Saturday, March 28, 2026
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Lettuce Eat Local: Time Keeps Marching On

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Guest Columnist
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Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

 

Every time I see it on the calendar, I simultaneously do two things: mentally recite “Spring forward, fall back”; and physically groan, for either action. Daylight Savings Time was mildly annoying before children, so now it’s really annoying. 

I probably write about it twice a year as its beginning and end come around on the calendar — but obviously the day that takes away an hour feels more notable and more like a personal affront. I’m trying to put out some sort of hopeful vibes I suppose, because theoretically each time I write about it could be the last time; I always hear rumors of slated legislation with the potential of nixing the whole thing. Alas and alack, it has not yet come to pass. 

To be fair, we are not a very regimented nor scheduled family, so I’m sure the effects of an hour’s capriciousness are far more dastardly on other households. But really, people. I’m an adult and I don’t sleep well if I don’t go to bed within the same half-hour window every night, so how are my kids’ tiny bodies supposed to just magically adapt? Obviously we stagger their bedtime in hopes of gentle transformation, but it’s always just off for a week or two…not to mention everyone else around us is trying the same thing, and attitudes themselves often are staggering around too. 

It doesn’t help that, although I don’t fully appreciate the comparisons when I’m pregnant or breastfeeding, cows and humans do have some similarities. Especially tiny humans who thrive on the safety of routine. Cows want to do the same thing at the same time every day, and you just try and tell them they should suddenly eat their breakfast or go do the things an hour earlier or later, because the government said so. 

The vitriol of my husband and the rest of the dairy-involved family towards Daylight Savings rubs off on me. Cows are heavy, and stubborn, and poop when they’re upset. Enough said. 

Now, I know I also hold some of these views because I am privileged to be a stay-at-home mom, married to a guy who works right outside the door, so neither of us have a morning commute. My oldest is only on the cusp of being old enough for school, and we are homeschooling for now at least, so again no morning commute’s safety to worry about. In fact, while we do get out and about a lot, the only morning of the week that we consistently have somewhere to be is Sunday…the day the time changes, of course. 

Typically, my children get up in puh-lenty of time to get ready for church. A day of rest or weekend sleeping in means nothing to children who see their allowed-to-get-up light has turned green; they have things to do. In fact, sometimes we get into more trouble on the Daylight Savings end that allots us an extra hour, because we get so distracted doing all the things and taking all the time that we actually run out of time. 

And chances are, this will be the one Sunday they decide to sleep in. Brian will have the same amount of morning chores, but with sassy cows who know it’s not time yet, so he’ll be late. Just in case, I’ll have grab-and-go breakfast muffins handy; perhaps they also can help later in the week as disrupted-schedule attitudes suffer. 

Really, I’m grumbling about a lot of nothing. But maybe, just maybe, it’s my last chance to complain about Daylight Savings Time, right? So I might as well. 

Brown Sugar Carrot Breakfast Muffins

My first thought for muffins for me and the kids would be banana and/or chocolate, which unfortunately would be Brian’s last thoughts. I’m not sure carrot bran is any more up his alley…but adding a smidge of peanut butter will at least help. Muffins are so nice to whip up since they usually just take a quick stir, something the kids are more than willing to help out with, and putting them in fun cupcake liners never hurts (that is, unless your two-year-old forgets to unwrap them). Within an hour of baking, Benson had two and asked for a third. 

Prep tips: it might look like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together so fast. Extras freeze well.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup wheat germ, preferably toasted

⅔ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup ground flax

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded carrot

1 cup whole milk

¾ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

Mix dry ingredients. Separately, mix liquid ingredients. Mix together. Transfer to paper-lined muffin tins (we got about a dozen each of regular-size and mini), and bake at 350° for about 15 minutes (10 minutes for minis). 

 

Lettuce Eat Local is a weekly local foods column by Amanda Miller, who lives in rural Reno County on the family dairy farm with her husband and two small children. She seeks to help build connections through food with her community, the earth, and the God who created it all. Send feedback and recipe ideas to [email protected].

Why Baxter Became A Poet (Best Of)

By
Lee Pitts
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lee pitts

I know you join me in saying that I sure do miss Baxter Black. He was the most interesting man I ever met and I always looked forward to his phone calls, his column and the many appearances I was fortunate to attend. I’m proud to have called him a close friend.

But there’s one thing I always wondered. Why someone who trained so long and worked so hard to become a doctor, a highly paid and distinguished veterinarian, would give it all up just to appear on the Chuck Woollery Show? The great mystery was solved for me when I ran into a couple of Baxter’s old running mates. They worked for Baxter when he was Dr. Black and after I promised to pay them royalties they explained why Baxter gave up the glamorous life of a veterinarian to become the greatest cowboy poet ever.

Dale and Earl worked with Baxter when they were all employed by J.R. Simplot based in Idaho. Dale and Earl were cowboys and Dr. Black was the distinguished veterinarian for the sprawling outfit. According to Earl, life for Baxter wasn’t always banquets and book signings. “Baxter put himself through vet college by giving haircuts, tooling beautiful leather belts and by playing his unique brand of music. Baxter would play for anybody who would listen,” recalled Earl. “Life was hard for the starving artist and he was forced to live on a steady diet of canned tomatoes and Black Velvet.”

Life didn’t get any easier once Bax got a Dr. in front of his name. “I remember one case in particular,” recalled Earl. “Our job that day was to treat 300 head of scouring calves and Baxter showed up for work sicker than the calves. He had the flu, I guess, either that or the wrong mixture of Velvet and tomatoes. On top of that he was trying to quit chewing. And to think a guy would give all that up just to become a regular on the Tonight Show, have female groupies throw their room keys at him and have people beg for his autograph. It must have been a real sacrifice on his part,” said Earl.

There were other instances during his ten years at Simplot that led Baxter to believe there was more to life than preg checking and foot rot. Like the time he was told to go out and worm the Palomino horse on one occasion and the sorrel on another. Then the bay and the roan. “When it was all over Baxter had wormed the same horse four times,” said Earl. “They all looked the same to him.”

Perhaps the episode that convinced Baxter that his real calling was on stage was during calving season on one of the Simplot Ranches. As Earl recalled, “The work was nonstop but like always, Baxter always made it a little more fun. He was always singing and entertaining even when we were working. He was a great guy to work for and there was plenty of work,” recalled Earl. “I’ll never forget the time we had a heifer that broke her pelvis trying to calve. Dr. Black saved her and for a month he nursed her back to health. A more dedicated Doctor you never saw. After a month of intensive care the heifer was improving steadily when another heifer broke her pelvis trying to calve. The boss, knowing how much time and energy Baxter had invested in saving the first heifer, told him that it was not worth the time and money and that Baxter should just shoot the latest heifer to split her pelvis.

“Of course this went against the grain of Baxter whose training had given him great respect for every living thing,” recalled Earl. “So it was with a heavy heart that Baxter got the gun and went out to the calving shed. Under his breath Baxter said “I’m sorry old gal.” He drew a bead with his well trained, diagnostic eye and then he pulled the trigger… and shot the wrong heifer! He had just killed the heifer he had spent an entire month doctoring back to health!”

It was shortly thereafter that Baxter decided to pursue a new line of work and both the animal kingdom, and all of us who loved him, were much better off because of it.

“The Best Age”

By
Dawn Phelps
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Dawn Phelps
Columnist

 

This past week several of the ladies in our community attended our monthly Tootle Time Tea at Tootle Books and Such in Miltonvale.  During our meetings, we eat goodies, drink a variety of teas from old teacups, and visit, sharing stories around a particular theme.  This time it was anything about birthdays—it is fun!

Anyway, the oldest lady who attended last Saturday was Marian, and she verbalized that she is now 92 and one-half years old!  She told us that she knows she cannot live forever, realizing her years may be limited, even though she is doing okay.  

Even though she is older, Marian is still very bright.  She is the leader of our Senior Citizens group, a great writer, and still drives.  She had driven herself to tea and intended to drive to Manhattan that day.

Marian told us of an encounter she had recently had with two young children.  She said one of them asked her, “How old are you?”  And she said she had replied, “How old do you think I am?”  And the child guessed, “A hundred?”

Then Marian asked the second child how old she thought she was, and the child questioningly replied, “99?” and we all laughed.  Then Marian proceeded to talk about how she knows she needs to get busy in order to get thing done since she knows her years are growing shorter.  Several others of us could relate to what she was saying.  

Marian’s thoughts that day reminded me of when our youngest grandson Will was four years old.  After Will, Tom, and I had watched a video that mentioned “the best age,” I asked Will, “What do you think is the best age?”  

Without hesitation, Will confidently answered “Six!”  I am not sure why he had such a spontaneous, decisive response, but he stuck with his answer that six is the best age.  Maybe, to him, six-year-olds are bigger, taller, more mature, when he could go to school.  Who knows?

But our conversation made me think about “my best age.”  Was it when I went to grade school?  Was it my first date?  Was I “sweet sixteen” or eighteen?  Twenty-one or the day I was married.

Best ages may vary widely from person to person, depending on our real-life experiences and the emotions and memories connected with the experiences.  So, what was “your best age?”  Think about it!  If you are still here on earth, you have had a “best age” or maybe you are still looking forward to that magical year.  

Kenny Chesney wrote the song “Don’t Blink” that reminds us of how fast those “best ages” can fly by.  In the song, an old man who had turned 102 was asked about his secret of life.

The old man replied, “All I can say is ‘Don’t blink.’”  And he continues, “Just like that you’re six years old, and you take a nap.  And you wake up, and you’re twenty-five, and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.”

If you are a “senior citizen,” you probably realize the truth to the message in the song.  If you are not a senior, just wait.  The years seem to fly by, day after day, month after month, and year after year.  And, yes, for me it seems the years are zooming by faster all the time.

In the second verse the old man advises to “start putting first things first.”  In my younger years I diligently kept the house immaculate, staying up late at night if needed, but my values have changed some as I have grown older.

After dealing with death up close with the death of a spouse, I now realize that housekeeping is necessary but not as important as it used to be.  Being with the people I love is more important.  Yes, jobs and money are important and necessary, but money cannot buy life, and good health wins over money.

It seems a shame that it may take an awakening, a crisis, to help us to see what is important in life.  Sometimes a crisis precipitates change and opens our eyes to “putting first things first.”

So, for me, it is still difficult to define the “best age” of my life—I have been blessed in so many ways.  I have a great family, many friends, live in a comfortable house, and have never been hungry.  I have visited some beautiful places, and I have loved and been loved—I have been blessed.

If you are reading this, I challenge you to stop a moment and think about an outstanding time in your life and why it may be your “best age.”  Above all, keep your eyes wide open because you might just miss something.  

As the song goes, “A hundred years goes faster than you think.  So, don’t blink.”   Live life deliberately and fully and make this year your “best age” ever. 

 

[email protected]

KDA Announces Webinar Series on Ag Workforce Topics

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Guest Columnist
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The Kansas Department of Agriculture and the Kansas Department of Commerce, in conjunction with the Nurture Kansas Agriculture Collaborative Coalition, announce the “Growing Strong Together” webinar series focused on workforce related topics specific to Kansas agricultural employers. The webinars will be offered at 7:00 a.m. Central time each Wednesday in March. There is no cost to participants.

The Nurture Kansas Agriculture Collaborative Coalition was established in 2021 to enhance the well-being of farmworkers and agricultural employers across Kansas by promoting access to essential services, fostering collaborative partnerships, and implementing effective outreach and educational initiatives. The NKA Collaborative Coalition, a collective effort of state and federal agencies, along with private industry, was created to address the unique challenges faced by farmworkers and to strengthen agricultural communities statewide.

The four webinars offered are as follows:

  • March 4 — KANSASWORKS Employer Services, Abigail Crandall, Kansas Department of Commerce
  • March 11 — The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Worker Protection Standard: Promoting Compliance and Workplace Safety, Jordan Galliher, Environmental Protection Agency Region 7
  • March 18 — Bridging the Gap: Retaining the Next Generation of Rural Workforce, Thomas Eisenbarth, Grounded Ag
  • March 25 — Wage and Hour Compliance under the H-2A Program, Cassie Stoner, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

“The sole focus of the webinar series is to help Kansas ag employers,” said Dana Ladner, KDA compliance education and workforce development coordinator.

Wendy Mongeau, state monitor advocate for the Workforce Services Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, added, “We want webinar participants to come away with insights and current information that will enable them to better support our state’s farmworkers and agricultural employers and the ag industry.”

Registration and more information on the individual webinars can be found at www.agriculture.ks.gov/workforce.

For more information, contact Dana Ladner at 785-564-6660 or [email protected].

When does daylight saving time begin in 2026?

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Guest Columnist
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Daylight saving time officially begins at 2 a.m. on March 8. Clocks at that time will be set forward one hour.

This means that sunrise and sunset will come one hour later that day.

When did daylight saving time end in 2025?

Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2025, the first Sunday of that month, when clocks were set back one hour.

This caused sunrise and sunset to each happen one hour earlier.

What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time is the part of the year where the majority of the United States advances its clock by one hour.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), this means the time of day in relation to where the Sun is above the Earth changes by one hour.

“This change helps keep the hours of daylight coordinated with the time that most people are active,” NIST said. “Proponents feel that this saves energy because in the spring and summer months more people may be outside in the evening and not using energy at home.”

When is the spring equinox in 2026?

The vernal equinox, marking the first day of spring, is at 9:46 a.m. CDT on March 20, 2026.

What state don’t have daylight saving time?

There are two states in the U.S. that don’t observe daylight saving time, Hawaii and Arizona, except areas of the Navajo Nation.

Additionally, the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands do not observe it.

How is daylight standard time regulated?

In the past, local policies and laws decided when daylight saving time began or if it was observed at all.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 set rules nationwide for the dates and regions that observe daylight saving time so transition times stayed the same throughout the country. The same bill also allows states to decide whether to practice daylight saving or not.

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees and regulates daylight saving time.

Permanent Daylight Saving Time bill introduced in Congress

At the start of 2025, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, introduced the Sunshine Protection Act and, which would make daylight saving time the new and permanent standard time for the U.S.

Since being introduced last year, the bill has made no movement in the House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate.

Similar bills have been introduced by the House and Senate four times since 2018, with the Senate passing it in 2022, but the House having it die in committee each time.

Has Kansas made changes to daylight saving time?

During the 2025 legislative session, Kansas Senator Kenny Titus, R-Manhattan, introduced a bill that would exempt the state from daylight saving time.

The same bill would have also allowed Kansas to move to permanent daylight saving time if the U.S. Congress established that nationwide.

That bill passed the Kansas Senate 33-7, but was stalled in committee in the Kansas House in 2025.

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