Opinion

Romans 8:23 (NIV) - “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”

This is the week when the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day are on our minds. You may be wondering what to make for that Super Bowl gathering and your favorite Valentine. Score big with your Super Bowl guests by making some of these winning appetizers.

Dear Neil: I have a magnolia tree in our backyard. It’s one of four of about the same age. The other three are thriving, but this one looks like it’s dying in spite of water and fertilizer. What can I do to spur it along?

Recently Texas passed the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act that enforces humane guidelines for restraining pet canines outdoors. Unfortunately for me, the act fails to impose similar guidelines for the treatment of grouchy husbands and embarrassing dads.

Getting a dinner reservation at Per Se, New York’s restaurant of choice for the city’s royalty, is more difficult than entering the U.S. illegally.

Romans 8: 22 (NIV) - “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Have you ever listened to the groan of a large wooden ship as it gives way to the tide?

Dear Neil: My daughter’s backyard is halfway filled with bamboo, and it’s spreading. How can we get rid of it? I really don’t want to sound like I’m exaggerating, but no invader that we have in our landscapes is any more difficult to eliminate.

When it became obvious that the Titanic was not going to survive its tragic collision with the iceberg in the North Atlantic, those in positions of authority started to do the human triage necessary in emergencies.

Major League Baseball’s player lockout had no sooner begun than commissioner Rob Manfred sent a letter to fans attempting to assuage ire about the possibility of another partial season – the sixth in 50 years – or even no season at all.

Dear Neil: I have four varieties of tomatoes, and all of them have started dying. What is causing the problem you can see in my photo? Your photo looks like early blight got them a couple of weeks ago.