mylocallife
Recent Articles
Events
Conservation District Working Group Meeting
The Goodland Management Unit, Sherman County, Cheyenne County, and Wallace County Conservation Districts will be hosting a Local Working Group (LWG) meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, at 10:00 am Mountain Standard Time /11:00 am Central Standard Time at 210 West 10th (USDA) Service Center in Goodland, KS.

The purpose of this meeting is to make recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist related to addressing natural resource concerns at a local l
News
Thermal Greenhouse
Kriss Harris is has built a small thermal green house that is growing healthy greens this early in the year. Rich healthy greens are wonderful through the spring and summer and even more of a delight in the middle of winter. The greenhouse is small, was built with scrap material and only 4 feet deep but is working very well. It goes to show how we can supplement our diet and health with just a little effort. One way to counter the effects of chemicals in our air, water and soil is to strengthen
Events
KDA Offers Farmers’ Market and Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Workshop Series
For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2023

Media please contact:
Heather Lansdowne
785-564-6706
AgMedia@ks.gov

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) will offer virtual workshops February 6-10, 2023, to assist farmers' market vendors and managers, and also for those wanting to sell food products directly to consumers. The workshop series includes five online Lunch and Learn sessions.

"Over the past two years, we
Events
Job's Daughter's Cupcake Decorating Challenge
On Sunday, Feb 19th @ 1 pm, our local Bethel of Job's Daughters will be holding a cupcake decorating challenge.

If you think you have decorating skills and want to flex those skills for a cash prize, this is your event.

Gather your team of 2-3 people, ages 12 - 18, and register to show off your cupcake decorating skills and win cash prizes. The cash prizes are for the top 3 teams whose entries are picked by the judges to be the best.

The event will be held at the Saint Francis Mason
Events
The start of winter Farmer's Markets, and just in time for Christmas
On Saturday, December 17th, there will be a Farmer's Market held at 218 West Washington St. From 10 until 2.

The Farmer's Market Board has responded to multiple requests from vendors and customers alike with plans to hold Farmer's Markets once a month through the off-season (October through May). The first being on the 17th of December, in hopes of making available vendor's product you may want to give as Christmas presents.

Moving forward, there will be a Farmer's Mark
News
Western Prairie Food Farm and Community Alliance among 11 councils selected to participate in nationwide community of practice to advance regional approaches to food system policy
November 8, 2022

Western Prairie Food Farm and Community Alliance has been selected to participate in a community of practice focused on regional food systems development. After a thorough review of over 50 applications by a team of project organizers, 11 food policy councils from across the country were selected for the 18-month project, reflecting a diversity of approaches to regional food systems work. Regional food policy councils are collaborative groups that seek to address food-related
Spotlight On...
Urban Agriculture
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

Urban agriculture, urban farming, or urban gardening is cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. An urban area is the region surrounding a city. "Urban area" can refer to towns, cities, and suburbs. Urban agriculture is also the term used for animal husbandry, aquaculture, urban bee keeping, and horticulture.
Urban farming is a local food system where food is produced within an urban are
News
202 on Washington Project
TAX CREDIT OPPORTUNITY

Cheyenne Center for Creativity has been awarded $75,000 in CSP tax credits by the Department of Commerce.

This is a great opportunity for our community! When you donate to the 202 on Washington Project, you will receive tax credits equal to 70% of your donation.

These donations will be used for Phase II of the project: renovation of the 3000 square foot area to develop a much-needed community event center.

Donations can be mailed to:
202 on Washington Project
News
USDA Announces Framework for Shoring Up the Food Supply Chain and Transforming the Food System to Be Fairer, More Competitive, More Resilient
USDA efforts to create more and better markets will benefit both producers and American consumers through fairer prices, as well as address longstanding issues intensified by pandemic

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing details of a framework to transform the food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers. Today's announcem
News
Thermal Greenhouse
Kriss Harris is has built a small thermal green house that is growing healthy greens this early in the year. Rich healthy greens are wonderful through the spring and summer and even more of a delight in the middle of winter. The greenhouse is small, was built with scrap material and only 4 feet deep but is working very well. It goes to show how we can supplement our diet and health with just a little effort. One way to counter the effects of chemicals in our air, water and soil is to strengthen
Western Prairie Food Farm and Community Alliance among 11 councils selected to participate in nationwide community of practice to advance regional approaches to food system policy
November 8, 2022

Western Prairie Food Farm and Community Alliance has been selected to participate in a community of practice focused on regional food systems development. After a thorough review of over 50 applications by a team of project organizers, 11 food policy councils from across the country were selected for the 18-month project, reflecting a diversity of approaches to regional food systems work. Regional food policy councils are collaborative groups that seek to address food-related
202 on Washington Project
TAX CREDIT OPPORTUNITY

Cheyenne Center for Creativity has been awarded $75,000 in CSP tax credits by the Department of Commerce.

This is a great opportunity for our community! When you donate to the 202 on Washington Project, you will receive tax credits equal to 70% of your donation.

These donations will be used for Phase II of the project: renovation of the 3000 square foot area to develop a much-needed community event center.

Donations can be mailed to:
202 on Washington Project
USDA Announces Framework for Shoring Up the Food Supply Chain and Transforming the Food System to Be Fairer, More Competitive, More Resilient
USDA efforts to create more and better markets will benefit both producers and American consumers through fairer prices, as well as address longstanding issues intensified by pandemic

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing details of a framework to transform the food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers. Today's announcem
Spotlight On...
Urban Agriculture
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

Urban agriculture, urban farming, or urban gardening is cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. An urban area is the region surrounding a city. "Urban area" can refer to towns, cities, and suburbs. Urban agriculture is also the term used for animal husbandry, aquaculture, urban bee keeping, and horticulture.
Urban farming is a local food system where food is produced within an urban are
Prairie Strips (Contour Grass Buffer Strips)
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

Contour grass buffer strips are narrow strips of perennial vegetation alternated down the slope with wider cropped strips that are farmed on the contour. Contour grass strips are used on cropland with potential for sheet and rill erosion. Many times, grass buffer strips are used in combination with terraces. The grass buffer strips are typically used below terraces where land slopes are less than 4 to 5 percent. Grass buffers work b
Benefits of Livestock Manure
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

Livestock manure has many benefits when used to supply nutrients for crop production. Livestock manure is a source of many key nutrients needed by crop plants. The nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, calcium, and micro-nutrients. Manure added to crop soil impacts the chemical, biological, and physical aspects of soil quality. Livestock manure is useful to replenish nutrients removed from soil by
Playa Wetland
What is a playa? Playas are small, shallow, intermittent wetlands that are disconnected from rivers, streams and lakes. They only fill with water as a result of rain, snow or runoff from nearby land. Playas can remain filled with water from a month to all season long. Kansas has nearly 22,000 playas. They are in the western half of the state. Playas are also called mud holes, buffalo wallows or lagoons.

Wetland playas have the general characteristics: soggy soils, water-loving plants,
Events
Conservation District Working Group Meeting
The Goodland Management Unit, Sherman County, Cheyenne County, and Wallace County Conservation Districts will be hosting a Local Working Group (LWG) meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, at 10:00 am Mountain Standard Time /11:00 am Central Standard Time at 210 West 10th (USDA) Service Center in Goodland, KS.

The purpose of this meeting is to make recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist related to addressing natural resource concerns at a local l
KDA Offers Farmers’ Market and Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Workshop Series
For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2023

Media please contact:
Heather Lansdowne
785-564-6706
AgMedia@ks.gov

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) will offer virtual workshops February 6-10, 2023, to assist farmers' market vendors and managers, and also for those wanting to sell food products directly to consumers. The workshop series includes five online Lunch and Learn sessions.

"Over the past two years, we
Job's Daughter's Cupcake Decorating Challenge
On Sunday, Feb 19th @ 1 pm, our local Bethel of Job's Daughters will be holding a cupcake decorating challenge.

If you think you have decorating skills and want to flex those skills for a cash prize, this is your event.

Gather your team of 2-3 people, ages 12 - 18, and register to show off your cupcake decorating skills and win cash prizes. The cash prizes are for the top 3 teams whose entries are picked by the judges to be the best.

The event will be held at the Saint Francis Mason
The Arts
The Dust Jackets at Fresh 7
Had the pleasure to see and hear the Dustjackets at Union Square in St Francis last Saturday. Had a wonderful time and the music was great! They are a Folk/Americana band that included a little rock and roll, blues, country, bluegrass, even a little jazz. Union Square is fantastic venue, complete with coffee, a variety of liquor beverages (I had saki, yum) munchies and ambiance galore. Lots of people showed up to get down to the music. Union square is a center for good times in our little town.
Local Artist Exhibits This Spring
Re-posted for Margaret Lister

Allison Grice's exhibit of photography and graphic design has opened at Quincy Gallery with a reception on March 2nd.

Ms Grice, a St Francis native, is well known here as an exceptionally talented artist with wide range of interests. Over the years, though, it is photography that has allowed her to share her heart.

Whether it's a rusty old pickup or wheat blowing in the breeze against a sunset, Ms Grice's photography shows her love of nature and
A Review Of...
Practical Qabalah Lesson 5 Tree in Yesod 6 - Ego
On the original Tree of Life the sixth sepheroth is Tipheret; Harmony, Beauty, The Higher Self. On the tree in Yesod the sixth sepheroth is Ego. From the perspective of these analyzes, the Self, or Higher Self, is you as a unique aspect of the Whole. All that is, is merely a focused personification of an aspect of the One. From a human to a fly, from an atom to a universe, from A sharp to G. Your Self is the personification of a single aspect of the One. It needs to be cherished and respected. T
Practical Qabalah Lesson 4 Tree in Yesod 7 – Mirror
The underlying premise for these lessons is that the Original One says ‘I Am’, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘I Am That I Am’; meaning: Consciousness, Reflection, and Expansion. The Expansion creates vibrational reality and a means to interact and create and is ruled by the mathematical relationship of the Golden Mean1. Seeking out the Reflection denotes will and duality and is ruled by the square root of 22. And Consciousness is the foundation of reality as we are able to perceive it and is ruled
Practical Qabalah, Lesson 3: The Trickster
Qabalistically speaking, this chapter focuses on Hod in Yesod or the Intellect in the Subconscious. The nature of the intellect is to analyze the mechanics of its environment. This is a very fulfilling enterprise. It gives a sense of purpose, innovation and accomplishment. Over time it produces a nice cozy feeling and eventually, complacency and stagnation. The Trickster is there to make sure that doesn’t happen. He throws a wrench into the works. He reminds the Subconscious that there are m
Practical Qabalah, Lesson 2, Child and Shadow
Each Sepheroth on the original tree has a tree within it. In the Sepheroth designated Yesod, or ‘Subconscious,’ aspects of the subconscious are separated out so that each aspect can be examined, learned and applied in dealing with the other aspects. These are your tools and how they can be used. They could be compared to Carl Jung’s archetypes1 but I think of them more as personifications of the Original Whole’s mental possibilities. This takes it out of the realm of collective unconsci
Tech
Eagle Communications broadband upgrade a go in St. Francis
ST. FRANCIS — Eagle Communications announced this week a major milestone had been reached in the planned broadband upgrades project in the community of St. Francis, a move that will bring high-speed internet access to residents and businesses.

Eagle, working alongside with the St. Francis Internet Committee volunteers, reached 210 early signups, meaning the upgrade will proceed as planned.

"The support of the community of St. Francis has been simply amazing,' said Travis Kohlrus,
Video of an unexplained object, moving in the skies above Cheyenne Co, KS
Posted for Ray Alcott

After seeing the 4-28-17 video of the object moving across the moon, @ http://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/2017/04/ufo-caught-moving-across-moon-baffles-viewers.html it reminded me of a similar video I had shot on 10-22-14 north of St. Francis, KS at sunset. If it wasn’t for that post I wouldn’t have posted this—however both videos to me look as if they are related somehow???

It was worth a post

Camera Zoom was 20X & the video is 500% of normal speed
Your Eagle Fiber-Optic Internet Questions Answered - 4/11/17 Edition
Since going public with the plans for the Fiber to the Premises project, it has been the goal of the St Francis Internet Committee to get as much information as possible out to the people of St Francis. We have been talking out details with Eagle for a long time, and talking with many of you about those details, trying to get you as excited about fiber-optics as we all are.

A Fiber Internet infrastructure in St Francis will greatly increase your internet speed. And by 'greatly' I mean
Truly high speed internet in St Francis
We in St Francis have an opportunity to have truly high speed internet. To clarify, by high speed I mean speeds that most cities have not achieved, and are currently fighting to get. A physical, hard line, fiber-optic connection to every customer, business and residential. The max bandwidth being offered to any individual customer is 1 gigabyte per second (1000 mb/s), which is honestly more than many of our systems can handle. With bandwidth options starting at 25 mb/s (which is 10x more than I
Recipes
Asparagus
Asparagus (scientific name Asparagus officinalis) is a perennial flowering plant that has been used as a food and medicine since as far back as 3,000 B.C. Many early cultures imbued it with aphrodisiac properties.1 Today, asparagus is recognized as an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, with few calories or sodium. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the amount of each vitamin offered in a serving of asparagus as a percentage of reference daily intakes (RDI) break down as follows:
The benifits of Tumeric
Tumeric is a wonderful spice and aids in the control of many problems. Studies show that turmeric may help fight Infections and some Cancers, reduce Inflammation, and treat Digestive problems.
Turmeric has been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an Anti-inflammatory, to treat Digestive and Liver problems, Skin diseases, and Wounds.

Curcumin is also a powerful Antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge molecules in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with
Words and stuff for people n junk
A stopped moment in time reveals just how bad our children are in the classroom
Wandering the halls of St. Francis Elementary with a video camera, because what else would I be doing @ 3pm on a Tuesday, I happened upon Ms. Moree's 4th grade classroom. In which everyone seemed to be frozen in time. Unable to move and hide what they were doing, I was able to briefly glimpse the true nature of craziness, of disregard of order, of chaos.

You must just see for yourself the destruction and the mayhem in the video.

I will not use this video as a platform to talk about how
Infestation!!!
Each year, at the end of October, during the migration of sports stars, princesses, zombies, and super heroes from the warm grasslands of Summerfun, to the cooler, dead leaf covered grounds of Snickers-O-Plenty, St. Francis faces a day of glitter and face paint inundation. A tsunami of cuteness and terror, of purple wigs and blood we all must withstand, and none of us are truly prepared for.

The migrating swarm landed and worked it's way down Main street this morning, and the townsfolk pr
Legal
Amendments to the Kansas amusement ride act which could affect carnival rides at the fair.
House Bill 2389 is scheduled to be heard, I think on Thursday and Friday in Topeka. This may or may not affect the carnival rides at the fair, but looks like it may. I would suggest people contact Representative Adam Smith and maybe e-mail any concerns, so this doesn't have a negative affect on the community.

Here is a link to the information page on the Kansas Legislature site:
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/hb2389/

March 23, 2017

The Honorable John Barker, Chai
Cheyenne County Budget - Detailed
I got the detailed budget to better understand the county budget summary in the paper. It explains the receipts and expenses in detail so I'm passing them on to you. I did not reproduce the detail of line items in the General Fund. The 2014 fiscal paperwork has been has been completed by the auditors and includes another level to the already complex accounting system. The level of ACTUAL, though official for 2014 is not yet official for 2015. So the ACTUAL is still vague for the moment. Ques
Notice of Budget Hearing
The governing body of Cheyenne County will meet on August 31, 2016 at 9:00am at Cheyenne Courthouse for the purpose of hearing and answering objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed use of all funds and the amount of ad valorem tax. Detailed budget information is available at County Clerk's Office and will be available at this hearing.

Budget Summary
Proposed budget 2017 Expenditures and Amount of 2016 Ad Valorem Tax establish the maximum limits of the 2017 budget. Estimated tax
My Opinion
CCDC and WKREDA needs your input
CCDC (Cheyenne Community Development Corporation) belongs to WKREDA, an Economic Development Organization with membership in 55 counties in Western Kansas. We are having a meeting on July 28th, and have been asked to provide some information from local residents.

Please respond with the area/city you live in and answer the following without regard to money or practicality:
What are the top 3 things your town needs?
1.
2.
3.
Where do you live?

Thank you for your responses.

Please s
THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT – A FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE
By: Mark Winne

NEWSLETTER FOR 06/15/2020

THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT – A FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE [3]

Now my dears, said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.
_The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Nature is out of balance, teetering toward an unsavory resolution that may, in fact, be revenge for the abuses that humans have h
Career Cruising
I have just read the article 'Principal Matters' in the 9/22/16 St Francis Herald. There have certainly been career development programs in high school up till now. The difference between this program and preceding programs is that this one is mandatory.

Up till now, if a kid wanted to wait until a year or two after high school to find his or her true calling he/she could. If it turns out he was to be starving poet then our world will have found another midwife of truth. If she was t
Sports
Local adrenaline junkie will close store a day early this weekend for an extended adrenaline fueled bender
Local adrenaline addict and motorcycle enthusiast, Kale Dankenbring, says he will shut down his store on Friday to participate in the LAST round of the MRA Racing Championship at High Plains Raceway!! He will be there Friday thru Sunday.

If you plan on meeting him there at the High Plains Raceway, either for an intervention, or if you just want to watch him pump his veins full of adrenaline, 1/2 price tickets available at HPM or the St.Francis Motorcycle Museum.
Photo Show
Rangeland Fencing
Written By Fred Wedel, retired NRCS District Conservationist
Photos By Cale Rieger, NRCS Natural Resource Specialist

Proper fence is needed for grazing livestock in a rotational grazing system. As mentioned before, a rest-rotation grazing system is essential for properly managing grazing systems in the western Kansas area of short grass and mid-grass prairie.

Many perimeter fences are 3 or 4 strands of barbed wire. Interior cross-fences are usually a single smooth wire. The interior fe
WHAT ARE COVER CROPS?
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

What are cover crops? Cover crops are grown for the protection and enrichment of the soil. In Agriculture, cover crops are used to cover and protect the soil rather than to be harvested.

Cover crops are used to manage cropland and reduce soil erosion, improve soil fertility, improve soil quality, improve water storage, reduce pressure from weeds, pests and diseases, and improve biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem.

Future Leadership Training Classes in Cheyenne County
There is a group of leaders in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Sherman and Thomas Counties that held discussions with K State Extension, Hansen Foundation and the Kansas Leadership Center regarding support for establishing sustainable leadership programs in these four counties. The first Community Builders class was held in Cheyenne County in 2007 and the last of four classes was held nine years ago in 2012. Close to 80 county residents participated in these classes. The original eight trainers have eithe