By Gary Wamsley
Berthoud Recorder

The has been more of a stay at home than an around town week. Last week we had house guests. Complete strangers who moved in for three days. If you surmised that it had something to do with dogs, you would be correct. Perhaps we have become known as a place for whelping Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs or it may be that we are close to Melissa Culver, DVM.

Dr. Culver is revered in the Swissy community and the folks from Durango had lost most of their last litter from what they deemed improper vet care. The first puppy came at noon and after eight more hours; the monitoring service advised taking the dog to the vet. Dr. Culver managed to save two of the remaining three puppies. The next day the entourage checked out and we had the house to ourselves again.

We finally got a chance to work outside. The frequent rains have made it difficult to maintain the yard and garden. Shar spent her time weeding the garden while I mowed and attacked the other weeds with the sprayer.

I took a break from our work to take the Berthoud Garden Tour on Saturday. After seeing those beautifully kept landscapes, I didn’t know whether to just give up or dig into our yard with renewed vigor. It is somewhat more difficult to keep things in order when you live in the country. There is a lot more weed seed floating around, the soils are poor and the yard area is usually larger. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the back yard at the house on Bothun Road. It was like stepping into another world.

Master Gardner Rita Doherty has done an incredible job of landscaping a half-acre of ground. I sat in the shade for a while, just enjoying the view, before I walked around the yard. It was a fitting end to seeing the three lovely backyards in town and Gene Schleiger’s roses and manicured lawn on Breckenridge Drive. If you missed this event, you might be able to take the tour next year. After all, it was advertised as the First annual Garden Tour.

I don’t think many people missed the grand opening of the Lehman Printing Facility. The place was packed with people wanting to take the tour. It is quite an operation and the Lehman family is rightfully proud of it. Those big presses are very impressive.

The county roads were busy this weekend. Two wheeled vehicles seemed to be everywhere. The Berthoud Family Church, just north of Fire Station No. 2, was a major stop for the MS Bike Tour. I think at least half of the 3,200 riders were there when I stopped in on Saturday morning. They came back through town on Sunday and shared part of their route with a motorcycle poker run. Things have quieted down now, just the normal traffic going by.

I hope you have a pleasant holiday weekend and I’ll see you around town.