Odds & Ends
Thunderstorm Season
When thunder roars, go indoors. That’s the title of the feature written this week by Deanna Brummet. Deanna lives west of Stapleton and has been a Cooperative Weather Observer since July 24, 1989. She records weather data, including snowfall and snow depth and has always had an interest in weather.
An interesting fact Deanna brought out in this informative article is ranching and farming are two of the deadliest work-related activities with respect to lightning and in Nebraska, ranching has now led to eight of those deaths.
I hope everyone takes time to read this article and be prepared if thunderstorms roll in at any time.
Respecting thunderstorms and tornadic activity was instilled at me at a very young age.
My grandmother Montanye had seen firsthand what lightning can do. She was a young girl when she saw her father struck by lightning walking from the barn to the house and killed dead in his tracks. She would say the strike knocked him out of his shoes. Whenever we were at our grandparents and a storm came in we would immediately have to get inside the house. We were not allowed to talk on the telephone, or stand near the sink or windows.
Most people don’t think much about it these days. They are out playing golf, checking pastures and just the other night we were out at the landfill dumping grass clippings when thunder roared. My husband didn’t even give it a thought. He just cleaned out the pickup and continued lawn work like nothing was happening. I was cringing.
My grandmother passed away April 22, 1976. Years have passed since I heard the story about my great-grandfather and his untimely death. The words came back to me as I read Deanna’s story and made me even more aware that we need to take necessary precaution.
Remember – it can happen to you. It can happen to someone you know. Nebraska sees about 773 lightning strikes per year and southwest counties in Nebraska receive the most, followed by Custer, Blaine, Loup and Garfield. Storm season is here. Stay safe.USPS Has Major Problems
Marcia Hora
The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Com- mittee hearing last Tuesday brought to light issues across the country with mail delivery. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy admitted there were problems within the USPS.
Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Mich-ael M. Kubayanda said USPS service quality in Georgia, Virginia and Texas continues to decline and went as far as to say that in the Atlanta area, letters and cards that should arrive in a two-day window only met that standard 16% of the time in March.
Kubayanda said problems within the USPS are alarming and raised concerns about the fall election and the role mail-in ballots are expected to play.
DeJoy was questioned by senators from Oklahoma, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia, and at one point Senator Jon Ossoff asked DeJoy to explain exactly why there had been an operational failure in Georgia after the new processing and distribution Palmetto facility opened in February.
DeJoy admitted he had not read the letter Senator Ossoff had sent and Ossoff said it might be a good idea for DeJoy to read letters sent by United States senators.
Senator Ossoff said the USPS has caused his constituents massive distress and wanted to know what steps would be taken within the next two weeks to fix it. He broke DeJoy off numerous times as Ossoff said the USPS was not delivering prescriptions on time, causing difficulties for businesses and said DeJoy did not seem fit for the job.
Senator Jacy Rosen also grilled DeJoy on the USPS plan to relocate mail processing for northern Nevada to a facility in Sacramento, California.
“I would like to understand what analysis you undertook to conclude that moving mail processing from Reno to Sacramento would benefit Nevadans,” Rosen said.
She asked DeJoy if he was aware of how many days each year Donner Pass is closed due to winter storms or wildfires.
“How would I know that?” he responded.
Senator Rosen said she would not tolerate her rural area constituents being sacrificed and there was no evidence that the move would improve service. She requested information on the move be submitted by the end of the day.
USPS ended fiscal 2023 with a $6.5 billion net loss and expects to see a similar loss this year, falling short of its “break-even” goals.
USPS is planning to raise the price of a first-class Forever stamp from 68 to 73 cents on July 14, pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission. It would be the sixth increase of its kind since 2020, when USPS got approval from its regulator to set mail prices higher than the rate of inflation.
Congress sought to ease the Postal Service’s financial burdens when it passed the Postal Service Reform Act in April 2022. The legislation will save USPS $50 billion over the next 10 years by eliminating a provision that required USPS to pre-fund retiree health benefits well into the future. The legislation also forgave USPS’ obligation to pay $57 billion in scheduled payments to its retiree health benefits fund.
USPS is now requesting the Office of Personnel Management to give back more than $14 billion in what the agency considers decades of overpayments into the Civil Service Retirement System.
Kentucky senator Rand Paul said no funding should be given to USPS without changing its labor practices.
“USPS needs massive structural reform, not necessarily in its network, but in its workforce, hiring and retention,” Paul said.
Since January 2021, USPS has converted more than 150,000 employees from pre-career to career positions with higher pay and full benefits. Senator Paul said shifting employees to full-time career status is only making the agency’s financial problems worse.
DeJoy said converting employees was the right thing to do and plans to keep hiring under its “growth plan” to expand its package business. He believes the Delivering for America plan first implemented in 2021 is the right way to transform the USPS from an organization in financial and operational crisis to one that is self-sustaining and high performing. The USPS is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six and often seven days a week. It is overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors.
USPS recently announced significant changes to its North Platte Processing and Distribution Center. The change would mean relocation of some services from the North Platte facility to Denver. A bill was introduced April 10, 2024 in Congress to freeze consolidation of mail processing facilities by USPS. The bill would eliminate funding for the review process and in turn block USPS’ plans to move processing centers.
The Cutting Edge
A Horse Matters
As most of you know, we lost our saddle horses that were at my parents ranch to the February 26 range fire. To us, they were more than just horses, we relied on them to have our backs when we needed them. My Dad’s horse, Pard, was the last young horse my Uncle Terry had before he was killed. My Dad bought him from my cousins. My youngest rode him the most in the beginning, she won the Logan County Rodeo Queen contest off of him as a three-year-old. He was just a great all-around ranch horse. My Dad planned on him being his last horse, as he was 11 at the time of his death and my Dad being in his 70’s he would last him as long as needed. Anyone could ride him, anyone could do about anything off him without having to worry. He could run out for months and you get him in and saddle him up and he was ready to go to work! My nephew also lost his horse Utah, he had a rough couple years, as he cut his foot severely, but with a lot of work and a lot of rest he was back to his old self. Luckily we had the other two horses in town at my place, so we still have Jack and though Jay is partially blind, he will live out his life with his seeing-eye ponies at my house.
Brewer told Granddad not to worry, we still had the ponies that we could use to brand with! Since they are mini’s I don’t think we will be dragging many calves with them, but we got a couple good replacements, and hopefully they will do us good!
I read this on FB the other day and had to share!
Baxter Black’s final
column: A horse matters.
I like living someplace where a horse matters.
There is just some country where horseback is the only way to get the job done. Places where the four-wheeler is a poor second, not to mention a noisy, track-leaving unnatural conveyance. Besides, it’s hard to throw a rope from.
Helicopters can spot and scare, if that’s what you need, but it’s helpless when you have to doctor a calf. It is a great feeling to be pushing a cow out of a mesquite thicket, packing a dude down the Grand Canyon or tracking a mountain lion on a high ridge, knowing you’re on the perfect tool for the job.
You look at a horse different when he’s on the payroll.
I like being a person to whom a horse matters.
It puts me in such good company, Robert E. Lee, Teddy Roosevelt, Rudyard Kipling, Ray Hunt, Queen Elizabeth, Jerry Diaz, Casey Tibbs, cowboys, Mongols, Gauchos, teamsters, Lipazzaners and vaqueros of all kinds.
Granted being a horse person doesn’t make me easier to get along with, better at spelling or richer. It simply gives me a direct connection to one of the most ancient, mutually beneficial interspecies relationships on the planet.
Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse, that is good for the inside of a man.”
I like being there when a horse matters.
When you can’t do the job alone; a cow in the bog, a race against time, a boulder to move, a detour to take, a mountain to cross, a crevice to leap, a war to win, a sweetheart to impress, or… when you’ve gone too far to walk back.
Shakespeare’s King Richard III said when fate hung in the balance, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”
I’ve also come to believe that you either are a horse person or you aren’t. Many who are, never know it because they never have the chance. It’s a primitive acceptance, often mutual. A lack of fear.
You see it in some children when they are first introduced to the horse. It always gives me a sense of wonder to be there and help them make their acquaintance. I believe the horse can sense the child’s innate trust. It is the beginning of a natural bond.
I count myself very lucky that I get to be a part of the wonderful world of horse sweat, soft noses, close calls and twilight on the trail.
I like living a life where a horse matters.
Kendra Cutler