February 9, 2026- My Dad used to bring home a gallon of ice cream that was called harlequin-vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, layered in one box. He noted these were the three most popular flavours, so we could each choose without feeling left out. I took a little of each. I forget what my siblings chose, but it was one flavour to the exclusion of others. That didn’t faze me. Each one of us is unique and entitled to our own opinions.

Yesterday’s Super Bowl offered a choice between two excellent teams. Seattle won, probably because of a more aggressive offense. I was busy with family things here, and didn’t watch the game, but would have been happy had New England won-as there is a direct connection, one of my maternal uncles was a key figure in getting both stadiums at Foxborough. That said, I congratulate the Seahawks for a job well done.

The halftime show was a statement celebrating the wholeness of the Americas. I only watched a clip of the end, and thought it a nice touch that most of the independent nations of the hemisphere were mentioned, after Mr. Martinez Ocasio’s statement: “God Bless America”. He probably could have done justice to the song, had he sung it, but Brandi Carlile had already done a fine rendition of “America the Beautiful”. (I watched that clip as well). There was an alternative show, by conservative artists. I didn’t watch any of that, but it is on You Tube, for those whose tastes prefer it. For the record, I like Lee Greenwood and Carrie Underwood, and would have watched any segment either of them might have done. I also like Latin music, and was an early fan of Santana, Joan Baez singing in Spanish, and the Chilean band, Quilapayun.

I guess I am just given to enjoying variety, diversity, or harlequin.