Memory triggers include anything from childhood toys,  favorite tunes, or scents that punch the start button on videos of our past that cycle over and over in our heads.  Each spring when lilacs bloom, I get a full two weeks of scented prompts that start those mind movies rolling. 

Cindee called me asking how to use up the frozen venison in her freezer.  I had a solution she hadn't thought of.  As a matter of fact, I made some BBQ venison in my smoker over the weekend, and here's how I cooked it:

HPPR broadcasts live from Light Park in Liberal, KS as a part of the Kansas Sampler Festival on May 4th.

The lines drawn this year between winter and spring have been hazy at best.  Days of warm weather in March and April are typical, usually followed by some frosty days and occasional hard freezes.  But, this year took the cake and a few records, as the swing between winter and spring began to resemble a yo-yo championship.  Warm days invited gardeners outdoors just in time to get slapped in the face by cold rains that quickly turned to sleet, ice, and snowfall that was record breaking in many areas, and this weather pattern repeated itself not once but several times.  Some High plains communities were snowbound while others saw blowing dust and hard freezes that wiped out future fruit harvests and wheat crops.  But, into this made mix a little hope must fall, and it did this year, in my yard with the arrival of the Eastern pasque flower, also known by its old-timey name of Anemone Patens.

HPPR proudly presents the next installment of our Songwriter In The Round Series on Friday, May 17 at the Fibonacci, located at 3306 SW 6th Ave in Amarillo.  The doors will open at 7pm, and the show will start at 7:30. If you would like to make reservations for this show, you can do that by calling us at 806-367-9088 or by sending an e-mail to music@hppr.org.  We'll have the usual great coffee from the folks at Evocation Coffee Roasters and cookies from Molly Fuller, and a great time will be had by all.  Don't miss it!

As my time with Velma Wancura draws to a close, Velma and I talked about some of life's nuggets.  These are some of her thoughts about:

When Denver physician and sportsman Kent Heyborne bought land in northeast Colorado, his intent was to leave it undeveloped as bird habitat. But working with Ducks Unlimited along the South Platte River, he created a water-conservation project resulting in neighboring farms gaining additional irrigation credits. By putting the land under perpetual easement, he created a development-free zone spanning from one wildlife park to another, ensuring a corridor of waterfowl habitat several miles long. Plus, he earned state and federal tax credits along the way.  This story is part two of a four-part series on easements. It originally aired April 23, 2013.

Over its 80-year history, the federal government's Farm Bill program refined soil, water and habitat conservation programs. Along the way, its strategy changed from "let's see how many we can sign up" to a more focused  "best bang for the buck" approach to conservation, spending funds on projects to conserve fragile landscapes. This episode examines programs available from the Natural Rescources Conservation Service offering landowners monetary incentives to place qualified land under long-term or permanent conservation easements. This story is the third of a four-part series on easements. It originally aired April 30, 2013.

Hi, Friends...While preparing this week's program I encountered a couple of CD's well worth checking out...With his brand new release on Rounder Records, Tom Jones reinvents himself completely as he confronts the "Spirit in the Room." Jones covers Tom Waits, Joe Henry, Bob Dylan and others as if every word were etched on his soul and each  note on this disc is right as rain.  Next is  an older (1996 ) Nonesuch Records release,  in which  jazz pianist Fred Hersch presents a dazzling collection of Billy Strayhorn tunes titled "Passion Flower-Fred Hersch Plays Billy Strayhorn" that range from