Commentary

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I was one of many this morning that attended the Elementary School tribute to the area veterans. This was the best performance I’ve seen in many years. The children all knew their parts and spoke directly into the microphones. I could hear and understand every word.

If something isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it

A community input meeting held Oct. 31 by certified and non-certified staff at the Timber Lake School to discuss a proposed move to a 4-day school week did little to answer questions about the concept and, frankly, was ill-timed.

Listen up and keep your hearing

Hearing loss affects millions of Americans. In fact, by age 75 over half of adults will have some form of hearing loss.

Stray Thoughts: The Aftermath

Deadlines come and deadlines go and just so that you are aware I had to write this poem before results were posted anywhere about who had lost and who had won this presidential race… who spent the most and told more lies to put them in their place.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

I’m sitting at my writing desk staring at the screen. I’ve been sitting here for a while. I was sitting here yesterday, and the day before, too, wondering what to write.

Stray Thoughts: Scary

Scary has a different meaning for an adult than for a child.For a child, any random bump in the night, branches scraping on a window, and eyes glowing in the dark cause terror.It takes much more to scare an adult than when they were kids.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

I sat down to work on my column yesterday, and wrote the following sentence: “I wonder if this is the most beautiful October of my life so far, or I’m just getting better at appreciating it.

Those who have ears, let them smile!

The sun flickered between the rows as we drove slowly by. Tall, tan stalks stood in perfect formation. Each spire sported a pointy sunburst, the dry flower of the tassel. Long tapered cylinders clothed in tawny jackets hung heavily from the thick stems.

CANDLES AND MIRRORS: Living By the Rules

“Children should be seen, not heard.” Both of our parents were raised by the strict rule; when adults were present, youngsters were not allowed to speak unless spoken to. Our parents carried on the tradition to a certain extent with their own children.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Enough rain fell this spring to green the grass through the first half of summer. The young lambs and calves frolicked while the mamas happily grazed. People harvested their first crop of hay. “We are about one day away from drought though,” my husband kept saying. But then we’d get a small shower.