No cookie cutters allowed (04/30/08)
I don't remember a time when my folks had an opportunity to attend Back to School night. Mom didn't drive and Dad frequently worked late hours. Fortunately, I knew how to drive and so, even if Danny wasn't available, I always made it to Back to School night. I wanted to know who my children would be spending their days with and I wanted their teachers to know that I knew...

No assembly required (04/23/08)
The greatest story ever told contains the greatest gift of God to his creation, man. And that gift is Jesus. I often wish that indescribable gift would fit into the same category of gifts that I am able to give. We spent many a Christmas Eve burning the midnight oil assembling various gifts so that they would be ready to go at first light when the children burst forth from their bedrooms on Christmas morning...

Say what you mean, mean what you say (04/16/08)
In 1984 Hall and Oates released what would be their final number one hit song, a little ditty that made little sense to me at the time. Apparently, they were ahead of their time, at least politically. The opening chorus and all that I remember of the song, is "You're out of touch. I'm out of time."...

A handful of observations (04/10/08)
My pen was busy recording the this and the that of our unexpected trip to Denver last month. Wisdom was there, change was the one constant and the other-worldiness of hospitals remains intact. We were at Mom's installing a baby gate in one of the kitchen doorways. ...

Waiting for the right time (03/26/08)
During the past two years, Danny and I have planned two vacations home. The first was going to be a family Christmas with everyone from far and wide headed for the home place. I dutifully requested the days off and we pinched our pennies, but as hard as we tried, unexpected expenses (usually car-related), kept the bank account low. We knew that this was God, saying no...

Dismissing the inconsequential (03/19/08)
I think our grandson may be planning to disown us. I think we missed the big race. And we really wanted to be there, since Grandpa got the chance to help, just a little, with the race car. I didn't write the date down. Drat. One small, insignificant detail and we missed the whole thing. (I think. I haven't caught up with Patrick yet to make sure, maybe there's still a chance...)...

Looking at a far horizon (03/11/08)
Anticipation is a double-edged sword. A child, watching the decorations go up and packages begin to appear, anticipates Christmas morning with a sense of excitement and wonder. A milestone birthday elicits a similar state of mind, and it seems as if time stands still and the longed-for day will never come...

Throwing out the formulas (03/05/08)
It was 1968. That much I remember clearly. I don't know if I had yet celebrated my 13th birthday or not, but the important details of the day are firmly etched in my memory. A new girl came to school. She seemed to be a very sweet spirited girl, though I didn't know her well, and today I cannot recall her name. Not too far into the new school year, my first year in junior high, she asked if I would like to go with her and her family to a church meeting...

Dealing with 'if-then' (02/27/08)
Years ago, when the children were all in public education, the system instituted another revolutionary educational program. Another in a long line of reforms this one was titled "Outcome Based Education." I assume it was my own lack of an outcome based education that was responsible for my failure to clearly understand the big picture view of Outcome Based Education, but based on the name, I deduced that the desired outcome was a student who had, at the very least, mastered the basics of a prescribed course of study. ...

And the winner is ... (02/20/08)
I have never been a political activist and the longer this current campaign continues, the less likely it is that I ever will be. I've heard a number of arguments from brothers and sisters as to why believers should be involved in the political process, and taken at face value, they are valid arguments. Those arguments are quickly losing their allure...

Are we there yet? (02/13/08)
I had just hit the transition stage of labor when I cried out to Danny, "Just take me home and it will stop." It broke his heart to tell me "no" but he knew that even going home wasn't going to help this time. It broke my heart as well. I was sure that if I could just return to our little bedroom in our little alley house, this fearful and fearsome pain would stop...

Playing dress-up (02/06/08)
I loved playing dress up as a little girl and I loved making myself long, long hair by wrapping bath towels snugly around my head. Mom kept my hair fairly short in those days, though I do remember the double braids she used to put in my hair. She'd part it down the middle and put in two small braids from the crown and then incorporate those braids into the two main braids on either side of my head. ...

Life, death, and everything in between (01/30/08)
Sometimes, death waits. My mom told me that years ago -- and then, in her dying, proved it. Her dear sister Charlene was rushing to Texas from Iowa to be at her side, having come alongside her many times during their lives as sisters, she wouldn't fail her now...

The key to happiness (01/23/08)
I'm pretty easy to please - a regular low-maintenance type of gal. Of course, Danny may have a word or two of contradiction to share, but even he admits that, for the most part, I stay on a pretty even keel. Fill up my tummy, provide me with a warm, dry, safe place to sleep, and I'm as content as a kitten...

Measuring the depths of grace (01/16/08)
The phenomenon is not new. Nor is it particularly rare. It goes by many names, the most recognizable is the "Change of Location Solution." I hate to be the one to break this to you, but it doesn't work. I know. I packed enough boxes over the years trying that particular solution to know that it never works...

Charting the course (01/02/08)
Some days, for a writer, a blank page is a wonderful thing. A clean slate, ready to be filled with winsome words, a sweet tale to tell, or an idea that's just too good not to share. Other days, that blank page is a mockery, a world where there is nothing but linen twisting nights of restless sleep, for want of something meaningful to share...

The day after Christmas (12/26/07)
(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore:) Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house, scraps of paper and candy canes tempted a mouse. The stockings, once hung by the chimney with care, were torn down and tattered, 'cause Santa's been there...

Blank pages waiting to be filled (12/19/07)
I have been blessed to hold many newborn babies in my arms. My own, of course, my grandchildren, three of whom I held within moments of their births, and the babies of friends, co-workers and extended family. (Rumor has it that at inner-city hospitals, they need baby-cuddlers for abandoned babies or those born with their mother's addiction. ...

Not just another pretty face (12/12/07)
There's just something about that name. It's a favorite praise chorus of mine. You have to sing it to appreciate it fully, but the words are: "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's just something about that name. Master. Savior. Jesus. Like the fragrance after the rain...

Who hears our prayers? (12/05/07)
It happens every year at this time. The Associated Press, supplier of the majority of the state, national and international news published in this newspaper, rates the Top Ten stories for the year. And they do so by submitting a ballot to wire editors across the nation. It landed on my desk this year as I am the primary wire editor for the McCook Daily Gazette...

Giving in a time of need (11/28/07)
I love this time of year. And I hate it. Does that make any sense? One of the things I love about this time of year is the spirit of generosity that emerges. Suddenly, it seems, pocketbooks are opened wider than at any other time of the year. Who can turn a blind eye to the less fortunate when our own fortunes are so apparent, well-lit as they are by the holiday lights and decorations?...

A love that endures forever (11/21/07)
Sometimes, it's just too little, too late. Or at least it appears to be. A former neighbor's son was diagnosed with cancer just days before Thanksgiving 2006. Apparently, his body was so riddled with the disease that there was little that medical science could do to arrest it and forestall his eventual death. He died just days after Christmas. He was 45. From a purely human perspective, relying solely on medicine, I feared whatever they tried would be too little, too late. Sadly, I was right...

Do something even if it's wrong (11/14/07)
Another crisis, in a long line of crises, loomed. The cry went out, "We've got to do something!" It seems it is part of our make-up to "do something." And that, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. The problem is that we are oftentimes given to knee-jerk reactions, and it oftentimes makes a bad situation worse. In fact, I've heard the admonition, born of frustration, many times, "Do something, even if it's wrong, just do something." Dangerous territory there...

Life doesn't come with a rewind button (11/07/07)
We rented a DVD not too long ago, a rare occurrence, I know, given the dearth of suitable entertainment available. This particular movie, Deja Vu, featured imaginary technology in which events from four days previous could be replayed, revealing the sequence of events that, in this case, led up to the explosion of a ferry, claiming hundreds of innocent lives...

Words, wounds and crossroads (10/31/07)
Six of one, half a dozen of another -- maybe less. Semantics. In case you were wondering, your choice of words matters. In the early days of the war in Iraq, news anchors would somberly report that a contractor in Iraq had met a grim end at the hands of the enemy...

How's that again? (10/24/07)
Dismay. The word sums up how I felt when a presumed believer assured me, "I'm not promoting Christianity above other religions. I'm not sure what, if anything, makes one religion superior to any other." What? A friend and sister in the Lord experienced a similar encounter when a person said to her that the Muslim God and the Christian God are one in the same...

Driven to distraction (10/17/07)
Danny had to run to the store the other day. But before he could go there, he needed to stop at the bank. Imagine his dismay as he made his way across the store parking lot and realized he had forgotten to stop at the bank. Drat. Back he went, retracing his route. ...

Choosing up sides (10/10/07)
I did not do well in gym class. I never have mastered touching my toes without bending my knees and I have no natural athletic ability. When I came up to bat, I would take the appropriate stance, grip the bat tightly in both hands, look toward the pitcher, and without fail, as soon as the ball went flying, I would quickly close my eyes, and take a wild swing. No one was more surprised than I the few times I actually connected...

Living in uncertainty (10/03/07)
We live in uncertain times. More and more it seems the best-laid plans somehow go awry. Months ago, knowing that Danny's mom would be celebrating her 80th birthday in late September, I marked out our week's vacation to coincide with that date. Unfortunately, we have been plagued with car troubles for months on end. In fact, I've been walking back and forth to work since Labor Day weekend as whatever ails the beast remains elusive...

Defining democratic Christianity (09/19/07)
I recently received a copy of "Reporting on Religion 2: A Stylebook on Journalism's Best Beat," in the office mail. A resource guide from Religion/Newswriters, it is a fascinating read. Alphabetically arranged, it explains many terms unique to specific religions, brief synopses of various religions along with the myriad sub-groups within the broader definitions of a particular religion, and provides a standardized method of presenting these various terms in publications...

Happy anniversary to me (09/12/07)
Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of the day I walked through the doors at the McCook Daily Gazette as a bona fide employee. It was a long and winding road indeed that led me to this corner of the world that is sometimes too hot, sometimes too dry, sometimes too cold and sometimes too icy, but mostly is just right. Of course, I've just come in from looking at a September blue sky, so I might be romanticizing the climate today just a tad...

Seeking a foothold (09/05/07)
The loading dock at the Gazette is inset, allowing big rigs to back down to the deck of the paper storage area. We receive approximately 55 700 pound rolls of paper each month, so the dock is a necessity. As an added feature, it also provides a catch basin for rain water and loose soil. ...

Passing the back-porch yell test (08/29/07)
When selecting a name for a child, a good and wise suggestion is to subject the name to the back porch yell test. To conduct the test, step out on the stoop -- front or back, it hardly matters -- fill your lungs with air, and let fly. First, middle and last name. ...

A brand new year (08/22/07)
Monday, children across McCook stood still for one final inspection before heading out the door, putting summer sunshine behind them in lieu of chalk dust and the inimitable squeak of markers on a dry erase board. New jeans, barely softened in the wash, chafed suntanned legs while shoes and socks entraped wiggly toes that had only the day before enjoyed the tickle of summer grass...

'It ain't in there' (08/15/07)
"It's in there!" is a slogan from a nationally recognized spaghetti sauce. Tasting the sauce to see if a pinch of oregano or a snip of thyme might not improve the flavor, the actor repeatedly declares, "It's in there!" That commercial reminds me of the many times I've heard someone say, "It says in the Bible ... ...

Don't waste the pain (08/08/07)
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Anyone with any measure of years behind them understands this, in spite of constant assertions to the contrary. Also, those with any measure of years behind them understand that the sign "free puppy" annihilates all truth in advertising laws...

Are we home yet? (08/01/07)
"We are stardust, "We are golden, "We are caught in the devil's bargain, "And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden." So goes the closing chorus to Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock" as recorded by Crosby, Still, Nash and Young on their 1970 "Deja Vu" project...

Who loves ya' baby? (07/25/07)
Mom and Dad had five children. I am number two and the second daughter at that. It goes without saying that I was a bit of a surprise. Actually, I was an accident, a tried and only sometimes true method of birth control gone horribly wrong. Actually, of the five of us, four were the result of failed birth control methods. Don't ask me why I know this, it was a detail Mom felt compelled to share. (I even know which methods failed resulting in which sibling's birth, but I digress.)...

More than a dream (07/18/07)
I woke up sobbing. It was a dream. My children were small again, perhaps, 5, 6 and 10, still innocent and unmarred by the world, still safe in the confines of the home we provided for them. Danny and I however, were as we are today, in our early 50s, with the experience of our years still intact...

An all-consuming passion (07/11/07)
It was a meaningless disagreement. Married couples have them all the time. I remember Danny's mom sharing once that she and his dad, Archie, argued about whether to take potato salad or macaroni salad to a picnic. They argued themselves into a silence that stretched into hours, finally looking at one another and breaking into gales of laughter over the absurdity of it all...

A dangerous state of denial (06/27/07)
Another action alert arrived in my inbox this week, this one regarding hate crimes legislation that, if enacted, could ultimately empower the federal government to investigate and punish politically incorrect speech and thoughts. Opponents see this legislation as an assault on freedom of speech and freedom of religion, citing the forced removal of the phrase "Marriage is the foundation of the natural family and sustains family values." from the Oakland, Calif., city government's open e-mail system and employee bulletin boards.. ...

Coming to the end of ourselves (06/20/07)
The weight of the world laid upon my shoulders that day. Every step I took was an effort. It seemed no matter what I did, nothing helped, nothing changed and life was simply too hard. As I made my way down the staircase at Arvada Senior High, it all suddenly became too much and I stopped right where I was and sat down. I was done. I didn't care how long I sat there. I didn't care if I was in anyone's way. I didn't care about anything at all...

Answering roll call (06/13/07)
During my brief stint as a kitchen manager at Henderson (Colo.) Elementary, I enjoyed penning the class rosters in preparation for the lunch line. It's a lost art now, as so many programs are computerized, but I found it immensely satisfying, seeing that neat column of alphabetized names, ready for the first meal service...

Refreshment at journey's end (06/06/07)
I drove out to Swanson Lake last summer, part of a two-party caravan prepared for a night of camping in the great outdoors of the Golden Plains. Once our campsite was selected, I carried one load of supplies down to the lakeside, and promptly removed my tennis shoes and socks, immediately immersing my very hot feet in the cool soothing waters. Ahhh. I can still remember the relief...

Living the Puritan prayer (05/30/07)
Waiting in doctor's offices or in line at the grocery store, or even in a traffic jam, I am seldom bored. I am a people watcher, always wondering what puts a secret smile on one woman's face and a perpetual scowl on another's. We wear clever masks, you see, unless we're convinced that no one is watching. Then the facade fades, even if just for a moment, sometimes revealing peace, more often, turmoil...

Taking the blinders off (05/23/07)
It's probably time for a new eyeglass prescription. I find myself taking my glasses off numerous times a day and laying them aside, preferring to squint rather than to wear them. It's time, taking its inevitable toll. These old peepers take in a lot of information on any given day, from the first glance at the digital readout on the alarm clock to the final word on the printed page fading as I drift off to sleep, more often than not, the book still propped up in front of me...

Waiting out the winter (05/16/07)
The garden is in. Admittedly, it's a bit modest this year compared to last year's efforts, but it should be sufficient for our purposes. The buffalo grass has greened up for the fifth year in a row and my new irises are in full bloom. Spring. I didn't think I'd make it...

Another sweet little lie (05/09/07)
Cell phone technology is great. Camera phones. Text messaging. Oh, and you can call people, too. And who doesn't love the personalized ring tones? With some models, you can tell by the ring tone who is on the other line. As Yakov Smirnoff would say, "What a country."...

Finding providence (05/02/07)
Friends of ours decided it was time to upgrade several years ago and made arrangements to have a second bath with a walk-in shower added to their cozy country home. The main bath had an over-sized garden tub, so a second tub would have been superfluous and would have placed unnecessary strain on the water heater...

Learning how to love (04/25/07)
"Oh, I have to remember to tell Danny about that," became a constant thought when we first began to learn what it meant to love each other. My whole thought life became intertwined with him. No decision, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, was made without first considering his opinion or preference on the matter at hand. ...

Witnessing brokenness (04/18/07)
How much more can we take? As individuals? As a society? As a community? The assault Monday at Virginia Tech was more than a deadly, horrific assault on innocent students. It was an assault on the soul of America. It was an assault on all peoples, everywhere...

Defining life and death (04/11/07)
I first met Stephen the summer of my 13th year. He was 9 years old and a lifetime resident of Ridge Home in Arvada, Colo., a state-run institution for the then-termed mentally retarded where I briefly worked as a volunteer. The details of his particular impairment escape me these many years later, but I can still see him -- his growth stunted, his mind in perpetual infancy, lying in an oversized crib. ...

Staying on the path (04/04/07)
I watched them walk for nearly an hour. The room was silent, save for a soothing offering of instrumental music. If someone spoke, they did so in barely audible whispers, using only the barest number of words necessary to communicate a need or an invitation. None of the walkers spoke aloud, though I'm sure internal conversation took place...

Measuring time (03/28/07)
As I write this, we are in the waning hours of the third full month of 2007. Astonishing, isn't it? We barely got the Christmas decorations down in time to get out the candy hearts, and now it's almost time to color eggs. It is important for us to measure our days in as small of increments as necessary. ...

Dealing with phantom chains (03/21/07)
I first heard about the phantom pain phenomenon many years ago when I worked as a nurse's aide in a long-term care center. This was back in the day when all nurse's aide training was done on the job. The only job requirement was a strong back and a tender heart. Back then, I had both. Today, not so much...

Reading the last page (03/14/07)
I really struggled this weekend to finish a book. You have to understand, reading comes very easily to me. I learned to read at an early age and cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't like to read. In fact, I spent so much time with my nose buried in a book that I frequently earned my dad's ire for neglecting time with family for time with fantasy...

A cloud of witnesses (03/07/07)
I'm just going to say this about that and nothing further. It isn't worth my energy. It isn't worth my time. Eyewitness testimony bears out the proof of the resurrection. And the commitment of those eyewitnesses to that truth is unparalleled. Eyewitness testimony. "I was there. This is what I saw."...

Setting up the camera (02/28/07)
Today's reality shows have nothing on their early forerunners, the hidden camera videos recording people who thought they were alone and unobserved. Suspicious parents set the video camera to catch a lazy or unusually hungry babysitter. Roommates set up a camera hoping perhaps to catch a thief...

Justice for all (02/21/07)
Justice. Fair play. We long for it. Even as small children, watching Mom cut the peanut butter sandwiches in half, we looked to see if either half was more than half or less than half. (The wise mom, once her children are old enough to safely handle a butter knife, allows one child to cut and the other child to choose. The cutter becomes ever so careful to cut as close to even as possible.)...

Love is in the air (02/14/07)
Ahh. Love is in the air. At least I think it is. After all, red hearts and roses are everywhere. Chocolate candies are bandied about. Greeting card companies are gleefully rubbing both hands together as the cash registers go ca-ching. And commercials for, of all things, pajamas, clog the airwaves...

Shifting the truth (02/07/07)
It took me a long time to learn how to properly drive with a standard transmission. I got pretty good pretty fast at improperly driving with one, largely due to a steep hill on my route to work. If I had to stop at the red light -- chanting please don't change, please don't change as I approached -- at the base of the hill, I was a multitasking marvel. ...

Erasing the message (01/31/07)
Growing up, I don't remember ever railing at my parents, "When I grow up and have kids, I'm not going to treat them the way you treat me!" as my sister sometimes did when a discipline seemed unfair to her. But I thought it more than once. The folks weren't afraid of using corporal punishment, even making us go and fetch our "belt of choice" when they felt our infraction was deserving. ...

Choosing a forecast (01/24/07)
My snow boots have gotten quite a workout this winter. Actually, the current weather pattern is precisely how I remember the winters of my youth -- before drought came to afflict us in fits and starts. Every outdoor chore has become a major undertaking. We don our warm winter clothes, squeeze our double-insulated feet into suddenly snug winter boots, slip on gloves, coats, scarves and hats, all to walk the 40 odd steps to the alley dumpster to deposit each day's refuse...

Answering Cooper's question (01/17/07)
I learned some new things while I was on vacation. Not all of them pleasant. For instance, with no set agenda, no alarm clock to answer or desk to report to, I discovered that I can be pretty self-indulgent. Actually, I guess I've always known this about myself, it's one of the reasons I keep myself on a prescribed schedule. No schedule, no discipline. No discipline, no productivity. No productivity, no satisfaction. I was glad to return to the grind of 7-5...

Watching them walk away (01/10/07)
When I was 9 years old, Mom packed her bags and left. Years later, I understood the whys and the wherefores of her choice, but at 9 years of age, all of that was far beyond me. Nothing was the same without her. Since she didn't drive, we seldom saw her and called her only in moments of extreme emergency. ...

Lost in Wichita (01/03/07)
She was arguably the ugliest dog in the free world. Having suffered the recent loss of beautiful, cinnamon shaded retriever puppy, I was anxious to fill the void when an acquaintance directed me to a neighbor's house where I found Melissa. Utilizing all of my powers of persuasion, I convinced Danny that this little bitty, wire haired bundle of energy would be the perfect complement to our little home...

Treasures to share (12/20/06)
I have a changeable personality. While I can be as gentle as a lamb, I am also known for my bulldog tenacity in certain circles. Like wind and water on granite, I just wear things -- and sometimes people -- down. Or I'll push against a perceived obstacle until one of us falls...

Basic training for life (12/13/06)
The weeks between Ben's high school graduation ceremony and his departure for boot camp flew by. We were filled with trepidation and our trepidation increased with the understanding that his experience would most certainly change him. "He won't be the same boy you send away," was the oft-repeated warning. We knew it was true. After all, it was the intent of the U.S. Marine Corps to transform this care-free, fun-loving youth into a fit fighting machine...

Tallying up the score (12/06/06)
I received a joke in my e-mail at home the other day. But my computer died. So I'll try to recreate it as best I can from memory, because it bears repeating. A man dies and meets St. Peter at heaven's gate. He receives a cursory welcome and Peter fills him in on the entrance requirements...

Tell the whole story (11/29/06)
The official start to the holiday shopping season has arrived. We're having great fun reading the shopping stuffers, oohing and aahing over the myriad toys, clothes, jewels, electronics and assorted bling blings vying for our hard-earned dollars this year. ...

Checking the Thanksgiving list (11/22/06)
A little of this and that Some of us won't. A recent study indicates that in 2005 there were some 35.1 million people in the United States who did not "always have access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle." (Associated Press) The official term for this condition is "Hunger Insecure."...

Sitting in the back (11/15/06)
Given a choice, I will typically choose a seat in the last row, both at meetings and at church. Admittedly, since taking on the responsibilities of reporting certain events, there are times when I must forego my usual reticence and sit close to the action. But at any other time, look for me in the back...

Who can stand? (11/08/06)
By the time you read this, the mid-term elections will, thankfully, be a thing of the past. The results at the polls, however, are destined to be a part of more tomorrows than I care to consider. Campaigns were in full swing until the last possible moment, candidates and supporters tirelessly working to get out the vote. ...

Looking for the light (11/01/06)
On the rare occasions when I travel out of town, I am usually a passenger. And, as such, typically pay little attention to streets and towns. After all, I'm just along for the ride. Years ago, I was taking Danny to work, as I needed to keep the car to run errands. ...

I wonder where this road goes? (10/25/06)
Growing up along the Front Range in Colorado meant spending Saturday afternoons on long drives through the nearby canyons and infrequent overnight trips through the high country. The mountains, after all, were the primary motivation for moving from Texas to Colorado in 1962...

Discovering tainted bread (10/18/06)
When I went home for lunch the other day my nose thrilled to the scent of green chili simmering on the stove. That's my kind of "nose candy." I made my way directly to the stove, grabbed the spoon and stirred the concoction of pork, bell peppers (homegrown), diced green chilies, tomatoes (homegrown), onions and jalapenos, leaning in close to capture the full aroma, filling my senses, awakening my appetite for a beef and bean burrito smothered in Danny's green chili...

Sidewalk philosophy lesson (10/11/06)
What a year it has been. Two-thousand six is going down in my memory as an ideal year. The winter closed with a blustery blizzard, spring actually happened, the summer wasn't intolerably hot and fall has been magnificent this year. In fact, a few of my co-workers and I were engaged in a little sidewalk philosophy the other day and pondered the question of whether or not there'll be seasons in heaven. ...

It's deja vu all over again (10/04/06)
Four times now I have been privileged to witness the miracle of birth. I experienced it three times, but I kept my eyes pretty much closed throughout. Entering into the labor/delivery room for the births of four of my six grandchildren has provided me with a different perspective altogether, hence the term "witness."...

The perfect combination (09/27/06)
No one sees it happen. And, up until a few short years ago, it would be weeks or even a couple of months before anyone could know of a certainty (though some would have their suspicions) that anything had happened. Nevertheless, as one day follows another, moment by moment, a new life grows...

Sending the very best (09/20/06)
Danny's mom will be 79 Sunday. Or, as she said during a recent conversation, with the same enthusiasm as a seven-year-who knows he'll soon be eight, "I'll be 80 next year." So, if you've had to shove me out of the way at the greeting card aisle, please forgive me for taking so long. ...

A play on words (09/13/06)
I was visiting with a writer the other day and during our discussion, the subject of homonyms came up. Those pesky words that plague us all. They sound the same, but are often spelled differently and have different meanings. The first that came to mind were the "theres." For example: "You can go over there where they're stringing their Christmas lights." Or everyone's favorite, "There are two too many to count." Here's a puzzler. ...

Covering the scars (09/06/06)
I came back to work exhausted from my Labor Day holiday. Perhaps it was because I did nothing but labor through the three day weekend. It was for a good cause, and I was in the best of company, but it was work, anyway you want to cut it. Danny has spent every spare minute all summer long repairing and replacing the 100-year old wood siding on the west side of the house. ...

Turning down the lights (08/30/06)
I got my first pair of eyeglasses in the seventh grade. My vision wasn't badly impaired; one strong eye compensated for the weaker one and I was able to navigate the world with ease. Nevertheless, the first time I saw bright, summer- green leaves with the corrective lenses in place, I was breathless. I'd had no idea the amount of detail I'd been missing with the soft focus lenses I'd been born with...

Waiting for the question (08/23/06)
I don't know if the authors, Jack Cavanaugh and Jerry Kuiper, intended their fictional novel "Death Watch" to be an indictment on "fail to play" Christians or not, but the message, though subtle, hit me right between the eyes. The novel involves a worldwide conspiracy that results in the death of tens of thousands. ...

Setting a new, higher standard (08/16/06)
It's hard to believe that school is almost ready to start. Admittedly, things have changed, a lot, since I went to school. And since I can still clearly recall my first day of school (it was raining) it can't have been that long ago. Perhaps it's old school thinking these days, but I couldn't help but cringe just a bit when I read some of the comments made by school board members during a summer discussion about raising the bar on academic requirements for participation in extra-curricular activities, including sports.. ...

The question of Israel (08/09/06)
This probably isn't a surprise to anyone out there, but this is the only Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, that has ever been or ever will be. True fact. That seems like something to be celebrated, doesn't it? Happy Aug. 9, 2006 everyone! Monday, the only Aug. ...

More lessons from the county fair (08/02/06)
It seems this city girl will never learn all of the potential lessons at the county fairs. There simply isn't enough time. Three young farm boys accompanied their mom to work here at the Gazette recently and were full of 4-H enthusiasm for the hogs they had nurtured, groomed and fed for weeks on end in preparation for the big show last week...

Time to reap the harvest (07/26/06)
We are reaping an abundant harvest from our modest backyard garden this year. We have potatoes! Indeed we do. Setting aside a 15X3' area between two sets of concrete steps next to the driveway for the never before attempted crop, we were a little dubious that the wrinkled, brown nuggets, with eyes barely clinging would produce anything, much less several pounds of small, medium and large russets. We enjoyed our first serving Sunday for dinner. Yummy...

An odyssey of faith begins (07/19/06)
A young mother embarked on an 18-month journey of faith Tuesday. And she didn't even have to leave town. Her youngest son donned a National Guard uniform and winged his way far from his home in Brady, to begin an odyssey that will include months of service in Iraq. He's due home in May 2007...

Fill up on kindness (07/12/06)
Comparatively speaking, our celebration of the Fourth of July this year paled against last year, or the year before that for that matter. In 2004 our personal fireworks display was thrust into direct competition against heaven's own fireworks with our sons and son-in-law dodging raindrops to light the next fuse. ...

Wonderful concept, awesome goal (07/05/06)
Tuesday we celebrated the birth of democracy -- a government of the people, by the people and for the people. What a wonderful concept. What an awesome goal. Imagine, peoples of diverse backgrounds, coming together under common rule. Common rule which would be determined by the people themselves...

Penning a letter to Lisa (06/28/06)
Time to travel back in time. We raised our children long before the advent of the Internet and e-mail, back in the days when long distance also was prohibitively expensive. Therefore it wasn't unusual for the children to see me at the kitchen table with pen and paper in hand. They would often join me there with crayons and paper, asking how to spell this or that...

Binding the loose leaves (06/21/06)
It started out small. Just a few pages in the middle split from the binding. It's getting a lot worse. I now have five sections, of varying thicknesses, still seeking an opportunity to catch me unaware so they can slide out of existence. I keep diligent watch, carefully tucking each back into place. ...

Weeding the garden (06/14/06)
Whew. Gardening is hard work. Frequent readers will remember that we expanded our backyard garden this year to include corn, carrots, potatoes and onions in addition to our usual peppers and tomatoes. It's going well, in fact, everything is growing well. We had no idea potato plants were so leafy and such a lovely shade of green, and the little flowers add just the right amount of color...

Hearing a familiar sound (06/07/06)
It was summertime. 1962. I was six, going on seven, whiling away the summer with relatives in Iowa. We were moving from Texas to Colorado and Daddy had left Mom and all five kids back home while he searched out a house for us and started his new job. We would join him in plenty of time to enroll in the upcoming school year, my first...

Recurrent themes emerge (05/31/06)
It seems to be an all-too-common theme. Any number of books and movies have made fortunes peddling this fascinating subject, painting a variety of scenarios each depicting the end of the world. In fact, the subject is so prevalent and is presented in so many venues, that the once-familiar sandwich board man, ringing his bell and crying "the end is near, the end is near," is looking for a new job...

Spell it out (05/24/06)
Journalism's five requirements for a complete story are who, what, when, where and whenever possible, why. But the most important rule in journalism is "Get it Right." The right name. The right spelling. The right when. The right where. And absolutely, the right why...

Follow the road signs (05/17/06)
Driving in Denver is a challenge. It always has been. What we once considered to be rush hour traffic is now just ordinary traffic, it's gotten so congested, but since that is the place I learned to drive, I settle in fairly easily on the rare trip home, but with each passing mile, the tension builds. How the daily commuters stand the strain is beyond me...

You are cordially invited (05/10/06)
Springtime has come to the Golden Plains and it is glorious. Mild temperatures, occasional rain, budding trees and growing gardens provide an abundance of evidence that we have traversed another dreary winter and summer is drawing nigh. Yet, even if that evidence went missing, there's another seemingly foolproof source. ...