Alongside my driveway stands my favorite tree, a giant, gnarly cottonwood. As you approach our house, the lone cottonwood towers over all the other trees and serves a s guidepost to our location. We’ve planted many trees since we moved into our house nearly 20 years ago, but this tree continues to dominate the landscape.
I often look at the giant cottonwood and wonder if it was planted intentionally or it was a seedling from another tree. I wonder about all the families who have sat in its shade or cursed the cotton floating through the air each spring. I wonder who takes the time to enjoy the rustle of the cottonwood leaves, a sound I can name in less than three notes. (Yes, I’m dating myself but who didn’t love Name That Tune?)
And while the tree has several dead branches, I cannot bring myself to cut it down.
Instead, I have learned over the years not to park my vehicle near the tree if there is any forecast of severe weather. If I pass a car dealership on the way home and see that all the vehicles have been moved inside for the night, I know to avoid the cottonwood.
As the winds reached hurricane strength earlier this week, I wondered if the tree could withstand the onslaught. But the next morning, just a few leaves and twigs were scattered around our yard. Most likely, that tree is going to outlast me.
Not the same could be said about many of the trees around our community. As I biked into McCook, tree branches littered the shoulder of the highway. leaves filled the gutters and entire trees were uprooted. Many hours and days were going to be spent cleaning up the damage done to the trees in our community and appraising the property damage.
Yet, no one proposes getting rid of all our trees because they are a little bit of work or that they could cause damage to our property. Instead, the branches are removed, the leaves are swept up and most likely, new trees will be replanted in their place.
Trees play an important role in our society. They provide beauty and shelter and resources.
But they also fulfill another important role: they provide hope.
Simply put, they inspire people. Hence, the reason there are so many quotes about trees.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
“He who plants a tree, plants hope.”
“He who plants trees loves other besides himself.”
But perhaps my favorite is “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
Earlier this summer, I tried to explain to our intern, Lexi, what the McCook Community Foundation Fund does. I returned again and again to this quote because we should be thinking not only about what needs to be done today, but what we can do to make an impact down the road, to improve something that we may never know about, or to change someone’s life for the better whom we may not even know nor never meet.
Whether it is literally replacing the trees lost earlier this week because of the storms or whether you are “planting trees” through various projects around the community, we need to remember that we are doing this for our community, for our future, for our kids and ultimately, for their kids.
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
