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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16 plan can help ease college “sticker shock” The school year will soon be here. And if you have young children, you’re one year closer to the day when they may be headed off to college. When that day arrives, will you be financially prepared? College isn’t cheap. For the 2023–24 academic year, the average cost — including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and other expenses — was nearly $29,000 for in-state students at four-year public colleges and universities and about $60...
Computer and phone apps have brought folded paper roadmaps to the edge of extinction. Instead of fussing with printed maps while driving with one’s knees, global positioning satellites provide directions with amazing clarity and accuracy. Running late and getting lost are no longer valid excuses to avoid unpleasant encounters with our least favorite family members. Detours and road construction are no match for GPS units that provide cautions and traffic concerns in real time. The phrase “I wou...
Every now and then it is helpful in one’s life to embrace gee-whiz moments that keep us knowledgeable, informed and humble to say the least. Out of such consideration flows inspiration and, hopefully, degrees of wisdom. To ponder something larger than ourselves gives nod to our divine author and creator. “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all … (Psalm 104:24 NIV).” Nothing exemplifies that more than a good river rock or two. Their chief characteristic is that they have be...
Wheat stem sawfly is a native insect that feeds on grasses in Colorado. The insect was first identified by entomologists in Colorado around the late 1800s and primarily fed on range grasses. However, wheat stem sawfly emerged as a Colorado wheat pest in 2010 and damage from this insect has been expanding and increasing since. Today, this pest is estimated to cause $30 million in damage, according to Brad Erker, Executive Director of the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. Sawfly damage to wheat is now found as far south as I-70 and continues...
During your working years, you know where your income is coming from because you’re working. But once you retire, you’ll have to identify your income sources, know how much you can expect from them and know how to manage them to help support a retirement that could last two or three decades. So, where will your retirement income come from? And what decisions will you need to make about these income sources? Consider the following: • Retirement accounts – If you’ve regularly contribut...
It might be too late for me. In the category of “distractions my mother warned me about,” I failed to pay heed to the wiles and siren call of one of my greatest temptations in life. If you seek perfect form and unblemished fruit, fragrance and complementary colors that alert the senses, including a tease to the palate, then I can do no better than to recommend late summer peaches. As consumers of these golden wonders, I cannot recall a year that we were unable to polish off at least two lug...
On this Colorado Day, I remember the 1970s when our local radio station would open its morning show by playing The Colorado Song: “If I had a wagon, I would go to Colorado,” praising a state known for “Rocky Mountain peaks, climbing up to the sky” and inhabited by “folks who are rugged and bold!” One verse describes what was quintessential Colorado: “A uniting spiring they will find at the great Continental Divide.” It’s a fun song and I’ve taught it to my kids. But I get a little choked up because it describes a Colorado no longer exists. T...
It is an honor to have been a part of such fine publications throughout these many years. It’s time to give you a little information about the guy who has been writing this. Raised on a ranch in the foothills east of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, my wife, Sue (Carnahan) born and raised in Riverton, Kan., and I, along with son David and his wife Kathy, run a cow/calf operation near Brush. Growing up, my parents helped run a livestock auction in Fort Collins, where I was bitten by the “auction bug.” Following a stint as a Vocational Agriculture i...
Many years ago I wrote a column titled “True Love.” It was reasonably funny so it became the first story in our book “Just Barely Under The Wire” and also appeared on our website. Years later, re-titled “Putting The Squeeze On Love” the story was featured in a regional magazine. The column somehow hit the internet via email years ago. People seemed to like it. We have decided to run the story, one last time. If you haven’t already read it, please enjoy “Putting The Squeeze On Love.” I recently s...
It is hard to believe that just a few short decades ago (depending on one’s age) weather spotting was a questionable art filled with myths and wives’ tales. I suspect that many of those tales were conveniently placed at the feet of women by men, but that is for future discussions. The only definitive way of forecasting weather was to view it directly, not much help when a storm was already bearing down on you. Contrast that with todays advanced weather technology that not only apprises us of...
Salvia plants from the Plant Select Program are a great addition to the summer garden. There are several different ones to add to your garden. Salvia greggii 'Furman's Red', Salvia 'Ultra Violet' PP21,411, Salvia pachyphylla, Salvia darcyi x S. microphylla 'PWIN03S' and Salvia reptans 'P016S'. Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ grows in zones 5b-10 and has moderate to xeric water needs. It does well in clay, loam, or sandy soil and grows best in sun to part shade. In the spring prune dead stems from last season. This plant blooms from June throu...
One of the first lessons learned by novice backpackers and hikers is to avoid putting oneself in danger. Trailhead signposts of recent past in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness area underscored the concern by declaring “Mountains Don’t Care.” The warning truthfully lays it out for those who believe themselves above such concerns. Even the most experienced outdoors persons can get caught unaware when changes surrounding them turn ugly. It’s not only about wildlife, but also weather and more than a little...
I’m a people person. I pride myself on my knowledge and understanding of humans. This includes being sensitive to their needs, understanding their reactions and anticipating their concerns. How, you might ask, did I get so smart? Is my degree in psychology from Harvard, Stanford or Yale? Just where did I learn so much about the mental condition of the human being? It all came from animals. That’s right, animals. I learned about humans from spending my time with horses, cows and dogs. I did get a...
Asking a man how many cattle he has is like asking someone what their net worth is or how much money they have in the bank. You just don't do it. If you should accidentally commit this blunder you put the cowman in the uncomfortable position of having to either ignore you or lie. It just isn’t polite. Still, we all judge a cattleman's success by how many head he owns. We are curious about things like this. What should also be considered is to subtract out how much he owes before judging the man'...
Our annual denominational gathering is once again behind us. We cannot say that every moment at conference was noteworthy, but there is a case to be made that we conducted our business, our worship, and our fellowship with an earnestness belying our size. As conferences go, we are small fish in a big pond (with nearly 2000 participants), yet the venues we are invited to return to recognize what we have long known as part of a community of caring: the Brethren are a gentle folk in a raging...
When drawing up your estate plans, you might find it useful to create a revocable or irrevocable trust, either of which can help your estate avoid probate court and give you significant control over how and when your assets are distributed. But who should oversee your trust? As the person who established the trust — known as the “grantor” or “settlor” — you can also name yourself as trustee. However, this may not be the best move, particularly if the trust is irrevocable. An irrevocable trust pr...
Letter to the Editor, It is with great pleasure that I am sending distributions from the Trust of Muriel Brown. It was her wish that proceeds from her trust be distributed by myself on her behalf, based on the performance of her investments. This year, each of the six organizations she cared about will receive a check for $8,231: Haxtun Health, Haxtun School District, Haxtun Methodist Church, Haxtun Swimming Pool, Haxtun Community Food Basket and the West Phillips County Cemetery District. Muriel would have loved that these checks are being...
In a recent column I explained why I never became an Olympic athlete. In summary, no talent. Besides, all I ever wanted to be was a cowboy. The previous explanation also applies somewhat to my cowboy efforts. It was tough enough for me the way it was, I hate to think how hard it would have been if “cowboy” had been made a regular Olympic event. An entire country or two of competitors able to rope better than me was bad enough. I shudder to think how it would have been to open the field to the...
One of the most intriguing items in our kitchen/household junk drawer (c’mon, you know you have one) implicates an iconic office necessity, the embossing label maker of old. It’s the one that uses stiff plastic tape and sports a rotary alphabet and number wheel atop a hand-held grip. No batteries for this baby. If you wanted to label something, you had to live with the hard work of squeezing a handle before moving on to the next letter or symbol. It was best not to allow interruptions while cre...
Throughout the ages, farmers have planted seed saved from their previous wheat crop. When making seed wheat decisions, they selected the best quality seed from the highest yielding varieties. Choosing wheat varieties based on yield and quality continues, but now seed decisions include a new consideration. With the advent of hybrid crops like corn, farmers discovered that they did not get the advantage of hybrid vigor when they saved their seed, the ensuing crop was not uniform and yields were poor. It was quickly learned they needed to buy new...
Recent political conversations have once more drawn national military conscription into the light, albeit reluctantly. Count that as no surprise given today’s geopolitics, but know also that it is nothing that has not been visited before. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, by most a brilliant Civil War strategist of his time, acknowledged the roles that were to be played. “Those who remained faithful to non-resistance faced persecution from the larger community. Early Confederate draft law had no...
I’ll never forget the day my daughter brought him home. He was so ugly. She was so in love. This was one of those, “Daddy it followed me home. Can I keep him?” events. It was obvious why this fine looking specimen was left to wonder about aimlessly. The truth of the matter is, nobody in their right mind would have wanted to be seen with him. As my female child stroked his dirty, tangle hair with uncommon tenderness, hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind. One question kept leaping to the t...
As a longtime resident of Haxtun and someone who has spent over three decades serving in various capacities — from education to corrections — I've seen the critical role healthcare plays in our rural community. While I currently serve on the Haxtun Health Foundation Board of Directors and work at the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, the views expressed here are my own, based on years of community involvement. Rural hospitals, including ours, are often the backbone of the community, providing not just physical care but also vital menta...
Like burning fuses for the upcoming Fourth of July, our garden delights in the moment are foxtail lilies. Sturdy stalks support tall conical blooms of bright yellow flowers. What most amazes, however, is the way the plant reveals itself. Over the course of 10 days or so, vibrant color explodes from the head, but only in a particularized manner starting at the base of the bloom. The blossoms open sequentially and upward. It is that disciplined but fleeting nature that endears the plants to us....
My Kingdom For A Horse. I think I remember that a King was suppose to have said this a long time ago, obviously thinking walking wasn’t too great a sport. More recently, just about every horse owner I know has uttered a version of that famous quote. Along about this time of year, rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, whether they’re haulin’ for the big time or making a few weekend rodeos, start to imitate the famous King. Most have spent all winter training on their trusty barrel, team or calf ropin...
