Wonderful, respectful Americans

In today’s political world we are treated to a never-ending cascade of back-biting decisive rhetoric. It come daily on TV and most of the rest of mainstream media and sadly social media can be worse. Fortunately for those of us who live in flyover country here in a more rural setting life isn’t that way.

Yes I, along with our California live-in guests, attended the Garrett Nokes celebration of life services along with over a thousand others. It was so appropriate that it was held in the Kiplinger Arena a fantastic asset for this area.

The crowd was respectfully hushed throughout the whole service. Occasionally a baby’s cries would be heard until shushed by its mother. Every once in a while a quiet nicker came from the half dozen or so horses respectfully tied in the background. Cowboy hats were the norm for the men but all were removed and placed over the owner’s heart when appropriate for prayer or the arrival and exit of the family party. No one gave directions to the crowd all just acted respectfully as Christians who came to honor the teacher, lover of all things rodeo, who was taken from us all too soon.

Yes, Garrett was of the protestant faith and the minister in charge Jeff Kelley pastors the church where the Nokes family are members. In a sense of unity however, Father Brethour of our local catholic church was given a part and he delivered extremely well. Both messages were in no way divisive but in a spirit of unity as is the day-to-day life of people in this area. It just comes natural our love for fellow men and women in the way that Jesus taught.

There is something good and positive for our youth that are given the task of caring for (daily chores) farm animals as they grow to adulthood. Every day those animals have to be fed and seen to it they have water and shelter. Those needs come before school, homework, meals and family interactions every day. We see it in those young people who participate in 4-H, FFA and other programs that involve the animal kingdom. For rodeo especially their horse has to be exercised and trained and trained and more training if the pair is going to be a success in the frequent competitions. That was where Garret shined correcting, suggesting and most of all encouraging his charges in their daily quest to ever better themselves.

Yes, Garrett will be missed but my long life experience tells me that someone or many will step into his boots and life will go on. It is like when I stick my finger into a glass of water then pull it out. It doesn’t leave a hole. Life goes on.

As always our weather has swung away from the bitter cold of the past week. Fortunately, we in this area didn’t have to experience the power failures, the frozen pipes the food and water shortages as did our fellow Americans in the state of Texas. In a bit in defense of the powers that be in Texas, one should understand that this cold event was the worst ever that has happened in that area during the whole of recorded history. When those in charge of a utility, such as the electrical grid evaluate the need to build or expand that decision is estimated to cover the worst conditions that could be reasonably expected. I’m sure that the Texans did exactly that but how does one plan for a spell of weather colder and more prolonged than has ever happened before?

Our liberal progressive politicians are in love of alternative energy sources that do not pollute. Those things like wind and solar to produce electricity. Any realist will observe that solar does not produce much electricity after the sun goes down. The wind doesn’t always reliably blow and any pilot that has to fly in icing conditions will tell you that wings and propellers like wind turbine blades will ice up and become useless in severe icing conditions. So with those unreliable alternative forms of producing power, it is necessary to provide backup sources of power to keep the grid functioning. For the greenies, cheap power production with coal is anathema due to carbon production (essential for plant life to thrive) so a large portion of those thermal plants were converted to run on natural gas of which Texas has a huge reserve. I understand that some of those natural gas plants flunked due to moisture in their pipelines, always present, froze and clogged the lines. Nuclear plants, the greens fear them too, had no such problems but are too few, there are two in Texas, and couldn’t handle the demand. Then too power transmission lines iced up and fell as did the lines south of Kearney several years ago closer to home.

Then, too, Texas attempts to control their max loads by varying the rate structure that is charged to customers. The greater each consumer’s demand the more it costs per kilowatt-hour. The higher prices encourage the consumer to temper his demand until the total load decreases. We do it a little differently here in this area. Obviously, our largest electrical load comes in summer during the irrigation season. Here the consumer has the choice of having his electrical irrigation pumps disconnected for a few hours as the load for the system approaches its peak in exchange for a lower rate to his meter if he so chooses.

You may have noticed that the local power-producing unit along the highway just north of McCook has been pushing out a column of dark exhaust. It is a diesel (maybe jet fuel) powered turbine engine much like those on airliners that was built as a standby power source when the electrical grid in this area was approaching its peak. It is rarely needed but works in winter just as well as during the peak of irrigation season in the heat of summer. Yeah, no rolling blackout. Aren’t you glad that you live here?

That is the way I saw it.

Dick Trail