Loose Ends | The Herald Times

{OPED} Loose Ends: A teacher or a writer?

MEEKER | “So, which are you, a teacher or a writer? The blunt question took me aback for a minute. I had only been teaching in this community (and anywhere else for that matter) for a couple of years. When I accepted the part-time teaching position, I was working in[Read More…]

November 5, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times Comments are Disabled

{OPED} Loose Ends: The Real West

MEEKER | “Do you ever get over the blueness of the sky?” is a question that has been asked by more than a few visitors to our house over the years. Most of them are from another section of the country and used to seeing gunmetal grey over their heads.[Read More…]

October 12, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times Comments are Disabled

Loose Ends: Rebuilding the bridge between cultures

MEEKER | “Where did the Indians go?” continues to be a commonly asked question from first time visitors to this area. The White River Utes were removed to a desert reservation from their homeland in 1879 after Indian Agent Nathan Meeker and the other men working with him were killed.[Read More…]

September 27, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times Comments are Disabled

Opinion

Loose Ends: Encountering the county fair

MEEKER | The county fair held in a neighboring community in my youth was an end-of-the summer tradition; and although the animal barns and educational exhibits lent it some appeal, the cotton candy, candy apples, and plethora of carnival booths were the main event. It was enough to follow my[Read More…]

August 7, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times Comments are Disabled

Guest Column: Loose Ends

MEEKER I “Why did you move here” is not an inquiry that is often overheard in front of the post office these days. According to newcomers, though, it continues to be one of the first questions they are asked upon their arrival. With the influx of more people who are[Read More…]

July 15, 2019 by Niki Turner 1 comment

Opinion

Loose Ends: ‘S’pose you youngsters could use a little help’

MEEKER | “S’pose you youngsters could use a little help.” This warm, western, welcome from an area resident has continued throughout our years of living in this rural community and continues to be extended whenever we travel throughout the state. After traveling many miles from home, someone who has heard[Read More…]

June 18, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times Comments are Disabled

Opinion

Loose Ends: Three Card Days

MEEKER | “You don’t see my card on the door, do ya?” the elderly gent asked. Dressed in a cowboy hat, plaid shirt with pearl snap buttons, Wrangler jeans, and well-worn boots, he looked to be a longtime resident of my new community. He held the post office door open,[Read More…]

June 2, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times 2 comments

Opinion

{OPED} Loose Ends: ‘Hey Back East, how’s it going today?’

MEEKER | Moving to Meeker midwinter more than four decades ago, the cultural clash between my childhood hometown in the midwest and my new home in the west became a daily reminder. I was not only a newcomer but an obvious outsider to the community. It wasn’t until I had[Read More…]

May 28, 2019 by Special to the Herald Times 1 comment

Opinion: Pick one person

The most recent school shooting hit too close to home. Twenty-five years of working as a special education teacher gave me the opportunity to spend time in most all of the elementary and middle school classrooms. I remember the increased security measures each year and the drills that ensured all[Read More…]

December 24, 2012 by Dolly Viscardi Comments are Disabled

Loose Ends: Oh, the stories they tell

The local historical society’s fundraiser may have shed a little light on family mysteries for local residents. It did for me. My familiarity with the old doll could not be questioned, but my knowledge of where it originated was spotty. My mother’s and grandmother’s stories about the doll did not[Read More…]

May 14, 2012 by Dolly Viscardi Comments are Disabled

Loose Ends: Volunteer

There is one thing a community can never have in excess: volunteers. Warm weather brings out an annual call for helpers all through the town and some organizations are needier than others.

May 6, 2012 by Dolly Viscardi Comments are Disabled

Loose Ends: Step up to the plate

I was hoping that two weeks after announcing that I was giving up writing a weekly column, two writers from Meeker and Rangely would “step up to the plate” and give column-writing a chance.

April 29, 2012 by Dolly Viscardi Comments are Disabled