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He was the last burro left in the dusty corral. His two companions had been sold by the man. They were younger, stronger and finer looking even by burro standards, which are quite high. They were worth more and brought more money which was what the man needed. Pickin’s were slim. Every evening the man would stake the last burro out down below the spring to graze. During the day he went with the man and packed mud or water or rocks or wood. One morning the man fed him a small bowl of grain. T...
He came bounding into my life some 34 years ago on this day. As one interested in aviation, it was seemingly prophetic. On this December 17 date in 1903, two brothers from Dayton, Oh., successfully flew their Wright Flyer into a stiff North Carolina breeze at Kill Devil Hills, also known as Kittyhawk. And on the day he was born, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan were bouncing in the turbulence over the Indian Ocean on Voyager’s unrefueled, non-stop, world-girdling flight. Thankfully, he was a robust, healthy young lad, and he stayed that way t...
A. F. Branco...
1. New baler twine to tie up last year’s five-buckle overshoes. 2. Something that will kill Canadian thistle. 3. A hot shot that works for more than a morning. 4. A dog that does more good out of the pickup than in it. 5. A cattle buyer who admits that he likes your calves. 6. A feedlot customer with a bottomless wallet. 7. A molasses salesman who thinks your hay will be adequate without his $200-a-ton supplement. 8. A vet who suggests that you buy your vaccine at the co-op. 9. A teenage d...
Despite the fact that Washington’s wolf population has grown rapidly in recent years and are near a recovered-population level, state agencies are considering increased restrictions on ranchers. This decision would put the success of wolf recovery at odds with ranchers – a bad precedent for the long-term success of recovery efforts. During a recent meeting of the Wolf Advisory Group (WAG), the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced a potential change in grazing per...
To the editor, To summarize past meetings, both with the Columbia County Port Commissioners and also the Columbia County Commissioners in the Spring of 2020, the citizens of Columbia County that are concerned about the proposed Touchet Valley Trail were told by Port Commissioner Chairman, Earl Marvin, that in the Fall of 2020, he would ensure that we were allowed to meet in a public forum so that the citizens could have their concerns heard by all present. This was not allowed at the previous meetings at the Dayton Fairgrounds nor at the...
A. F. Branco...
The seventy-ninth anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War II via the attack on Pearl Harbor just went by, and, coincidentally, military hero Chuck Yeager died at age 97 on that day. Pearl Harbor was the watershed event of a generation hardened by poverty and want, and "The Greatest Generation" took on the responsibility of defeating three totalitarianistic regimes. Japanese carrier-borne aircraft began the attack just before eight o'clock on Sunday, December 7, catching the...
I’m takin’ you back to the summer of 2003. Out of the blue I got a call from Patrick Gottsch, a member of the well-known Nebraska ag family. He told me he was building a TV channel dedicated solely to agriculture and the rural community. I asked if he had any programs lined up? He said, “Yes, we are filming the entire National FFA Convention!” I admit it made me raise an eyebrow. My Oklahoma family were farmers. It is in my blood. I joined the Las Cruces, New Mexico FFA. On to New Mexico...
In what seems now to be a weekly occurrence, Washingtons Employment Security Department’s (ESD) inadequate systems have created a problem for unemployment claimants during the COVID-19 pandemic. A bureaucratic failure to communicate clearly, has left thousands of residents receiving incorrect unemployment benefit amounts and, in some cases, overpayment of benefits. Now ESD wants the money back. ESD has stated that due to the federal government Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefit e...
I was reading through the obituary of life-long Dayton citizen Nadine Warren and was thoroughly impressed with how involved she was during her life. She was a farm wife. She had a career. She went to Kinman Business University and was a secretary. But she was involved in so many clubs. It seems like, for our parents and the early part of my generation, our twenties and thirties, there were groups we could be involved in, somewhere to interact with other people building meaningful relationships and be a part of the community. This type of camara...
A. F. Branco...
Yeah, he wished he was a cowboy but just at times like this (Yup, he’s glad that he’s a cowboy but there’s times on days like this) When he spent the day ahorseback and had time to reminisce (When he spends all day a’horseback thinkin’, ‘Wonder what I’ve missed?’) Never thinkin’ about Monday, ’bout the real life he led (Never knowin’ if it’s Monday, if he’ll ever get ahead) Just the smell of sweaty horses and the peace inside his head (Just the smell of sweaty horses and a blanket for a bed)... Full story
To reduce the spread of coronavirus in our state, the Inslee Administration set a goal of reaching 90 percent of people with a positive test within one day in order to begin gathering information about where the virus was contracted and who else may have been infected. Now, the state’s most recent report on “Metrics for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing” is out and instead of reaching 90 percent of people within one day, the state is reaching only 6 percent. Six. Worse, the Washi...
To the editor, I feel compelled to respond to the letter / article that has been in the paper about Lee Ann Literal. As you all may know, Lee Ann has been instrumental at our Columbia County Fairgrounds for more than 20 years. She has spent many hours at the fairgrounds and has even used her own equipment at the fairgrounds from maintaining the track to hauling the horse manure. The complaint that was published in our newspaper was outrageous and those who know Lee Ann are very much aware of that fact. There have been some people in the...
Here we are with the holidays just around the corner, and one with long tradition in our country, Thanksgiving. In addition to the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie, we’ve always had an affinity to the holiday, for which we’re thankful, as brothers Edward and Samuel Fuller, passengers on an English ship that sailed out of Plymouth, England, in 1620, are counted among our family tree. Four hundred years later, we find we’ve got plenty to be thankful for. We’re thankful for being citizens of the United States. In spite...
A. F. Branco...
How do you explain Thanksgiving to a 3 year old? “A long time ago...” “Yesterday?” “No, more than yesterday. A bunch of people came in a big boat...” “Pirates?” “No, good guys and mamas and babies...” “And boys, too?” “Yup, and boys, too. But when they got in the woods they were hungry but they didn’t know what to eat.” “And they had bears in the woods, and tigers.” “Probably, but they didn’t see them. So they were hungry and walked around looking for something to eat. And then came the I...
DAYTON–Good ol’ Governor Inslee has stepped up the “across-the-board” restrictions. As of November 16: • Restaurants and bars are closed for indoor service. Outdoor dining and to-go service is permitted. (Restrictions on restaurants take effect Tuesday at midnight). • Retail stores, including grocery stores, and malls must limit occupancy to 25% and must close food court seating. • Indoor gatherings, outside one’s household, are prohibited. • Offices are required to mandate employees work from home, if possible, and must limit occupancy t...
A. F. Branco...
They stood in the back of the room lookin’ like two Oakland Raider linebackers at a preppie quiche-tasting party. They had on unblocked hats with flat brims and each man wore a neck scarf and new Wrangler’s. Steve ambled over and asked where they were from. “Nevada,” they said, “We ranch.” They discussed the cattle business and bad-mouthed the government, as usual. Pretty soon they got to discussin’ mutual acquaintances. Steve had a friend named Pat from way up around Brothers, Oregon. “Quit...
It has been 262 days since the Governor first declared an emergency relating to COVID-19. Since that time, the Governor has continued to extend emergency declarations and issued various economic restrictions. New economic restrictions were again imposed on November 15. Despite repeated bipartisan calls for the legislature to be brought into these decisions, the Governor has refused to call a special session. This has resulted in nearly nine months of the executive branch making decisions...
It is interesting that the national media, which is already biased against conservatism due to influence in hyper-liberal political forces, has glossed over the Election Night improprieties and declared Joe Biden the winner. I just shake my head because it may come to pass, in spite of all the legal battles that lie ahead. There was an old practice in Chicago, that Mayor Richard J. Daly prohibited Cook County from announcing its vote totals until all the other Illinois counties had announced their totals. That’s because Daly could then come u...
A. F. Branco...
In hunting camp an outfitter reached down and stirred the fire. His client belched contentedly and said, “Might I inquire, That jerky you been chewin’ up… could I just try a bit? I fancy I’m a connoisseur with tongue and palate fit To ferret out the kind of beast, perhaps the cut of meat From whence you carved the bloody strap and held it to the heat.” The packer passed a little piece to test the boastful claim, The hunter in his down-filled vest bit in and then proclaimed, “I taste a hint of kidney fat. The tang of creosote. A wistful not...
