Inner Strength We were traveling last week, and I plan on filling y’all in on how that went as we took our two youngest grandkids camping at Silver Dollar City: amid record-high gas prices and potentially record-high heat. And, yes, I have lost the last marble in my wee brain as it just rolled down into the air conditioning vent.

4TH OF JULY! * By signing the Declaration of Independence, the fifty-six Americans pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor It was no idle pledge…..Nine signers died of wounds during the Revolutionary War, five were captured or imprisoned. Wives and children were killed, jailed, mistreated or left penniless.

The theme of the 2022 Symphony in the Flint Hills Signature Event was, ironically, “Weather in the Flint Hills.” It had been three years since we had last been to the Symphony concert out on the Kansas prairie, and we were so eager to go again. Apparently, so were the more than 7,000 others in attendance.

THIS AND THAT * Thank you from my heart to those who sent cards and offered words of sympathy after the loss of my brother. * America without soldiers would be like God without His angels.

Kansas was recently ranked as the “least beautiful state” by the food and travel website Thrillist.

FOR MY BROTHER “Time for me to fly Oh, I've got to set myself free. Time for me to fly And that's just how it's got to be.

Here at the Sentinel, we have experienced the loss of a dear, sweet friend. Our big yellow cat became very sick with bladder cancer, and the humane thing of putting him to sleep was the only choice.

* Sad News….Actor Ray Liotta has passed away. My favorite movies he starred in are “Operation Dumbo Drop” and “Field of Dreams.” * Passing this along… “I’ve been to a lot of places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots.

Dear Sentinel: It’s almost time to renew my subscription. Enjoyed the Cooper Barber Shop article, brought back many memories.

Gun violence and school shootings are a uniquely American epidemic. Sandy Hook Promise is shining a light on these vital facts and statistics.