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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A recent and very rare vacation found Sue and I wandering Western Colorado recently. When someone, years ago decided to draw a line smack dab through the middle of a Colorado map, they set many things into motion, some notable, some not so much. Most notable and not contributable to any single entity, if you don’t count God, is the fact water runs in opposite directions in each half. This grand difference, oddly, had absolutely no effect on our trip which utilized interstates and no rivers. O...
This is the time of year when professional sports teams are deep into basketball and hockey playoff runs, the kind that demand both individual and team efforts to move forward. Egos and self-centeredness carry little weight. Team play that is unselfish, however, is worth its weight in baskets and goals. An ability to adapt to changing game conditions often spells the difference between victory and defeat. Surrounding each contest are brief game-time interviews that focus primarily on what must...
For the first time I can recall, this year’s session of the Colorado General Assembly concluded with frenzy and confusion more typical of what we see in Washington, D.C., than what’s expected of our citizen legislature. It’s not unusual for a few complicated bills to linger until the waning hours. However, this year’s 120-day session ended on Monday, May 8, with these ignominious developments: • On Day 117, still 156 bills – one-quarter of the 617 introduced since Jan. 9 – remained unre...
Early morning haze and the specter of rising humidity accompanied morning coffee this week. It felt the same as in the past, yet differences were apparent. It had been over five years since our last visit to some favorite Flint Hills fishing ponds. Busy schedules and busy lives took much of the blame but little of the responsibility. That belonged to us. It’s a pattern familiar to many; places visited, richness gained, declarations to return soon, and always the perception that there was plenty...
Gambling is nothing new. That, my friends is a major understatement. What is new, however, is how common it has become. Every vacation destination seems to need a casino to draw travelers. A stop at the local convenience store for a cup of coffee also offers a chance to retire forever by way of a lottery ticket. I am not writing this to slam the industry. Just the opposite. I’m here to admit to my major addiction to gambling. I am not a traditional gambler who must include a slot machine as a d...
Optimum soil temperatures for corn germination and plant progress begins at 50 degrees F. Soil temperatures lower than 50 F can cause corn seed to lay dormant, exposing the seed to disease and insect damage. When corn seed is planted into soils that are too cold to allow adequate germination a condition called imbibitional chilling can occur. Seed imbibition is a two step process; water is absorbed by the seed and the seed swells. When seed swelling occurs, imbibition begins which activates enzymatic processes in the seed, including increased...
We are in the final days of the 2023 Colorado Legislative Session, four days remaining to be exact. One would think that we, as the State General Assembly, would be trying to wrap up work on the remaining bills and that there would not be any new bills still being introduced this late in the session. However, this is not the case as we saw the introduction of Senate Bill 23-303 “Reduce Property Taxes And Voter-approved Revenue Change.” Whether we like it or not, property taxes are going up in our State. We are predicted to see an increase of...
When judging the success of churches, there continues to be a tendency to fall back on numbers. Attendees, members, baptisms, baby dedications, weddings and souls declared and delivered for Christ are all indicators of the value of the work that is being done. The more the merrier. Reality, however, sheds a different light on the work we think has been done. A glance backward in my own Western Plains district (comprised of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and northern New Mexico) provides interesting...
When cell phones hit the world, Sue and I were among the first to buy in. At the time we were living pretty complicated lives. All at the same time, we were traveling down the rodeo road and producing our new radio programs, all the while trying to keep track of four kids, too old to want to tag along with us and too young to trust all the decisions they might be making in our absence. Being able to travel with a phone you could use from anywhere was great. Not sure the kids would agree. Proof...
Wheat situation Colorado State University agronomists visited wheat testing trials in mid-April. Visited sites began at Walsh and continued north to sites near Lamar, Burlington, Prospect Valley, Sterling, Haxtun and Julesburg. Wheat trials south of I-70 are experiencing severe drought. Wheat stands are poor and yield potential is low. Disease observations found no virus (wheat streak mosaic or barley yellow dwarf) or stripe rust activity. Insect issues found were brown wheat mite, but populations were below economic treatment threshholds....
Change falls hard on religious institutions and its members because we care intensely and deeply for what our churches have provided to us in the past. Theological conviction and foundation, laid over decades of participation, willing or unwilling, shape and mold us still. While much of religion has grown beyond its infancy, we can still look to the past as inspiration to continue moving forward. Believing religion to be static and unchanging has done more for its decline than almost any other...
Ever wonder where the term “online” originated? Most will answer, “Well, that’s an easy question, it began with the internet.” While many have claimed to have first thought up that monster, the truth is “online” goes way further back than the computer age. If any one person is responsible for coining the term, only one, Judge Roy Bean, can be given the title. This traveling circuit judge had another nickname which made him most famous, “The Hanging Judge.” It seems that a majority of his c...
As the temperatures begin to slowly warm, it is time to start thinking about warm weather parasite control. Controlling external parasites on beef cattle can provide a benefit not only to cattle comfort but also benefit the bottom line. Controlling flies can help prevent decreased gains, added expenses, and prevent disease. Of external parasites, flies are the most prevalent. Horn flies, stable flies, face flies and heel flies can be extremely harassing and annoying to cattle. When flies become bad, we see cattle bunch up and use group swatting...
Recently an individual that works at the school stopped me at the grocery store and told me how much she enjoys my son and how kind he is to others. He always says hello to her and gives her a hug and she just appreciates it so much. And while to her this was just a casual conversation, it meant so much more to me than she could have ever guessed. As parents, we are typically in the trenches and it is hard to see down here! We are weighed down with the hustle and bustle of raising children. Socc...
Letter to the Editor, Please permit me to make myself perfectly clear. I could care less if one wants to smoke, just don’t throw your cigarette butts out your vehicle window into my yard, the corner street and the neighborhood, especially during a red flag warning! Please. I know not everyone watches the TV news/weather, but the colored map of the eastern plains counties including our community is not a frivolous bulletin to hassle you, but a serious matter deserving respect. This public notice frequently issued during high winds, heat in o...
Well, spring is here, supposedly everyone’s favorite time of the year, with the exception of skiers for obvious reasons and those who yearn for fall so they can rake leaves. I am not a member of either group. Born, raised and spent my entire life in Colorado, never been on skis and no intention of ever changing that. In our business of ranching, snow is only good after it melts and soaks away. Otherwise it needs shoveled out of feed bunks, plowed so you can get to the mail box and falls i...
Six decades, five states, four varieties and pies too many to count, the saga of a rhubarb dynasty was thought complete, brought to a standstill by last years’ drought and the harsh winter of ‘22-’23. Hills reverently divided and shared — a garden eucharist — found a place at the table among family members, friends, acquaintances and neighbors. “Borrowed,” split, and shared, the various hills were garden currency of a sort. Twenty-four hills from recent gardening years bore both red and green...
Over the spring, summer and fall, there will be several times cows, bulls and calves will need to be handled for animal health processing. If you need a simple upgrade to facilities or a portable option for temporary facilities, consider a Bud Box. The Bud Box was originally designed by stockmanship author and clinician Bud Williams. It works using a few basic cattle stockmanship principles. Stress causes cattle to react. Handling stress is created by the pressure of the handler entering or exiting the cattle’s flight zone. The increase and r...
Sue is always trying to add variety to our meals. Since we both have worked out of our home offices the entire thirty-five 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...
And so, the real work begins as Holy Week culminates in anticipated, though not unexpected, outcomes. Perfect hindsight is confirmed. The movement that Jesus never intended to establish, let alone lead, has since grown into a major world religion filled with insight, hope and possibility based on the promises of the cross. When the anticipation, hype, and lead-up recedes from its annual liturgical crescendo, we remain faced with a tragic and broken world, one which Jesus followers could never...
Want to water less? Want to mow less? Then here are some newer options of turf grass for you to try. Just how much water does buffalo grass need to survive? How much water does Kentucky Blue grass need to survive? These figures might surprise you. Buffalo grass needs from 0 to 20 inches a year and if you want it to stay a nice green, water weekly during the season. Kentucky Blue grass needs 16 to 30 inches and can still be watered every few days. If you apply more than that in a season, you are overwatering your turf. Not everyone can have...
For the past two weeks, Democrats and Republicans have engaged in a test of wills in the Colorado House of Representatives. Democrats are using their 46-19 majority to pass bills which they consider essential to address shootings in public places and to establish Colorado as a regional refuge for “reproductive health care.” Republicans know they cannot stop these bills, but because they view them as a threat to citizens’ constitutional freedoms, they have chosen to inconvenience the major...
Deconstruction is nearly over with Holy Week in full camber, arcing across our lives. Grace that began the Lenten season has encircled us, and through its work we find ourselves on better paths, with better guides and deeper friends to keep us company. The ultimately redeeming self-examination of Lent becomes opportunity for fresh starts and clarity of vision. In reconstructing our faith leading up to this season of Easter, there results a new-found sense of equilibrium, a wholeness that comes...
We take pride, here on the Hodgson Ranch, in staying as old fashioned as possible. Our cattle are gathered and worked horseback, no four wheelers or other motorized devices allowed. In spite of our best intentions, we also have to own a few pieces of machinery. Even then we try to adhere to doing things like grandpa did by buying about the same vintage of equipment he used. Admittedly, that is more about economics than nostalgia. We would love to buy new stuff but the only machinery we can...
Every Tuesday morning, I take solace in attending a prayer breakfast with some of my fellow colleagues here at the Colorado State Capitol. The issues we see here under the Gold Dome and around the Denver area have really started to wear on my spiritual health and well-being. I am not sure if it was something that was said or if it was due to the atmosphere, but last Tuesday morning I felt an internal push to do more than to just ponder about the issue we, as a society, find ourselves in. I felt compelled to speak up during third reading today a...
