Plenty for which to give thanks, all year (12/03/06)
We just finished with the Thanksgiving season, and, throughout the land, most people gathered around a table of plenty and were reminded to give thanks. An interesting study was just released, and, based on research, people can make themselves happier, not for just a day or two, but long-term. ...

Honoring local veterans (11/19/06)
Last week, the chamber coffee was held at the local VFW. Two hundred yards to the west, behind the VFW, was the local cinema, featuring the movie, "Flags of our Fathers." To the east were the new flags leading to the U.S. National Cemetery. In the confines of the VFW building, the commander shared with us about the sacrifices that have been made by our Armed Forces and how we just finished an election where we all had the freedom to vote for the candidate of our choice. ...

Words of wisdom from the mouths of babes (11/05/06)
If my dogs could have a movie name, they would go by the handle, "Thelma and Louise," the hit movie about two females who run away. Since both of my dogs are male, probably we may have to go with "The Wild Bunch." It all started innocently enough when I went to the farm to saw some wood and, as usual, took the two bird dogs along so they could get some exercise. ...

Words of wisdom from the mouths of babes (10/29/06)
The following excerpt is from "Chicken Soup for the Grandparents' Soul." It was written by Barbara Cornish, and is titled, "Thoughts from a Three-Year-Old." "Children are unpredictable. you never know what inconsistency they're going to catch you in next."...

Remembering the circus (10/22/06)
Once in awhile, you can go back in time. When I was in grade school, my grandpa brought my brother and I to the circus here in Fort Scott. I can remember being particularly amazed at a young aerialist, who swung effortlessly through the air and didn't look much older than we were at the time...

Mishap on the road (10/15/06)
Son number two and I planned a fishing trip for Stockton Lake. As I was getting the boat and trailer ready, I thought maybe I had better take a flashlight along in case I broke down, since I was heading east from Fort Scott at 5 a.m. That turned out to be an unnecessary precaution...

The Johnson Grass War (10/08/06)
One of the most popular pictures during the time I was growing up was of an Indian sitting dejectedly on a horse with the sun going down in the background. The portrait was apropriately called, "The End of the Trail." That portrait, along with "The Lone Wolf," still hangs on my wall, but I am thinking about adding a picture of my 1952 Allis Chalmers D17 tractor because, as of late, appears to be going the way of the lone Indian and the droopy horse...

The Johnson Grass War (10/01/06)
Back in 1892, a conflict occurred in Wyoming over the use of open range. The large ranchers hired some killers from Texas, numbering 50 strong, to head into Johnson County, Wyo., to challenge the small ranchers. The result was several innocent deaths and a sheriff gathering up a posse of 200 men, which cornered the hired guns. This conflict became known throughout history as, "The Johnson County War."...

'A Great Cup of Tea' (09/24/06)
James Dobson tells the story about "A Great Cup of Tea:" Have you noticed that children sometimes try to be helpful, but it only makes your life more complicated? I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her darling daughter wanted so much to be a good nurse. She fluffed the pillows and brought a magazine for her mother to read. And then she even showed up with a surprise cup of tea...

Lumberjacks in training (09/17/06)
Last week, when all of the family was gathered, the two boys and I took an early morning trip to the farm, where a couple of oak trees had died. Rather than let them go to waste, we cut the oaks into logs with the chain saw and then hauled the results back to the woodpile behind the garage...

Wacky words (09/10/06)
The following are actual test answers from various schools: Q: Name the four seasons. A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar. Q: What are steroids? A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs. Q: What is the fibula? A: A small lie. Q: What does "varicose" mean? A: Nearby...

'Old Red' makes a run for it (09/03/06)
When my brother and I were growing up on the farm, we had a horse named "Red" that we rode to round up the cows for milking. Over a period of time, he developed a habit breaking into a run when the barn came into sight. I can only assume it was because he was happy to get us off his back. More recently, Julia Roberts starred in a hit movie, "The Runaway Bride," about a reluctant woman who bolts just prior to her wedding...

Grandkids and gardening (08/27/06)
Since we were keeping the three grandkids from Garnett last week, we had an exercise in gardening, where they helped harvest the remaining onions and the potatoes. The 3-year-old grandson was excited as we dug the potatoes and the onions from the plot. He saw the dirt being turned over with the shovel and came up to me and said, "I want to dig a hole."...

Who was Uncle Sam? (08/20/06)
The following excerpt is from "The Book of Totally Useless Information" by Don Voorhees: Who was "Uncle Sam?" When we picture Uncle Sam today, we picture a man with a long white beard, red-and-white striped pants, and a blue jacket. There was an "Uncle Sam," but he looked nothing like this, although he did wear a top hat and he did come to be a symbol of the U.S. Government...

The corner stool (08/13/06)
The corner stool at "Boone's Restaurant" sits empty. For years, Kenny Wells walked in the door at approximately 6:45 a.m. to have his morning coffee. His son, Duane, would have already been there for about an hour, drinking coffee and working on a crossword puzzle. Some of the rest of us would chip in with what we thought were some answers. The often voiced comment was, "Wait until Kenny gets here; he will fill in the blanks."...

Summer memories (08/06/06)
The family vacation with six grandkids, four parents, and two grandparents lived up to its advance billing. The trip north to Canada was marred only by the all too frequent stops at the gas stations. After two days of travel, we arrived at the Provincial Park...

Good To Know (07/30/06)
The following is an excerpt from "The Book of Totally Useless Information": Why are piggy banks shaped like pigs? Pigs have recently lost the stigma of being dirty, lazy creatures. Today, there is a pig mania sweeping the country. People are buying everything from calendars with a pig motif to miniature pigs as house pets. The creation of the piggy bank was, however, purely accidental, as many great creations are...

The lessons of the Bandera Stones (07/23/06)
Two summers ago in July, I decided to make a parking area using Bandera stones from three different old foundations around Bourbon County. In less than one year, I had learned some sad lessons: Number one: Don't use stones that have been in a fire because they tend to break...

Trying times (07/16/06)
Thomas Paine wrote in The American Crisis, "These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country but he that stands at now, deserves the love and thanks of man and women." Paine, of course, was referring to the common practice of soldiers going home to tend the farms whenever the need arose...

It's up to you (07/09/06)
The following on "Choice, Not Chance" is from "You, Inc." by Burke Hedges: "R.J. Wrigley, the founder and president of Wrigley Chewing Gum, was one of the first businessmen to take full advantage of advertising. "While his competitors were spending thousands of dollars on advertising, Wrigley was spending millions. In the 1940s it was hard to open a newspaper or drive by a billboard without seeing a promotion for Wrigley Chewing Gum...

Modern-day pilgrimage (07/02/06)
One hundred fifty years ago, one of the most interesting sagas was the Mormons' 1,300-mile trek to the Salt Lake area. One particular part of this journey was called, "The Great Handcart Migration." Some of the settlers couldn't afford oxen and wagons, so a group of them got the idea of building a series of handcarts that could be pushed or pulled by hand to hold their goods for the trip. ...

Tractors galore (04/30/06)
In the "Batman" movies, the Joker had a favorite saying as he laid out his plans to overcome the winged warrior. He was often heard saying, "I love it when a plan comes together!" This has nothing to do with the winged warrior, but rather a group of garden tractor enthusiasts working together with the city to make something positive happen...

Remembering Vicki (04/23/06)
When we first moved to town in 1968, we bought a house on 23rd Street, and little did we realize how fortunate we were. Not only were there lots of young families, but there was togetherness and an extension of family for about two blocks. Our oldest was a mere 7 months when we moved in and, sometime thereafter, we had an occasion to need a baby sitter...

Hope springs eternal (04/16/06)
When the Oklahoma Indian territory was opened up for settlement, some of the people didn't wait until they fired the starting gun for the land rush. They slipped in and staked out their claims, and hence the name "Sooners" is till used today. I think I need to go look up the family genealogy, because I am beginning to wonder if some of the genetics of the early claim jumpers have been passed on to me...

Prospective tenants (04/02/06)
Having watched a lot of western movies, I recall there were often scenes where a parched cowboy and his horse were struggling to get through the desert. As he would look toward the horizon, he would see a "mirage." Often it appeared to be like a shimmering pool of water, and he and old "Paint" would forge ahead to this promised relief only to find out it was an illusion...

The power of one (03/26/06)
A lot has been said about "the power of one," and, on the other hand, a lot of people think what they do doesn't count or doesn't make a difference. A friend, who lives in the country on Second Street, was scheduled to have company more than a year ago. As he was driving out of his place, he said to himself, "This roadside sure looks trashy." So, prior to the company arriving, he gathered up a trashbag and cleaned up the roadside from his house back to the Marmaton River bridge...

Call it the gift that keeps on giving (03/19/06)
Last week, overcome with good weather and global warming, I decided to risk planting some of my garden early. Garden planning has never been a priority in my life, so I ended up with two rows of onions and some leftovers. I set them on the toolbox of the truck as I finished up the effort...

Martins to arrive any day (03/12/06)
The day is nearly here in my plan for housing purple martins. Information gathered in my quest to establis a martin colony tells me that for this area the Martins will arrive between March 1-15. The home for the colony stands in readiness, and for the next two weeks, I will keep a keen eye out for the first of the migrating birds looking for a new home...

Beacon of hope (03/05/06)
Sometimes you catch a glimpse of how things ought to be. Last week The Beacon held its annual soup line, with the proceeds going to provide supplies for the local agency. A network of 12 churches, numerous volunteers, and satisfied consumers has made this annual event a community highlight...

Watching the Olympics (02/26/06)
When it comes to athletes celebrating, I come from the old school. In earlier years, we used to say people were "hot-dogging" when they drew attention to themselves rather than working for the team. Nowadays, with the advent of the NBA, the Olympics, and the football end zone antics, it seems that everyone is trying to get their 15 minutes of fame by mugging for the cameras or giving an off-the-wall interview...

Purple martins are more complex than you think (02/19/06)
For some time now, I thought it would be great to have a purple martin house in the back yard, especially since the mosquitoes made going outside at night risky last summer. As usual, I did things in reverse order. First thing I did was buy a martin house and then try to figure out what I needed to do with it...

What we like about Fort Scott (02/12/06)
At the recent community-wide Visioning meeting, forty-four participants were asked to list one thing they appreciated about this community. Following are their comments in brief form: Brick streets Victorian homes Chamber breakfast Fourth of July parade...

Red Hatters (02/05/06)
About a year-and-a-half ago, the Mapleton community women founded a Red Hat Society. The group meets once a month at the Mapleton convenience store allegedly to discuss business, but insiders say it is more of a chance for the ladies to have a night out and not have to cook...

Fetching game (01/29/06)
My young dog has developed an annoying habit. Earlier this year, he caught a quail on his own, which upped my shooting average, but then he appeared to be so proud of his capture that we spent the next 10 minutes trying to get him to give up his prize. ...

Useful gifts (01/15/06)
Sometimes your past comes back to haunt you; I remember one year when my brother and I were both young, we pooled our money at Christmastime and bought Dad a No. 10 scoop shovel with the hope of making his work a little easier. Then later, we decided Mom needed a new iron. ...

Listen to the children (01/08/06)
In his book, "Ten Seeds of Greatness," Dennis Waitley shares a poem that all of us need to hear: Take a moment to listen today To what your children are trying to say; Listen today, whatever you do Or they won't be there to listen to you. Listen to their problems, listen for their needs,...

Conflicting information (01/01/06)
It's getting harder in today's world to figure out what's good and what's bad. Most recently, there has been plenty of press about the greenhouse effect and the warming that is going on. There are dire predictions about the ice caps melting, the oceans rising on the coast, and flooding of the low-lying areas. There have been stories about animals and plants moving to higher elevations, but other scientists say it is all a series of cycles and that the earth has been through this before...

Holidays with gratitude (12/11/05)
With the holidays on the horizon, the following comments from "Attitudes of Gratitude" by M.J. Ryan seemed appropriate: Recently I took my one-year-old daughter to the zoo for the first time. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw an elephant. And when I gave her her first scoop of ice cream, her joy knew no bounds. Her little body wriggled, her eyes sparkled, and she brought out the biggest smile...

Reception sparks memories, accolades (12/04/05)
Last Monday, the College held a reception for Carolyn Sinn, honoring her 22 years at the college and her pending retirement on Dec. 1. One of the speakers was Keitha Bolander, who shared about teaching school in Walnut, Kan. and how she first met Carolyn when she was a little girl. In a special tribute, she presented Carolyn a pen made of walnut from Walnut, Kan...