Today’s Wyoming is not your grandfather’s Wyoming. Or even your father’s Wyoming.

         Our state’s economy has changed dramatically in the last 10 years.

During that amazing energy boom  from 2002 to 2007 which I dubbed “Wyoming’s Golden Age,” the policies designed for long-term growth were created by governors and legislators and put into place. And they worked.

         Wyoming’s economy heading into 2014 is a prosperous and optimistic job-creating colossus. It is changing the face of its economy and altering its future forever.  The curse of the  predictable boom-bust cycle which rears its ugly head every quarter century or so will not visit our state any time in the foreseeable future.

It could be said that the Wyoming in 2014 will not look much different from 2013, but we need to take note of how much our great state has changed in a positive way over the last ten years.

         Wyoming’s number-one industry of energy production (coal, oil, natural gas, uranium) is  maintaining its steady growth pace. 

Our number-two industry, tourism, has exploded. Visitors from all over the world love to come here. Our hospitality industry  has hired the workers and built the facilities to cater to these hordes of gawkers.

         A third sector is the one that deserves the biggest hooray – the growth in non-energy jobs and non-tourism jobs all across Wyoming. Since 2004, the Wyoming Business Council’s Business Ready Community program has invested a quarter of a billion dollars in our cities and towns. The results are  remarkable.

         According to the WBC, more than 3,000 jobs have been created directly with another 1,000 jobs created to service them. Plus  another 600 jobs were created by the challenge loan program.

         Perhaps more importantly, these cities and towns  now have the infrastructure in place to continue to be job incubators in their communities.

         In 2013, I criss-crossed the state promoting my statewide book, traveling  24,000 miles. Although I was  definitely not running for any office, this effort often felt like a political campaign. After visiting  30 cities and towns and speaking with  a thousand people, it was easy to come to  some conclusions. As a keen observer of all things Wyoming, I came up with these generalizations:

         First, I cannot recall a town or city that did not  “feel” prosperous. The few empty storefronts that we encountered were viewed as assets as local leaders saw them as opportunities for new businesses.

         Second, nary was a discouraging word heard. People are optimistic. There were a few remarks about how some loans were more difficult to get than they used to be, but overall it was easy to see that people are investing in their communities and showing optimism.

         Third, many folks are not statewide-oriented. They pretty much thought their community or their county or their region may have been unique in experiencing this economic upsurge. A lot of folks were oblivious  this is happening all across the state.

         With the help of  my statewide network of friends, I put a list of just a few of the optimistic job-creating situations that we encountered around the state. For example:

         Lander is booming thanks to Fremont Motors, Rocky Mountain Oncology and Wyoming Catholic College, while Riverton has Hi-Mountain Jerky, Cerento and Legacy Molding.

         Cheyenne is literally going nuts. You start with the NCAR computer, Microsoft Data Systems, Green House Data, and keep on going. Puma Steel is a growing enterprise.  There is no end to what is happening in the capital city.

         Casper is still energy-oriented but the McMurrys are providing leadership, most recently with proposals to convert an old refinery site.

         Laramie has Cirrus Skypark, Western Research Institute and UL/IDEs as just a few of their job creators. Trihydro has become a huge engineering force  in the region.

         Gillette’s L&H Industrial is doing work all over the world.

         Rock Springs/Green River businesses are still focused on energy and trona mining but new enterprises are starting up almost daily.

         Worland has Admiral Beverage as an anchor industry and continues to be the focal point for business centered in the Big Horn Basin.

         Cody has Wyoming Authentic Products while Powell has Gluten Free Oats.

         In Rawlins, the Kasper Oil Company has created a big service business through its convenience stores.

         In Sheridan/Buffalo we have Wyoming Woolen Mills plus another L&H installation.

         This is just a tiny murmur of what is going on across our vast 98,000 square-mile state. Looks like pretty much of a boom time in all business sectors in the land of High Altitudes, Low Multitudes.

         As 2013 winds down, it makes sense to look back at what kind of items were featured in this statewide column.

         Funniest item I wrote about in 2013 was the California woman calling the Fremont County Sheriff’s office and complaining about how much cleavage was being shown by their female deputies.

         Since Sheriff Skip Hornecker has only one female deputy patrolman, this was a big mystery until it was determined the gal had been watching the TV show Longmire. The female lead on that show is blond Katie Sackhoff, who definitely is not wearing a protective vest and, yes, she seems to always have an extra button unbuttoned on her blouse.

         That TV series, based on books by Craig Johnson, Ucross, is an enormous hit. The town of Buffalo even invited all the cast to a special Longmire Days event.

         Crime-wise, the biggest story for me was the solving of a 33-year old mystery of what had happened to Virginia Uden and her two sons. Her ex-husband finally admitted to this horrific crime. This will be subject of a future column.

         Lots of great books were written in 2013 but I got personally involved with Rodger McDaniel’s story about Lester Hunt, a former Wyoming governor and U. S. Senator who committed suicide in 1953. I even got to play investigative reporter Drew Pearson (circa-1953) in a couple of versions of the trial Rodger wrote. I predict this could be a movie or at least an off-Broadway play.

         In recent years, this column has veered away from its original political bent to cover all things Wyoming. But in 2013, we wrote about the challenge Liz Cheney is launching against senior Sen. Mike Enzi.

         As the best-known “duck whisperer” in the state, I used that analogy to describe Liz as a “cold duck” who had Sen. Enzi in her sights, whom I called a “sitting duck,” in her opinion only. 

On the national stage, this continues to probably be the biggest story to come out of Wyoming. It will continue through to August of 2014, no doubt. Alas, more columns may be coming.  

Also using this ducky approach was my characterization of Wyoming State Supt. of Public Instruction Cindy Hill as “daffy duck.” As the legislature kicks off its budget session, we will be hearing more about what this spat is all about.

This was a huge news story through most of 2013 but certainly slowed down during the recent holiday season. It will fire up again, I predict.probably not with a duck slant.

         Energy was a big topic in 2013 as we are watching President Barack Obama try to destroy the coal industry in our state. He believes in man-caused global warming. Lots of folks agree with cleaning up the environment and our coal is target number-one. 

         Climate change appears to be real, at least to me, as I whined on these pages in 2013 about all of our blizzards in April and then also in October. Heck, winter is fine in Wyoming.  Spring and Fall can be a real test, though.

         In November I wrote about a concept called “heal up, hair over” which described how we could use more civility in the way we all get along. Some folks here in the friendliest state in America have been acting a little prickly lately and that was a great theme for the Wyoming Business Alliance annual forum.

         What we are seeing on the national stage when it comes to gridlock is certainly not something to aspire to.

         In 2013, I celebrated my 10^th anniversary of writing a statewide column. More newspapers and news outlets than ever are running it and we are very pleased about it.

         As I traveled Wyoming for various book signings in the last year, it has been overwhelming to hear the nice compliments from people all across the state who read this column on a regular basis.

         Highest compliment came from Suzanne Young of Jackson who said I was Wyoming’s Herb Caen and Mike Royko rolled into one. High praise. It is humbling to even be mentioned in the same breath as those icons, both of whom died in 1997. Caen worked in San Francisco and Royko in Chicago. Both men are way out of my league but it was very nice of Suzanne to mention me in the same sentence.

         At last count this column is often exposed to nearly140,000 readers each and every week, which is amazing. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

         There are many groups of people in Wyoming who could use a little nudge of assistance at this time of year. Two types that come to mind are the under-employed and the unemployed.

         The former are the folks who serve us our food at the neighborhood restaurant or the guy or gal at the counter of the local convenience store or working at a myriad of odd jobs all around us. 

         The dispositions of these folks are amazing. In the face of daunting financial difficulties, they still go to work and they keep everything going.

         Modern-day Christmas is expensive. And it is tough when you don’t have enough money or are a single parent or if you have dealt with recent employment problems.

         This season can be such a time of great excess when it comes to gift giving, it is often a miracle if these folks on the margins are able to provide simple gifts to their loved ones.

         This holiday season is a wonderful time to pay it forward. It could be as simple as doubling the tip you are leaving. You could hand out gift cards. Most grocery stores sell pre-paid cards. A lot of folks will pay for the folks’ groceries in the line behind them, for example. Now that is a good idea for a gift during this holiday. 

         I know somebody who is always looking for a large needy family at the fast food restaurant and who tries to pay their bill for them. Nice.

         Sorry if this is preachy, it is not meant to be. It is a reality all over Wyoming.

An easy way to help is to contribute to the local Salvation Army, which locally is coordinated by Linda Hudson. 

In this column, I often write about our local Christmas Food Basket program, which provides more than 300 laundry bins, jammed full of food, toys and a big turkey to families who appreciate it.

         Wyoming people are a generous lot and here in Lander, over $5,000 will be donated to pay for this project. We even received a check for $50 from an inmate in the Wyoming prison system. Similar projects are happening all over the state.

The Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne partners with the American Legion Post #6 plus several local businesses and countless volunteers to provide Christmas food baskets to needy folks in Cheyenne.

         Up in Sheridan, Robby Smith reports that they recently held a Christmas Holiday Dinner, which was free to all, and lots of gifts were given out. Many churches in Sheridan pitch in and help out.

         Sheridan Media has a Christmas Wish program and the Sheridan Press had a GoodFellow program, which both promote giving and helping the needy.

         In Jackson, Suzanne Young tells me that the men’s group at the Presbyterian Church buys new books and toys for folks so needy folks can have “new” gifts to give to their families.

         Leslie Blythe likes to brag about her fellow Rocky Mountain Power employees who donated a freezer to a needy family and figured out a way to help an abundance of families who needed a break this Christmas.

         In Torrington, Mike Callahan says the Santa’s Helpers really help out the needy at this time of year.

         In Douglas, Helga Bull sings the praises of the NOEL effort.

         In Casper, Vicki Burger says they raised a bunch of money for the needy by raffling off a basket full of first edition books.

         Back here in Lander, Mark Calhoun says the Christmas House at the Methodist Thrift Shop raised $3,600, which will be given to deserving folks,

         The local Child Development Services (CDS) bus is also stuffed with toys, according to Lori Herrud-Morrow, which are delivered to needy families. The local radio station and the Fire Department teamed up to help, too.

         In Riverton, Central Wyoming College is very generous with its “Giving Tree.”

         In an earlier column I mentioned some books but, naturally, forgot some others.

         Check out new books by Barbara Townsend’s Blood Atonement; Scott Farris’ Kennedy and Reagan; L. P. Hoffman’s Shadow of the Piper; and Marjane Ambler’s Yellowstone Has Teeth. All are excellent. Another great coffee table book is Wyoming From The Air by Claude Poulet and Bayard Fox.

         Mike Jones recently invented the Farson Knife. For hunters, this should be indispensable. Sold through Fremont Knives. Check it on YouTube.

         For Wyoming-made products, check out the Wyoming First program through www.wyomingbusiness.org. Not too late to shop local.

         Happy Shopping. Happy giving. And Merry Christmas.

         Last week we celebrated my wife’s birthday by installing a new furnace in the house. I even put a red bow on it.

         She was not impressed.

         After mentioning on Facebook that we were installing a new furnace on the coldest day of the year and that it was going to be Nancy’s birthday present, it resulted in some hoots plus some similar stories that were too good not to share.

         Mary Murray of Lander said her husband bought her a chainsaw for her birthday one year. She threatened to buy him a sewing machine on his birthday.

         Dewey Vanderhoff up in Cody suggested if I am buying Nancy a furnace for her birthday, perhaps a diesel log splitter might be the perfect Christmas gift?

         Lander native Cathy Sasso Wike said her dad Nick bought his wife Charlene a shotgun one year.

         Dave Langerman said he did the same thing; only he enrolled his wife in a self-defense shooting course. “Ended up costing me a $1,000 in new guns and hardware.”

         Helen Higby of Lander recalls: “After a car accident that left me with my pelvis broken, I was tied to the bed in the hospital. In came my husband Larry, packing my birthday present - a new Winchester .243. It wasn`t in a box or covered with wrapping paper. A cowboy carrying a rifle is just so normal in Wyoming that it didn`t raise a single eyebrow.”

         Nancy Berry of Casper said one year she got a new sewer line for her birthday. “At least I got to brag that John spent $5,000 on me!”

         Not sure what my accountant Dean McKee was thinking but his wife Kathy says he once bought her a wheelbarrow for Mother’s Day.

         Up in Buffalo, Jim Hicks had this recollection. “I remember the first Christmas after we were married back in October of 1957.  I had always believed in practical gifts.  So I bought a new dish-drying rack to sit next to the sink, a most modern dust pan with a leading edge made of soft rubber, a broom of far greater quality than the old one which came with our cheap basement apartment and tossed in a few dish towels and dish rags to make certain Mary realized the great effort I had made to buy perfect Christmas gifts.

“All I can say is that I came close to not celebrating Christmas with her again, but after 56 years of buying "non-practical" gifts, it appears I survived that first error in judgment.”

Pat Schmidt of Thermopolis recalls: “I remember getting into trouble when I had the waitress bring out a covered platter for Emily on our anniversary. Since she comes from a family of wood butchers (carpenters) she was delighted when the waitress lifted the cover up and revealed her new power saw. All the other customers gave me trouble because they thought it was for me.” 

Nancy Anselmi in Rock Springs says she had to get this gift giving corrected soon after her husband Mark gave her a new Kirby vacuum sweeper for Mothers Day.

U. S. Sen. Mike Enzi says: “In my DC office I have one of the first fiberglass fly fishing rods. It has fiberglass strands wrapped in fiberglass tape. My grandpa used to spend a lot of energy picking out gifts for my grandma. This rod was one of those gifts. Of course, grandpa was the only one I ever saw use it! I told my wife Diana about his effort and thought and uniqueness of the gift. She assured me it wasn`t going to happen between us. It hasn`t.”

Dave Simpson of Cheyenne says: “I have never bought my wife anything that she enjoyed more than the Christmas I bought her a robot vacuum cleaner. She even named it - Sparkle. I`ve never seen her so excited.”

 Matthew Brasmer, the VP of Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, has a splendid idea for a great Christmas or birthday or anniversary present in honor of your loved ones. Reports Matt, “A group of Wyoming investors want to help our college. They have agreed to match gifts dollar-for-dollar between now and Dec. 31.

         “So, why not give a gift in honor or in memory of someone special because right now it has double the impact. Gifts can be made at the College’s website: www.wyomingcatholiccollege.com. I think that this is such a great idea,” he concludes.

         Sounds like a good (and practical) gift idea for this time of year.