent March day that also was the date scheduled for her father-in-law’s funeral.
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Extremists not interested in abortion middle ground
Here are the questions and results of a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted Jan. 12-15, 2013:
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Pro-life attorney sees ND legislation ‘dead on arrival’
North Dakotans in general – and the governor in particular – should listen to the words of a prominent pro-life attorney who characterizes the legal fate of the abortion-related bills dealing with personhood, fetal heartbeat, category (genetic abnormalities and sex selection), and pre-viability/fetal pain as “dead on arrival.”
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: Irony of Yahoo memo in ‘flexible’ workplace
Did Yahoo’s young CEO, Marissa Mayer, expect pushback over her edict to Yahoo employees that there will be no more working from home?
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: North Dakota Legislature proudly walks backward
My nephew loved the old bumper sticker that said, “North Dakota: It’s cold … but it’s flat.”
RELATED CONTENTAhlin: ‘Mr. Bumble wannabes’stir Mary Contrary’s ire
Having slipped on an icy spot in my own driveway, I was questioning the wisdom of an early morning trip to the grocery store.
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