Christening south of the Oklahoma River Fall 2010 | Photo by Jennifer James

 The 53rd Oklahoma Legislature has been like one of those notorious spring storms in the state. The sky turns dark and gray at 4:30 in the afternoon and the wind blows so hard, you think it's raining sideways. And, you wonder, as you run to the parking garage with a newspaper for an umbrella, why does God always let it rain when it's quitting time? By the time you get home, it's nearly 6 p.m., and the sun has reappeared, just in time for it to go down again.

And, so this is how it goes. It's 6 p.m. south of the Oklahoma River in a day that has lasted longer than three months.