Tag: spring

Lazy Sunday CCCLXXXIII: Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

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It’s tax-o-rama here in the States, and yours portly has done his fair share of grumbling.  Here are some recent posts on that most onerous of topics:

A sign that democracy does not reflect the will of the people is that few things are more popular than eliminating the income tax, but we still have it.  It seems like it would be a political slam-dunk to get rid of this ridiculous form of taxation, but I guess too many tax attorneys and H&R Block seasonal workers would be out of a job.  But, hey, we could enjoy Easter again!

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Lazy Sunday CCCLXXXII: First Week of Spring

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Spring is springing and sprunging, and here are some recent posts that seem fitting for this new season:

Happy Spring!

—TPP

TBT^256: The Joy of Spring

The Portly Politico2 Comments

Spring has sprung, and we had a gloriously toasty weekend in South Carolina.  Then temperatures plummeted again, so who knows what’s going on.

Of course, spring is a time of renewal and rebirth.  It’s a fitting season for Easter, which is coming up quite soon.  Dr. Wife has been wearing beautiful floral dresses to church and for the various family get-togethers we’ve been and will be attending, and I’m making the slow transition from long-sleeve button-ups to breathable polos.

The koi are also far more lively now that temperatures are rising.  We’ve had great fun catching glimpses of them, and I think we have at least nine or ten.  I’ve seen a few of the rosy red minnows, too.

Let’s hope the weather stays warm but not humid for awhile longer.  Spring in South Carolina really only lasts for about two weeks in April (even in March we get snatches of winter again) before it gets hot and sticky, and it stays that way until at least November.  I’ll be dreaming of autumn soon enough.

With that, here is 20 March 2025’s “TBT^16: The Joy of Spring“:

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TBT^16: The Joy of Spring

The Portly Politico1 Comment

When I was casting about for a good piece for this week’s TBT, it occurred to me that today—Thursday, 20 March 2025—is the first day of Spring!  It’s already been pretty spring-y around here, but now it’s official in an meteorological sense.

Spring is a wonderful holiday, and while I will miss the bracing cold, I love seeing all of God’s Creation come into bloom.  This Spring promises to be, like all others, a busy one, but with the hope that the budding of new life brings.

With that, here is “TBT^4: The Joy of Spring“:

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TBT^4: The Joy of Spring

The Portly Politico4 Comments

We’re enjoying a glorious Spring here in South Carolina, much like the Spring of 2020, which inspired the original in this chain of posts.  Other than a few bitterly cold and brutally hot days on either end of Easter, it’s been very pleasant—cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoons, with low humidity.  The nice weather and Pokémon Go have gotten me out in God’s Creation more than usual, and I’m enjoying its beauty while it’s still tolerable to do so.

With that, here is 20 April 2023’s “TBT^2: The Joy of Spring“:

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TBT^2: The Joy of Spring

The Portly Politico24 Comments

Spring has sprung, and it’s been a surprisingly mild one so far.  It’s going to get brutally hot soon, I am sure, but South Carolina has enjoyed a bout of good weather.

It reminds me of the notorious Spring of 2020, right at the dawn of The Age of The Virus.  It seemed at the time—and I still believe this to be true—that God Delivered us good weather at that time when everything remotely social had to be done outdoors (unnecessarily, as we’ve since learned).

I now find all The Virus stuff to be endlessly boring and tedious, but it’s worth remembering how bad it was—and how totally unhinged our reaction to it was.  I can excuse some of the hysteria of the early days, but soon an entire regime of busybodies and medical “experts” (usually nurses twerking on TikTok) grew up to make the rest of miserable.

In reflecting on that beautiful Spring of 2020, we would do well to remember the tyranny that bloomed along with its flowers—a tyranny we’re now all-too-quick to forget.

With that, here is 28 April 2022’s “TBT: The Joy of Spring“:

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TBT: The Joy of Spring

The Portly Politico12 Comments

Spring has sprung here in South Carolina, with some gorgeous weather.  It’s actually a bit chilly this morning, but overall there have been some warm—even borderline hot—days, with plenty of bees a-buzzing.  One managed to get into my house, but I was able to capture him in a Tupperware container and release him back to the world, though I flung the container as I opened it and dashed in the other direction—yikes!

Just like two years ago, my flowerbeds are 80% weeds, 20% plants I want growing there, so I’ve got to get on that this weekend.  The relentless growth of dandelions makes it a Sisyphean task, but I must endeavor to do better in my humble flowerbeds this year.

It’s also the downward slope to summer vacation.  At this point, there’s probably another couple of weeks of actual learning to be had, then a leisurely drift into exam review week and exams themselves.  I’m also cooking up the 2022 iteration of the TJC Spring Jam, which I might make into a recital for my students this year.

Two years ago, during The Age of The Virus, we enjoyed an unusually long, mild spring in South Carolina.  Readers who don’t live in the South might not appreciate the significance of that:  we typically get a couple weeks—maybe three—of proper spring weather before summer dominates everything in a veil of humidity and heat, refusing to lift its terrible, sweaty fist until sometime around Thanksgiving.  At a time when every remotely communal activity had to be done outdoors, a mild spring was a Godsend.

Indeed, I think it was a literal one:  I really do think God sent us that cooler weather so we could still be together during that difficult time.

Regardless, hot or cold, I’m glad to be alive, and that The Age of The Virus—at least for now—seems to be an increasingly distant memory.

With that, here is 11 May 2020’s “The Joy of Spring“:

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The Seasons in England

The Portly Politico8 Comments

My newfound English readers—thanks to Audre for bring them over—have really enlivened the comment section of the blog.  One commenter, 39 Pontiac Dreamer, submitted some photographs of England in the autumn and the spring, as well as his local church; a country lane; and the local.

Here is 39PD’s e-mail to me, with accompanying pictures:

Hi Tyler,

Here are the pictures promised. The first taken in the Autumn, the second in Spring.

I’ve added a picture of our local church, St John the Baptist, the 4th is the country lane that takes us to our local, the 5th picture.

I’ve been meaning to take some more pictures of the village but the weather hasn’t been good of late. Hopefully, it’ll pick up again soon and I can pop out with the camera.

All the best

Michael (39 Pontiac Dream)

Autumn in England
Spring in England
St. John the Baptist Church
Country Lane
Sunday in England

While enduring the heat and humidity of September in South Carolina, just lie back and think of England.

Thanks for sharing, 39PD!

—TPP

Lazy Sunday CXXVI: Joy, Part I

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

It occurred to me that I have written a great number of posts with “the joy of” in the title.  As such, why not go back and explore these joyful posts?

I kicked around the idea of doing a Lazy Sunday about the seasons, but apparently I have never written “The Joy of Summer” and “The Joy of Winter.”  Summer in South Carolina is a brutal hellscape of humidity and venomous insects, so there’s not much joyful other than two months off.  I much prefer winter—the bugs are dead—so I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten around to that one yet.

So I got in the two “glamor” seasons, spring and autumn, and tossed in one about coffee:

  • “The Joy of Autumn” (and “TBT: The Joy of Autumn“) – Autumn is great:  candy apples, Halloween, festivals.  There’s a lot of joy to go around.
  • “The Joy of Spring” – Spring is like autumn, but with more bees and flowers.  I wrote this post during the lovely, long spring of 2020, which I took to be a God-given reprieve from The Age of The Virus, especially given that everything remotely sociable had to be done outdoors.
  • “The Joy of Coffee” – This post was a surprise hit.  Apparently, there is a huge overlap between blog readers (and bloggers) and coffee consumption, based on the likes and views this one received.  Also, what’s better than a hot cup of coffee on a frosty winter’s morn?

Here’s hoping these posts bring you some joy.  And, remember:  winter is coming.  Much like a George R. R. Martin novel, it’s going to be awhile before it arrives.

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

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Gig Day V: TJC Spring Jam

The Portly Politico4 Comments

After seven long months, it’s time for another front porch concert!  Following the success of Spooktacular II, I decided I should try the format twice a year:  the classic Halloween event, and a springtime one.  Thus, the TJC Spring Jam is born!

Halloween is easy, because it comes packaged with all sorts of fun activities:  Halloween songs, costume contests, spooky décor, etc.  A generic springtime theme is a bit more vague, and with it already feeling like summer here in South Carolina, the theme presented some initial problems.

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