Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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COVID-19 vaccine mandates are a source of controversy nationwide including here in Wyoming and Laramie County. Some people feel so strongly about the mandate that I’ve watched a few discussions that I thought may come to blows. Those I’ve seen have all been fueled by anger from people who believe everyone must be vaccinated. This is another topic, among many, that’s tearing our country apart. The basic argument from those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID is one of personal freedom and our basic human rights. That sounds simple but i...
For the past year I've been working to convert my greenhouse over to full-hydroponic even though I don't seem to be making much progress at times. During CFD I moved all of the peppers over to the first hydroponic tray from the climate-controlled warehouse unit and planted cucumbers in the upper tray. I use vertical growing systems to make the most use of the space available. The peppers have thrived with some of the plants approaching their third growing season. The cucumbers were doing very...
For nearly two years Liberals, Wyoming health departments, and the mainstream media have emphasized the number of COVID cases as they report daily statistics to the public as much, if not more than they emphasize the number of deaths. This is a gross misrepresentation of the data and nothing more than a scare tactic. Don’t get me wrong. The number of cases is a critically important statistic but only for internal decisions with government and the healthcare field. In fact, from a strict public health standpoint the number of cases is i...
WARNING! This building is home to more than 10,000 predatory wasps. Enter at your own risk. That is a sign for a greenhouse. Most everybody I've told about it has cringed at the thought. Wasps bring nightmares to most of us because they are aggressive and it hurts when they sting. But when I tell another Master Gardener about this sign they yawn and smile. At best they congratulate me. But then, they know the meaning of the term "predatory wasps". The wasps most people think of when they hear...
RINO. We’ve all heard the term, Republican In Name Only. In the past it was used by conservative Republicans to describe a Republican that voted with Democrats most of the time. It was pretty clear and simple. All we had to do was check the voting records and make a determination. Yet, even then, the determination was subjective and pretty much made by the bias of the person making the determination. That is no longer the case. RINO is used as a smear, usually by Republicans, against anyone who doesn’t share their point of view. It no lon...
Is there a benefit to organic foods over standard foods? I was asked that question during my monthly radio show and it threw me for a loop for a few seconds. Not that it was a bad question or I couldn't answer but it was off topic and I was completely focused on fresh vegetables versus processed vegetables. This is a call-in show so I should be ready for anything but I was caught off-guard. And the answer to the question really isn't as easy as it sounds but it is a good question for the topic...
“It's easy to vote your way into Communism. It's impossible to vote your way out of communism.” Author unknown. After our Legislature gave in to the Liberals and accomplished absolutely nothing during the special session except cost the taxpayers more than $300,000 I thought I saw a glimmer of hope coming down from the federal level. A federal judge stayed Biden’s vaccine mandate to private business. Almost immediately OSHA announced that they were not going to issue any rules for a vaccine mandate until after the court renders a decis...
Few plants are identified with Christmas as the Christmas cactus is. Growing up I really had no idea what a Christmas cactus was. My grandmother had one, but to me it was just "that plant over there". It was pretty for a few weeks out of the year and I never understood why it was so special to her. It was only after I met Linda that I got an idea of what the Christmas cactus was and why it was so special to people. Her mom had several and one was absolutely HUGE. It dominated the bedroom it was...
This Christmas is more poignant than most for me. I have a nephew just entering the Air Force and facing his first Christmas away from home. It’s caused me to think back to when I went to basic training so long ago. I left just before Thanksgiving so I missed two holidays. Since I was a little older than most trainees it wasn’t as bad for me but I recall the distress that so many of the others felt. They were all fresh out of high school and most were pretty homesick. This is only one of many sacrifices that military members are called upo...
In a free society it is absolutely imperative that elected officials be respectful of their constituents and of their fellow elected officials if anything positive is to be accomplished. It doesn’t matter if you like the other person or not. What matters is that you treat them with respect as a human being and, in some cases, as a peer. That’s one of the reasons we use Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct public meetings, to keep them civil and respectful of others. We have a free society because our system encourages civil discourse and frown...
What symbol says, "Christmas" to more people than the Christmas tree. Since I don't play political correctness I'll call it what it is, a Christmas tree. Be it live or artificial, green or another color, frosted or plain, it's still a Christmas tree. Some of my fondest memories here in Wyoming was the Christmas tree decorating competition Glenn Chavez used to have in Cheyenne's downtown area. We participated one year and it was a blast. The decorations and themes were as different as the trees...
For thousands of years politicians have been held in contempt, scorn, distrust and a whole host of other negative thoughts, often well-deserved. Before the United States politicians were associated with the ruling class, the aristocracy. To maintain their place at court, they had to be absolutely loyal to the ruler. Disloyalty was often met with death. Tyranny was the order of the day, for everyone, and rulers were often considered gods or the voices of the gods. It’s no wonder that politicians earned their bad reputation. That attitude is s...
This has been an interesting day to say the least. I finally saw a project that I started last year (2020) come to fruition. I baked my first loaves of bread. I know at least three of you will say, "So what?" That's because I know what your baking is like and it's wonderful. For me it was a new experience. In 2019 I used wheat straw to mulch the garlic bed. That's normal and I didn't think much of it until the spring of 2020 when the garlic started growing. That's when I learned how much wheat...
Just so everyone understands, I don't do Facebook. In fact, after trying to log in today to my account that, yes I have an account, I found that I've been cancelled. Maybe because it's been so long since I've logged in. November 5th. Beats me but I can't log in. But that's beside the point. A couple of weeks ago a post from Joe Shogrin was printed and shared with me. Joe relates the comments from his daughter, Grace, a local high schooler. Her response to the mask mandates from LCSD1...
Growing vegetables in Wyoming is a constant struggle and frustration at best. At worst it feels impossible at times. At the same time, it's an undertaking well worth the effort. Two of the major factors that make growing vegetables in Wyoming so challenging is our soil and the short growing season. Most vegetables require more time to ripen than we have with, at best, three and a half months of suitable growing weather. Over the years there has been a lot of discussion over hoop houses, high...
There are some people who look at the crisis on our southern border and don’t think it concerns them at all. They couldn’t be more wrong. Even though events at a national level do seem to be outside of our community, they can often affect us just like they do others. I’ve thought about this for quite some time but it hit home when my daughter announced that she was moving to a border town in Texas. Understanding the situation there I’m concerned for her safety but I also appreciate her reasoning. But it did cause me to focus more on how the...
It was cold, bitterly cold, on December 18, 1620 when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts to form their first colony in the New World. Since they had no shelter on land, they had to live on the ship for the next few months and ferried back and forth to the shore as they worked hard to build homes for their new colony. In March they began to move ashore permanently as shelter became available. But, the months aboard ship were devasting. One hundred settlers started the journey,...
Remember the statement “You never let a serious crisis go to waste”, 2008, Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff? The Democrats certainly aren’t letting COVID go to waste. They’re using the healthcare industry to beat us about the head and shoulders with vaccine and mask requirements. There’s no personal freedom left as far as Socialists are concerned. They have the power and are using it all the way down to the local levels of government. So far Wyoming is better off than many states but we still have our problems. Anyone who takes the time to...
The drought of 2021 is now in full force in Laramie County. As of July we were the only county in Wyoming that was not being affected by the drought. At least most of the county. There were two small pockets in the extreme northeast and northwest corners that were in “abnormally dry” conditions. But the rest of us were experiencing normal moisture and we even had some rain in June and July. We thought we were going to escape a drought. Fooled us! By the end of July the tunnel of good moisture we had been experiencing began to shrink. First it...
There is a growing concern among prominent scientists and researchers that the government’s policy of mass vaccination may be causing the variants of the COVID disease that seem to be coming at us at an ever-increasing rate. It seems like every time we get used to the idea of one variant another hits us driving renewed calls for increased preventative measures. Some of these measures, like those in New York City and California, are destroying economies and lives. Many scientists are now putting the blame squarely on the federal government. O...
For many years, I was told that bees only liked white and yellow flowers. That they would go to other colored flowers only when the first two were unavailable or in short supply. What a myth to believe in. Nothing could be further from the truth. I also grew up believing that bees were the only insects that provided any significant amount of pollination. Looking back on it, I have no idea where I got those foolish notions. As I grew older (and with age comes wisdom, right?), I began to realize...
COVID vaccines are coming under fire by groups all over the world who are questioning their effectiveness and safety. Those in the United States who dare to question the vaccines is canceled by social media and ignored by the mainstream news. Yet the CDC has been forced to admit that there are problems with the vaccine. Unfortunately, the only action they’ve taken is to start an investigation into the growing number of adverse health issues that have occurred. Jen Psaki, Biden’s Press Secretary, made a major foopah this week when she sta...
Now that the harvest is finished it's time to do something with all of the delicious veggies. Or maybe, like me, you're still harvesting. I was out this morning picking crabapples. Normally I'm not able to harvest them because the wind blows them off the tree before they are ripe. This is only the second time in about 15 years that I've been able to get ripe fruit. I know some of you are saying, "Yuk!" but don't discount crabapples. Although nearly all crabapples are edible that doesn't that...
Kathy Emmons, Executive Director of the City-County Health Department, sent a letter to Governor Gordon requesting authorization to implement a county-wide mask mandate. Her position is being strongly supported by County Commissioners Troy Thompson and Gunner Malm. Their actions should not surprise anyone. These three have worked tirelessly, since the beginning of the COVID dilemma, to suppress our freedoms and control our lives. On September 7th, the Commissioners voted 3-2 to give county employees $500 if they would get vaccinated. That’s Y...
This year I didn't plant much outside. Most everything is going into the hydroponic systems that haven't been built yet. What I did plant outside ended up being about four weeks late, but the harvest seems to be coming a little early. Of course the peppers haven't stopped for the last two years because of the hydroponics and I have to say that it's been nice canning a little bit at a time rather than spending days in the kitchen in one stretch. Most of you will have it all crammed into a tight s...
