For Remembrance

Through the Miracle of the Internet, I’ve already reviewed the first of two sections of today’s weekly Gunnison paper. Omar, sometime employee at Pat’s, got his picture on the front page participating in a school project; we had an in-town shooting; lots and lots of school contretemps over masks and non-existent critical race theory . […]

Belted and Buckling

I have been awake since 3:30 and find myself in total agreement, for once, with Marco Rubio. The Florida senator is on a quest to end this time-changing nonsense, and I am — on this issue — completely in his corner. Is it enough to make me a single-issue voter? Yes, at 3:30 a.m. It […]

Lyin’

If you’re going to lie down with lions, you should expect to be eaten. That’s a saying, right? Not just something I made up for the moment? Although if I did, feel free to start using it as a saying. Thieves fall out. That’s definitely a saying, and we’re seeing that one play out in […]

Wherefore Art Thou, Western?

As yesterday went on, I found myself contemplating where I have devolved — there might be people who view it as evolving — to in my community life. I was ruminating on this because the college — I mean, university — did finally rid itself, several years and many hundreds of thousands of dollars too […]

Uneasy Company

After two months of anticipation, company has come and gone, arriving late and leaving early, which in the case of company is preferable to the opposite, but it still seems a large build-up for 18 hours of togetherness, nine of which took place while sleeping. For half of her adult life, Lynn has been here […]

The Rust-ic Life

Living in the country is not only rustic — it’s downright educational, as I recently learned once more all over again. And I am, absolutely gratis, giving you the benefit of my wisdom before you come to experience it yourself. Unless you’re already living in a modern-day house out in the wilds, in which case […]

How Green Is My Valley

The rumors, sadly, are true: True Value Hardware is closing its doors, sometime between December and February. It’s not, surprisingly, for a lack of sales, but because the owners have sold the real estate to someone who is not interested in continuing the hardware store. We have two hardware stores in town — well, had, […]

Mulligan

In golf, if you want a do-over, you take a mulligan. In the kitchen, if you’re short on dinner ideas you take whatever’s lying around and make mulligan stew. In great American literature, if you’re Mike Mulligan, you set out to prove your old steam shovel is better than modern automation Something in that paragraph […]

The Cold Spaghetti of My Life

Today is Saturday — or at least, it’s Saturday as I start this — and for the first time in a month, I do not have to be at work, a sporting event, or a social occasion. I am sitting here without any overt obligation. They’re there, lurking around the edges: Oz and I need […]

Change in the Weather

Just so you know, I didn’t overpack. The sky was leaden Tuesday, heavy with the threat of rain, and I had football games to time. Otherwise this threat would have been a promise, the potential of some badly-needed moisture. It’s funny how perspectives change based on our personal needs, hm? Even though the forecast had […]