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So this guy takes his dog to the vet. Seems the dog’s eyes are crossed and the pet owner wants to see if something can be done. For the examination, the vet picks the dog up and takes a look. After a few moments the vet speaks. “Well,” the vet sighs, “I’m gonna have to put him down.” “What!” the owner exclaims. “Just because he has crossed eyes?” “No,” the vet says. “Because he’s heavy.” We have all been there — what we mean may be what we said but not what we meant. There is even a famous sayin...
We are most appreciative of the Purple Heart article included in the May 30th Pine Bluffs Post. Our Son, Devin, is certainly worthy of the Medal. He took several direct hits in his role as EOD technician and displayed the courage that can be expected from a young man raised in a small town such as Pine Bluffs. He was one of the few that returned to unrestricted duty within two years after the IED blasts. Others involved in the incidents were not able to cope and have left the Military or are in...
Every once in awhile a song comes over the radio that simply blows your mind. So good is said song, that you scour the record stores, online or where ever else you get your music, just to find this song. You can’t live without it! Right now, for me, there is an album that is pulling so strongly at me, I just have to tell people about it. Please keep in mind, my tastes tend to be a bit eclectic. My iPod really does have some of every genre on it — every genre. Recently I am enamored with Ray LaM...
Communication may be even more vital among family members when you live in Wyoming, the lowest populated state in the country. But not every generation thinks of communication in the same way. Older folks think of using a telephone for that craziest of all reasons — making phone calls. Some will even write a letter through the post office. To their credit, many seniors occasionally use email by using the Internet on their ancient home computers. But Facebook? Twitter? And the biggest biggie o...
It seems like every year, fewer people choose to follow the entrepreneurial path that has guided my life. Here are a few thoughts on the subject: • Our little book publishing company is very small operation by any means of comparison. Yet it is truly an example of Wyoming entrepreneurship. Not long ago, an agent for the IRS came by and wanted to talk about how we are paying people in our little company. I told him that we have one seasonal part-time employee who delivers books. We pay him a nice...
So I need a screwdriver. Can’t find one, though I know for a fact there are at least 10 of them in my house somewhere. I collect screwdrivers. It wasn’t intentional. I got one in a toolkit from my dad when my kids and I struck out on our own. I “adopted” one when my son left his toolbox at my house when he left home to become a Marine. I still have it years later. I bought one back in Ohio when I got a new car and had to put license plates on. Thought I brought one but forgot to put it in the...
We hear often in Christian circles people saying, “I just don’t know how to live for God. I don’t know what He wants.” We constantly wonder to ourselves and aloud just what the will of God is for our lives. The trouble is when He tells us we are busy or closed off, or just not paying attention. I thought of a simple formula to solve this problem when researching addiction for a college class. It’s even easy to remember. The word HOW covers it all. If we want to know how we need to be Honest, O...
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Quote compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr....
Like a race car going from zero to 60, we have have transitioned from winter to summer here in Wyoming. It’s mind blowing! As I write this the temperature is more akin to a late summer day as the thermometer hovers near the 90 degree mark. To think, just two weeks ago we had snow on the ground! I suppose this gives weight to the thought, “If you don’t like the weather in Wyoming, just wait, it will change.” Truth is, I have heard this in many of the states I have lived in. And, while I am sure...
I went on a long bike ride this weekend. The first of the season. So the butt ache wasn’t too surprising. But it was worth it, having the warm asphalt underneath, the smell of the fresh tilled soil of the fields, and the bright colors of the grass and flowers rolling by as I crept up the hills not able to pass the six-legged traffic. 65 area youth will be taking a long ride out into the world these next couple of Sunday’s. In my best “Forrest Gump” accent, I think life is like a bike ride, b...
My puppy, Sadie, is getting big; huge actually. And she is a huge presence in my life. No matter how I am feeling, what I do, how many or few minutes I can spend with her, she is always immensely happy to see me. She runs circles around me, brings me her toys so we can play together, and hauls her 70-pound solid chocolate body up on my lap to snuggle. Sadie listens pretty well, but when we are outside she gets distracted by bunnies, so when she successfully goes potty and comes right back in we...
A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary. ~ Dorothy Canfield Fisher...
A few years back I was working as the manager/head cook of an Italian restaurant. I was working long hours, six days a week and was miserable. I took the job because I couldn’t find anything else. I had been out of work for several months and needed something. I did well enough, especially considering I had no formal training. But it didn’t change the fact that I wasn’t happy. But, the truth of the matter is, without that job I wouldn’t be where I am today. One of my regular customers was the...
There is a “little” cathedral under construction in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudi. The architect knew he would die before it was completed and he spent years building a model so the future engineers would know what he wanted. He was killed when he was hit crossing the street. Many people didn’t know who he was because he was dressed as a pauper, with string for suspenders holding up his britches. That was 1926. The work continues on his “baby” and “60 Minutes” did an educational a...
As we approach May we think of graduation and honoring the seniors at the Alumni Banquet. As a reminder to those who did attend the 2012 Banquet and to all who were not able to attend, we want to again pass this information on to you. The Alumni Association unanimously decided to our annual banquet is to be held during the town Trail Days Celebration Saturday, August 3 at the Pine Bluffs Community Center. Class reunions often take place as well as anniversaries of classes ending in 3 beginning with 1923. Please pass this information to others...
There are quite a few freedoms afforded the masses that populate the shores of this country. One is free speech and another the right to vote. All too often people exercise the first and ignore the second. Heard on the street recently: “I’ve lived here for decades. Guess I better register for this election.” Really? That means that no vote was cast for president of this country. No vote was cast for our state and federal legislators. If those elections did not garner interest in regis...
I have for years marked up my Bible. Underlined verses, left notes in the margins wrapped around verses and other scripture references packed between the columns of each page. I still have the first Bible I ever bought. Birthday money from my grandparents in 1975 got me the standard black Scofield reference version. I have since learned Mr. Scofield was not quite right on his commentary, but that first Bible served me well. It is taped along its spine to help keep it together and bears the...
Most people go their entire lives without knowing loss. A year ago yesterday, my family, more specifically, my youngest son, suffered a loss. But we are the type of family if one jumps we all jump; if one loses, we all mourn. And then we get back up to try again. Sometimes a loss is a way to nudge you to a better life. I tell my son about how many times Babe Ruth struck out, how many times Da Bulls passed the ball to Michael Jordan in the last few seconds only to have the can’t-miss-king miss th...
I used to say, or rather I still say, that your age is relative to how you feel. Although my age is quickly approaching 40, I maintain that I do not feel that way — at least not in my heart. My body, on the other hand, likes to give me subtle reminders. Recently, while getting my hair trimmed, my barber used a small trimmer to clean up the unsightly hair growing out of my ears and to clean up my eyebrows. I of course didn’t mind but had to think to myself, “when did this become the norm?...
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)...
A small news item in the Internet caught my eye a while ago. It seems a 12-year-old boy in New Zealand was playing at the waters edge and was swept out to sea. A police officer attempted rescue and got in trouble himself. Now it would be easy for the rest of the people on the beach to watch and wring their hands and hope someone comes to the aid of the boy and his would-be rescuer. You can hear the conversations — “Oh dear, someone help them!” “His poor mother!” “Did anyone call for help?” Whil...
Some 63 percent of the 579,000 residents in Wyoming own guns. This is the highest percentage of any state in the USA. Perhaps it makes some sense to describe what living in the heart of America’s “gun culture” can be like during this time of national debate about guns and whether or not there is a need for national registry of gun owners. Having spent time in places like Great Britain where even the occasional hunting shotgun is a rarity, our gun culture can begin to seem a little odd, I suppo... Full story
My family, like most others who have or will walk this planet, have experienced a life full of trouble. I can’t really say I know anyone who has lived a “charmed” life. Blessed yes, charmed no. We Christ followers have a bad tendency to think that we should be blessed beyond anyone else. That people should actually see how much God loves us by how successful. We believe that we should have not just all we need, but all we want and ask for; and by the way, no troubles please. Smooth saili...
There was a little storm, Walda, that passed by Monday evening. Not Waldo as in “come find me,” because this little girl found her way to us. Due to political commitments, I was an accidental traveler on a road that was labeled “impassable” not to be misinterpreted as “impossible.” The only vehicles on this road were a local farmer who winked his lights at me as he passed on his way to check livestock, and two young ladies in an SUV. I stopped to rest my eyes from straining to see the road I...
Living in a small town provides one with some unadvertised benefits. I suppose to some they could be a hindrance, but, I would wager, in the right light, all would see it as a benefit. What benefit? Lack of anonymity. Meaning, everyone knows who you are and who your kids are and on and on. When I lived in Concordia, Kan., they didn’t ask me where I came from, instead they asked who I belonged to. This befuddled me as I was an adult at the time. But, when I told them my dad’s name (I grew up in...