What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope
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Happy New Year! No, I’m not late getting this column to the editor, nor am I celebrating the Chinese New Year, which, by the way falls on Jan. 22 this year. Not that I would mind joining in the festive event. I don’t know if you’ve noticed before but it’s hard to keep track of. Last year it was Feb. 1, the year before Feb. 12, the previous one, Jan. 25. I’m sure these are pre-determined dates but to a guy who can’t remember his wife’s birthday, keeping up with a floating holiday is too much t...
When you plan to retire at a certain age, you can follow a strategy that incorporates your investment moves, your health insurance and other factors. But what happens if you’re forced to retire earlier than you anticipated? Unfortunately, this situation is not that uncommon.å About 40 percent of Americans say they have been forced into retirement, according to a recent survey from Edward Jones and Morning Consult, a research firm. If this were to happen to you because of a layoff, company do...
The Christmas season is upon us. It’s a wonderful time of the year. Brightly lit Christmas trees surrounded by presents wrapped in colorful paper and bows join traditional school programs and church services honoring the reason for the season. Each family has their own special traditions that mark their Holiday Season. The Hodgson family has their own unique way of celebrating the upcoming season of gift giving. You can tell Christmas is just around the corner. Everyone in the family begins t...
The creek north of the old place was still, silent and unmoving. Ice ledges intruded from the banks, enabled by low temperatures and periodic early winter snows. Steeply carved banks of overgrown brush were also silent, no movement visible in the tangle of bare branches and undergrowth. It was a picture of seasonal rest and waiting in anticipation of a distant spring. Glimpses of the creek from gravel roads offered up similar conclusions. The creek bottom was deep in slumber. Like so many things...
“That, my dear, is the last time you will get that picture.” This is the text message I received from my mom after I had sent her a photo of my oldest talking to Santa at the fire hall. In the photo, he’s giving him a bit of a side-eye and the gap between him and Santa is the widest it has ever been. Each year, he tends to scoot a little further away and it feels like every inch he moves away from Santa is one inch closer to his childhood being over. I still remember his first Christmas. He was...
The Second Amendment The Right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I’ll try to break this down so even a democrat can understand it. A right means it’s a God given right you were born with not a privilege handed down by the government. The people means you a citizen of The United States of America. To keep and Bear means to possess or to keep on your person or in your home to have in your possession to bear means to have and use for protection or whatever legal use you want. Shall was a very strong word at the time … i...
Doc Tempel, It’s been four months without our beloved German Shepherd, Blade, and as we wind down for bed in our household — we continue to experience the oppressive grief of losing our pack leader. Most people would say that losing a dog is like losing a member of your family but I’d akin it to losing a limb. When Blade died, I told my family in full virtue that I didn’t love anyone like I loved that dog and they bore witness to my grief and knew I meant it. Reflecting on the experience of losing Blade, it dawned on me that a veterinarian’s jo...
This story will sound like it is going to be sad. Don’t worry. It is just the opposite. A few years ago Christmas Eve, my mother passed away. She had lived a long, happy and challenging life. A few days from her 97th birthday, she had emptied her bucket list. In fact probably several buckets, maybe even a barrel or two. Her life was happy because she and my father were married 67 years before he passed on. Another big source of her happiness was my little sister, Pam. Adding to her source of g...
The “duck pond” is how we affectionately refer to the shallow hole in the driveway where we park. It is reliable in the role of rain gauge of sorts in that it takes at least a half inch of rain before water begins to stand. Likewise, the larger pothole near the driveway entrance has taken on characteristics of a small lake. Each trip through its depths contributes even further to its width and capacity. We don’t know whether to fill it or eventually market our place as lakefront property. These...
If you want to make a big purchase, such as a new car or a piece of property or you were faced with a large, unexpected expense, such as a major home or auto repair, would you have the funds readily available? If not, you might look at what may be your biggest pool of money — your 401(k) or IRA. But should you tap into these accounts well before you retire? Maybe not — and here’s why: • Less money in retirement – The more money you invest in your retirement accounts and the longer you keep it in...
To believe advertisers that one simply cannot manage Christmas without embracing the hottest fashion trends, material goods, hardware and the software to make it all work, is ludicrous. From a child’s perspective, anything is possible. If parents give in and ante up by purchasing gifts of a lifetime, what happens when the next season of giving falls short in the eyes of a child? Gifts begin to become confused with nurturing, loving, and caring for and through others. Giving anonymously has i...
For all the talk about President Biden’s determination to seek a second term, the case against him doing so is building. Numerous polls now show him decisively trailing former President Trump, both nationwide and in key battleground states. Overwhelmingly Americans realize Biden is too old and no longer competent to be President. By only slightly smaller margins they feel the same about Trump. In a recent story which attempted to portray a viable strategy for Biden’s re-election, Pol...
I must share a secret with you. When Christmas season rolls around I feel, well, to be honest I feel kind of smug. Superior even. To be downright honest I think my Christmas is probably better than most. Christmas is a time full of traditions rooted in past life on the ranch, in the country, surrounded by nature. “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go,” symbolizes our desire to return to a rural setting for special events like Christmas. “Jingle Bells,” “White Ch...
Letter to the Editor, First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who has made contributions to Little Sprouts Learning Center throughout the years. Without those donations, we wouldn't be able to offer such an integral and necessary service to our wonderful community. For that, we thank you! We also wanted to personally invite you to our Hollywood Night's Gala taking place on Dec. 30 at the Haxtun Community Center. Festivities will kick off at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour. A prime rib dinner and dancing to follow. Josh Larson will be...
Change is possible. There is evidence that supports the notion that beneficial change is not only the norm, it is the default. To the surprise of many, there is evidence of walls of despair crumbling all around us — walls of pain and aggression, hurtfulness and betrayal, selfishness, conceit, terror, and fear — and evolving into something better and more life-sustaining. How can that be with all that is at the center of our daily concerns? Two examples bear mentioning. At the conclusion of the...
I just made a startling discovery this morning. Many of you may already know this. In fact you probably have known it for years. I’m usually the last on to find out. My revelation? Most people here in our great state of Colorado were raised in, of all places, California! How did I discover this fact? It was easy. It snowed today. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing them of bringing the white stuff with them. Instead, I was able to tell because, in a quest to find a part I needed for a stock...
SpaceX achieved another space milestone this week launching its second 400-foot rocket spaceward with the goal of ferrying passengers to the moon and beyond by 2024. Just 10 minutes into the flight, however, the booster separated from the main rocket and each section exploded, something many have wryly termed a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” A cause for disappointment? Of course, everyone would have preferred a flawless outcome, but project managers and engineers declared the flight a tre...
Once again, it’s the season of generosity. In addition to considering gifts for your loved ones, you might want to think about charitable gifts as well. But what should you know before making gifts to charities? And what impact might these gifts have on your financial and tax situation? First, you may want to create a gift budget by deciding just how much you will give to charitable organizations over the rest of the year. Next, look closely at the groups to whom you wish to contribute. You can...
Darn, it’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is here. That means another Thanksgiving column. Bummer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Thanksgiving. Heck, a day centered around eating a giant bird with bread, celery and spices stuffed where the sun don’t shine is hard to beat. Add to that foods most of us never see any other time of the year such as cranberries, sweet potatoes and my favorite, giblet gravy. Ever come in from a big day of branding calves, moving cows or baling hay to be greet...
Regular “Under The Wire” readers know I write a lot about cattle. They are a big part of any rancher’s life and I suppose we do tend to spend too much time thinking, talking or, in my case, writing about them. Today, as a surprise to no one, I’m going to do it again, however, from a different approach. This column is going to be about cattle being a big pain in the, how can I delicately say it? OK, just to be straight out honest, cattle can be a major pain in the “derriere.” Staying with the ho...
Violence levied against innocents worldwide has raised achingly difficult questions on how to respond. The sense of hopelessness and despair is dark and deep for many. The specter of change for the better is distant and uncertain. “How can I help?” remains a difficult, often unanswered question. For those residing in a relatively ordered society, the chaos can feel remote and distant, leaving a sense of guilt in its wake. Conversations with good people have been helpful the past month or so....
Part 1: Holiday cactus Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus or Easter Cactus? Which is which? There are subtle differences in the margins of the leaves. One feature that stands out with Easter Cactus is their flowers represent more of a star shape — the petals are thinner and there are more of them. Naturally, they bloom in the spring but start producing buds in February. Thanksgiving Cactus will bloom one month before Christmas Cactus. Notice the Thanksgiving Cactus has broad segmented leaves with serrated edges on both sides — two-four that com...
Closing The door? A book? The possibilities are limitless! Excuse me for playing word games with myself. I have developed a habit over the years of turning every significant event that happens to me into a column. Not real sure how this one is going to unfold, or more likely, unravel. The event prompting this column was Sue and I just returning from a closing with son David and his wife Kathy, who bought our cute little second house and the acre or so it sits on. I know such events take place...
My first (knowing) foray into the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence) occurred not within a devoted app but in an online auction environment. It centered around listing an item for sale and describing said item in terms adequate to entice a buyer. Simple enough. As an infrequent seller, I had enough basic understanding to slog my way through the posting, complete with pictures and a short, to-the-point description which went something like this; “Lady Esquire Suede Compact cleaning brush. S...
As you go through life, you’ll have various financial goals — and to achieve them, you’ll need to invest. But just recognizing the need to invest is not as useful as matching specific types of accounts or investments with specific goals. How can you make these connections? Let’s look at some common goals and how they could possibly be met with appropriate accounts and investments: • Saving for a down payment on a house – When you’re saving for a down payment, you want a certain amount of mon...
