20.10.20 Remembrance of Things Past

By Scott Shephard

I just brushed 3” of wet snow off of my truck, shoveled the driveway and pounded snowblower sticks along the sidewalk. But I am neither physically nor psychologically ready for another South Dakota winter.

Therefore, I’ve decided to post a flower photo, taken months ago. And oddly, I’m thinking about marketing slogans for South Dakota. Once it was “The Sunshine State.” With 211 sunny days on average in eastern South Dakota, I guess that was OK. But Florida had the same slogan and had more sun (Miami: 248 days).

Then it was “The Land of Infinite Variety.” Not bad. Ethnically, we’re 86.2% white but the landscape is varied and so is the weather. But “Infinitely?” You be the judge.

Presently, I think it’s “Great Faces. Great Places.” I can live with that, though I saw someone from out of state who actually thought our state slogan was “Meth: We’re on it.” Chalk that one up to our governor. And, if things keep going the way they are right now, local attorney NT’s “Covid: We’ve got it” slogan might be totally appropriate.

But let’s not ponder snow, or weather or even looming pandemics. Just look at today’s flowers and take a deep breath.

Canon 5DIII 1/1000 sec f2.8 ISO 200

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