The case for optimism

the buzzards are circling, but it's not over yet

The robins are back in southern Iowa. I sit on my balcony, basking in climate change. Two male robins fight each other across the rapidly-greening backyard, their little red chests puffed out and wings fluttering madly. A third perches on the empty birdbath; he watches like a referee, or like he has dibs on the winner. The whistle of a passing train com…