Columns

The year 2025 in China is the “Year of the Snake”. Here in my back yard it has been the “Fall of the Butterfly”.

I’m the life of the party — even if it lasts until 8 p.m. I’m very good at opening childproof caps — with a hammer.

I have always admired the beauty of mums in the fall, but for some reason have never had one in my own yard until this year. My mum, you might say, is somewhat of a miracle.

Last month my son sent me a video of about 20 or more hawks that were circling above his house in Kearney. A group of hawks are called a “kettle” and this “kettle” was made up of Swainson’s Hawks.

With all that is going on in the world, ranging from ongoing conflict in the Middle East, an impasse in Congress resulting in a Government Shutdown, the plethora of “pink postcards” received by taxpayers across the State, as a result of locally increased property taxes and numerous other challenges, there is no shortage of topics to discuss. It seems that the list of conflicts is endless. I am going to take a bit of personal privilege this week and talk about something entirely different.

It is migration time again. As of this writing over eight million birds have flown over Dawson County on their way south for the winter. By the end of the bird migration in November, more than 56 million will have flown over us!

From the Collection of Pat Young Recalling The Old Days of Clothesline News A clothesline was a news forecast to neighbors passing by, There were no secrets you could keep when clothes were hung to dry. It also was a friendly link, for neighbors always knew if company had stopped on by to spend a night or two.

The Callaway Hospital marked one year this month since Dr. Sheppard started practicing and the hospital opened its doors. Since the first patient walked through the doors, a total of 188 followed, 10 babies were born, and 33 out-patients were served.

I always breathe a sigh of relief when another issue of the paper comes off the press. The truth is, getting this newspaper into your hands is quite a task, and one that gets more challenging - and more expensive - continually.

I noticed a caterpillar on the milkweed. It wasn’t difficult to see it because it was fairly large with bright yellow, black and white stripes along with two long sensory filaments on the head and two more on the rump.