As the presiding officers of our respective chambers, we will focus on fighting rising costs like property taxes and electric utility increases, placing parents in the driver’s seat of their children’s education, and supporting mental health programs for our fellow neighbors.

I bring all these little stories together as the introduction to the commonly heard phrase that is echoing across the county. “The billionaires are moving the millionaires out of Jackson,” and they are crash-landing in Sublette County.

You usually can’t go wrong with green onions, radishes, turnips (especially Japanese Hakurei), kale, spinach, peas or lettuce in Sublette County. They all germinate quickly in the spring and with a little tender loving care, usually begin producing within four to six weeks. Potatoes are another option that grows well in Sublette County.

The most amazing kitten story I will ever relate is about Streak and how he became Kevin’s companion. Last spring in Bondurant as I led a colt around the corral, I heard a screeched meow from the old calving shed. Astonishing, as no cats lived outside after we lost Beanie Baby, who adored Kevin and went to the corrals with him and cowdog Zeb every morning.

People are being trapped in the invisible closed curve of a never-ending loop. The choice is being made without realizing it’s been chosen to identify with the socially conditioned. Mind patterns of automatic behavior perceptions and inner serenity are becoming something from the past. Mankind has forgotten that people who are content and feel the capacity of emotion, especially compassion for others as well as for themselves, help others to find the same feelings of joy and contentment with who they are.

This is the time to look back and see if we’ve learned anything in the past year. Our oldest son has a saying, “When you look back, glance, don’t stare.”

I asked the chairmen of the House committees, as they finished their work, to provide me with the interim topics they felt were most important to their committees. While most have completed their work, not all of the committee bills have been posted to the legislative website. You can find bills available for the 2024 Budget Session at https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2024.

A soothsayer is someone who claims to be able to predict the future. Long ago, a soothsayer was considered a useful consultant, even for a government. Today soothsayers are more likely to be scoffed at, but there are still many soothsayers who have successful businesses telling people’s fortunes and giving advice.

Thankfully, my 95-year-old client is usually upbeat because yesterday I spilled sawdust on the floor as I was putting it into the woodstove. Exasperated by my clumsiness, I turned to her and shaking my head, bemoaned, “Good help is hard to find, thus you have me.” She waved her hand, dismissing my negativity and quipped, “If you were good help, you wouldn’t stay with me.”

Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. It demands courage and integrity. Forgiveness can bring about the peace we long for. When we practice forgiveness individually, we start by recognizing that we have all betrayed and hurt others, just as we have knowingly, or unknowingly, been harmed.

No, you can’t save the world but yes, you can make it a better place.

Should we, the hopeless romantics that want to keep the West western and see the wild horses be wild horses, be worried? The BLM already has a tactical air fleet of helicopters. Will they be fitted with 7.62-mm miniguns? The gun referred to as Puff the Magic Dragon in Vietnam? I think it is not an absurd theory. The groundwork and mentality exist and are already in place.

I understood this wise thinking because as I finish out each baking session for the season, I think, “It’s pricey and a lot of work; I don’t think I’ll do it next year.” But, like birthing babies, I forget how awful it is and next year, I do it all again.

Body shame is something learned from other people and benefits no one. The only thing repulsive or wretchedly bad about the human body are the small minds so many have transferred into use. The source of these small minds originates from another prejudice and bigoted small minds.

Please urge our members of Congress to vote for this bill.

“EPA’s new standard to curb leaks of methane and other harmful pollutants from oil and gas operations is welcome news for protecting our health, our environment, and Wyoming’s open spaces,” John Burrows, Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said. “This final rule builds off of Wyoming’s own successes in reducing harmful emissions and will limit wasted methane from leak-prone equipment. We see this rule as essential for spurring future innovation, saving taxpayer dollars, and for creating a level playing field for methane regulation across the oil and gas industry.”

Gov. Mark Gordon has issued the following statement criticizing a final rule released by the Biden Administration that targets the oil and gas industry. His statement follows.

Each year, millions of burros and donkeys are being slaughtered for the production of ejiao, a medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the skins of the animals. The burro and donkey skin trade is now decimating the global populace.

This is the season when we lose sleep buying for family, friends and neighbors, but a word of warning. Three a.m. shopping is usually the time of artists and writers, but for purchasers, as our grafted-in-daughter points out, “Those are dangerous hours.” One morning last December, I woke to the thought, “Was I dreaming or did I actually place a 498-dollar order to Eddie Bauer last night?”

Question everything and understand why we are doing what we do.