What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 220
I have lived my entire life near small towns. I’ve never had an address connected to a big town for very long. If the little town I lived near became a big one, or heaven forbid, began calling itself a city, I moved. The town I live near calls itself a city but I think they’re kind of teasing about that, with our one stop light and weekly newspaper. The truth is, I’m afraid of big towns. It’s the traffic that scares me the most. In fact, I’d rather get beaten by three guys with sticks than driv...
It is traditional for a columnist to write a Christmas column. I need the job so I had better crank one out. My problem is, these need to be written a month or so before the paper needs them. The day I decided to write this, it was 70 degrees outside. It was hard to get into the Spirit. Out of desperation, I decided I needed to create a winter like atmosphere to put myself in the mood. I waited until Sue was out of the house for the day. First, I turned the air conditioner down to a little...
I have lived my entire life near small towns. I’ve never had an address connected to a big town for very long. If the little town I lived near became a big one, or heaven forbid, began calling itself a city, I moved. The town I live near calls itself a city but I think they’re kind of teasing about that, with our two stop lights. The truth is, I’m afraid of big towns. It’s the traffic that scares me the most. In fact, I’d rather get beaten by three guys with sticks than drive through a genuine...
Well, Thanksgiving is barely over and everyone is talking about Christmas. Guess “Under The Wire” might as well jump on the band wagon. A couple of days ago, Sue handed me her Christmas gift list. This act marks the official beginning of our holiday activities which may be somewhat out of the ordinary. As do many other married couples, we have to deal with certain problems concerning gift giving. First is the fact as we get “more mature” if we need something during the year, we just buy it ours...
I’m the father of three girls. Two I held at birth, a third I didn’t meet until the age of 10 (her, not me). I mention this to establish my qualifications to talk about what’s to follow. A father and son (I have one of those, too) have a unique bond. Nature, however, creates an automatic problem. I call it old bull and young bull in the same pasture. That, however, is another story. There is a bond between father and daughter unlike any other. Love, of course. Mutual respect and admiration, yes....
Well, it soon will be upon us again. With covid, drought, high hay costs and low cattle prices, “What” you may ask, is about to hit us again? While not nearly as oppressive as the above list, this impending new arrival in our lives brings with it a new set of challenges. The event? Thanksgiving. Yep, November 25th is lurking right around the corner. Thanksgiving, of course is the day dedicated to reflecting on all those things in our lives for which we are thankful. In a normal year the lis...
“Old Jim didn’t have any enemies, just a lot of friends who didn’t like him.” I caught that line from an old movie on TV the other night. You know, the kind of movie that’s on at two in the morning when you can’t sleep so you go out and flip on the old boob tube. “Old Jim” was a gangster being laid to rest after a chance meeting with 30 or 40 machine gun bullets. In an effort to say something good about the departed that was the best they could come up with. I watch a lot of TV in the winter w...
Writers occasionally develop something called writers block. In cowboy terms that means you can’t think of nuthin’ to say. Different writers do different things to get rid of it. Some go to a bar, others to a mountain top. All seek inspiration. Me? I go to a horse sale. When my brain says to me, “You’ve written about every odd thing you’ve ever seen or heard," it leaves me no choice but to go directly to the source of human oddity, variety and ingenuity ... the local horse auction. There, in...
Dear Public Utilities Commission, It is my understanding that your office regulates the cost of certain commodities in my state. I also understand that all one must do to get permission to raise rates on those commodities is ask. You get out a rubber stamp marked yes, stamp it on the request, then take the rest of the day off. Since I obviously have a good grasp of how your system works, I have decided to apply to you for an increase in the rate I am charging for my stories. Recently you have...
“OK, somebody’s got to be the first to go,” the rancher said to the group of cows and calves milling in front of the gate as he pushed his horse into the herd. Normally, his words meant that one cow, calf in tow, had to go through the gate with the rest taking their cue from her, following out into the small adjoining pasture. The spring ritual was part of the chore of splitting the herd into smaller groups destined for waiting pastures of green grass where they would spend the summer. This year...
Calf and Kid. Ever notice they both sound, when pronounced, like both begin with the same letter? Given my spelling prowess (spell check said prowuse was wrong), I may have actually interchanged the first letters on both words a few times. That’s why Sue proofs (profs?) all these stories before you see them. I believe there is a reason that these two words, calf and kid, sound so similar. When you get right down to basics, they are a lot alike. I have always said, “Everything I know about peo...
Much is said about the family ranch and the family farm. Those reassuring words “the family ranch” describe a future for our industry. There is another segment of the cattle industry where family means a lot. The family owned and operated livestock auction also conjures up thoughts of generation after generation continuing the family tradition. Across the country there are livestock auctions where son has followed father in the business. Amid the noise and bustle of cattle being unloaded, sor...
Why can’t everything go right at the same time just once? This cattle business gets kind of frustrating sometimes. Here we are with the best cattle prices for quite awhile. Good old supply and demand seems to be in our favor. Grain is a little cheaper these days so feeders could justify higher cattle with less expensive gains. Just as it looked like we had it made, we hit a snag. Drought around the country has kind of knocked the props out from under the cattle business momentarily. The fear o...
Road signs. There must be millions of them. No matter whether a simple county road, state highway or Interstate, the roads are lined with them. Their purpose, of course, is to give directions, speed limits, except on the Interstates where everybody ignores those signs and much more. Unknown to most, however, are other uses various folks have for them. A past World Champion Livestock Auctioneer friend of mine is said to have taught himself to sell by rattling off his chant and taking imaginary...
Fall is finally here. I believe I like fall better than any other time of the year. Cooler days, fall colors and weeds quit growing. It is hard to find much wrong with fall except for one thing. Flies. Flies, of course, move inside your house in the fall. Somewhere there is a fly travel journal. Written right there on the first tiny page are the words, “At the first sign of fall all flies shall leave the manure piles, barns, backs of all bulls, any candy the kids have dropped in the yard and mov...
Sue is always trying to add variety to our meals. Since we both have worked out of our home offices the entire 35 years of our marriage, this is a very good thing. “Eating out” is a luxury reserved for only the most special and the most desperate of times. To her extreme credit, she can make a meal out of anything and sometimes, nothing. I mention this because of something she brought home from our grocery visit recently. Unpacking the bags she proudly removed a plastic tray full of chopped, str...
Writing “Under The Wire” the past few months has been more challenging than anytime the past 35 years of cranking them out. The reason? Too many topics have become difficult to make fun of. During the past 1,800 or so columns I have held to a few very strict, self-imposed rules. First and foremost, I never want to offend any reader. Rule number two is my mother had to be able to read them. She passed away two years ago but the same question hangs over me. “Would she have approved of my sayin...
A friend recently asked why I have not written a column about these new fangled telephones. It was after the third time we were mysteriously cut off mid-sentence that he made the suggestion. “I have,” was my quick reply given without much thought first, my normal method of reacting to most situations. A few moments later, after taking my brain from neutral to first gear, I remembered what that column had been about. My office at the old Livestock Exchange, Inc., where I was spending 60 to 80...
We’re not exactly birding hobbyists but we have kept track of a variety of bird species in the various places we have lived. We can share with confidence a number of common birds in our region, both permanent and seasonal. Our first field guides were a delight...officially endorsed editions that later expanded to include flora and fauna as well as sea creatures and seashells. Moths and butterflies were the topic of yet another guide, each narrowing the range of characteristics leading toward a...
According to a notation on my calendar, Feb. 16 began the Chinese year of the Dog. This fits in between last year’s Rooster and 2019’s Pig. These three join the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep (Goat) and the Monkey to make up the Chinese Zodiac. I respect the importance of this list to the Chinese. I would however, like to propose an addition for which there seems to be room. Cattle, horses, sheep, cows dogs, jack rabbits, I know they aren’t really rabbits, rats and snake...
Call it perspective if you will. Some might call it having your head in the sand or in some other very dark place. Didn’t see that coming. Seriously? How could I not have seen it? This past year, being in the possession of a few old mama cows has been a pretty enjoyable experience. Even though they seem to stay up nights thinking of ways to annoy those of us assigned to care for them, there have been considerable pluses to owning some lately. Namely, it is profitable. For those of you whose l...
To be 16 years old at county fair time. Yep, folks, that’s what I’d like to be. I’m happy with my life as it is. I’m really not one to look back and wish I could do things over except at county fair time. Oh, to be able to go back in time! We lived several miles from town. I only saw my sister and an occasional cousin all summer. My dog was my best friend because I didn’t see anyone else closer to my age than him. Then it arrived. Fair time. The words were magical. Load up the lambs, calves, sho...
You can take the boy out of the country but ... you can’t teach him how to drive in the big city. It seemed like a simple task. All I had to do was attend a meeting in lower downtown Denver. LoDo, they call the area. Before this project was over, I’d re-named it. Over the phone the directions seemed easy enough. I-25 south to Speer, Speer to 15th, left on 15th, etc, etc. It couldn’t be any harder than directions in our town. You know, left at the grain elevator, go down the street to where...
Many years ago I remember reading a story where the writer had asked several people, from various walks of life, what they thought was the greatest invention of all time. Answers were electricity, telephones, internal combustion engines and Dairy Queen. I’m sure that last response came from a Texan. I remember from our years rodeoing in the Great Lone Star State, Dairy Queen signs were called “Texas Stop Signs.” Not wanting to offend our Texan friends, we always complied. Great hambu...
Years ago, when men began constructing buildings too tall for the average person to walk the stairs to the top floor, someone invented the elevator. As a small boy, my parents occasionally took my sister and I to Denver where several tall buildings existed. Highlight of our day was stepping into an elevator’s open doorway, having it miraculously close behind us and having a well-dressed man ask, “What floor?” Our guide, the elevator operator would push a few buttons on the wall and the entir...
