Columns

Ever feel lost? Welcome to my life. Quite literally. Ever since I can remember, I’ve had trouble with directions and all things spatial. I described myself as geographically challenged. I can’t find my way out of a paper bag. I used to routinely get lost in a familiar mall. I thought it was normal. I was right, and wrong, at the same time. I am normal, but not like most people. My normal involves living with a condition called aphantasia, which is the inability to voluntarily create a mental picture – or map – in your head. People with aphantasia are unable to picture a scene, person, or object, even if it’s very familiar.  It took me until now to...

As a farmer, I know firsthand that good things take time. Every year, I plant my fields with crops like wheat, barley, peas, and saffron, and in July, August, and September, I harvest those crops and reap what I’ve sown. Writing laws is much the same – and this fall, after a long spring and...

Microchips surround us: essential components of everything  from our cell phones to dishwashers to automobiles and nearly all of life’s amenities. An unparalleled level of convenience and ease to various aspects of our lives depends on microchips. Just consider all the devices you interact with on...

When you’re losing the game, summon the commies. And conservative white America has been losing for quite some time — losing control of the future, that is. The good old days of unabated white supremacy aren’t coming back; racism can only maintain a public forum, and political relevance,...

In the early 1980s, while living in China, my wife and I got lost in an unfamiliar city. At the time our Chinese language skills were non-existent, so we couldn’t ask for directions, let alone understand the answers. It was hot and humid, and after four hours of wandering we were tired, hungry and dehy...

Art – for millennia every single culture has emphasized channeling precious time and resources to create objects of beauty. Such objects of affection have fulfilled many distinct purposes. Art has been displayed in religious contexts and ceremonies, political and governmental contexts to signify author...

In its most simple form, life is composed of beginnings, middles and endings.  Often much of our focus is on the beginning and endings. They are exciting. They are newness and the shredding of the old. They are the adrenaline rush of life.  We look forward to our first day on the job. We wait...

We are excited to present, “Meet the Library Apps” hosted by our Technology Librarian Sierra Ross. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. come meet Sierra and the library’s collection of websites and apps providing eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more. Sierra will introduce you to seven unique di...

Wildfires – almost an inescapable fact of life around the northwest. Every year thousands upon thousands of acres of forest go up in smoke in the waning months of summer. Powerful, shifting wind patterns move smoke hundreds of miles resulting in unpredictable air quality: clear skies one day and thick ...

Growing up in rural Utah, I had incredible public hunting opportunities just like so many in Montana have enjoyed for generations. I spent time with family and friends, pursuing mule deer and elk on both public and private lands in what were the defining moments of my upbringing.  That all changed wh...