When Dee and I began our teaching careers in Stockton, we knew we had come to a very special place. The school system was second to none. Its administrators ran a tight ship, and the teachers were some of the most gifted and caring people we had ever met. And we can't say enough

THIS AND THAT * I watched a segment of a TV reality show, “Claim to Fame,” where the people participating are somehow related to an actor, singer, professional athlete, etc. The premise of the show is that each of the guests has to guess who the other people are related to with the last one standing winning $100,000.00.

Even though she is three years old, I still call Charley a puppy. She certainly still acts like one, especially one morning not too long ago when she was playing with a little frog. I was watching from a distance as I watered my flowers, but I suddenly realized what was going on, and I went over to her and tried to chase the little frogger away a bit faster. Charley was clearly wanting to make a point that I was spoiling her fun, so she quickly snapped at the small frog and then ran away from me. In just a matter of a few seconds, I saw Charley drop that frog, and almost immediately she began foaming at the mouth. Spitting, frothing, coughing, over and over, but still interested in where that blankety-blank frog was going. I quickly ran inside and grabbed my tablet, asking “what should I do when my dog picks up a frog and begins foaming out her mouth?” The first thing that popped up told all about this inevitable trick that frogs will do to get the last laugh when they feel threatened, and the information assured me that she would be alright; but if she continued to foam at the mouth after a couple of hours, I should take her to my pet vet. I stayed home with her for 30 minutes or so until I knew for sure that the foam factory had shut down. I’d like to think that Charley learned a lesson in this, but I would be giving her way too much credit because she was having a lot of fun with that little hoppy-toad.

* Just so you know, I am still recuperating from standing, screaming, jumping and singing by the stage when the band “Hairball” performed during the Wild West Fest in Hays. They were awesome and I loved every minute of it. I also saw Lonestar the night before. I very much appreciated that they came out on stage when scheduled even though there was a weather watch for that evening. They said they came to perform, and that is just what they did! Actually, it did rain a little during one or two of their songs, but that just made it all the more memorable.

Re: Kansas Elections Dear Editor: We have a Primary Election coming up on August 2nd, and early voting is already open. I have always understood a Primary Election to be intended for loyal party members to voice their opinion on who will represent their party in the General Election.

Way back in early spring, I was perusing an online ad for flower seeds, and on a whim, I ordered three packets of sunflower seeds in dazzling colors as they were shown: Red Wave, Italian White, and Bright Blue. I also ordered a packet of Sunflower Miniatures, traditional in appearance but only about a foot tall, that I wanted to plant around what used to be a windmill. The seeds were promised for early April arrival, and the seed company held true to their word as I received them April 8. But as I removed them from the package, I was totally flummoxed! In my package were four small plastic bags of seeds — no labels, no identification whatsoever, no way to know what was what. Now if I had planned to just scatter them in a flower bed, it wouldn’t have mattered. But I had a particular plan that I could picture clearly in my mind, and I just couldn’t understand why a reputable flower seed company would send out seeds without any type of labeling at all. Scratch that word “reputable!” I went back to the impressive confirmation email the company had sent, with little thumbnail photos of the flowers I had ordered, and at the bottom of the email I found the following message: “If you have any questions, reply to this email or contact us at info@GardenerStar.com.” So that’s what I did! I replied to the email and explained that I ordered certain colors because of a plan of how I wanted to plant these seeds, and I couldn’t proceed with that plan if I didn’t know which seeds would produce what flowers. I further commented that it didn’t make sense to sell flower seeds unmarked and that I probably would not be ordering from them in the future. A few days later I had a reply that, if I would take a photo of the seed packets, someone there could possibly identify them. So that’s what I did. I laid the four little packets of sunflower seeds on a white sheet of paper and took a picture, then sent that photo to them; and in just a couple of days, someone from the seed company replied by handwriting on my sheet of photos the names and identification of each seed packet.

Dear Editor: As we quickly approach the August 2 primary election, I want to thank our county election officials and poll workers who work tirelessly to ensure the security and integrity of our elections. Second, I want to remind voters they have multiple options for how to cast their ballot, including in-person on Election Day, advance in-person voting, and advance by mail ballot.

* Ah, Summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it! Russel Baker * In summer, the song sings itself. William Carlos Williams * Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose.

I've come to believe there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love roller coasters, aka “thrill rides,” and those who don't. I unapologetically fit in with the latter, and I proved it last week when we took our youngest grands to Silver Dollar City. But it was there I came to understand the power that our youngest granddaughter, Karsyn, age 10, and her not-so-little brother, Jackson, 7, have in working magic to get this Memaw to do things that I would never, ever-in-mylifetime do: that is to ride, not one, not two, but THREE “thrill” rides that I would never, ever-in-my-lifetime do.

* The Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.