Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
Congratulations Class of 2026
Graduation season is in full swing. Parshall held graduation ceremonies last weekend with New Town, NSP, Stanley and Powers Lake holding their graduation this weekend.
It is hard to believe that the school year is already coming to an end. For the parents of the Class of 2026 that may feel even more true as I remember how quickly that senior year seems to fly by. There is the “last” of everything that makes you feel nostalgic as you still look forward to what the future has to bring for your child.
For those parents, I share this quote I found on Facebook that is attributed to Mother Teresa. “You will teach them to fly, but they will not fly your flight. You will teach them to dream, but they will not dream your dream. You will teach them to live, but they will not live your life. Nevertheless, in every flight, in every life, in every dream, the print of the way you taught them will remain.”
To the Class of 2026: This class has so much potential. You are gifted, funny, smart and athletic. The future lies before you like an open book. The memories you have made in high school will take you into your future, wherever that may be. The friendships you have made, the connections you have formed and the foundation you have been given by your families will carry you on whether it is college, military or the workforce. Congratulations and we wish you the best!
As you graduate, hold your heads high! Know that you have accomplished much with the challenges put in front of you.
To the Class of 2026: We salute you! We applaud your determination and your successes! You are amazing. You are made stronger by the adversities you face. You are the Class of 2026.
So Very Thankful For The Rain
Having gotten most of the seasons in the past week, it has been more than a little exhausting for everyone. We started out with beautifully warm temperatures in the early stages of last week. I had my flip flops out and I was ready for summer. I wanted to get out and put flowers in my planter. I even had to convince myself to wait as I looked at the forecast on my phone. I knew it wasn’t going to be ideal yet. There were potential frost warnings and then there were the high wind warnings. I put in a few perennials because I know they can handle the cooler temperatures. The ones I planted are also a little lower to the ground and more sheltered from the wind.
Even with the warnings, I don’t think any of us were ready for Thursday. They said we were going to get high winds. I don’t recall them warning us about a return to the dust bowl years with the dust storms. I was sitting at my desk watching it get more and more hazy and I could see it coming. I regretted not going to the grocery store on Wednesday. I questioned a lot of my life choices that day as I tried to avoid being outside as much as possible.
Nothing could have prepared me for the pictures I saw throughout the day. I was even less prepared as I saw pictures from some of my farmer friends, showing how much of their top soil had ended up in the ditches.
I was also watching the forecast for possible rain. They were predicting it for days, likely because it has been so dry and they were just trying to give us hope. I watched the forecast for our area go from a trace to more than an inch and then back down again. The weathermen kept using that phrase “if it wobbles a bit, it will look different”.
I woke up about 5:00 on Sunday morning and looked at our weatherstation in the house. It showed that it was accumulating rain. By the time I got up for good, we had about a quarter of an inch or so showing. It was a soft, soaking rain that my gauge showed around .9 inches by the time it stopped on Sunday.
We are all grateful for the moisture. The farmers needed that moisture to help their crops grow. The fire departments will welcome the moisture to at least slow some of the fire danger. It may not stay lower for long, but every day helps. The sloughs will have gained some much needed runoff. My plants are happy. I swear I could almost hear them sighing with relief as the rain fell. I’ve watered them a few times, but nothing is as good as a soaking rain. They looked like they were standing a little taller and I think if I watched them long enough I would see them grow.
As I sit at my desk on Monday writing my column, it’s still cool outside and my phone is telling me there is a freeze warning overnight. Temperatures are supposed to start going up throughout the week. That will be nice, because like many in our communities I will be at state track Thursday through Saturday. I don’t mind if the temperatures stay in that sixties and seventies range. It might reduce my chances of getting a wicked sunburn. Being on the track at the Bowl in Bismarck can get mighty hot. Between the turf and the track, it seems to just pull in the sun and feel about ten degrees or more warmer than it actually is. Here’s hoping the wind isn’t too outrageous either, not just for me, but for all of the athletes as well.