Janet's Blog

Almost every fall, just as the leaves are showing off their vibrant colors, my daughter, Meagan, decides to take family pictures of her children and, of course, she wants at least one good picture that includes Andy and her, too. So, most years, I go along to Northfield Park (or wherever she decides to go) to help with crowd control and snap a few pictures of the whole family with her camera, after she sets it on the tripod and makes all of the necessary adjustments. I usually have to make a fool of myself in an attempt to get everyone to look at the camera, and maybe even smile, but the final results are certainly worth any momentary indignity.  Getting ready for the perfect family photo I love going along because, along with schlepping equipment from one promising spot to another, helping kids with wardrobe issues, and entertaining the little ones who are waiting their turn, I get to snap a few photos with my phone. Unfortunately, sometimes I get to do a little unintentional phot...

It was the first day the bridge was closed on the Scottsbluff/Gering Highway, and I told myself, as I climbed into my car, to remember to turn left at the stop sign. But, wouldn’t you know it, I turned right instead. And in the midst of my turning the wrong way, I started singing a line of music I had never heard before: “It’s gonna take some time to change my muddled mind.” I took that as a sign from God that it was time to write a new song. As I mulled that over, I realized that a lot of us are dealing with much harder changes than an annoying bridge closure.  I had to turn around and head towards this bridge instead,  one of only three others that crosses the North Platte River between Gering and Scottsbluff. Life has been difficult this year for many who have been dealing with accidents or injury, illness, retirement, grief, or one of numerous other unexpected struggles. It doesn't help that the world around us is evolving in ways we never thought possible, with drast...