Home Country

“Well,” said Steve, the tall cowboy, “at least it’s Friday and we all have the weekend to look forward to.”Doc glanced up from his paper at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn truck stop and world dilemma think tank.“Fastest Friday you’ll ever experience, Steve,” said Doc.

Pump handles and public health

Health care is often thought of as something that happens one patient at a time in a clinic or hospital. Public health takes a broader view and is focused on improving the health of entire populations.

PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES: Beautiful noise

All it takes is a small, seemingly insignificant sound. The whisper of wind through the trees. The pounding of wings as a bird escapes from her nest. Distant “peeps” from the back aisle when entering the farm supply store. Rain pounding on the roof. A lone cow mooing from a remote pasture..

Home Country

When we first noticed the baby sparrow, here at the house, it saddened us all. He had fallen from his nest and was slowly walking around the front yard under the tree while his mother and father had an absolute fit.

Cause and Effect

Are you a new graduate ready to take on the world? Or are you a new graduate with, as yet, no plans? Success in life depends largely upon two things: 1) The degree to which you prepare for your future, or 2) Your commitment to the pursuit of opportunity.

Not just fun and games

Long ago, it was called “The three R’s.” Though based on phonetic word beginnings, the term has withstood time as a summary of the foundations of education: reading, writing and arithmetic. .

PRESSED BETWEEN THE PAGES: Skinned knees and elbows

Looking back at the eight years of what was then considered elementary school, the memories pressed between the pages of my mind are not so much reading, writing and ‘rithmetic. I remember recess!.To a first grader, the play area seemed huge.

A Note on Costs for Seniors

Most graduating seniors are unaware of the cost of education.Oh, they know how much their college or trade school costs in dollars and cents but may not have considered other costs.Fewer still will realize the full impact leaving home will have.

A harsh reality and a difficult decision

If you're a Topic reader who doesn't know yet, I've been battling some health issues over the past year. I'm on oxygen nearly 100 percent of the time and will be for the rest of my life.As you can imagine, this limits where I can go, what I can do, and how long I can do it.

Home Country

Dud was especially quiet this morning, sitting in his usual seat at the philosophy counter of the Mule Barn truck stop. He was doodling with his napkin and a feed store ball-point pen.Doc looked over to see if he could make it out. He couldn’t. Bert adjusted his glasses and looked over.“Murder?