My dad loved tomatoes. We had a couple plants every year. Like many, as the weather got warmer, he grew antsy to get his planted and get them growing. Even as antsy as he got, he always heeded the warning not to plant until the “ice days of May” had passed. The ice days of May end today. Maybe you noticed last night was damned cold for this time of year. That should be the end of the threat of getting your tomatoes froze off. Iowans, Plant You Tomatoes!

Were you paying attention?

1) One of a Midwesterners worst nightmares, a Nebraska man rode out a tornado by doing what?

2) 44 years ago today what man was shot while running for president? A strange outcome of this incident was to eventually totally change his views on race.

3) Reviews of what Iowa political practice that has national implications began last weekend in Des Moines?

4) Once more going where no President has gone before, the Obama Administration announced the President will visit what historic site at the end of May?

5) The disappearance of five Pacific islands was confirmed last week signaling reality of what climate change phenomena?

6) This summer, the name “Budweiser” will be replaced with what word on all packages in a patriotic marketing move?

7) May 17, 1792. Meeting under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street in New York City, two dozen merchants establish what?

8) Iowa Republicans are promoting who for Donald Trump’s VP?

9) The national mammal of the US has been named. What animal made it back from near extinction to be so named?

10) A passenger was removed before a flight took off when another passenger saw the man scribbling in a foreign language. What was the foreign language?

11) A city councilor is reconsidering his vote in Mason City concerning what hog slaughtering operation?

12) The lawsuits against Trump University had their day in court delayed until when?

13) A summit meeting of Republican leaders had what two people meeting Thursday?

14) With nothing else to do, the US Senate voted over and over on an amendment offered by Tom Cotton that would hinder what major peace effort?

15) President Dilma Rousseff was suspended as President of Brazil pending impeachment trial. How long has she been in office?

16) Ahead of the presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump has refused to release what?

17) What long standing member of the “60 Minutes” member retired this week?

18) A woman in India became a first time mother at what age thanks to an IVF procedure?

19) In what has to be the ultimate in chutzpah, who is selling the weapon he murdered Trayvon Martin with in an online auction?

20) Who is John Miller?

Have you gotten an insult name from Trump yet? You’re not one of the cool kids until you do!

Answers:

1) hanging on to a tree.

2) Alabama Governor George Wallace. He later recanted his racial views, due to some of the people that had cared for him after his injury.

3) the Iowa caucuses

4) Hiroshima

5) rising oceans

6) America

7) New York Stock Exchange

8) Joni Ernst

9) the bison

10) mathematics – apparently foreign to many Americans

11) Prestage

12) Nov. 28, 3 weeks after the election

13) Trump and Ryan

14) the Iran treaty

15) since Jan. 1, 2011. Started 2nd term in 2015

16) his tax returns

17) Morley Safer – been there since 1970

18) 72 – yes that is 72

19) George Zimmerman

20) Miller is a person Donald Trump created and played pretending to be a publicist for Trump in the 1970s to the 1990s