The Slice: It’s all about strong roots

It is probably a weed.

But I prefer to regard it as a wild flower.

It’s this surprisingly sturdy little thing with purple petals, pushing up out of an imperceptible space between my house’s foundation and some patio concrete.

Perhaps I failed to notice it when it was tiny. But it seems as if it fast-forwarded into full bloom.

I see it every day, pleased each time to note that it endures.

It has been my 2011 sign of spring.

That and the little boy who lives across the street. Seemingly just the other day, he was getting lugged around in his parents’ arms. You know, a loaf of baby.

Now he’s confidently striding around their yard like a big boy who has this walking jazz totally figured out.

Last weekend, I told his dad that I couldn’t believe how fast the child is growing.

Just like a weed, you might say.

Or a wild flower.

Multiple choice: Why didn’t Spokane become the center of the environmental-movement universe after Expo ’74?

A) Many here have always been throbbing-vein hostile to the green movement. B) Several key people who could have made it happen decided they would rather live elsewhere. C) The fair’s environmental theme was more of a slogan than a sincere mission statement. D) This region’s longtime reliance on resource-extractive enterprises meant local Big Money would always be on the other side. E) Sustainability conference attendees prefer going to San Francisco, Santa Fe, Sedona and Seattle. F) Other.

Blood in the water: If you are someone who yearns to experience a powerful Good Friday feeling but has a difficult time connecting to the traditional approaches, here’s something you might try.

Figure out a way to watch “Ben-Hur.” One option is www.youtube.com.

Find the Calvary aftermath scene and then soak up the stirring music.

Warm-up question recycled from 2002: What are you rebelling against?

Today’s Slice question: How do this area’s songbirds compare to those who you have encountered elsewhere?