To the Editor: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and across Kansas, pinwheels are spinning as a reminder of what’s possible when communities come together to support children and families. This year’s theme, Pinwheels of Possibility, celebrates the limitless potential of children when families have the support they need to succeed.

How Kansas Became Part of the United States While Zebulon M. Pike and his small party of explorers were held in prison in Mexico in 1807, Pike became friends with Spanish Lt. Facundo Melgares, from whom he learned much about the area of northern New Spain, now Mexico. They were able to communicate in French. They respected each other, and they exchanged gifts when Pike left to return to the U.S. Pike gave Melgares his shotgun, and Melgares gave Pike a carbine and ammunition box. Pike also brought two bear cubs back to the U.S. to present to President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson donated the bears to a zoo.

Easter Week Blessings * Palm Sunday: Put God First. Monday: Let Go and Let God.

• Most people do not know that George Washington was born in Texas. When he was 6 years old, he cut down his father’s favorite Mesquite bush.

Once upon a time, there was a king who wanted to go fishing. He called the royal weather forecaster and inquired as to the weather forecast for the next few hours.

This And That * I started my day with two eggs for breakfast. They were caramel Cadbury eggs, but whatever.

Exploration Opened The Way To Add Kansas To The U.S. Because of a successful slave rebellion in Haiti and the decimation of French troops by yellow fever, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory, including present Kansas, to the U.S.

• An elderly farm neighbor always commented a few days after we switched to daylight savings time, 'The crops sure look a lot better now with that extra hour of sunshine.' • A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, “I clocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.” The driver says, “I had it on cruise control at 60; maybe your radar gun needs calibrating.” Not looking up from her knitting, the wife in the passenger seat says: “Now don’t be silly dear, you know that cruise control on this car is broken.” As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, “Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?” Thewifesmilesdemurely and says, “You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did.” As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, “Woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?” The officer frowns and says, “And I notice that you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir.

When Kansas Was Part of Spain After France was eliminated from North America in 1763, the area of present-day Kansas was transferred to Spain's control, which had colonies in South, Central, and North America. Francisco Vâzquez de Coronado led an exploring expedition into present-day Kansas in 1541, accompanied by Franciscan priest Juan Padilla, seeking gold reported to be here by a native from the Wichita tribe.

You are 1.3 decades, 13 years, 156 months, 677 weeks, 4,745 days, 113,880 hours, 6,837,339 minutes, and 410,240,376 seconds old! Welcome to the first of your seven teenage years! Enjoy each and every minute of your lucky 13 year! Love you more, Grams.