Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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Once upon a time America fed the world. Not literally, of course, but we did export food all around the globe and gave quite a bit away to countries in need. In fact, we had so much land in production for food that our government was paying farmers and ranchers not to use it. Not so much anymore. Our farm and ranch ground is decreasing faster each year as the land is being sold for development. What is going to happen when we can no longer produce enough food to even feed ourselves? Just since...
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Although my mother said that for medical problems, it’s an old adage that can be applied to many situations. If we can keep from getting into a bad situation that’s our “ounce of prevention”. Getting out of a bad situation, the “pound of cure”, isn’t so easy. In fact, it could be a horrible nightmare and easier said than done. The last year has seen our economy sink, Americans abandoned in Afghanistan, fuel prices skyrocket, inflation soar to the highest level in more than 40 years, our co...
The 2022 legislative session started out boring and promised to continue way to the end. As expected in a budget session most bills not budget related either weren’t introduced or they failed without fanfare. There were a few, though, that I thought had a good chance this year that died. Some failed to pass and some weren’t brought forward by either Speaker of the House Barlow or Senate President Dockstader. After the special session last fall I didn’t expect the legislature to show any courage to protect Wyoming citizens from overb...
We've all seen the fertilizer ads with the rich beautiful lawns and tall, lush flowers. As we get closer to spring the ads will increase in volume and make us all wish that our lawns were that lovely and lush and our flowers were bursting with all the wonderful green foliage and colorful blooms. All of the fertilizer companies swear that their product is the best in the market and if you just buy theirs, not the competitors, then you can have the same look that they show on TV and on their...
The 2022 legislative session started out boring and promised to continue that way to the end. As expected in a budget session most bills not budget related either weren’t introduced or they failed without fanfare. There were a few, though, that I thought had a good chance this year that died. Some failed to pass and some weren’t brought forward by either Speaker of the House Barlow or Senate President Dockstader. After the special session last fall I didn’t expect the legislature to show any courage to protect Wyoming citizens from overb...
I thought last year was strange as far as the weather went but this year has been a real kicker. Last week we had temperatures in the 60's and this week down to zero. Weather like this forces me to look at the calendar to remind myself how far we are into the year. The Master Gardeners Plant Sale is just around the corner on May 14th and my start date for plants is already here. I won't start anything that is going to be planted outside until the first half of April, though. Mine will all go in...
On a 19-10 vote Thursday night, the Senate stripped Senator Anthony Bouchard of all committee assignments, essentially ostracizing him from activity in the Senate. Senate President Dockstader turned the podium over to the Vice President to administer the proceedings so he could read the charges against Senator Bouchard. The charges were brought under Senate rule 2-1-1, Conduct Unbecoming a Senator and consisted of: continued pattern of intimidating and disorderly conduct; open support for a vulgar and threatening attack on a member of the Senat...
Anyone who has read my articles over the past few years knows that I put a load of compost on my garden in 2018 that completely killed its ability to produce...anything. Even weeds wouldn't grow. At the time I blamed the salts in the compost I'd purchased. Then, Linda came across a heartrending Facebook post from someone who'd had their garden decimated by Grazon herbicide. Yes, the soil was tested to determine the cause. The worst part was that the person hadn't used Grazon themselves, but had...
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. How often have we heard these words? Or read them? Most learned them in school. Some memorized them. But have you ever really thought about what they mean? How often do you even think about them? The phrase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” means that they’re obvious. They don’t...
Since the COVID pandemic started we’ve treated symptoms of ancillary health issues rather than COVID itself. Early treatment was never an option. Nationwide, our medical system has failed the American people. Rather than search for new treatments or even use known treatments, we relied solely on supporting therapies and vaccines. Politicians are using COVID to instill fear in the public. Fear makes any group easier to control. They belittle, ostracize, demean, and cancel anybody who dares stand up and think for themselves. They’ve cost peo...
WOW! The American Freedom Convoy thundered into the Flying J truck stop Thursday on their way to Washington DC. Air horns blaring, car horns blasting in unison and freedom-loving Americans lining the roads, parking lots and overpasses cheering the truckers on as they moved through Laramie County. There were only about 30 trucks in this group but 50 to 75 cars, pickups and RVs had joined the convoy along the route. Most were going all the way to Washington to support freedom. Some state and...
Isabelle Brown, national spokesperson for Turning Point USA and news celebrity, spoke to Laramie County Republicans at their annual Lincoln Day celebration Friday night. Turning Point USA is a non-profit organization that advocates for conservative values on high school and college campuses across America. TPUSA is the dominant force in campus conservatism. Isabelle Brown is featured regularly on Newsmax TV and, at 24 years old, is considered one of the nation's leading authorities on political activity in our high schools, colleges and...
Herbs play a major role in our lives. Probably more than we realize because we take them for granted. Most of our familiarity with herbs is through food. We use herbs to flavor foods and many identify with foods from particular regions, like basil, thyme and rosemary identify with Mediterranean foods. Cilantro is used in a number of Mexican dishes. Although most herbs are grown in the Mediterranean region there are herbs grown throughout the world. Many herbs will grow here in Laramie County...
“There is not a supply chain problem. The shelves are full.” Joe Biden, December 22, 2021. “We have saved Christmas! The shelves are full.” Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, December 22, 2021. Repeat after me. There is no supply chain shortage. There is no supply chain shortage. The shelve are all full. The shelves are all full. Now repeat it again. That seems to be the rhetoric coming out of D.C. and the Biden Administration these days. I guess they think that if they repeat it often enough we’ll believe it. We used to have a term for...
Over the past few weeks we’ve had some pretty decent snowfall with plenty of moisture and only a little of the 4-letter word, w***, that we don’t usually say out loud. The meteorologist on KGWN TV 5 commented at the end of January that we were slightly ahead of moisture for the month. That sounds good knowing that January and February are our two driest months of the year. Oops. I made the mistake of checking the drought monitor from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA is the parent organization of the National Wea...
“Did you ever think you’d be paying this much for a gallon of gas?” Biden asked a crowd Wednesday during a speech in Baltimore.” Christina Wilkie, CNBC, November 11, 2021. “Too many people remain unsettled about the economy, and we all know why. They see higher prices. They go to the store or go online, they can’t find what they always want, and when they want it. We’re tracking these issues and trying to figure out how to tackle them head on.” Joe Biden, November 10, 2021, Baltimore, Maryland. Previously we discussed the problems the Le...
In today's society our dependence on processed foods, fast foods, and snacks we seem to have forgotten the sheer pleasure of eating a home-cooked, leisurely meal with our family. We've become a microwave society. Everything has to be fast and good meals take time to prepare, even the "quick" recipes. I think about that often as I cook breakfast and the few meals that I take the time to prepare myself. Usually Linda cooks but once in a while I'll fix the meal. Like last night I fixed a chicken...
“Section 1. That the Legislature of the State of Wyoming hereby applies to Congress, under the provisions of Article V of the Constitution of the United States, for the calling of a convention of the several states limited to proposing amendments to the Constitution of the United States that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government and limit the terms of office for federal officials and members of Congress.” Excerpt from HJ0002, Wyoming Legislature 2022. I think that by now...
What if we could grow a plant that smells delightful, tastes great and could help improve our health? Well, we can. Anyone can grow herbs on a window sill or even on the kitchen counter. Basil is one of those herbs that grows easily, is easily harvested, serves a variety of uses, and smells terrific. I'm sure you've all heard about basil because it's the basic herb used in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. One of my favorite Mediterranean dishes is tomato bisque soup. That and a grilled cheese...
The 2020 census has come and gone and it’s time to redraw political subdivision lines. Lines are typically drawn to incorporate roughly the same number of people in each subdivision, plus or minus about five percent. However, at times lines are drawn for political purposes, such as trying to influence voting in a district. Such a use of political power is called gerrymandering. Representative Dan Zwonitzer from Laramie County, Chairman of the House Corporations Committee, is trying to do just that by creating a long, thin dogleg into P...
This has been a crazy winter. Not that it wasn't predicted but crazy, nonetheless. Most of the winter has been pretty warm and the wind hasn't even been horrible. We've had a couple of really cold days they've been the exception. That set me to thinking about spring but not in a good way. My first thoughts of spring were of the cool weather weeds that we could actually see a bit earlier than normal this year. I already have new grass starting to show up in areas that I dug out last fall so the...
“…the legislative, executive, and judiciary departments ought to be separate and distinct.” James Madison, Federalist 47. “The powers of the government of this state are divided into three distinct departments: The legislative, executive and judicial, and no person or collection of persons charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments shall exercise any powers properly belonging to either of the others, except as in this constitution expressly directed or permitted.” Wyoming Constitution, Article 2, Sectio...
We love trees in Laramie County. Maybe because we have so few trees that are native. Did you know that the only native trees in Laramie County are in Pine Bluffs and the extreme western edge of the county? All of the rest were planted after settlers moved into the state. Now we have trees for food, for shade, protection, and some just for the sheer beauty. Human beings have an innate love of trees. It seems that we just can't stop planting them. It was disheartening to all of us when the...
They come in the dead of night, masked intruders battering down doors, jerking people from a sound sleep and throwing them to the floor. Rifles, handcuffs and zip ties restraining peaceful, innocent people. Computers, phones, personal documents, anything the secret police want is seized. This sounds like a scene ripped from the headlines of raids in Russia and China. Secret police in Totalitarian countries have long been known for rounding up dissidents for just disagreeing with their government. For as long as I can remember I’ve read these a...
Right before Christmas I attended a craft fair and was able to speak at length to several people about vegetable gardening and growing plants, in general. The most intriguing conversation I had concerned growing vegetables in a very small yard with little space. In fact, that conversation lasted all morning. The yard we discussed was very small with no room to put in a vegetable garden even though the client wanted to grow her own vegetables. She wanted to reserve the tiny grassy area for her...
