Every generation is convinced the world has become more dangerous than it was when they were children. Maybe kids just need to be taught to be aware of things, not afraid.
It looks a bit bleak for the Carbon County residents who oppose the Seminoe Pumped-water Storage Hydroelectric Project, as it cleared hurdles when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued its environmental impact statement, basically saying the project was not a danger if done correctly.
Yesterday I watched a rancher backing a horse trailer into a parking spot while two dogs sat on the flatbed of his pickup. They weren’t barking. They weren’t pacing. They weren’t hanging over the side trying to catch flies. They simply watched, you know the look.
For five or six months, I have been writing essays complimentary of our small town virtues and unique qualities. I ask for conversations in every essay. I offer my telephone and email contact information, but crickets dominate my response channels. So, this issue of Let’s Talk will be more of the same, but different, in the hope that someone, anyone, will be inspired to respond.
There are some things you expect to find in Wyoming. It’s a given you will encounter antelope, sagebrush, and wind. Bananas however, do not leap to mind. After all, bananas come from tropical places where people wear flip-flops year around and shiver when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. Yet, somehow grocery stores, even in the tiniest villages in Wyoming, will have bananas.
About 18 months ago, I attended a February meeting of the Carbon County Commissioners where the Carbon County Semiquincentennial Committee, also known as the 250 Year Committee, was established. I remember Candy Moulton and Tim Niklas being there, putting forth their ideas and mentioning names who would be on the committee.
Sue Jones was the liaison for the Carbon County Commissioners.
Little did I realize what an amazing feat this group would accomplish.
It’s easy to get caught up in stories about what’s wrong in the world. Turn on the television, scroll through social media, and you’d think kindness had packed its bags and moved somewhere else. But kindness is just an arm’s length away here in the valley we call home.
Something happens in your brain when you hear spurs jingle. You can’t help but smile a little. It’s the sound of the West. Whether they’re walking through a little country store or across the arena, it is a sound most recognize. You don’t hear it very often in big box stores or shopping malls, although I have encountered them in Walmart and Sam’s Club in Wyoming.
It is hard to believe that the Carbon County Comet is going into its 4th year. We have completed 3 years in business. That means we have kept the paper going for 156 weeks continuously.
Wow.
This is one of the most substantial enterprises I have ever participated in.
It is mostly due to Dana Davis.
Although the name Carbon County Comet was my idea, it was Dana who really thought we could create a local paper that would cover the entire County.
May is Wyoming stretching awake after winter slips away. In June, she puts on her dancing boots and gets ready to boogie. Most of the time, life in the valley moves at a fairly sensible pace, with the occasional hiccup. Folks wave at those driving by, and nod a hello at the post office. Then things begin to change, with lines at the local gas station counter and license plates from Texas to Maine in the parking lots.
I still take a look at pictures of my father on this day and remember how important he was in my life.
My father has been gone for about 30 years. He died a bit young, honestly, but I didn’t realize it then because he was 32 when I was born and always seemed older than many of my friends’ fathers.
For those of us who have lived in Wyoming a few years, some things are fairly predictable. The wind, prairie dog carcasses on the highway and traffic mayhem in the post office parking lot at 11 a.m. sharp.
In Saratoga and Encampment, the parking lots sit quietly, waiting, anticipating. A couple of dusty pickups pull in around 10:45 a.m.; another vehicle dives in to drop a birthday card in the box outside that was just found behind the seat three weeks late. It’s fairly peaceful.
