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Between hurricanes and blizzards, this has been a winter to remember for retirees Jerry and Cassy Venters of Lander. Normally, they head to their condo on Sanibel Island off the Florida coast and never worry about cold weather or even winter-style clothes. But Hurricane Ian pretty much destroyed Sanibel and the Venters found themselves spending winter in Lander for the first time in years. No problem. Winters over the past three years have been warm and open. No snow. No harsh freezes. But this year? Yikes. “Thank God for Walmart and thrift sto...
There are several instances over the course of my life where I feel I was so very lucky when something bad happened to me. I am sure I am not the only person who ever experienced a terrible moment or time in life that actually turned out to be a great thing in the end. It has definitely happened to me, on a few occasions. A situation that comes to mind first and stands out is when I left my restaurant/bar business in Taiwan back in the late 2000s.. The name of the venue was my...
I eavesdrop when I'm in a restaurant or a bar. It's hard not to hear what others say when they're only a few feet away. The other day I was in a local restaurant and overheard a conversation between four men and two women about their visit to our Valley. From how they were dressed, it was obvious they had come to enjoy our backcountry and some of the finest snowmobile and cross-country trail, and see some wildlife. Surprisingly or maybe not, they were complaining. They had arrived just in time...
With the start of 2023, I am hoping to commit myself to some better eating and exercise habits. I am pretty sure I won’t be the only person in the country doing this. This holiday season, well actually it started Halloween, more candy, cookies and baked treats have gone into my tummy than anytime in recent memory. Halloween can be like kryptonite for me. I steer clear of candy for most of the time which isn’t easy. For instance, I love strawberry Twizzlers. I love them too much. With no eff...
When looking back on 2022, two explosions of totally different types dominated the news. One was political and happened in the hottest days of August. The second was by Mother Nature, which happened in coldest days of December. Those were the top two of my 10 top stories of 2022. In August, Wyoming became the political epicenter of the world as everybody wanted to see how our lone U. S Representative Liz Cheney would fare in her reelection bid when former president Donald Trump had put her in his cross-hairs. It was an amazing time to be a...
The last minute rush for Christmas presents and dinner preparations is over and we float in the time between Christmas and New Year’s Day. With another three day weekend coming up and most businesses either closed or closing early, it’s like being in limbo for another week. So, what happened to all of the 569 unfinished items that were on your to-do list Christmas Eve? Hopefully half of them are checked off or disregarded as irrelevant. Now comes the new to-do list. Cleaning up after the hol...
Heroes and victims. Sometimes an off-hand remark can become amazingly prescient. During a news meeting of Cowboy State Daily staff on Dec. 21, we were talking about how to cover the big storm headed toward the state. I casually mentioned we need to watch out for “heroes and victims.” Little did I know that within 36 hours, three wonderful Wyoming men would became both heroes and victims. The people of Wyoming need to give thanks to first responder Tyeler Harris, 29, of Saratoga and to Safety Officer Bruce Lang, 68, of Pine Haven, who lost the...
Dear Editor, For those who are not aware, Carbon County lost an Emergency Medical Technician this past week; a tragic waste and, worse, an accident easily avoided. I have plied the highways and byways of these Untied States for 15 years as a truck driver and it is a heart wrenching thing to hear about every time. Emergency service personnel have difficult job to stand up to. Sometimes, they have to work through things that would make most of us sick–injuries involving motor vehicles can take many forms, from bumps and bruises to comas and d...
I am not a winter guy. Columns over the years have made this pretty clear. Back in my younger years when I was fairly fearless about taking jumps on a mogul field, I saw the merit of cold and snow; but as I have traded my skis for a snow shovel, winter has pretty much lost any allure to me. This winter seems to have started off strong. There has been snow every week since Halloween. I have found myself outside shoveling snow quite a lot these past weeks and try as I might not to, I find myself...
The snow is coming to the valley in greater amounts now; falling across the valley in blankets of white, turning trees and bushes into works of art. It also brings out the adventurer in some of us. It’s one of the most treacherous activities in winter. I’m not talking about skiing down black diamonds or driving on icy roads-I’m talking about that most mundane of activity-snow shoveling. Over my past 63 years on this earth, I don’t think I’ve lived anywhere where it didn’t snow. Being born...
“Dear God, please help us get through this awful mess of a highway. If you get us through safely, so help me, we will never do anything bad again.” Prayers like the above and many more variants emanate from folks in a long line of cars stranded in blizzards on a horrible stretch of winter highway called the Snow Chi Minh Trail along Interstate 80. Like so many Wyomingites, our family has been there so many times. This area is commonly referred to in the last four decades as the “Snow Chi Minh Trail.” Where did that name come from? My generat...
I recently purchased a DVD copy of Lonesome Dove at Bridge Street Bargains in Saratoga. I am always coming across unusual and older movies in this shop, which were highly acclaimed back in their day. I bought the movie partly because the back cover said it was the most realistic Western movie ever made. Those are some pretty big words to me–as a fan of Shane and The Searchers. It was made in 1988 and probably, because I was newly married, didn’t watch a lot of TV which is where the movie was fir...
In all the years I’ve lived in this valley, I’ve seen many examples of vandalism–obscene words and pictures spray painted on the bridge, written on walls at the hot pool or a public bathroom are fairly common. Slashed tires and broken windows have also been reported by local folks. The most recent occurrence I know of is at the ice rink on Veterans Island. The ice rink that was so generously given to the community by the Kiwanis was damaged over the Thanksgiving holiday by vandals. Although the gates that lead into the skate park where the i...
Masks, guns, and banks. Out here in Wyoming, that sounds like Butch Cassidy and Wild Bunch. Butch was famously asked why he robbed banks? “That’s where the money is,” he answered, looking like he had just been asked the dumbest question on the planet. If Butch did not say it originally, I am sure he thought it. Two years ago, right now, I recall seeing a local Lander sportsman standing before a teller in a local bank, with his pistol on his hip, wearing a mask, and making a withdrawal. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, this happened all the t...
I don’t try to wear my political affiliation on my sleeve because I don’t vote exclusively for that party.There are reasons for this.I learned from my father about the Republican party and my mother was a staunch Democrat. I was lucky to have both exposures and I usually have seen merit in each party. My folks on the other hand; neither could vote for the other party and saw no redeeming in the opposition. My stepmother was the only one of my parents who voted for the person and not the par...
In life you have three things to give to your fellow members of society: wealth, wisdom, and work. Giving your time to your community can make an impact not only in your community, but also to your happiness. Volunteering means giving of yourself, with no monetary or material compensation. The rate that people volunteer has dropped considerably over the past few years, according to The Bureau of Labor and Statistics data. It isn’t dire, but it is clearly a downward trend. Organizations with v...
I put my Christmas tree up on Friday. I can hear the screams now! It isn’t even Thanksgiving yet. For many years I didn’t put up a tree or cook, but with the grandkids kids around and my crazy sister, it feels right to start celebrating earlier and earlier. With Thanksgiving just around the corner I can’t help but dwell on all the blessings in my life. My family of course, but living in a country where I have the right to do pretty much anything I want as long as it doesn’t put anyone else in...