What we leave behind in Horse Creek

For more than 30 years, I have lived and ranched in the historic Horse Creek community of southeastern Wyoming. Today, three generations of my family work the same landscape together.

Like many Wyoming ranchers, I understand that change is inevitable. The question is not whether change will come. The question is what kind of Wyoming we will leave behind.

Horse Creek is more than a location on a map. It is a living community of ranching families, wildlife habitat, open space, and distinctive sandstone bluffs that have defined this landscape for generations.

Wyoming author and rancher Teresa Jordan captured the spirit of this country in her memoir Riding the White Horse Home. The Horse Creek and Iron Mountain landscapes she wrote about remain very much alive today.

Recently, while watching the sun set over Horse Creek, I was reminded of what is at stake. The sandstone bluffs glowed across the horizon much as they have for generations.

The proposed Laramie Range Wind Project would place turbines approaching 700 feet in height above those ridges and bluffs, permanently changing the character of the landscape.

People often focus on megawatts, tax revenue and jobs. Those considerations matter. But they do not measure the value of an unbroken horizon, dark skies, wildlife habitat, or a community’s sense of place.

Horse Creek is more than a project area.

It is a community.

It is a home.

It is part of Wyoming’s story.

And once its character is lost, we will never get it back.

Dave Berry, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Grandpa’s words of wisdom

My grandpa, Bill Janssen, both entered and exited this world on a farm. He was born in 1928 on his family farm in Illinois and died 98 years later on his farm in Colorado. Whether it was growing up during the Great Depression, serving in the Korean War, or a lifetime spent working the land, grandpa had a signature pragmatism that always recentered us on what truly mattered.

Before my most recent birthday, my husband asked grandpa to write down some advice for me as I get older. His response was simple and unmistakably him:
1. Be a stickler for taking care of your teeth — always brush before bed and use Listerine, floss and a Waterpik.

This surprised me the least. One of my earliest memories is debating with grandpa whether hot cocoa counted as eating after brushing your teeth. For the record, it does.
2. Wash your face upwards with the washcloth — this will help it stay young-looking.
Grandpa looked fantastic right up until the end, so it’s hard to argue with results.
3. Don’t frown – the wrinkles will stay there.
Grandpa had a great smile and an ability to find the bright side, even when things got comically bad.
4. Building character is important — be reliable.
Grandpa was proud of who I am now. He celebrated my accomplishments, encouraged me through challenges, and reminded me that recognizing others’ successes matters just as much as achieving our own.
5. Say thank you — you don’t know if you’ll get another chance.
In the last card I received from him, grandpa thanked me for making him look good.

In celebration of Bill Janssen, let’s all brush our teeth, care for our faces in the most anti-gravitational way possible, smile while being reliable, and say “thank you” to the people who helped make us who we are.

Shelby Reichman, Ault, Colo.