Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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by Bryan Golden Among other things, the holidays are a time of giving and receiving gifts. The question most often asked of people is, "what did you get?" Much less frequently asked is, "what did you give?" Invariably, the inquiries concern material gifts. Purchasing a gift can certainly be thoughtful and a wonderful gesture, especially when it's backed up by your actions. However, the most valuable presents are those that aren't sold in stores. When you give your love, your time, help someone in need, aid another in solving a problem or overco...
When a major illness or injury leaves someone in need of long-term, nearly round-the-clock care, it’s often up to a family member to step in and provide it. But research shows that the role of caregiving can lead to its own health issues, creating a significant amount of stress and strain for the caregiver. “That stress can come in many forms,” says Marylee MacDonald (www.maryleemacdonald.org), a caregiver advocate and writer whose debut novel, “Montpelier Tomorrow,” was inspired in part by her experience helping care for her son-in-la...
Director, Wyoming Dept. of State Parks and Cultural Resources Hot Springs State Park is a world-class natural, cultural and recreational resource. The landscape setting, intact river and spring water systems, history, and authentic surrounding community provide unparalleled beauty and recreation opportunities. Master Plans are important tools the parks industry uses to engage the public in setting the best future direction for individual state parks. In 1916, the first master plan was developed for Hot Springs State Park. Following this plan...
The last couple of weeks have brought unexpected and unwelcome news to millions of seniors and disabled people on Medicare. Their already high out-of-pocket costs are going to get higher. For some, premiums for Medicare Part B coverage that pays for doctor and outpatient services will go up as much as 52 percent. For everyone Part D premiums, which cover drug benefits, will increase an average of 13 percent, and everyone will see their annual Part B deductible rise from $147 to $223. These are not trivial amounts considering that half of all...
by Joey Johnson, University Extension Educator More than 6 million young people across the country will celebrate National 4-H Week, an annual celebration of 4-H during the first full week of October. Hot Springs County 4-H will leverage National 4-H Week this year to showcase the great things that 4-H offers young people and highlights the incredible youth in the community who work each day to make a positive impact on the community. This year Hot Springs County 4-H took part in the Thermopolis Octobrewfest Saturday, Sept. 26. 4-H members...
by Sue Blakey, Director Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation This week, Thermopolis citizens, almost by accident, created an old-fashioned “Chautauqua.” What’s a Chautauqua? Its history actually goes back to the 1820s, when the first American Lyceum was founded by a traveling lecturer and teacher, Josiah Holbrook. He believed education was a lifelong experience, and he hoped the traveling lyceums would provide lectures, dramatic performances, class instructions and debates to remote rural American communities. For nearly 50 years, these...
U.S. Constitution Week is the commemoration of America’s most important document. It is celebrated annually during the week of Sept. 17-23. The week is kicked off by Constitution Day Sept. 17. On that day in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 men who changed the course of history. Thermopolis Middle School fifth grade teacher Jessie Rode asked her students to write a short paragraph about what the Constitution means to them. TMS fifth graders recently started a unit to learn about the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is the law. I...
Suicide continues to plague Wyoming. Year-in-and-year-out our state has one of the nation’s highest rates of suicide, often times leading the United States. Despite numerous efforts by state, city, and volunteer groups our state’s rate of death by suicide continues to grow. This can no longer be acceptable. September is Suicide Prevention Month and September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. During the month there will be numerous opportunities and trainings to equip each of us with a better understanding of suicide and how we can beat thi...
8 has been interesting. We welcomed in the New Year with an ice jam which had the potential to create great damage and evacuations, but fortunately a temperature increase during the second night, to -15, reversed the growth of the jam and the day was saved. Memorial Day weekend it rained…and rained and rained. Flash Flood Warnings were issued from both sides of our county, and several occurred. The heavy rains which were seen here in Hot Springs County were also seen in the Wind River high country, soaking into the snowpack. Predictions for...
Each day comes bearing gifts. But not in the way you might think. I wake in anticipation of the presents they have left for me this time. “They” are not leprechauns or Santa’s elves. The gifts in question come from my kids. Yeah, I find it hard to believe myself. When I enter the kitchen each morning, I’m guaranteed at least one cardboard pizza round left over from the last night’s midnight feast. Pizza cardboard is much too valuable to toss in the trash, if they could locate the trash (which I’m not sure they could). They also leave me ch...
Earlier this year the House of Representatives passed legislation that’s supposed to fix once and for all the formula the government uses to pay doctors who treat Medicare patients. The Senate is expected to agree. The so-called doc fix legislation has been a political hot potato since the late 1990s when Congress tried to slow down healthcare costs by cutting doctor payments. The docs complained when Medicare tried to cut their payments, and 17 times Congress stopped the cuts. This time was different, though. Democrats and Republicans came tog...
When I first started a garden in the Thermopolis area many years ago, I eagerly planted my favorite perennials in the fall for spring blooming. All winter long I imagined a beautiful garden come spring, only to have my expectations dashed by the local deer population, which apparently loved my perennials as much as I did. So, I started looking around the area and questioning local residents to find out which perennials survive the local conditions. My surveys and in-garden experiments have resulted in a select group of local deer-resistant...
Mid-summer is a time to enjoy the bounties of your beautiful gardens, but the enjoyment comes at a price. Lawns, trees, flowers and vegetables are well-established and blooming. The abundance of vegetables and fruits of the gardens is peaking, veggies are ripening daily. You might experiment with some new recipes or go to a Farmers’ Market to try different produce not in your garden. However, nothing good comes without some good old-fashioned elbow grease. Here are some mid-summer chores to keep your yard and gardens beautiful and p...
A blank page can be daunting. Especially first thing on a Monday morning, which is how I usually start my week. As a columnist, it’s my job to fill the page with something – or nothing. Yeah, nothing. You read that right. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Readers tell me they enjoy this column because I write about nothing, and they can relate to that. Most of us have a familiarity with nothing. We all have personal experience with the lack of something – which in essence is nothing – depending on your thesaurus. Because I write for...
Did you know our local Red Dirt Master Gardeners are not a garden club? The Master Gardeners are actually part of the University of Wyoming, Cooperative Extension Service (CES). The University of Wyoming (UW) is one of 106 land-grant colleges in the United States created by the Morrill Act of 1862. As a land-grant college, UW has three missions: teaching, research and extension. The CES was authorized by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 in the states having landgrant colleges as a unique partnership among the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, the land-grant...
The overwhelming conclusion to be drawn is that Wyoming’s newspapers are still the No. 1 source for news and consumer information according to results from a Pulse Research survey. “Unfortunately, many businesses have the misperception that ‘print is dead,’ said an executive summary of the results written by John Marling of Pulse Research. “The research facts clearly show that newspapers are alive and can deliver the Wyoming market for all consumer shopping categories, public notices and election decision making. Wyoming’s publishers...
It may seem a little out of season to you that I am writing a branding column considering branding season is, for the most part, over; but for those lucky few that have been recently invited to a late-season branding I offer you a piece of advice. I somewhat recently attended a neighbor’s branding. For those of you who understand the seasons of cattle management, you know what I was getting into. For those of you who don’t, let me explain: Cattle have an average gestation length of 280 day...
Many gardeners have honed their tips and tricks over the years and the Red Dirt Master Gardeners offer the following ideas. Sonja Becker’s favorite tool is the hula or stirrup hoe, named for its shape. The movable “scuffer” is easier to maneuver than a standard hoe. Use in garden rows and around plants to eliminate weeds fast. Cindi Dragon sprinkles chopped flowers and leaves of “feverfew” on cabbage plants. Feverfew repels white butterflies which, in turn, prevents green worms that devour cabbage. Judy Harvey sweetens tomatoes with sugar. Pl...
Not long ago my husband showed up with a sandwich for lunch that he bought at a local supermarket. I thought it was going to be our usual: turkey and provolone with lettuce on a hard roll, always plenty for both of us. At $6.50, how could you go wrong? This time the sandwich was different. It now cost $9.50 and was piled high with turkey and cheese on a roll that was much bigger than what we were used to. In short, it was awful—enough meat and cheese for four people on squishy bread that tasted more like a morning sweet roll. But the bigger s...
A night dedicated to fresh flowers will be held at the library on Monday June 29th at 6:30. Please, bring a vase, your fresh flowers, or use flowers provided by the library as Shelly Burrows from The Shoppe teaches us how to create amazing arrangements in the latest styles for any occasion. Call me at 864-3104 to sign up. On Monday July 6 the library will host a unique program for us to learn more about the ancient art of fiber spinning from three internationally recognized authorities. The presenters will discuss their efforts to preserve...
“I’m bored. Think of something to do.” If these words ever should jump from your lips to your spouse’s ear, make sure your lips are somewhere far removed from such ear. Be aware that the number of possible outcomes from such a question are severely limited to generally two possibilities. One, she/he will simply say some variation of “I’m not the one bored. You think of something”, or 2) There’s a knitting contest at the senior center (Chinese checker open competition at same) that should prove interesting. Thankfully, we live in an area of t...
I’m starting an exclusive club for disorganized women, but not just anyone can join. Each person will have to pass an admissions exam. You can be one of my charter members as long as you can answer yes to at least five of the scenarios in the exam. I’m in heaven as I think about starting this exclusive, club (no BOs allowed) and I’m calling it CLUB ORGANIZED. Really, I’m just changing the name of my website from www.makeitfunanditwillgetdone.com to www.cluborganized.com but in the excitement of being able to get this perfect name for my webs...
Lately it seems like much of the crime report column consists of reports about people who haven’t mowed their laws. This is an interesting way to compel neighbors to conform their property to arbitrary standards with no consideration of the fact that it has rained almost every day for weeks, making it difficult to mow. I’d like to suggest a couple of other ways to achieve yard compliance: how about if the victims of this crime beautify their own yards as an inspiration to everyone, or while the complainants are out measuring grass blades and...
Four terms good to know before you grow tomatoes are “determinate, indeterminate, heirloom and hybrid” to ensure you get what you want. 1. Determinate, also known as plum or bush tomatoes, are compact and useful for small spaces or short-season gardens. Bush tomatoes are bred to stop growing around 3-4 feet tall. All the fruit usually ripens within a two-week period making this a good choice for canning or preserving. Additionally, Roma tomatoes, also in this category, are used for making paste, sauce and drying because they are meaty and usu...
As we go from cozy up at home weather to travel season you will still want a good book. I’d like to suggest you consider an option for making your time on the road more enjoyable, MP3 CD’s. They are perfect for those looking to take a summer road trip or driving for their jobs. Most cd players will accept them and they have the advantage of allowing the listener to insert a single disc for even the longest novels. We offer unabridged works meaning you get the entire text as the author intended. With traditional recorded books this means changin...
