Mar. 21, 2004 - 17:09 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Winter

Here in Denver where mountain meets plain and the Jet Stream leans first one way and then the other, Spring is a state of mind until after mid-April, more or less. Evenso, no matter the weather -- man has to eat, but on Sunday the time to eat and the menu is pretty well up for grabs, this day we have a Sunday Brunch and eat our fill when we wish.

1. - Do you get Spring Break ?

A. - Yeah, all year long, we are retired.

2. - Some of you are pretty casual about spring cleaning. Others do it with a lot of gusto. Which are you ?

A. - Divide Heather's wants and mine in regard to spring cleaning, her elbow grease pushing my natural born laziness, guess you could say as a team we are about 50 percent.

3. - Is planting flowers or a vegetable garden on the agenda ?

Somewhat. We have what I call a first floor balcony, a spacious spot over-hung by the balconies above, but we have the advantage of stepping out to the sidewalk. Every year we try to plant potted flowers, such as geraniums and other plants that will last the summer. Last year we had a half-whiskey barrel with a grand Hibiscus that did so well over the summer, guess we will go with that for this summer as well as other pots and hanging baskets.

4. - Do you suffer from allergies and do they get worse in the spring ?

A. - Both of us have allergies. More or less year around, some of which are due to particulates in our air from gasoline engines. They don't get worse in the spring, just what incurs the sneezes & drippy noses changes.

5. - How will you celebrate Easter this year ?

A. - Exuberantly and joyfully to say the very least. We are going to Oregon to be with our youngest daughter and her family (including two grand children) for two weeks wrapped around Easter, which this year happens to also be my 83rd birthday.

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Cokie and Steven Roberts have a United Feature Syndicate column in today's The Denver Post.

""Educated girls good for every country."

They say, "If you keep a girl in school you can change the course of a nation. This simple fact has been the great lesson learned in the last generation, as some countries made the transformation from recipients of U.S. aid to buyers of U.S. goods."

"The majority of the world's more than 100 million children who are out of school are girls, 23 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone. More than a third of the girls in South Asia are unlikely to ever go to school."

They also say, "Its not only a preference for boys that keeps girls out of the classroom: The girls are needed at home to tend the farm, or care for younger children, among many other reasons."

And lastly, "Organizations like Save the Children, with which Cokie works, have found they convince parents to send their girls to a small school in the local community. As the girls grow more accustomed to leaving home, they move on to secondary schools farther away. And the cycle of later marriage, lower fertility rate and greater economic independence kicks in. Congress has taken note of this success and its long-term benefits. For the last three years, lawmakers have increased the president's foreign aid budget request for basic education. There are amendments pending to do the same this year, which need support. Not just because educating girls is the right thing to do, but because it works !"

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My opinions, for what they are worth. It seems to me that the cutting of funds to combat HIV in other countries is a great mistake. Also I feel that The president's idea of cutting birth control aids and advice is one of the most misguided things he has ever done. My thoughts.

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I do hope that Spring is on the wing and arrives soon here in Denver. Just can't wait until the green aura shows in the trees, so slight that one is not really sure they have seen it, but it brings greening of the soul. The coming of Spring in Denver is not necessarily the last day of Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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