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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The Help Haxtun Committee would like to update the community on our efforts to raise money for those businesses that were mandated to close because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our first distribution of $10,000 was given to the businesses and employees on Friday, April 24. A large portion of the donation was due in part because of a very generous $4,000 donation by the Haxtun Lions Club. The committee will continue to collect donations and distribute money to the businesses and employees as the funds become available. You can still donate to the...
It’s amazing how a splash of color can brighten one’s attitude. We experimented last year with plantings of pansies that, contrary to expectation, were able to thrive throughout most of the summer season. Even better, they were strategically placed to relieve the boredom of anyone working at the kitchen sink, a central hub in that end of the house. The pansies are tougher than they appear. They handle steady breezes, rogue freezes and the occasional cat digging in the pot. As long as they are wa...
If you have way more money than you know what to do with, some, I have read, go on an African Safari. Don’t know any of those folks personally. They must not hang around cattle auctions or the John Deere parts counter. Too bad for them because I just finished a hunt unlike any most have ever experienced. Over 20 years ago when Sue designed the house we live in, she had a definite idea what she wanted in a home. Spent hours watching the builders to make sure it was done as she wanted. She also k...
Being in quarantine with boys is like living in Lord of the Flies*. My oldest is Ralph. He makes the rules, tries to maintain some type of order and has power and influence over the others. My middle child is Jack. He is strong willed, desires power over all things and is constantly pushing the limits of his subordinate role. Our youngest is Samneric, who are really twins Sam and Eric, but are often viewed as one person. He is excited easily, can be physically dominated and mostly exists in his...
Two things each year demand to be written about as they occur. Christmas and Springtime. If you turn on your radio, you won’t hear Jingle Bells. Therefore, I’m writing about Spring. I can’t think of a more exciting time of the year you don’t have to buy tickets for. The National Finals Rodeo gets me excited but I can’t afford to go. Super Bowl Sunday warrants weeks of anticipation, but needless to say, I watch from my chair at home. Springtime truly is better than both of those rolled into one...
A spring snow this past week was especially welcome. For a few short hours it cloaked and covered the trees and landscape with artistic zeal, softening the edges of everything it encountered and quieting the immediate environment outside our door. The moisture it brought was welcomed with open arms in spite of the sub-freezing temperatures that felt compelled to accompany the snow. Early spring bulbs responded with amazing resilience, defying the cold by hiding beneath the insulating layer of sn...
The liturgical year for Christians is filled with events that orient, providing opportunities for worship, study, dynamic challenges and personal growth. The liturgical cycle guides us in our contemplations and, used appropriately, enables us to integrate religion into our personal lives in meaningful ways. The cycle permits us to move freely and comfortably in our challenged understandings while allowing leeway to explore anew each portion throughout the year. As part of the cycle, we...
A lot of wonderful things have come about as a result of these “Under The Wire” columns. Our electricity doesn’t get shut off as often and best of all, we have made a lot of new friends. Recently a whole new experience has begun to emerge. Most who publish our weekly efforts follow with our contact information. Recently, we received an email from a gentleman asking if I was the same Gary Hodgson who attended a certain college an undisclosed but big number of years ago. After answering, yes,...
For most home lawn grasses mowing at a height of two to three and a half inches is best, according to Colorado State University Turf Specialist Tony Koski. If you have a different grass such as Bermuda or Zoysiagrass then mow to a height of three-quarters of an inch to one and a half inch. Proper mowing heights for different grass species is encouraged. The side effects of mowing too low end up placing more stress on your grass. Why? The lower you mow the less surface area left on the grass blade to produce food for the grass plant. Mowing at...
Unprecedented is a word being used a lot lately. We can’t think of one faction of our community that hasn’t been affected by this pandemic. Potentially, the group most devastated are our local businesses. Since the Stay at Home order issued by our governor went into effect, many of our friends and neighbors have had to close their businesses, and/or stop practicing their chosen profession. Restaurants, retail shops, our workout facility and every one of our salon specialists have been affected. This has been devastating to many of them who cou...
I must begin today’s “Under The Wire” with a first-ever warning. At the present time, no more than 50 people are allowed to view this column at a time. If several hundred of you are gathered around to read this together, you need to lay down the paper, place your hands behind your head and slowly walk away. There, that should take care of any liability issues that may arise in this unusual world we find ourselves living in today. Now for the good news. I, along with many of you may become candi...
Life was simple growing up in a small rural community. The highlights of carefree youth included explorations of most of the local businesses and their owners, knowing every person in town through a paper route, and, consequently, them knowing us which kept behaviors somewhat in line. One did not want to risk a neighbor stopping by to have a serious conversation with one’s parents. Weekends were magic, for there was always something to do that took little more than inspired imagination. The haun...
Gardening tips for April Now that COVID-19 has most all of us working remotely from our homes, here are a list of tips to help you get outside and enjoy the garden. Most of your perennials are putting on new growth. The first ones putting on new growth are the spring flowering shrubs, late spring and early May perennials. When should you remove the dead stalks/stems? If you see new growth starting either on the stem or at the base of the plant, then prune out the dead. If the growth is coming from the base, prune the stem to the ground without...
I should have noticed the pen of chickens. They were a dead give-away but I missed it. I thought I was so smart but ... I suppose I really should start at the beginning. Years ago I was a solicitor for a livestock auction. “Field representative” was my official title. Door to door salesman was more like my job description. On Monday morning I would climb into my pickup and head out visiting ranchers and farmers who might have cattle to sell. My boss’s instructions were always the same. Promi...
Most mornings a small parade takes place at our place. It consists of a string of cats, two dogs, and a 36-year-old mare who gives the eager impression of wanting to help with the morning chores. The specter of alfalfa cubes is what really drives her, and of course they all get something out of it, but we would never let on that we suspect. The attention they receive can be as powerful a draw as their feed buckets and pans. Our appearance each morning is their assurance that all is well in the...
We are in unprecedented times in our country, although we remain insulated from most of the COVID-19 situation, the situation is very real. We ask that you continue to follow the social distancing guidelines that are in place, make every effort to remain six feet away from each other. We ask that you don’t gather in large groups and stay at home if possible. Good hygiene is critical to help slow the spread of COVID-19, please wash your hands at every opportunity and after sneezing, blowing your nose or touching your face. I have spoken with t...
What a crazy time we’re in right now, huh? I’ve gone back and forth on this quarantine and social distancing thing a lot. When things first started being cancelled, closed and shut down, I thought we were overreacting in the most dramatic fashion. But the more I read about this, talk to people and mull it over, I think that this time, while extremely difficult in some respects, is the opportunity we all need to reconnect with our families. I will be the first to admit that I have no int...
Most of us have at least a passing interest in before and after pictures of various events. They frequently crop up in house remodel projects, family photograph albums, and historical pictures separated by years. Without a crystal ball, we can only guess what the future holds. It is just as well that we can’t see into the future with absolute accuracy or we might never get out of bed most mornings. There is wisdom in the creative processes that brought us to this moment, this place in time. The linear aspect of time appears to be absolute f...
We hear a lot about hacking these days. It seems everyone is either a hacker or a hackee. From the President down to a bagger at the local grocery store, everyone has a hacking story to tell. Every electronic device that connects to the internet evidently can be broken into by someone with more skills than morals. I must admit to not really knowing much, in fact, really nothing about how this is done. Just heard lots of stories about it. As do many of you, I use a computer. Those seem to be the most common targets. I don’t think mine has ever b...
A friend of mine runs a pretty fair sized company for our neck of the woods. The company is old, the friend is relatively young. The mix is interesting. There are good features to a company being around a long time. If they’ve been in business that long, it must be a pretty sound outfit providing a necessary service. There also are disadvantages to a company being around since dirt was invented. The company can start to take their customers for granted. That’s probably why they hired my you...
Frozen in place Frozen in place is one apt metaphor for where many of the world’s countries find themselves as the COVID-19 virus continues its journey through the human race. In disappointing, though not unexpected fashion, a few entrepreneurs have seized the opportunity to make money by leveraging fear of the unknown. Fortunately, they are the exception and not the norm. In contrast, heroic efforts are playing out on a daily basis as neighbors and communities discover there is strength in b...
You can always tell when the first of the year rolls around in the cattle business. This is the time of year when your mailbox fills with bull sale flyers, catalogs and every newspaper or cattle twice as heavy from advertisements. These ads feature calving ease bulls, bulls to improve your weaning weights, bulls with superior carcass traits, maternal bulls and the list goes on. We also can expect to see indices with expected progeny difference for every trait you can imagine. Buyers should be able to get a bull purchased, but there are some...
A few years ago the big news out of our capitol city was the opening of a new and totally unique furniture store. Must have been a slow news day. Actually, the media blitz lasted several days, touting a shopping experience like none ever seen. This caught my eye because, short of getting bucked off a horse into a patch of prickly pear cactus, there is nothing I dislike more than shopping, especially in a furniture store. All those couches and I can’t take a nap on any of them. No TV nearby a...
Some recent studies conclude that nearly one third of all landfill material is waste food and related organic material. It is not something most of us usually consider when preparing meals, or even while eating out. One contributing factor is the fact that most of us have never experienced significant hunger or starvation. If we had, then we would be more aware of the need to waste less. We live in one of the most robust food-producing economies in the world, and we are accustomed to market...
Letter to the Editor, As the newcomer in the Town Council race, I have to try harder to get your vote April 7. This boomer did retire in Haxtun for its safe, affordable location, having paid higher taxes and helped out after the March 2017 wildfire. The past three years I’ve participated in The Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, establishing a legacy fund for the hospital district. I’ve paid my dues with donations to BOCES, Samaritans Purse, Shield 616 police tactical gear and County Sheriffs of Colorado membership. I belong to the Gun...
