“One dog a’sprawlin’, two dogs a’ lollin’, and three dogs a’ pantin’ just might fit the waning summer season. Summoning up the remembrance of the familiar winter holiday tune “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, one might be tempted to change the lyrics a bit to sing a song about the[Read More…]
Opinion
Editor’s Column: Tick Tock
If your ego starts out, ‘I am important, I am big, I am special,’ you’re in for some disappointments when you look around at what we’ve discovered about the universe. No, you’re not big. No, you’re not. You’re small in time and in space. And you have this frail vessel[Read More…]
CNCC ready to kick off new school year
This summer has flown by. It’s hard to believe that the start of school is less than a month away. Students are already starting to arrive with volleyball players arriving next week and soccer and rodeo team members soon after. New student orientation will be Aug. 18-20 and our fall[Read More…]
The Baby Survival Package ~ Part One
Years ago, I started a tradition of giving a gift basket to expecting parents. It was for the firstborn child of couples we knew well. It started out as both practical guide and a source of humor for nervous new parents. I always asked that this letter be read at[Read More…]
Where did the summer go?
The Rio Blanco County Fair has started and I am not ready. It’s a time change thing. It is not as if I have any real reason to complain, as my only role is to attend. It has always been an end-of summer tradition. The annual event signaled the conclusion[Read More…]
Editor: Prioritizing = putting first things first
“Put First Things First! These four words cover an entire philosophy which can be applied with profit by every business leader, by every executive and by every employee.” ~ Thomas J. Watson (1874 – 1956), Industrialist, Former President of IBM Change is hard, and letting go of things is harder[Read More…]
21st century citizenship: four civic skills we need to keep our democracy
As primaries roll out around the country, we’re tracking voter turnout. Raised on Schoolhouse Rock’s cartoon civics lessons, I know that being a good American means voting. Those 1970’s cartoons weren’t wrong. Voting is the most fundamental act of democratic citizenship. That’s why it has been fiercely contested throughout our[Read More…]
Ditches are a vanishing paradise
Annette Choszczyk lives in rural western Colorado these days, but when she was a kid, the Highline Canal in Denver was her summer paradise. “To us, it was river and a playground, complete with rope swings, swimming holes, crawdads and a trail alongside it that adults and kids could walk[Read More…]
Letter: Time to switch
Dear Editor: Perhaps you remember when there was enough water to launch a boat from the ramps on Lake Powell. Or when CPW didn’t have to close fishing streams because the water temperature was too high. Or when forest fires didn’t explode, launching embers that started spot fires two miles[Read More…]
Family reunion brings wisdom for marriage
A few weeks ago, I attended a family reunion. This year, we were encouraged to share with the others how many years we had been married. I don’t know most of these distant relatives on a personal basis, so I was amazed at the number of couples who had passed[Read More…]
A closer look
“Same old, same old” and “It is what it is” may be two of the most annoying phrases that have seeped unnoticed into our daily conversations. So many of our exchanges with family and friends have become laced with cliches, idioms, or all sorts of space fillers. It is an[Read More…]
Letter: Thanks from Lancasters
Dear Editor: We would like to thank so many people for helping to make the third annual Nick Lancaster Memorial Golf Tournament a huge success! This tournament would not have been such a huge success without the players, sponsors, volunteers and top-notch golf course staff. The following businesses/individuals sponsored holes,[Read More…]
