Politics is a world of compromise. Sitting on a local board, such as the County Board of Commissioners, City Council or even a Service Club like Kiwanis or Rotary has its good as well as rare frustrating moments. Sometimes one knows the better way to go, gets out-voted and then lives to see the disaster that awaits. Been there and done that!...

They came, they saw, they dined, and they bid — some really high $$$ bids. But it was all for a worthwhile cause. Their dear to the heart cause of enabling the Christian Education of our next generation of precious children. Yes, the participants all already pay taxes to support the public schools, no choice in the matter, but obviously feel that a religious-based education is important enough to contribute over and above...

The ads keep coming. “If you served at the Marine Camp Lejeune between certain dates you may be in line for a great amount of compensation. Contact such and such law firm.” or something like that. Don’t bite would be my advice as it is a get-rich scheme to make a group of lawyers even more rich. ...

Life is grand! This past week this old flight instructor was privileged to take a student instructional flight to Chadron, Nebraska. Flying direct the route takes one through the heart of our national treasure the Sandhills. I love the place, the people, the sea of grass and the myriad of lakes and ponds. In years past large herds of bison roamed and now the whole area is devoted to raising cattle a major source of healthy red meat to feed our nation...

Oops! I got my story wrong last week. I spoke that my friend and high school classmate Goldie had found her lifemate Anthony as a football player at McCook Junior College. Not so. The story starts earlier. It was during WWII when the McCook Army Airbase was active. ...

And the saga continues. A huge balloon shot down and now two, or maybe three “unidentified objects” shot down. President Biden didn’t get a lot of credit for his late decision to terminate the huge (weather?) balloon with the excuse that he didn’t want to cause casualties on the ground when it fell. ...

Oh, such excitement. A weather balloon floating across the United States. A big balloon visible from the ground but at a very high altitude. The news pundits on TV expounding on whether it was a spying device for China that maybe was snooping on our defense installations. ...

Thank you all my taxpaying friends. I recently received an EOB (Explanation of Medical Benefits) from a program that we are subscribed to called TRICARE for Life. Actually it was for, Grannie Annie, my wife’s visit to our local Hospital Emergency Room. Our total bill was considerable but for us it came to $0.00. Our medical insurance paid it all...

You my dear readers may have noticed that your old columnist is not really hesitant to express my political feelings in what I write here. Few probably also know that I have been the scribe of my high school graduating class attempting to keep all our members informed of the happenings of each other as we progress through life. Our numbers are down to about half of us still living and that probably has something to do with having a large number of birthdays...

There it was on the menu; seventeen varieties of soup from which to choose. The spinach tortellini looked good to me and it definitely was. My second choice was the beef, mushroom and barley and that met expectations also. Fresh-baked cornbread plus a variety of homemade desserts and the evening meal was complete. It was a fundraiser that Grannie Annie and this old guy attended for the little rural Garden Prairie Church north of McCook...

Yea! President Biden checked the box. He can now truthfully state that indeed he has been to the border. He went to El Paso, one of the spots where generally few illegals cross and had pictures made in the shadow of the big tall wall that President Trump had built. ...

Well, it is the 3rd day of the new year 2023 and I’m wondering how your New Year’s resolutions are going. Did you make any? Have you broken any yet? To be honest I too have cheated a bit. Grannie Annie and your old columnist are trying to lose a bit of weight using the current Weight Watchers app on our cell phones. ...

Our calendar has been full this Christmas season but one of the highlights was McCook’s Peace Lutheran Church’s presentation of a Living Nativity, Bethlehem, AD 2022. Held in the huge Alice area building at our Fair Grounds it was inside and comfortable no matter the weather outside. ...

Ah ha ready or not; Christmas is coming! Visions of snow, decorated trees, stockings hung on the mantel, presents, happy and excited children. Family. Yes, that is a vision of our happiest holiday in this place we have chosen to live. It would be different in say Australia or South America south of the equator and hence in the middle of the hot season—summer. There too they celebrate but no matter Christmas is about family your traditions and those of our family...

“Small town America. This is so much fun!” That was my daughter Nancy commenting on the Light Parade in McCook Saturday evening. She lives in Omaha and had not seen anything like it in her town. Oh yes, the turnout was wonderful, my guess some 25 or so entries. ...

Did you notice? The UN projected that the world population, we humans, reached 8 billion souls on November 15th, just 14 days ago. No celebration just a noteworthy fact. Now consider that the population at the time of Christ was around 200,000 for the entire world. Gee there have been some changes made in those 2000 years passing in time...

In a couple of days we will be enjoying Thanksgiving. It is one of this old gentleman’s favorite holidays and hopefully yours too. Family time. An occasion to sit around a table brimming with good food, healthy if you choose, and celebrate each other’s lives. ...

The local celebrations for Veteran’s Day were a wonderful experience for your old columnist. Editor Bruce covered the event at Central School well. What was not to like, good food for breakfast, the awarding of a plaque inducting me into our High School’s Wall of Fame and a chance to say a few words to the youth present—our future...

I am writing this on the day before the mid-term election. I have no real clue as to the outcome just hunches and wishful thinking. Hopefully, the candidates with a conservative bent will do well. Still, those with liberal progressive thinking have a millstone around their necks dragging them down, their President Biden, so I think that the results will be good for our country’s future...

Yep, Grannie Annie and I made it to the dia de los los muertos celebration. Perfect day for it there in the neat Norris Alley and Keystone setting. Enjoyed the Mariachi Band and wonderful food; street tacos, enchiladas, tamales and best of all the wonderful assortment of Mexican pastries. The younger set was enjoying the craft-making and face painting...

There was a wonderful letter to the editor in last Thursday’s Gazette. A gentleman from California had gotten off our Amtrak and spent 48 hours in our 48th county here in McCook. He obviously enjoyed his visit. Worth the read if you missed it. Your old columnist has been pondering a bit about the upcoming vote on the prospect of financing a new swimming pool and ballpark. ...

This week I met with an energetic, strong-willed young woman who was out to convince your columnist to “get on board” and convince people to vote “YES” on a ballot issue. Should McCook commit to raising our current sales tax another one-half percent to pay for swimming pool restoration/upgrade plus a new ballpark? One bonded indebtedness commitment and two different building projects...

It was one of the best Heritage Days here in McCook. Perfect weather, great parade, booths and food trucks at the park, good entertainment venues at the bandshell and in Kiplinger Arena plus a tribute to one of McCook’s own, Senator George Norris. Adding to the good times were four or five high school reunions bringing old friends back to town. What more could one ask?...

In days of yore a large hollow cornerstone, filled with mementos and treasures were laid to start the building of temples and important governmental buildings. This weekend Grannie Annie and this old guy journeyed to Colorado Springs to celebrate the laying of, important to me, the cornerstone for a new visitor center and business complex for the Air Force Academy. ...

Just as advertised Grannie and your scribe made the short trip to join in Stratton’s Fall Festival. Actually, we just took in the Parade down their main street. I tickled a bit as we took our place in the shade of the Methodist Church by the announcer and judges’ station. ...

Grannie Annie and I traveled to Curtis to attend their annual Harvest Festival. Curtis is a bit close to our hearts because that is where Ann and Dick first met at a 4-H Camp 70+ years ago. Then too Ann’s mom was a long-time “Boys Dorm Mother” at the Ag School there and loved the life...

It has been an interesting trip for your old long-time retired Air Force officer and pilot. An airline trip, in the rear as a passenger, ugh, but on time and efficient. Omaha, Grannie Annie chose to stay with our daughter, to Chicago, busy, to Providence, Rhode Island. Oh, how our country changes from our home in the center to the East Coast. This summer from droughty brown plains to green tree-covered low hills weaving through coastal inlets and roads winding crooked as a snake...

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Grannie Annie and your intrepid columnist took a drive around the housing neighborhoods of McCook. Primarily I was interested in the conditions of people’s front yards. We found that the majority of residents took pride in their lawns with green and recently mowed grass. ...

Allow your old columnist to reflect a bit on the history of this wonderful bit of Southwest Nebraska in which we have chosen to live. Prior to the Civil War our prairie land was mostly uninhabited. Sure a few Native Americans in their wandering hunting lifestyle came and went as they pleased but rarely did they establish long-term villages in this area. Cattlemen grazed the open range and occasionally cattle drives transited from Texas to the rail terminal in Ogallala...

Front page news: “Council OK’s new 27-home North Pointe subdivision”. It is interesting how time changes our development of projects in our City. A few years back another developer approached our City with a similar proposal. A plat was drawn up, streets included. ...

It is amazing how many of the goods that we are currently buying are made in China. Our powers that be in the Military keep expressing the opinion that war with Chia might be on the horizon to prevent them from taking over the independent nation of Taiwan. ...

This weekend we had occasion to drive from Omaha south to Nebraska City. It is interesting to see how diverse this wonderful State of Nebraska truly is. From the nearly barren hills around Scottsbluff to the verdant farmland of our eastern reaches agriculture is king but truly varies from west to east...

The discussion on McCook’s upcoming swimming pool project has been interesting of late. Yes, it will cost local taxpayers money, more taxes. Yes, most people think that we are already paying enough. Still, we need to look at the bigger picture. Yes, we raised the sales tax to finance the new Safety Center for the City of McCook plus several other things at the time. ...

Grannie Annie and I made several trips to the Red Willow County Fair this year even though the heat was a bit oppressive. Fresh pies and “fair food” at one of the church-sponsored food booths were the main attraction but there was so much more. I was raised a farm kid and the yearly county fair was a goal to display 4-H projects, dairy as we milked cows and later beef projects in FFA. ...

Our McCook City Council is in the process of deciding whether to raise our local sales tax another half-cent to build a new swimming pool. Yes the question will have to go for a public vote in the upcoming election so the choice will eventually be made by you the voter...

Losing a younger brother and lessons on life Your old columnist is treading a path that I’ve never walked before. That being the loss of a sibling, my younger brother Tom. Like we of the “older set” he’d led an event-filled life. Failing body systems had put him in ICU on a respirator and dialysis then a flare-up of bone cancer. The wonderful hospice organization put him on palliative care and then his time had come. May his soul rest in peace...

The morning of July 3rd arrived just before one o’clock AM with persistent phone ringing! Brant Scherbarth our grandson-in-law announcing “Papa, Mo is going into surgery at one AM to take the twins out!” No more sleep, for a while, for Grannie Annie and this old guy; the proud set of great grandparents to be...

So do you ever get a bit dissatisfied after watching the national news and pondering the things gone wrong in this wonderful country of ours? Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s January 6th committee meeting to dishonor former President Trump. Representatives Maxine Waters and Chuck Schumer braying out violent threats against the Supreme Court Justices who decided Roe vs Wade differently than what the lefties had in mind. ...

Take a drive out into the surrounding countryside to look at the crops and pasture land. A week or so ago the pasture grasses were a nice fresh green in color. Now they have the lighter grayish hew that signals dry dry dry. The wheat crop is turning a golden ripe color but if you look closely the stalks are shorter than normal and the heads are even shorter. ...

Do you remember what you were doing just forty-two years ago? Think your job, where you lived that sort of thing. Imagine a flashback to relive one of those days again. Allow me to share. In June of 1979, this old warrior was the Commander of a KC-135, Air Force refueling tanker Squadron. ...

It has been interesting to watch the Queen of England’s Platinum Anniversary Celebration. Seventy years in office-the longest reign of any monarch in the long long history of Merry Olde England. Yes, the Brits do celebrations well. The uniforms, the formations, the military equipment from ancient to modern — it all has deep meaning. None in the world do it better!...

It has been interesting to watch the Queen of England’s Platinum Anniversary Celebration. Seventy years in office-the longest reign of any monarch in the long long history of Merry Olde England. Yes, the Brits do celebrations well. The uniforms, the formations, the military equipment from ancient to modern — it all has deep meaning. None in the world do it better!...

\A little cool and windy but the ceremony of remembrance went on. Yes, the local Memorial Day event at our major cemetery. Our national flag and flags of our military forces are all manned, and one woman also, by veterans who served. The traditional firing squad renders a 21-gun salute. ...

The big national news of the day, many days, is the crisis of limited supplies of baby formula. Empty store shelves. Mama’s looking all over to find supplies for their infants. Large stockpiles of the formula are stockpiled at our southern border to give to mothers of infants illegally immigrating into our country. ...

Interesting Smithsonian exhibit at the Keystone to walk around and think about. It closes on the 25th of May so don’t delay if you haven’t experienced it. The theme is rural America and we live smack dab in the middle of it. For one it made me think of Grannie and my decision to “retire” back home here in this area. ...

Graduation week. A time to congratulate the high school seniors, that we know, wishing them well for achieving a major milestone in life. Tradition now seems to be a big reception, for friends and relations, following the commencement exercise to mark the significant occasion. Grannie Annie and I have attended a couple so far with both offering wonderful meals not exactly good for a weight loss diet but one can’t demur for fear of offending the host. Yes, I know!...

It was just an old airplane headed for a forever-after life in a museum. You, my dear reader, probably saw its picture on the front page of last Thursday’s, April 28, 2022, McCook Gazette. Sixty-two years old and providing worldwide airborne refueling services worldwide throughout its career. ...

We here in McCook have been fortunate to miss, so far, the Southwest Nebraska grass fires. To date two firefighters dead and too many farmsteads destroyed. For those affected it is hard to appreciate how their lives will be altered. Roads closed to travel. Dry conditions and strong winds are spreading the devastation. Hopefully, relief will be in sight soon...

Is a wonderful holiday. Not only is it’s message inspiring it is a good occasion to gather with family and friends to celebrate in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Some forty of our fellow congregants gathered at my hangar, at McCook’s quiet (that time of day) airport, to watch the sun peek over the horizon to officially start our Easter day. ...

And the wind blew. Terrible fire down by Arapahoe, thirty miles long. Sadly a life was lost. Prayers for a rapid recovery for those who lost their property, fences and top cover for crops. Yes, we live on the Great Plains thus it has been so for millions of years. The best place on earth and it is the people that make it so...

There are some neat little tucked-away places in Nebraska that are truly hidden gems. One of my favorites occupies the hills south of Cozad, Nebraska. It sits on the high bank above the Tri-County canal a massive 1940s construction undertaking. It goes by the name of Comeca Camp and Retreat Center and is well worth the hour or so drive from McCook to investigate or attend...

Finally at last our President Joe Biden spoke some sense. After touring a Ukrainian refugee camp in Poland and seeing with his own eyes the plight of those escaping Vladimir Putin’s cruel war of conquest Biden spoke to the world press. He stated that Putin must go. In the view of this old Cold War warrior, Biden was right on...

About every channel you watch on TV shows terrible scenes of the damage that Russia is wreaking on the Ukrainian people. Apartment buildings burned out, shopping malls blown up, streets littered with fragments from bomb explosions, automobiles and buses destroyed the list goes on. Citizens by the millions escaping and finding refuge in neighboring countries. All that destruction and displacement makes one wonder what is the aim of the Russians?...

I caught a news clip on my internet where the author noted that traffic of people filling their cars in Mexico has really increased the last week or so. Seems that gasoline is only about a dollar a gallon less than back home in the USA. Evidently, borders do matter...

I received a nice large-sized postcard in the mail touting a resolution being currently considered in the Nebraska Legislature. It was describing an effort to raise more taxes to operate Nebraska and eliminate our Real Estate Tax along with eliminating the Income Tax and the State Corporate Tax. The intention was to collect all the needed revenue via a new “Consumption” Tax. Intrigued I punched in the website to LR264CA to find out more about the bold (harebrained) scheme...

For this old gent with a military background this current war, the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian armed forces, is a bit hard to watch. Quite properly in the vast majority view of US citizens, it is well that our leaders have not committed our own military but it is still hard to watch. It is reminiscent of Hitler’s blitzkrieg of Poland that was the start of WWII...

So the Russians are going to invade and take over the eastern one third of Ukraine. It is roughly the third of the population of that country and they speak the Russian language. Obviously that aggressive takeover is in Russian Dictator Putin’s plan to expand his influence back into all the territory that Joe Stalin took over after WWII. ...

Our community was very much in action. Grannie Annie and I participated in Hillcrest’s Night on the Hill fundraising celebration last Saturday evening. Lots of the movers and shakers were there but best of all were the large number of young adults, family people, the dynamic ones that make our economy happen day after day. ...

The winter Olympics are in action in Beijing as I write. Grannie Annie and I so enjoy watching the pageant of young people out competing their hearts out. Grannie especially loves the ice skating, singles, couples, and ice dancing. It is amazing the facilities that the Chinese have created to host the games. ...

It was a heartwarming sight. A middle-aged pair of grandparents dining out with cute well-behaved granddaughters. They had selected a round corner table away from the crowd but the two little girls, hair black and curly, and my guess age two and four years old, couldn’t have had any better manners. Grandparents so proud. The experience made my day...

For an old guy I thought President Biden did pretty well in his “Meet the Press” session last week. Two hours and a bunch of unscripted (?) questions. Of course, he had hidden backup throwing up suggestions behind the scenes that we couldn’t see but two hours would be a tough stint...

You missed it. The lecture at MCC by Dr. Byrd, Colonel Air Force Retired, from Wyoming. Doctor as in Dentist. Good showing of college kids but very few from we the public and yes you were invited. It was an interesting presentation. He started with standouts in our US history of persons of color from before the Revolution to the present day. ...

Quoting from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address:…” that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom----and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” I’m a little afraid that with the current majority in Congress we may be veering a bit away from the ideal that Abe Lincoln had in mind. ...

The year 2022 has arrived. So far so good. A little cold in this area but little wind and no fires as our neighbors in Colorado suffered. May the good continue for our area. Last Friday’s edition of the Gazette was superb. It had a nice concise summary of the past year, 2021, in this area. ...

Each year Grannie Annie and I look forward to receiving and sending a flurry of Christmas Cards. Having made friends in many parts of this old USofA the celebration of our Savior’s Birth is about the only time of the year that we are touched by these good people. ...

Yes, it's official! Grannie Annie and the old guy have arrived—old enough already. The doorbell rang and gathered out front in the dark and cold was a group of youth from the church singing Christmas Carols to us. We are truly blessed. I tickled a bit during the pastor’s sermon Sunday. ...

Grannie Annie and this old guy ventured to Omaha this past weekend. We went to visit our daughter which is always a joy. Checked on our son-in-law’s installation of a new knee and he is doing well. The miracle of modern medicine. As per usual a good part of the trip was on Interstate 80 with quite a little traffic. ...

You have noticed the incessant television advertising urging all to check in and get all the Medicare benefits possible. Now understand that as a retired veteran Grannie and I receive generous medical benefits due to my previous military service. For us it starts with Medicare but continues with a supplement, paid for with your tax dollars, that covers prescriptions. I too received a flier noting that vision and dental could also be included in our plan...

It was a wonderful time of remembrance for this long time retired military officer. Kyle Tubbs a Colorado native that I had met and flown with, at our local airport asked if I would do him the honor of swearing him into the US Air Force. All military officers, no matter the service, are required to swear an oath of allegiance as part of the rite of commissioning. ...

This old pilot had an experience of the lifetime last Saturday. I loaded my cousin’s granddaughter, Lizzy, into my old Aeronca Champ trainer and introduced her to general aviation. What made it so special was that it squared the circle as her great grandfather did the same for me so many years ago. ...

This old pilot had an experience of the lifetime last Saturday. I loaded my cousin’s granddaughter, Lizzy, into my old Aeronca Champ trainer and introduced her to general aviation. What made it so special was that it squared the circle as her great grandfather did the same for me so many years ago. ...

Thursday of this week will mark the celebration of military service to country for our fellow men and women. The date chosen was the official end of WWI and is official on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. All those WWI veterans are now gone so we all celebrate with a thank you to all who have served in uniform in the numerous skirmishes and interludes of peace in that time since. For me and most all of my fellow veterans it is just a fun day of remembrances...

It was a beautiful clear and warm fall afternoon. I walked out the backside to the alley trash container. Looking toward the street I spied a handsome little boy about 20 months of age pointing and hollering “ehuh, ehuh”. Solo. No adult in sight. Friendly and well dressed, nice haircut, I approached and he was happy to point out things and exclaim “ehuh”. Too young to even know his name...

Your old columnist grew up on a farm and my mother always kept a flock of chickens for eggs and meat. Chickens are not very bright intellectually but when the sun went down and light went away those chickens all gathered together to roost. No one told them or drove them to the hen house it was just a natural thing. Turning off the light had consequences and then we would close the hen house door to keep the predators out...

The weather was right—severe clear, breezes light and thermometer reading about 60. My old Aeronca Champ, born in 1946, smiled as I opened the hangar doors. It was time to launch into the blue and just rejoice at being alive. We took off to the south and bent right to fly over the farm fields that I used to attend to. ...

Ah yes today is the 12th of October, the real Columbus Day. It was celebrated yesterday as an “official federal government holiday” to give certain employees a Monday off to have a three day weekend. Most businesses were open so for the working public and our schools it was business as usual...

If you have watched the national news you have noted a mass influx of people from Haiti crossing our southern border with some 16,000 more reportedly on the way. Why are those island people coming to immigrate to the United States? Haiti with the reputation of being the poorest nation in this hemisphere. ...

Brandi and her crew of volunteers at the McCook Chamber of Commerce in McCook are to be complimented on how our annual Heritage Days celebration went off. The weather cooperated, a big parade, vendors in Norris Park and good events in the Band Shell. The royalty was organized, honored and presented. Then, too, the motels were full with returning visitors for various class reunions. From my viewpoint all very well done. Let’s do it all again next year...

Happy birthday to the U.S. Air Force. Well actually it was on Saturday the 18th but I still celebrated. Actually, the date, the 74th birthday, passed without much recognition which the U. S. Marines do in a much more formal fashion. Maybe we who love the USAF will see more recognition next year on the 75th anniversary...

On September 11th this year I, along with my best friend/cousin and his wife, were privileged to journey through Nebraska’s magnificent Sandhills to attend a funeral in Martin, South Dakota. Sharon was another first cousin and we grew up together as close neighbors. ...

In just three days we will remembering the twentieth anniversary of the worst attack against our homeland. In a popular shortcut we know it as 9/11 when American airliners were flown into the twin towers in New York City. Somewhere around 3000 Americans were killed that day. ...

I haven’t purchased a copy yet but I look forward to reading former Senator Ben Nelson’s just-released book “Death of the Senate.” Ben is a longtime friend should know as he has been there and done that. According to a recent article in the Gazette retired Senator Harry Reid, former U.S. ...

Oh, but it is getting chaotic. Our latest attempt at nation-building in Afghanistan is falling completely apart. Yes in a few short weeks we will be celebrating (?) 9-11, the attack on our homeland that was originated in Afghanistan by bin Laden. Rightfully, in my mind, our U.S. ...

On the national news, the main topic of interest seems to be the Covid 19 crisis, getting the shot, masking and social distancing. On a few occasions, we also see mention of all of our troops pulling out of Afghanistan. Rarely noted is the Taliban moving in to take over the whole country. ...

We have a couple of squirrels that we feed in a tree outside our kitchen window. High up I stick an ear of corn on a nail that they pick off the kernels one by one and eat only the germ. The rest of the kernel gets dropped for the birds that eat off the ground. ...

Have you been watching the current 2020 Japan Olympics? Pretty nice to see it live on TV during evening prime time. Then the announcer tells us that it is morning in Japan. Not a problem as the world is round and Japan lies beyond the International Date Line. Ah, the wonder of modern satellite communications...

Tim called this old flight instructor and asked if I would accompany him flying a light plane back from Southern Arizona. My response was kind of like Brer Rabbit begging Brer Fox not to throw him into the briar patch. We flew airline to Tucson and then another two-hour car ride to Mcneal, Ariz. ...

Great car show and “Crusin’ on the Bricks” in McCook this weekend. No, my old Model T didn’t win a prize but the most ancient at 96 years young it sat proudly as people gazed in awe. There was a time when just about anybody could drive a Model T but now not so many. ...

That was the week that was and thank goodness it is coming to a close. The pain of waiting as a family member underwent needed surgery to resolve pending blood circulation to his heart. All went well in the six-and-a-half-hour procedure (for family it seemed like forever!) and the five bypasses were done by a skilled surgeon and his team. ...

I think that the Good Lord was smiling on us when he guided us to live in Nebraska. Beautiful, this time of year, Southwestern Nebraska. Looking down from the air the pastures are green, fields of corn and soybeans a different shade of green with the leaves touching to hide the ground. Pivots running and most wheat fields a beautiful light golden color portending harvest coming soon. very soon...

Before I get to the air show this past weekend I have a few observations on fellow columnist Mike O’Dell’s Friday column entitled “A few thoughts before we impose term limits”. I respect Mike’s thinking that there may be disadvantages to electing new persons to positions of political power rather than keeping long experienced people in those positions. ...

Her name is Aretta and she was the top graduating senior in her homeschool class. The graduation address was given by her superintendent, her primary instructor, her farmer-stockman father. Graduating with honors her 19 hours of college credit accomplished to date were recognized. Well yes her mother, a registered CPA, also most likely also played a part while running a full-time accounting business from their home...

Let us go fishing There are good people here in southwestern Nebraska! Just this past Saturday Grannie Annie and I gathered up two of our grandchildren and the three great-grandsons and took them to a “Hooked for Life” event at Harry Strunk Lake near Cambridge. ...

For twenty-plus years, and counting, your old columnist has sat on the Board of Directors of the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska. That is a mouthful so most just call it Mid for short. Throughout those years Mid has been doing good things for the citizens of McCook though few people know about it. ...

What a difference a few hundred miles down the road makes. Grannie Annie and I drove to Omaha to attend a young relative’s graduation party. Proud to say that she graduated cum laude. Earned great scholarships also for the next step in her life. Good celebratory party too with a lot of seldom-seen relatives present...

The question is “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer for the old joke is of course “One bite at a time!” The moral of that conundrum is that when confronted with a large task the answer is to break it into small pieces that one can better address and solve one at a time...

At an earlier time in my life, your old columnist just had to have a .30-30 Winchester rifle. Touted as the gun that won the West you have seen John Wayne carrying one as he rode in his saddle. Lever action repeater mine was of modern manufacture and I outfitted it with a four-power scope. ...

The news this morning is that Lori Lightfoot (D) Mayor of Chicago has implemented a new directive for her police department. Now a policeman has to call and get his supervisor’s permission before pursuing the suspected perpetrator of a crime. See a gun-wielding perp running from holding up a convenience store and the cop has to get his boss’s permission before chasing after the criminal. That should really work out well...

You may have noticed that local and far-flung employers are having a real hard time finding employees. The food industry which provides so many entry-level positions seems especially hard hit but they are far from alone. The problem seems to be the generous, federally mandated, unemployment benefits that seem to keep being extended and extended. ...

Smooth and efficient would be how I’d describe our local Transportation Security Agency, TSA, in action a morning or so ago at the McCook Airport. The passengers five in number that morning, few in the scheme of things but good for McCook, and the number of staff present about equaled the number of passengers. ...

An interesting article in the Gazette last week reviewed a discussion of the spending of the recent largess of a Cares Funding grant to our local District 17 School District. I wasn’t present and can only comment on the reportage of the Gazette’s Associate Editor...

The doors of my hangar were opened wide. Sixty some church people were gathered. A short inspirational message and a couple of songs. Then the sun slowly rose over the unobstructed horizon. Perfect. Awesome. See you next Easter. Your old guy columnist’s heart was stabbed this last week at the TV image of two young sisters being dropped from the top of the fourteen-foot high southern border wall. ...

Yes it happened right here in Southwest Nebraska. A master spy, well actually he was the pilot in the U-2 “reconnaissance” aircraft that flew at ultra-high altitude taking pictures over both friendly and not so friendly territory almost the world over. Gerald (Jerry) McIlmoyle was born on February 24, 1930 in McCook and sadly passed away, last week, on March 24th in Venice, Florida...

The news of the day mostly involves the horde of illegal immigrants swarming across our southern border. At the moment our facilities provide temporary shelter for all those people to allow time to process them, check their identification, fingerprint, check DNA, or even check to see if they have the Covid 19 disease are full to overflowing. It must be overwhelming for those charged with the job of attending to our Southern Border. A thank you to President Biden...

Retired after many productive satisfying years working in the power industry as a lineman. He and his long-time happy wife used their huge motor home to travel south to spend the winters away from the sometimes disagreeable Nebraska winter weather. By good fortunate, they purchased a large Quonset type building to house their motor home from the summer sun and additionally modified the interior into a comfortable living area. ...

Excitement is coming. This next Friday evening and all day Saturday the annual College Rodeo will take place right here at our Fairgrounds. Weather no matter it will take place in our wonderful Kiplinger Arena. College kids from miles around will be competing and that includes students from as far away as our 50th State Hawaii. ...

When we first returned to live in Nebraska from Air Force life we used to chide my mom for attending a lot of funerals. Now that Grannie Annie and I have reached that age we have begun to understand. Too many of our friends seem to be passing on and attendance at their celebrations of life is the way to say the inevitable good bye. It is a peace that will come to all of us eventually and a last way to tuck their remembrance into our hearts...

In today’s political world we are treated to a never-ending cascade of back-biting decisive rhetoric. It come daily on TV and most of the rest of mainstream media and sadly social media can be worse. Fortunately for those of us who live in flyover country here in a more rural setting life isn’t that way...

It appears that our Senator Sasse doesn’t want to be reelected as a Nebraska Senator again. His vote to impeach Past President Trump was the clincher for all that I’ve visited with recently. But then a friend notes that the Lincoln residents that are of a more liberal persuasion want him to run for president in 2024. Divided we are...

Two below zero this morning. A bit brisk. It kind of makes my California grandkids grumble a bit. Welcome to Nebraska. It reminds me of a winter trip my air refueling tanker crew was privileged to fly back in 1968. After all we had spent the summer in the near-equatorial heat of Southeast Asia participating in the Vietnam War so it was only reasonable that we’d be chosen to spend Christmas in Alaska...

Your old columnist who has been around a bit is thinking that in referring to our new president we might more properly refer to him as Dictator Joe. In looking for a proper definition I found on Google the following: “A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power.” Looking at the plenteous “Executive Orders” that he seems to sign daily one gets the opinion that he possesses absolute power. Hold on though because other forces will come to bear...

What an insult to have our National Guard troops “vetted” before they could go on guard duty at the inauguration! Being a military veteran it hit my heart because I consider all military as family. Unjustifiably insult my kinfolk and I will respond in retaliation. Evidently, the Governor of Texas feels the same way...

My cell phone rang. An unknown number calling. I answered anyway. “Col Trail this is Jack Barnes. I was the assistant crew chief on that tanker you were flying when you did the tri-level refueling.” Understand it has been nearly fifty four years gone by since that event back in 1967. ...

Good news and a riot Yes there is good news out there in this great country but we hear little of it. Digging through TV news sources I’ve become aware that many business owners have done the right thing. Independent businessmen living in those Democrat-controlled areas of the country where Governors have locked down the economy their customers are barred from entering. ...

What a circus! The Senatorial Election that takes place in Georgia today is a two-ring act. The Republicans are convinced the world will end if their candidates don’t get reelected. The Democrats see that a win will better enable them to enact their socialist agenda in Washington. Promises that they know won’t be kept. Millions of dollars (from where?) thrown in to help each side. It is a total mess and a great example of why we ordinary Americans are totally frustrated with current politics...

It is the final straw. If something does not work it is time to replace it. I am talking about our three congressional representatives. Adrian Smith in the House of Representatives, Ben Sasse and Deb Fisher in the U.S. Senate. Yes, all three voted YEA on the grossly expensive and misnamed Covid Relief bill last week. That will be our overly expensive Federal Budget for the year to come. I was hoping that President Trump would veto the monstrosity but no he signed it into law...

Our son Don reminisced the other day that it sure was an odd Christmas that time when Santa was supposed to come twice in the same year and dad was there for both of them. It has only been some 53 years ago but evidently, some events get burned into a five-year-old’s mind...

I love watching people. When in public we all demonstrate by our actions and conduct what we want those around nearby to think of us. Note for instance how those who have chosen to tattoo their bodies wear clothing to best show off their awesome designs. ...

Grannie Annie and the old guy took a leisurely drive through our fair city to enjoy people’s efforts at decorating for Christmas. It seems that there are more festive colored lights and displays than ever before. A jewel to be admired is Santa Claus Lane a far-sighted legacy of Norma Strunk aided by local sponsors. The festive light poles along Norris Avenue add to municipal pride in our City...

This has been one of your old guy columnist’s favorite weeks of the year. The leftovers from the family’s Thanksgiving feast were enjoyed again. Our favorite cranberry salad, the few remaining special pastry rolls, chunks of turkey for sandwiches and small pieces of cold pie. ...

Thanksgiving is a time to pause and remember the good things of the year just passed. For sure this old guy’s cup runneth over. Modern medicine and a successful heart procedure avoided COVID (at least so far), a family of grandkids to enjoy, a healthy wife, and a wonderful community in which to live...

As I write my column on Monday this old grandpa is babysitting. Actually “baby” is sort of a misnomer as the grandson is a strapping fourteen years of age. The rest of our extended family is scattered to the four winds and my office is in the home — well why not? The young man has a slight fever, doesn’t feel well and sleeps a lot so double tasking is no problem. ...

Happy Birthday today to the US Marine Corps and to all our local former Marines that have served this country in war and peace. Then tomorrow the 11th is our annual Veteran’s Day. The date is chosen to remember the close of World War I, 11-11-11, effective on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1911...

Well today is Election Day, finally. For months now we have listened to/read opinions of pundits telling us that one or the other of the candidates are sorry, no good, and the country will be in dire straits if their preferred man does not win. I’ve a little more faith in America and strongly feel that things will work out just fine no matter which candidate the Electoral College selects to lead our country for the next four years...

Okay I’ll admit it. I may just be a political junkie especially with this election season in progress. Obviously President Donald Trump is a man of endless energy having as many as four political rallies a day. In contrast is former Vice President Joe Biden mainly hiding from the press, placing an early morning “lid” on his access most days as of late. ...

McCook has been blessed with another half million dollar gift. Thank you Allen Strunk. I find it interesting that several families with youth that grew up in McCook and the surrounding area have enough love in their hearts for this community that they make generous gifts back to help make it an even better place to live, work and raise our children...

You may have noticed that our President is in the hospital with a case of the dreaded coronavirus. It is number one subject for the twenty four hour news stations as one would expect. Fox News seems to portray it in a more positive light than the Main Stream Media as one would also expect. ...

Grannie Annie and I drove to Kearney this past week to attend a board meeting. To and from it was evident that the harvest of soybeans and dryland corn is in full swing. For an illustration of how vital irrigation is to this country note that corn under the pivots is still green and still producing pounds for what looks to be a bountiful yield. Now if the price per bushel would be better it would maybe a good year---farmer thinking...

Have you noticed when driving about anywhere in our southwestern Nebraska countryside that the grass is being taken over by red cedar trees? Sure they provide nice shade for wildlife and cattle but they also shade out the grass. Cattle won’t eat them so it is a poor bargain for those running cow herds...

Grannie Annie and I were privileged to attend a retirement party (celebration!) for Fire Chief Bill Elliott of the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department this past weekend. Bill served for over 40 years in many roles as he worked his way up to Chief. Forty years is the entire history of the RWRFD since it was formed to serve the rural communities and empty spaces of most of the area of Red Willow County...

There are events for each of us that stand out in memory for the rest of our lives. Considering my own life the day that I first soloed an aircraft remains a bright moment from the instance my tires left the ground and the sixteen year old me brilliantly realized that I was on my own. ...

The major political party’s conventions are over so now we all know how to vote a couple months from now in the upcoming Presidential election. Surely each of you watched both the Democratic and the Republican conventions. Me neither but I did watch both of the presidential candidates nomination acceptance speeches...

A hidden wonderful service. Your old columnist, following major heart surgery earlier this year, was directed to go to a program called cardio rehabilitation. At the time I thought what in the world that was all about? After all I was a farm kid who grew up working as in physical labor. ...

So former Vice President Joe Biden, in attempting to become the next USofA President, has made his choice for a running mate. The Democrat’s choice Senator Kamala Harris. I offer no comment as to her qualifications. Anyhow her name Kamala is preferably not pronounced as it appears to be spelled. For the past year or so she has been referred to as cam-a-la for Kamala by nearly everyone who spoke on TV. Evidently though the proper pronunciation is comma-la for Kamala...

This weekend I was privileged to fly a mission of mercy. Actually it was fellow pilot Bill’s mission. Your old columnist mainly went along for old times sake.On the way into Denver we cruised just below a spotty cloud layer. Pilots play the wind and usually the higher one flies the stronger the wind. ...

Methinks that Darrell Meister has too much time on his hands. Being quarantined could do that to a person. Of course I don’t know the rules for the 14 day quarantine rules for Hawaii. Can one stay in their own home? Can they get out and drive somewhere to enjoy the grand outdoors of Oahu. Bars and restaurants closed? How about groceries and outdoor markets if one wears a mask? If he has to stay home and watch too many hours of TV I can see how he could get fed up with the 14 day quarantine...

I have a reminder every once in a while. Recently I was driving through town and considered stopping at one of the fast food emporiums for a cup for Grannie Annie and me on a short trip. We went through a drive through and ordered to go. Then a couple blocks further another similar restaurant had its parking lot filled with motorcycles. ...

Grannie Annie walked into our big box store and a lady greeted her. “You are Dick Trail’s wife,” was her statement. Grannie wondered how in the world the lady made the connection and the answer had to do with the lady reading this column. Roxy and her husband live about 50 miles away in a rural setting and have converted their big red barn into a lodging and event center. It sounds like an adventurous place to visit and maybe spend the night with my bride...

Grannie Annie answered a knock on our front door. There stood a local man, possibly City employee, who wanted to show her a picture on his cell phone. “I think that you will like this.” was his response to her greeting. On the cell phone screen was a picture of his son, stationed in Korea, holding a zip lock candy package with a sticker of a short scripture on it and saying that it was from “Friends in SW Nebraska and the McCook Community.”...

For the past several years (many) I have taken my 1925 Model T Ford to Culbertson to drive in the annual 4th of July parade. Bummer. The 2020 version of their Independence Day parade was cancelled due to an abundance of caution for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic...

It was well after midnight and the really bright flashing lights were lighting up our front room from about a block away. Old people get up at odd times of the night to tend to a bathroom break! I couldn’t tell if it was fire or police and speculated that it could have a neighbor having a small fire, a drug bust or maybe a car wreck. ...

Atwood, Kansas can be proud of one of their former residents that passed this last week. He was Ramon Horinek, LtCol USAF Retired and had the distinction of spending five and a half years as a guest of the North Vietnamese Army in the Hanoi Hilton as a POW. Tough duty following his capture after being shot down in his F-105 in 1968. Your columnist met him once and visited when the Vietnam Wall came to Norton, Kansas. A hero in my eyes. May he rest in peace...

It will be bad news. Just wait until the Hillary voters discover that our town of McCook was named after a Civil War General. Can you imagine having to change the name of a long time established town? Maps will have to change to the new name and every address will be changed as well. ...

It is an interesting world that we live in! Turn to a news channel and all you see and hear are riots in progress. Peaceful “demonstrations” in cities all over the country which turn to rioting and looting after dark. One can wonder what we are missing in the goings on of more productive people...

I was a bit tickled at fellow columnist Ronda Graff’s latest column. She told of her efforts to find reasonable activities for her children for these summer months. Camps are closed, our swimming pool closed and the list goes on and on. Reflecting over the years of my growing up none of that was a problem. ...

In the online version of my weekly column readers are offered a chance to respond to the thoughts that I’ve presented. It frustrates me a bit as the author of the responses are kept anonymous but I unhesitatingly sign my name to what I’ve written. Oh well...

Your old columnist thinks that the time has come. It is time to get life back to normal after the COVOD-19 shutdown. Admittedly we in Nebraska didn’t have it nearly as bad as the poor souls living crowded in highly populated areas like New York City. Their choice, but one size doesn’t fit all either...

Grannie Annie’s friend Karen called to announce that she was having “card tremors”. You know as related to alcohol tremors from not being able to play cards for the past couple of months. We looked it up and according to Google: Tremors are involuntary shaking in one or multiple areas of the body and can occur intermittently or be constant.1,2 Two of the many possible causes of tremors are acute alcohol withdrawal and excessive alcohol use...

Grannie Annie in this time of “isolation” has been cleaning closets. The thrift store is well served because they received a plethora of invaluables that we have collected for a lot of years. Other treasures are being portioned out to our children and quite a lot went into the circular file. Presently she is into pictures, mostly the snapshot kind and many of those are in well-organized albums or scrap books...

Bob from Hillside Perk stopped by bring this old couple a free dinner of “Rushen Rolls” and cherry pie. Farmers eat dinner at noon --the evening meal is supper. In visiting with Bob he mentioned that they were so thankful that they had provided for a drive through window when they remodeled the building that is now a friendly neighborhood gathering place with good stuff to eat. ...

Grannie Annie and the old retired guy watched every minute of it. The YouTube version of this year’s graduation ceremony of the Air Force Academy. It was the class of 2020. Completely different from the first version we experienced some 62 years ago. Yep, I have to confess that I was a member of that first class to go through the brand new Air Force Academy. Time flies when you are having fun...

Welcome back fellow columnist Ronda Graff. We started out almost together years ago but she stepped out to have babies. Good to have you. So the country is going to get back to work putting the COVID-19 pandemic behind us. Still this skeptical old gent is surprised at how many Americans cooperated. ...

Your old columnist is tickling a bit. Our President Donald Trump stated an observation for those suspected of contacting the COVID-19 virus that possibly treatment by chloroquine and/or hydroxychloroquine might work. The drugs have been tested and authorized for treatment and prevention of malaria. ...

I am amazed. Our president asked us, the whole USofA, to shut down all non-essential activity and shelter in place and we are doing it! Further word informs that only essential businesses are allowed to be open and that is pretty much accepted. The reason for all the caution is a disease that appears to be world wide a virus type disease that most humans have not developed a resistance to and a disease that is easily spread from person to person, friend or stranger alike...

Back when your columnist was a young child, pre-school age, we lived on a farm some eighteen miles southwest of McCook. The lady that I married also lived on an isolated farm some 35 miles northwest of McCook. With the current national isolation of people due to the coronavirus pandemic I’m reminded of life as it was 70 to 75 years ago...

Another week of leisure. Well not doing much in physical labor but the mind still explores history and the current state of our nation. Coronavirus. I picked up a book on the B-17 of WWII. This author meticulously researched the building of a particular B-17G (the latest model built in large numbers), the training of its crew and its missions over Europe until it was shot down. ...

The good news is that hospitalization recovery is over and the home phase has kicked in. Grannie Annie and I are back home to McCook assisted by a vivacious daughter. All is well that ends well! Three weeks past surgery I asked the heart doctor why this simple man from Western Nebraska was chosen to have a life altering surgery such I had gone through promising to add fifteen to twenty years to an already long life? His thoughtful answer included other vital organs in good shape, a mind not affected by dementia (you may argue) and little history of cancer in the family. ...

Well your old columnist lost a longtime friend. Seems to be happening a little too often as of late. Pneumonia supposedly got Claude. Eighty one years so a somewhat long and successful life but no matter the number of years no one seems ready to quit that early...

Oh the joy! It is the time of year to be working on income tax. It is a task that I have always accomplished on my own; admittedly over the past several years with the assistance of a software package for my computer. It is as always a learning task...

Tall, six foot something and well-tanned. The young man came to the door to say thanks for some of my prior flight training. Yes he’d been an aviation student and is now employed. He is a “captain in training” flying a King Air airplane out about the world doing “aerial mapping”. He’d been to Costa Rica since I last saw him and just returned from Hawaii on another mapping mission...

Our morning devotion asked the question “How might the hard-hearted heat of hostility eat away at our personal joy and our world’s peace?” Hey hey say that real fast: hard-hearted heat of hostility. Almost a tongue twister and it really applies to what we watch daily on 24 hour news cycle TV...

I’m reminded of the method of succession in case of loss of our U.S. President. First in line is the Vice President and we saw that happen when President J. F. Kennedy was assassinated and Vice President L. B. Johnson was then sworn in. Then in a later era the Vice President slot was vacant so when President Nixon resigned due impending impeachment and removal from office the role of President was given to Gerald Ford Speaker of the House...

Yes I know the proper title is Former President James Earl Carter, Jr. Democrat. I mean no disrespect but the present embroilment in the Middle East can be laid right at the feet of our former president. He had a chance to change the vector of history but through inaction we now have the heightened tensions we see minute by minute on the current news...

I think that I figured it out. All those congressmen who voted to impeach President Trump were using personal judgement to make that decision. They listened to the tape of the President visiting with the Prime Minister of the Ukraine. They heard Trump asking to look into the Biden record of corruption in Ukrainian affairs and decided in their own minds what all that meant. ...

Tonight is Christmas Eve. It is family time. Many gathered from far and wide. Tradition has it to attend services at your family’s church. A special evening meal, my family favored oyster stew. It is a quiet time to enjoy each other’s company. Some people open the Christmas presents but our family tradition reserves that big moment for Christmas morning. Nevertheless it is family time telling stories of wonderful memories along with reading scripture...

Your old columnist, an Air Force veteran, was humbled recently by a Marine no less. “You would think that having a great grandson named after him would at least mention his name in print!” was Marine dad Brant Scherbarth’s challenge. So I am proudly announcing the birth of Urijah (the “j” is silent) Richard Scherbarth was born on November 18th, 9 pounds 5 oz. ...

Out and about I visited with a lady, a longtime friend, about your Senator Ben Sasse. Suzy was upset at this half of our representatives in the deliberative body of Congress. Somewhere she had the idea that now Senator Sasse might become our next Vice President if Trump choses him to be his running mate in next year’s election. ...

I presume that you dear reader is about as fed up with the impeachment saga day after day on TV that I am. I can see the lead Democrats in Congress getting a lot of facetime to inflate their egos but they don’t seem to get much of anything productive done. President Trump just goes about business as usual tending to foreign and domestic policy and nothing productive comes from Congress except hate and recriminations...

Wrapped up. Grannie Annie and her host of volunteers packed wrapped and sent 320 care packages to the troops with her Adopt a Chaplain project. Our postal service, the locals doing extra duty, ships all those boxes of cheer to the east coast. From there, on a space available basis, our US Air Force flies them on to their destinations in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Egypt. ...

Grannie Annie and the old guy did an interesting trip last Saturday. The goal was to pick up the meat from a newly butchered half a hog (long story) at a processing plant in Diller, Nebraska. Yes it is a quaint small town in Eastern Nebraska just over 200 miles straight east of McCook. The most direct route was Highway 4 and so we traveled...

Phooey. My friend Mike Hendricks and his “Mike at Night” column have departed the area. Gone back to his home in Russelville, Arkansas and back to family. I’ll miss his acerbic wit used to razz me and all us of conservative political bent. I was pleased to read in his final column for the Gazette a nice tribute to your humble columnist for the jousting that we have done over the years. Blessings to you Mike, friend. May the rest of your life be in pleasant surroundings of family and friends...

Today, Tuesday the 5th is a big day at our house. Grannie Annie’s birthday, her 81st. Typically for her we will celebrate along with 24 or so volunteer workers out in our garage backing boxes to send to one of “her” chaplains deployed overseas. This particular one is stationed in Egypt with a UN multinational peacekeeping force. ...

During the Vietnam War I was privileged to spend quite a little time flying out of Thailand. In so doing I developed a high regard for the Thai people. I judge them to be a very moral people. Their main faith is Buddhism and there are little shrines about wherever one looked. Young men practice as monks and standout in a crowd wearing their bright saffron robes. I found them to be a very clean people and honestly a handsome lot. Beautiful ladies abound...

Airplanes are fickle machines; demanding at times but we can’t live without them. Maybe that is why we pilots lovingly refer to them as “she.” The old guy had a great trip Saturday. We flew through the complexities of the Denver airspace into a busy airport on the west edge of the city. ...

I write this on Monday the 14th -- Columbus Day. Memories. It was a great time in grade school. Things to color, replicas of his boats, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria we crafted out of paper. Columbus Day of my youth was a great celebration. I wonder how it is in the grade schools of today? At least the Post Office has the good sense to holiday in celebration...

I want to thank this community for a childhood that taught honesty, awareness, and sacrifice for fellow man. This was a wonderful community in which to grow up. The invitation came from out of the blue. You are invited to the dedication of a large brass plaque recognizing all Air Force Academy graduates that flew the KC-135 over the Vietnam War...

Two country girls entering Junior High, 9th Grade, in the big city of McCook. Hardly knowing any of the classmates they found each other to be friendly. Over the high school years they became best friends. It has been a lifetime relationship—best friends...

Big celebration coming up the end of this week. Heritage Days 2019. The parade, vendors in the park arts and crafts plus food, a 5 K run, a class reunion. It promises to be a good time for all comers. Just what are we celebrating as our heritage anyhow? When Lester Harsch pushed the idea of a Heritage Days Celebration he called it “German Heritage Days”. ...

Two happy young men, McCook natives, exploring the wonders of exotic Hawaii. Not mere passengers on a holiday lark, these two, Sean Cappel and Asher Brooks were the pilots that had just flown a Nebraska Air Guard KC-135 from Lincoln to Hickam. I have no clue why they are there or what their mission is but so proud that it happened...

We watched with bated breath as the latest hurricane, Dorian, marched up the East Coast. You see we have granddaughter living at Virginia Beach. She lives in military housing, Navy, within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean not far from the entrance to the large Navy Port of Hampton Roads, Norfolk, VA. ...

Grannie Annie was in the store purchasing items to restock her shelves with items to send to “her” Adopt a Chaplain soldiers. She had brought only so much cash and was nearing the maximum charge at the register. The cashier was alerted and stopped the flow of items to ring up. ...

I received a note from a friend saying that my messenger account got hacked. What in the world is hacked? Seems that some enterprising (as in crooked!) soul stole access to the addresses I’d used to communicate with friends on the computer application called messenger. Then this scamming crook would make a phone call impersonating me telling whoever answered that they were in line to collect some $40,000 in free money from the U S Government...

Good news! Grannie Annie and I stopped by Bryan West to visit a bit with Griff Malleck. He said that he was doing well in the healing and therapy process. As well as he should be surrounded by good looking nurses doting over him and attending to his every need...

Good news! Grannie Annie and I stopped by Bryan West to visit a bit with Griff Malleck. He said that he was doing well in the healing and therapy process. As well as he should be surrounded by good looking nurses doting over him and attending to his every need...

“Off the grid!” Yep your editor called it correctly. I had the column written and with me on a flash drive but my laptop was out of juice so I couldn’t send it. Oh but it is a new world and we are all tied up electronically now. The new normal. A good part of my intended column last week was a tribute to recently departed former Gazette editor Gene O. ...

There are many sides to aviation but your columnist likes the view out of the front of the airplane best. In all fairness though a ride in the back, the passenger compartment, was a bit eye opening. Join me as I “enjoyed” a flight out of the really busy Denver Airport back to our small but friendly airport here at McCook. ...

In the pursuit of aviation one meets some really interesting friends. To earn a private license a student is required to spend a minimum of twenty hours with a certified flight instructor. That’s me. Twenty hours sitting close side by side with another human pushing you to do things that normal people rarely experience things like the experience of pulling g’s where one’s body will weigh two or three times normal. ...

I dropped by the elevator this morning to see if the first load of wheat had appeared yet. Nope still too wet. The sprinkle of rain this morning, I wrote on Monday, won’t help the process of drying down for harvest but later this week it will be in full swing. I guess the old bromide that says “You can take the boy off the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the boy” still proves true...

It is coming. The fireworks stands are proliferating and busy with shoppers even in 100 degree temperatures. Independence Day or as of late simply called the 4th of July. Whatever the name it is a special time in our lives to relax and enjoy family. For kids lucky enough to live in Nebraska fireworks and the 4th is all part of the fun...

We took a wonderful drive through Western Nebraska this past weekend. All the way up to the Pine Ridge area to Camp Noresca. It is the time of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, yet all is green, the pastures, farm fields, everywhere yet wet from spring rains. ...

It ‘twas a band of brothers, one female vet included, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and maybe Coast Guard too. Your scribe recently had the honor of participating in the firing squad rendering a salute of honor for recently deceased Harvey Hinz. Twenty one rounds of blank ammunition fired in volleys of three. Organized by the local American Legion Post by tradition it is our final honor to one of our fallen fellow military veterans. Harvey served his country in the Army during the Korean War...

We went to a place where “all the women are strong the men good-looking and all the children above average”! Oops that is Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon. No we went to the Cattlemen’s Ball and all the men were tall muscular and lean, the women lithe and pretty as a picture and few children to be seen. ...

It was only a little morning argument, the usual misunderstanding. I made a statement repeating an announcement printed on a pill bottle that there was no refill and that an Rx was required. Grannie Annie my pill supervisor disagreed and figured the old guy was all wet and probably wrong. Each of us got all puffed up concerned the other was wrong. Went back to the source and mentally noted that action needed to be taken to keep the prescription current...

We met a most accommodating friendly gent along the highway just west of McDonald, Kansas. It said “Sheriff” on the front of his cap and he told me that he liked the red MAGA hat that I was wearing. Seems he wanted to visit about a little extra speed through his small burg. ...

Have you noticed that our Nebraska Legislature’s effort to raise taxes to have more money to give to the schools and “relieve property taxes” isn’t going so good? Maybe Governor Rickett’s promise to veto any such effort is having an effect. I think that our Governor’s understanding that raising taxes only contributes to our tax spenders’ propensity to spend any largess of new revenue and thereby create a need to keep the tax rate high to support their new spending habits. ...

Most of you my dear readers know that your columnist is of a rather military mindset. A twenty-five-year career in the Air Force, or any of the other services, does that for a person. So recently I came upon General Douglas MacArthur’s departing speech at West Point a portion of it rang bells for me. ...

It is a treasure. Valuable to this larger community and well worth the effort to keep our Hillcrest Nursing Home open and financially healthy. That is the aim of a group of citizens, all volunteers, that has regularly been gathering to make plans for action, political action, here and now...

It just sits there. The large modern building up away from the highway east of town. Looks to be on airport property. Lots of fences. It is McCook’s Armed Forces Reserve Center. Not a whole lot of interaction with the public so what good is it to this community?...