Pictures of Madison.

I know a lot of readers like to see pictures of Madison on this blog, but in the winter, I'm much less likely to have them -- other than in the form of pictures of my own yard. I did head out for a lunchtime walk today. I'm not the sort of person who's inclined to think one "needs to get some fresh air." It seems to me that indoor air is entirely breathable. If it weren't, I'd be suffocated by now, because I've spent the vast majority of my hours on earth indoors. Yet today, I really did have that feeling that I needed to get out in the fresh air. It looks pretty and sunny through the window, so I was hoping it would be somewhat warm, like in the high 30s. No, it's in the low 20s, but I went out anyway, taking the usual path down Bascom Hill, through Library Mall, and up State Street. I got my camera out and was going to get a shot of some dried flowers poking up through snow, but my camera battery was dead. Sorry.

Was anything interesting going on in the Mall?

There was a man, standing alone, with no one near him, by the Library. He was holding open a Bible and bellowing out the Ten Commandments. When he got to the end, he went to "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." A little further on, there was a young man from a Spring Green church who had set up large dispensers of coffee and cocoa. The sign said "free." He had a group of people around him both times I passed him. In addition to giving them hot drinks, he was answering their questions. On the way toward State Street, I heard him telling people that his life was good because he allowed Jesus to guide him, and on the way back toward Bascom Hill, I heard him restating their question: why should I follow the teachings of a man who lived two thousand years ago?

Old Testament man and New Testament man.

It's not fair to say that this particular Old Testament man embodies the spirit of the Old Testament and this particular New Testament man embodies the spirit of the New Testament, but, clearly, this particular New Testament man was infinitely more appealing.