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A Valentine's Day Gift of Gratitude

  It’s a snowy February day here in western Kansas as I write my column before it heads to print. We had a couple of inches of beautiful snow to blanket our area with white. 
However the farmers are disappointed that there wasn’t any moisture in it. As always, in western Kansas, we need the moisture!
 Yesterday I got several grass hay bales and met my husband at the barn to unload them.  I was smiling from ear to ear watching him. 
He has known since the age of eight that he would be a farmer. I love observing his passion for the life he chose. 
 I was also surprised at how happy it makes me to be out there with him and our livestock. I find so much peace there with my family and animals.
Because of the snow day Wednesday, I got to spend some of the morning feeding and caring for our animals with them. It was fun to see baby lambs discover snow, watch the geese fly by, and take some extra time with our new bucket calf. 
  My toes were frozen, I had a laundry list of things to do, and was ready to head back to our warm home. But I was surprised at how much I have grown or changed. 
  Once living amongst millions of people in the city that never sleeps, noise all the time, I could never imagine living far away from it all. 
  Now, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I like the slower pace, the fresh air, the sunsets, and the distance from crowds. 
Yes I still love traveling, visiting a beach or a city, but this is home.
  When we started our 4-H journey six years ago, it was all new, exciting, and terrifying as I knew almost nothing. Each year we have tried new things. 
This year we have bred sheep and have a bucket calf. None of this could be done without friends, family, and community. No man is an island.
  Last week I helped moderate a scholars bowl meet with several schools participating. This week I drove to a junior high scholars bowl meet to watch my daughter and her team. 
  For these teams to participate, it took many volunteers, drivers, coaches, all coming together to help these kids compete and grow. 
Yes we say that when things go well. But I was also grateful that a trusted adult was correcting my child and others. 
How comfortable are you with that?   
  On the way home I almost hit a big, beautiful buck. Yes it is big and beautiful because I didn’t hit it. lol. 
I prayed that my daughter and her team would get home safely. 
I spent time on the drive thinking about
how many hours these drivers, volunteers, and coaches of all sports and humanities give. And I was grateful.
Friends, family, and community members working together can make a child’s experience great. We are all shaping their future. 
  On Tuesday night, I got a chance to get to the basketball games for a bit. They honored the first responders during the halftime of the boys varsity game (coverage next week). 
We had several students from our school sing the National Anthem. 
I snapped a picture of the junior high pep band and the high school cheerleaders. We had people working concessions, refereeing, taking money at the gate, working the scoring table, doing books, and announcing. Not to mention the hardworking kids on the teams, and all the fans in the seats.
Wow. Since Valentine’s Day is Friday, I can’t think of anything more appropriate than to stop and say thank you.
  Katharine Hepburn wrote -”Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get — only with what you are expecting to give — which is everything.”
 I hope you take some time this Valentine’s Day to stop and thank yourself for what you give, for the memories you helped create, and for the sometimes thankless giving you offer. 
  

OPINIONS

Let the Light Shine In

It’s bug season in western Kansas. It sounds like drops of rain falling but really it’s bugs hitting your windshield of your car or pickup, and they are a pain to clean off. But they are also a sign of warmer weather here!  For a while now, I have been in a funk... [More]

A Little Bit of Grace

Happy April! There is wind, rain, and snow in our forecast for the next couple of days. Happy spring in western Kansas. LOL.   I have never been a big fan of April Fools Day but this year in particular April 1 was a rough one. It started off with a lot of gratitude... [More]

Connecting

Happy Spring! Happy warm temperatures. Happy sunshine without extreme wind days! It is supposed to be 88 degrees today and tomorrow. Doesn’t that sun feel good? And how wild that a week ago there was still snow on the ground.  It may sound crazy but I appreciate the... [More]

Our Most Treasured Possessions

Does anyone remember the short story The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry? It is one of my favorites. If I recall correctly, the couple sells their most treasured possessions to secretly buy each other Christmas gifts.  Again it has been many years since I read the story, but... [More]

Confidence

It is an icy, foggy winter morning, a far cry from the 82 degree sunny day we had just a couple of days ago.   While the weather in western Kansas can be baffling, I enjoy the variances. It makes every day exciting. What will happen next? I feel like that is the climate... [More]

Sleepless Nights and Endless Memories

  It’s the end of January 2025. I spent a couple nights trading shifts with my husband watching one of our ewes waiting for a lamb.   She gave birth on Tuesday afternoon on a beautiful, sunny, 50 degree day.  She had a long, hard labor but was blessed with... [More]

What is meant for you?

Happy mid-January! I am not excited for the below zero temperatures coming as we are waiting on a lamb to deliver her baby.  We thought she was close the other night. My husband and I traded off checking every couple of hours. It was a long night with little sleep. It was... [More]

The Circle of Life

It is Tuesday morning and I am scrambling to get things finished for this week’s paper to go out.   With the National Day of Mourning for Jimmy Carter, post offices are closed on Thursday. We were able to move printing to Tuesday morning to publish Wednesday.... [More]

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SPORTS

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HI-PLAINS ALL LEAGUE

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SHS CHEER TAKES SECOND

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BULLDOGS OPEN FALL SEASON WITH FIRST PLACE FINISH IN GOLF

The Syracuse Bulldogs Ladies Varsity Golf Team took first at their season opener in Stanton County on Tuesday afternoon. They shot a team score of 207 at the Prairie Pines Golf Course in Johnson. The varsity team  is Lanee Owens, Bronwyn Lewis, Sammy Schwieterman, Maddy... [More]

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LEWIS HEADS TO STATE TRACK

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BULLDOGS TAKE SECOND AT REGIONALS - HEADED TO STATE

The Syracuse High School boys golf team battled breezy conditions on Monday May 13 competing in the 2-A Regional meet on their own Tamarisk Golf Course.  Adjusting to windy conditions and competing at home paid off for the Bulldogs Monday, placing second, qualifying... [More]

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STATE GOLF RESULTS

State golf on Monday had the Varsity Bulldogs miss playing in the finals as a team by one stroke. They finished seventh out of twelve teams.  On Day 1, Brody Keller shot a 92 missing day two by two strokes. Ian Brummett shot a 95, Mason Scott  and Johnny TeVelde shot... [More]

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JH BASKETBALL WINS

Junior High Boys Basketball A, B, and C teams travelled to Elkhart on Monday, November 21. The A team won 41-34, B team won 26-21, and  C team lost to Elkhart 13-20. Head Coach Vance Keller said, “Elkhart was a tough win for both the A and B teams but both grinded... [More]

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LADY BULLDOGS BORDER WARS CHAMPIONS!!

The Lady Bulldogs were undefeated during the Border Wars, defeating Eads on Friday, 42-7 and Walsh on Saturday 62-5, bringing their record to 3-1. But the winner wasn’t announced until Tuesday evening. Syracuse Athletic Director Josh Johnson explained, “It came down... [More]

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NEWS

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GRAMMY D’S SWEETS MOVES TO SYRACUSE

“Since I moved back here,  everything is falling into  place.”  Diena Schwieterman, 1986 SHS graduate made the decision to move home. “As soon as I made the decision, it seems like everything began falling into place.”   Diena... [More]

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Powerlifters Head to State

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LOCAL WOMAN HACKED ONLINE WANTS TO HELP PREVENT YOU FROM SIMILAR SITUATION

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HOMECOMING NIGHT

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SYRACUSE’S NEW STREET SWEEPER

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DAIRY SPECIALISTS MAKING CHANGES

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SCHWIETERMAN TO SERVE NATIONALLY

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HM COUNTY EMS SEEKS EMR

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OBITUARIES

Miguel V. Baeza

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Raymond Dwight Lohman

Raymond Dwight Lohman entered this world on February 12, 1948 at Donahue Memorial Hospital in Syracuse, Kansas.  Dwight peacefully passed away on April 7, 2025 at the age of 77 surrounded by friends and family at the Hamilton County Hospital, Syracuse, Kansas.   A... [More]

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Terry “Stringbean” Wade

Hall Funeral Home 949 Main Street Waldoboro, Maine 04572 Dateline:  Washington It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Terry “Stringbean” C. Wade, who left us on March 29, 2025, at the age of 69. Born on June 9, 1955, in Garden City, Kansas,... [More]

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David Randolph Taylor Junior

DATELINE: JOHNSON, KS   David Randolph Taylor Junior was a big, strong man with a tender heart. He was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1955 on February 17th. David died on March 9, 2025, after a fierce battle with Anaplastic thyroid cancer.  David was born to David... [More]

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Susan Lynn Barker

Susan Lynn Barker, 67, died Monday, March 3, 2025, at The Ranch House in Garden City, Kansas. She was born July 9, 1957, in Iola, Kansas the daughter to George Ernest Mapes & Doris Louise Cuppy. Susan was born in Iola and relocated to Colorado during her childhood, where... [More]

Larry Lee Hirsch Sr.

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Daryle Lewis

 Daryle Wayne Lewis was born on January 5, 1945, in Hutchinson, Kansas, to George Woodrow Lewis and Juanita (Evins) Lewis. He was raised on the family farm northwest of Syracuse that was homesteaded by his Grandfather. He lived in a sod house until the age of ten, with... [More]

Orin Grant Florence, Sr.

Orin Grant Florence, Sr. passed away February 13, 2025, at the Greeley County Long Term Care in Tribune, Kansas. He was the son of Ernest Miles Florence and Cecil Dale (Hill) Florence. He was born July 7, 1942 in Hugoton, Kansas.  Orin began his life in Hugoton and grew... [More]

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