Albin news Dec 13, 2010

Albin News Readers,

Thank you to all who shared your Albin news this week! Thank you also to those who have signed up to take the EMT class this winter. It should be a good group and an interesting time.

Speaking of an interesting time, Dad and I made a point of attending the public meeting on oil and gas development last Thursday night in Burns. It was an informational meeting with four featured speakers followed by a question and answer period. Ann Sanchez introduced the speakers and kept the meeting on track. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of information that the speakers brought.

The first speaker was Mark Watson, the Principal Engineer for the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Mark went over the basics of how the Niobrara oil field is being developed. He said that at this point, much of the ground in Laramie County is being explored using news 3D seizmographing technology. This costs about $40,000 per section but allows oil companies to “see” the thicknesses of the different strata. He also explained how a well is drilled and emphasized the point that in Wyoming, drillers are required to report on the depth of surround water wells and set a concrete casing a minimun of 100 ft below the lowest water well. This is to prevent any contaminants from entering the aquafer where we get our drinking water. Mark pointed out drilling into the niobrara shale has been going on for a long time with limited success. The difference now is higher oil prices and better suited drilling technology. Mark also mentioned a potential development delay in the lack of natural gas pipelines in this area. If a well is producing more than 60 mcf/day of natural gas, the drilling companies are not allowed to flare off the well. The well would have to be shut in until a pipeline can be built to deliver the gas to market.

The second speaker was John Barnes from the State Engineer's Office. John outlined his department's responsibility of issuing permits for water use in Wyoming. He explained that they had come up with a special temporary water use permit for drilling in the Niobrara. After drilling, a newer technique of developing the well, called “fraccing,” is used to open up the small pores in the shale and let the oil out. To frac a well, a water and sand mixture is pumped down the well at a very high pressure until the the shale is forced open. The water is then pumped out and the sand stays behind, holding the cracks open. This technique has been very successful in tight shale formations but requires a lot of water. John said that at this point the State Engineer's office has issued 50 permits that for the usage of 6,600 ac.ft of water over the next two years. Much of this water will come from current irrigation wells and will take around 3,600 acres out of irrigation in the short term. Special regulations have been set up whereby water will be used for drilling instead of irrigation and no extra water will be used in the process.

The third speaker was John Corra, Director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. John explained that his department deals with any kind of emissions, including the flairing of gas. Currently wells in the Niobrara have had to flair off gas 10 % of the time. John said he thinks that drilling in the Niobrara will have a much lower environmental impact than the drilling in the Jonah field around Pinedale. Wells around Pinedale are on 48 acre centers and wells on the Niobrara will likely be on 640 acre centers. Also, there are 3,700 wells in the Pinedale area and there are only about 270 active wells in Laramie county. Also, there are only 5-7 rigs drilling in Laramie County right now. John outlined several environmental mishaps that had happened in the history of Wyoming mineral extraction and the Wyoming DEQ's response. In general, John felt that the Niobrara oil shale development poses very little risk to the evironment.

The fourth and final speaker was Mark Eisly, a rancher and land owner from just outside of Cheyenne. Mark said that he has actually never received an mineral royalty payment, but has been working with oil exploration companies on leasing, access, and exploration issues. His opinion was that this oil play is sort a gift for all of us and we should try to make the most of it. Instead of complaining about all the potential risks, try to make a plan for working with the oil and gas companies to extract the minerals to the benefit of all parties involved. This includes sitting down with the guys wanting to come in and drill and letting them know what concerns you may have about their treatment of the ground you live on. It also understanding what the mineral companies are trying to do too. Usually there is plenty of room to bargain and come to a satisfactory agreement. Mark brought along a booklet from the Wyoming Split Estate Initiative giving tips to land owner on how to approach working with the mineral industry. The booklet was put together by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association, the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, and the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. More information is available at www.wysei.com.

The Boyce-Marlatt Chapter of American Legion Auxiliary met December 8 with six members present: Doris Sorensen, Mary Kay Romsa, Elaine Perrault, Bertha Sandberg, Kathy Olson and Ted Anderson. $35 was donated to the community Christmas Party. Sheri Best, District President and her mother Alice Norfleet, both of Cheyenne were guests. Members voted to continue collecting magazines, small soaps and lotions, and jigsaw puzzles to be delivered to the Cheyenne Veterans. Contact any of the above if you would like to donate.

The Albin Baptist Church hosted a “Christmas Contada” and soup supper last Sunday evening. Soup was served before the program started like a dinner theatre. The program was directed by Nancy Blomberg and it was well attended.

Dean and Brenda Anderson traveled to Louisville, KY and to help daughter Larissa and husband Rob move from KY back to Greely, CO. Rob is a minister their and his congregation helped send him to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville. Rob finished the program and now has a masters in Divinity.

The Garrett Ross benefit dinner and auction was also held last Sunday and was a great success. The Southeast FFA members cooked and served the BBQ pork dinner and members of the 4H clubs in Laramie and Goshen counties helped with the setup, serving, and cleanup. Shawn and Lex Madden handeled the live auction and kept things lively. One of the auction items was Cindi Ross's red vintage '51 chevy pickup that her husband Scott had restored for her. The pickup was purchased by Shawn who generously donated it back to Cindi. The Ross and Petsch families wish to rescind many heartfelt thanks to all who supported this effort.

Randy Larsen, former burns high school English teacher, died of cancer last week. Randy is survived by his wife Judy and son Gabriel. Randy and Judy had a small acreage North of Burns and Judy taught piano lessens to many of the kids from the Albin area (including myself).

Here is an abbreviated version of Dixie's update on Tim:

“Tim has been trying to look for the good with this injury and we try to encourage him with the many encouraging words that have been written and spoken. He has a grateful heart and thanks God for all He has done and is going to do.  Tim sure enjoyed the NFR!  We went swimming and 'walking in the water' (with help) is sure strengthening.  He enjoyed his visitors and phone calls this week and is looking forward to seeing and hearing from many over the Christmas holidays.  He 'walked' with me on his left side (I support the ankle and move the toes) and Howard was on his right side a few steps tonight!  He prayed last night that if he couldn't walk by himself for my borthday, then maybe on Jesus' birhtday---so Christmas is now our goal!! His vision is sometimes a little blurry--but we think that it is a good thing because the alignment is coming closer together and he doesn't seem to see double!  Continue to pray for eyesight alignment, strength & balance, and left arm & knee/quad to progress daily. “

Here also is an abbreviated version of Cindi's update on Garrett:

“I am happy to report that G is eating 3 mechanical meals a day with no feed tube at night. Although. . . I do juice him around 8-9 o'clock at night for 2 reasons. #1 My son is a growing young man. He will come home - I will make a great (uh, I say that very loosely) meal - and an hour later he is in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. #2 I still give him activia hoping he does not get that C-diff again plus I told you that I still had 'food' in the ole frig!
He had an IV induced MRI but I have not heard anything back on that.  During the family mtg a couple wks ago, Ripley went over G's CT scan. If you remember back in early Sept at Kindred G had a CT scan and they had Volmer from Sweedish look at it to see if G needed a shunt. I believe they are revisiting that. But no worries!
I told you about the vision test last wk. Well here are some words for you - neglect (for G) is L eye is centered and turns in - through exercises they are trying to get the eye to look out or compensate by turning the head - and field out is disconnected - G does not have that. Interesting tid bit - there are 12 cranial nerves in the brain. Speech tells me she is working on #3 (oculomotor - eye movement), #7 (facial - expressions) and #10 (vagus - muscles for voice and swallowing).
G responds to choices - working on the initiating. I suppose, now, as I am wheeling him here and there, I will have to stop periodically and ask him if there is anything he would like to tell me. :) If truth were told, when this is over and done with, I KNOW my son will want to tell me all kinds of things!!! For example, 'Mom, did you REALLY have to go to the showers with me?'
Speaking of wheeling around, one day last week, he was snapping his fingers at me and pointing. Every time I would stop to talk to someone, he would snap his finger and point. I just had to laugh. That's OK - I will let him be 'boss' right now because when we go home it will be a totally different story.
Speech is also trying the GOAT score (Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test) on him. The AM, G is good, bright eye and bushy tail, but by the PM, he is tired and lethargic. One PM, she asks him if his name is 'Sam', he shakes his head 'no'. She asks if his name is 'Garrett', again he shakes his head 'no'. Scott came down Thurs so I could go home for Fri. That evening I was telling Scott this, and G started to chuckle. I asked him if he name was 'Garrett' and he nodded 'yes'. Asked him if he remembered being in speech this PM and he said 'no'. I won't say that PM's are really hard for him but he is definitely a whole lot more tired!
That evening down at T-rec they had a jam session with some guitars and with clear voice G said WASH. Scott asked him to say it again which he did - Scott didn't know if maybe he was trying to say WATCH. Thank you Jesus!
Last night G had an emesis (vomiting). In fact he had an emesis ALL night, day and night. They called me at 1:30 AM and said that G wanted his mama - now doesn't that just warm the ole heart. Every two hrs he would cough something up. Scott thought maybe he fed G too much on Fri PM - no. G tested positive for a urinary infection and the antibiotic they gave him Fri PM he could have had a reaction from it but by tonight the antibiotic should have been out of his system. Wed G got to go OUT for the very first time. There were 3 buses and we went to the SE Mall. Oh my did we have fun strolling around and looking. G did not want to buy anything and that was fine by me because I did not want to buy anything either. So maybe he caught a 'bug' or maybe Scott or I gave him something. Just to tell you, we both feel just fine. Just a moment . . . I had to knock on some wood - I really did! He had nothing to eat all day. Every time he emesised (?) I would try and give him a drink of something or chicken soup and he would start gagging or he would just spit it out. An Infectious Doc came in and asked if he had the hiccups. 'Yes sometimes.' Wanted to check his gall bladder. So he had NIVA (remember - ultrasound) on his abdomen. Found out tonight that everything looked fine. They put him on another antibiotic for urinary infection.
What to pray for #1 he will walk right out of here so we can do what 'little' Christmas shopping I have. NO, I will just let Katelin do it. :) #2 urinary infection will clear up and being on an antibiotic will not get C-diff again #3 talk - he will mouth words but those vocal cords will 'remember' why they were created #4 emesis will cease and we can get back to eating. I had EVERY intention of going to the Benefit tomorrow but if my son is not feeling well . . . #4 Benefit - I thank everyone for everything they have done. I have been informed of progress almost from day 1 and a lot of TIME and ENERGY goes into one of these things! Good weather and safe travel. Just have fun! (Oh I pray my son eats a good breakfast!) #5 Christmas season - let us remember WHY we are here.“

In Ag news, the VEETC tax credit is now before the US congress in the tax bill. In it's current form, it is simply a one year extension of the $0.45/gal tax credit to blenders. It now seems likely that congress will vote in favor of the tax bill. If this issue gets taken off the table, it leaves a dwindling number of bearish factors for this winter's acreage fight. It's going to have to be an economical hiccup or a major demand disruption of some kind to break this bull market. In other words, hold on to your hats folks, it's going to be a wild one!!

Albin news Dec 6, 2010

Albin News Readers,

This summer, I was dreaming of the day that old man winter would put an end to the crop year and writing the Albin News would be much more relaxed affair. Then there was weaning, harvest, and hunting followed by thanksgiving and moving cows to corn stalks. Of course Megan and I had our first child the last day of August and then there was one more late season dear hunt, several ag meetings, family visits, financial planning and the ongoing task of crop marketing. In short, carving out some time to write a little news each week has been a struggle for me. I only say this because I was hoping a few of you would take the time to send a little news my way sometime. Sunday nights or Monday mornings are the ideal times to call or email and whatever news you is always welcome. Birth announcements, weddings, family news, congratulations, thank yous, events, human interest stories, garden tips, school news, funerals of course, and historical bits are all things that belong in the Albin News. And no, I don't get paid any more if the column is longer. (If I was I suppose I could start bribing some news out of people). The point is, I think this column would be much better if it had a little more community news and I sure could use the help. OK that's all, now for the news.

The class for those looking to become basic EMTs is now open for registration. Classes will be held two nights a week (Mondays and Thursdays) for four hours at the old high school in Pine Bluffs. There will also be six eight hour Saturday classes. Classes start the first full week in January and the final exam is the ninth of May. You are allowed to miss a total of 3 classes. Workload will also include some reading, worksheets, and quizzes on material covered in class. The following is a message from Cindy Osbourne to those considering the class:

“This course is very challenging. It can lead to a rewarding career where you have the ability to change a person's life. If you are unable to commit the time and effort to be successful, I ask that you please reconsider. If you are ready to embark on the journey to becoming an EMT, welcome.

If you have any questions that we can answer, please do not hesitate to call. I can be reached at 307-421-5230.”

I would also encourage people to take a minute and consider this class. The single largest factor affecting a person's ability to recover after an accident is how fast that person receives medical attention. We all know that in recent months there have been three very serious accidents in the Albin area and that accidents will continue to happen. Knowing also that Albin is a remote community, there is no question that having a local EMT staff is vital to our community.

The only way to maintain this EMT staff is to keep training new people to share the responsibility of it. It would be nice if we had enough people that the staff could take turns being on call so that there would be an EMT or two on call in the Albin area at all times. If nothing else, think of it this way: it's a good opportunity to practice those christian values of putting others first!

For a copy of the registration form, you can contact Cindy at the number given above or myself at the contact information listed at the bottom of this article.

Also, don't forget the benefit potluck/barbeque and auction for Garrett Ross that will be held next Sunday, December 12^th at noon in the Rendevous Center in Torrington. People attending from the Albin area have been asked to bring a salad for the potluck.

This is latest from Dixie on Tim's condition:

“We really enjoyed the pool this week and plan to have another day this week.  He is moving his left hand/arm more and more--this will help with balance when he will be standing and walking with a walker, and we pray and believe that will be very soon!  He has really enjoyed the NFR rodeo and has made quite a few comments. He really enjoys all the telephone calls (I'm sure he is calling some of you a little too often?), cards, visits, messages, etc.  He received an encouragement call from Joni Eareckson Tada on Friday!  He went to a basketball game to watch his little sister play on Saturday morning and then sat in the vehicle parked by our working chute in our big building and worked cattle for about three hours. While he still needs help walking, he is now lifting his left knee/thigh and heel--and then we hold his ankle and move his toes!! Praise the Lord!!!  Continue to pray for his physical needs--left side to be restored and healed back to full working status and continual healing of the nerve endings (brain) as they reconnect and redirect. His emotional needs---to not get discouraged, but continue to persevere and Press On! (Press On, a song by the group -Selah-, has been my sister, Shena's, theme song in her battle and journey).  Tim prays for Shena every night and we ask for everyone to pray for her--we believe in miracles and His faithfulness.  We are thankful for every day of Life--Tim usually opens his prayers with thanking God another day! My birthday is a week away so pray for Tim's ankle to be strong enough for him to take a few steps by himself hopefully, prayerfully, and miraculously by next Sunday!!--but if not, then His grace will carry us through to the next goal date! Have a Blessed week as we truly look and see the real meaning of Christmas—JESUS!“

Here is the latest on Garrett from Cindi:

“Garrett is great and we still go outside to enjoy the nice weather. Craig has put up their Christmas lights and he (actually me) enjoy looking at them.
Family mtg Tues went well, I guess. Nothing earth shattering, just everyone going around the room reporting what they were working on. I asked about a discharge date and Ripley stated Feb 16. Three months is about the average stay here. One thing they look at is, of course, insurance -- money plus Craig has to write weekly reports to insurance so they (ins) can justify paying them. Family training and medical necessity or G's progress also plays into account our length of stay. We should have another mtg in about 4 wks.
Tues also he started eating a pureed breakfast and dinner. I juiced him for supper then he only had his feeding tube on for 10 hrs at night. They will watch his weight and calories to make sure that everything is A-O-K. Fri he went to dysphagio mechanical 3 times a day. Being the nutrition expert, it should take you :20 or longer to eat your meal. No problem with G -- how about sitting at the table for about an hour! I have so much juicing food in my refrigerator that I may have to give him some 'little snacks' to get it used up. Did I not tell you that all of G's practicing would pay off?
Wed was a busy day! He saw a vision doctor. I was told all these things they were going to look at so I'm expecting this BIG machine but no. It was just a man, sitting, looking/observing then examining - at one point I saw the good doc sit with his eyes closed, sure hope he was thinking and not sleeping! Anyway, they sure were using some awfully long words that I had no idea what they meant. Was trying to write them down so I could have OT explain them to me more but by the time I could pro-nun-ci-ate them down on paper, I was 10 words behind. (Ever feel like the 'stupid' one?) One BIG thing is the third eye pulsy in the R eye. There IS connection. That I figured because the eye is cracking more and more everyday. Can't remember if I told you and can't tell you the linguistics of it but it opens the eye lid, controls eye dilation and muscles to the eye (whether the eye is looking straight, up/down or side to side). He has a recheck in 2 wks. L eye has some atrophy - he will look straight or look in but looking out he rarely does. Until then LOTS of eye exercises.
He also had a MRI scheduled but was unsuccessful because he kept rubbing his face. They asked me if G followed directions and I said 'sure, after a minute of processing the info'. People are so silly sometimes. Anyway will have to reschedule but this time with an IV drip.
He also received another long arm cast. If you look at the photos it looks pretty straight but it is not fully extended. This next Wed I hope is our last cast. :)
We have started to utilize the recreation center. We went to the movie Fri and Sat. Sat he/we/ME made a holiday T-shirt with a snowman. Tomorrow we do a tie-dye shirt - should prove very interesting.
What to pray for #1 he will hold my hand and we can walk around the block admiring the Christmas decorations #2 talk - Speech is working with him mouthing the words. It is fun a meal time -- 'G, you want - put your teeth together - for spaghetti or - open your mouth - for carrots?' If he mouths nothing, he gets carrots. #3 L side movement - during PT one day these two guys were up walking with assistance and I was showing G. Seemed like he was trying a little harder that day. Motivation! #4 progress - so we can utilize everything that Craig has to offer. But, you know, that just doesn't matter because God is everywhere! #5 Christmas focus - may we all stop for a minute or two and admire the lights. Can you tell that I LOVE lights! And while we are admiring the lights, let's focus on the birth of Jesus and all that God has done/given/provided us.
Healing Tree Ministries donated 15 foot and a half trees and G was one of the lucky ones to receive one. There are candy canes on it or at least till his dad comes up and verses -- John 10:10 Psalm 30:2, 41:3, 103:2-3, 107:19-20, 119:50 Romans 8:2, 10:17 Proverbs 3:7-8 Matthew 7:7-8”

In ag news, this will be another pivotal marketing week for Albin area farmers who are trying to decide what spring crops to plant next year. Sunflower and pinto bean processors are slow to come out with any grower contracts for next year and the corn and wheat markets continue to offer higher prices and profitable opportunities.

The next crop production and WASDE reports are due out Friday morning and will include estimates of 2010 corn production as well as tally current stocks of corn and wheat. Already several independent consulting companies are hinting at bullish news again. Wheat sales have been higher than expected because Australia's wheat crop has been reduced by excessive rain and flooding. There have also been some questions about the condition of the US and Russia wheat crop after our dry fall. It will be interesting to see how many winter wheat acres get reported on the January 12^th Winter Wheat Seedings report and if it's enough to convince the market that we'll have enough wheat to feed the world next year.

The price of corn has been supported by expectation that the US will have the lowest carryover since 1995-96. This was projected in the November 9, 2010 World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) which forecasted an 827 million bushel carryover. This may sound like a lot of corn but it's only 6.6% of the 2010 crop and 6.2% the year's of usage. If a guy put 10,000 bu of corn in a bin to fatten up some cows and ended the year with only 620 bu in the bin, it would seem like a pretty small pile of corn left.

There has been no news yet on whether or not the VEETC or blender's credit will be extended.

Area ranchers have also been given some good opportunities to market cattle at higher than normal prices. At this time of year, many of last year's calves are being fed a “finishing ration” or a high energy diet that will bring the calves to a finish weight of around 1,200 lbs. Once they reach this point, they will be sold as “fat cattle” or “live cattle” to a beef processor.

Currently, the December price of fat cattle is around $1.02/lb which is the highest December price in seven years. This is a little unexpected since the unemployment rate was up to 9.8% in November and the per capita meat consumption for 2010 is the lowest since 1997. Forecasts for 2011 per capita beef consumption are at 57.8 lbs, the lowest since 1952.

The price only makes sense because we currently have really low beef supplies. The current US cattle herd is the smallest since 1959 and frozen beef stocks at the end of October were 6% lower than last year at the same time.

The remainder of this year's calves that aren't put on a finishing ration (usually the younger, smaller ones) are being fed a “maintenance ration” that will get them through until the grass greens up next spring. This may mean they spend the winter on native pastures and are only fed a little supplement out on the open range. It could also mean they are kept in a feed lot and fed a high roughage diet. These calves are called “yearlings” and will graze on grass next spring and summer and then be put on a finishing ration sometime next summer or fall.

Albin news Nov 29, 2010

Albin News Readers,

Happy Thanksgiving!! It's that time in the America where get together and celebrate something that has become so common to us today: ample food! Thank you to all the people who had a hand in bringing crops safely to market again this year. Thank you especially to all the hard working cooks who turned that produce into another Thanksgiving dinner!

Thank you to Shannon Weller for successfully obtaining funding for an EMT training class this winter in Pine Bluffs. The class is scheduled to start January 4 and will be held two nights a week at the historic high school. Once again, Albin is needing more volunteer EMTs and this training is only offered once in a while. If you are interested, call Shannon at 245-3400. It's a substantial time commitment with no monetary compensation but according to Shannon it's about the best thing she's ever committed to. Apparently there are some intangable benefits.

Thank you also to Mike Sorenson for his continued service in the Air National Guard. Mike got back safe and sound from his fourth tour in Afghanistan tour last week. Mike said he feels like he is simply continuing something that started a long time ago; building on the willingness of other service men and women to sacrifice for their country.

Starting in December there will be open gym for basketball on Thursday nights at seven. Also there continues to be open gym for volleyball on Tuesday nights at seven.

This is the latest from Dixie on Tim's continued progress over thanksgiving:

“Philemon (verses 4-7) with emphasis on verse 4...I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers...
This verse is a picture every night as we pray with Tim. To hear him pray and thank God for everything He has done and for his progress, his thankfulness for the day's activities or visitors, and his requests for not only himself, but others is a joy! He always asks God for 'another small miracle tomorrow' and sometimes specifically states what he is asking God for or to do. This morning we had the tv on and he and Jessica heard the preacher talk about Timothy (in the Bible) and his mother, Eunice. Jessica said he was talking about you, Tim. Tim said, "No, my mom's name is Dixie, not Eunice!" We have had another great week, especially with Thanksgiving and having Bethany home! He did walk three steps with the help of Beth, Howard, and me at our family Thanksgiving. Tonight, we walked about 10 steps to his bedroom (with help) and he did great! For my birthday (in about 2 weeks) he wants to totally walk by himself--I told him that would be a great gift!! Please pray that his left ankle continues to strengthen to hold him so he is able to shift his weight and balance himself to walk!! We hope to be back in the pool this week. We will be watching and taping the NFR Finals starting Dec. 2nd--and we pray that it will be used by God as a stimulant as Tim watches and recalls his roping experiences, passion, etc. We are so thankful for all of you and your prayer support--it is such an encouragement to Tim. The girls read and reread all the cards we saved and Tim really enjoyed them. He can read large print fairly well and we continue to ask you to uphold his sight and alignment to strengthen and heal ---both optic nerves are good and vision in both eyes is good--just waiting on God's restoring and timing with all the nerves, dilation, and alignment. Pray and Believe!” 

Here is the latest from Cindi on Garrett's continued progress:

“I trust that EVERYONE had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! I know Garrett and I did. Craig Hospital had a wonderful meal and the best thing about it - it was FREE! Thank you Craig and all the supporters/volunteers. It was real turkey and ham, and I made real cranberry sauce (no canned crap). Talked to a worker later that night and he said they cook between 16-20 turkeys. Thank you, Jesus, for 'places' like this that support the families with the things they do - there were 22 of us.
I went home M & T, Scott said that Mon G had a modified  barium (white paste) swallow done - and I missed it!  :(  Modified is just from the neck up. Through a series of x-rays, they are able to track where the bolus is going (lungs or stomach). There are 4 different kinds of liquids they try - thin, nectar, honey thick or pudding thick. G is in the nectar group. I told you that G did not have a fast swallow but it is not from the lack of trying/practicing. I have been known to give him an 'occasional' drink of water, juice or milk (but don't tell anyone). The nurses ask if I have been signed off on that - Uh, yea, sure, but he is thirsty! They smile. There are also 4 different kinds of solids - dysphagia(difficulty swallowing) pureed, dysphagia mechanical (super soft foods), dysphagiaadvanced or regular. G is in the pureed group but then again not from a lack of trying. . . Thanksgiving I gave him mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing. I wanted to give him some pumpkin pie but he did not want any. I have also given him cereal and a nutri-grain bar. Now we are only talking about a couple of bites. . . (but again we aren't telling anybody).
Wed he got his drop out cast. It is just a half cast - he can drop his arm but he cannot raise it to his chest like he was. It has NOT bothered him at all. In fact his arm is usually 2-4" from the cast. This Wed they will recast - drop his arm even lower.
I keep forgetting to ask the nurse if they have rechecked the C-diff so cannot comment on that. Every patient is on a 'program'. (You know - suppository regimen) Nurses like it at night because they have more time plus if you have :30 of PT, you don't want to spend half of it - uh - changing clothes. The saying 'get with the program' - wonder if there's any correlation?
OT is working on grooming. G has the motions down in brushing his teeth or combing his hair. Just need to practice and apply a little harder pressure, but he does real good. Every day gets better and better.
PT gets him out of the chair and either sits him on the edge of the table or on his knees with elbows on a big octagon ball and does a lot of stretches. He has also gotten to stand a couple of times. It is nothing like the tilting table - he sits in this chair. There is a lever/handle and it must have a neutral position - if you pump it forward it slowly raises you to a standing position or pumping it back to lower. He can do that all by himself.
What to pray for #1 G will get up and walk and push ME in the wheelchair. Today (what a beautiful day) we went for a walk. You know the only bad thing about walking - is the turning around and going back. Craig Hospital is NOT on level ground. There are inclines and along with the inclines are the declines #2 L movement He will squeeze my hand but won't release. (But then again who does!) #3 talking Today, I can't remember the word, we will say WASH. I was talking about WASH and he mouthed the word. Did not try talking but mouthed it as plain as day. Something else to practice! #4 we have a family mtg Tue at 2 I believe everyone just reports what they think and what direction they will go. I don't know and it doesn't matter because God knows and G is good.
No scripture because my Bible is in G's room. You ask 'don't you know your verses by heart?' 'Uh, yes, but I don't want to show off!?' I will tell you that Scott DID give a great testimonial on northhillsbaptist.net. Click on videos, then the Thanksgiving one. I will also add that after Scott, listen to DeAnna's, it is a good one, too. What would we do without God in our lives!!! I don't even want to go there. A short note that some of Scott's times are off but the jift of the story is true but focus on the point - God is our Rock and we Praise Him. Thank you Pastor and Peg for telling me. Also my sister's Bible study watched a You Tube thing - Francis Chan Balance Beam. I had a great verse to go along with that but no Bible - it was the verse about being strong and courageous. I Tim 6 or Josh 1 OR somewhere between Genesis and Revelation I can guarentee you will find it. Can you tell I am in a good mood - Life is good - God is even better”

Albin news Nov 22,2010

Albin News Readers

In Albin this week, Jack Frost finally set in, there was a grand opening at the Albin store, and the Pokes took out their football frustration on the poor little lambs from Fort Collins. I started feeling sorry for CSU after about the third quarter and had to quit listening. At one point Cordell Willert asked “how bad are they winning now?” The UW football team was the official tackling dummy for top ten college football teams this year and I guess they finally had had enough.

The grand opening at the Albin store had a good turn out due to the promise of free tacos! A big crowd turned out and the food didn’t disappoint. The store was well stocked with specialty groceries from Mexico, including a cooler for Mexican cheeses and meats. They also have convenience store snack stuff available.

Here’s the latest on Tim Malm from Dixie:

“Hello from Oklahoma!  I (Dixie) flew down on Thursday for a sisters weekend.  I was sick on the way down and had a antibiotic called in on Friday!  I think it was strep and flight germs all combined and spent the day in bed with a severe soar throat/fever/chills.  With lots of prayer with every sip I made myself swallow, I gave it to God and said if He wanted me to sing on Sunday and be able to be around my sisters--He could!  I woke up with absolutely no sore throat, no fever/chills, and great energy and we had a fabulous day!  PTL!!!  Timothy called me several times to "check" on me.  It was such a joy time sharing in FBC (Walters) and Union Valley (Cookietown) songs and hugs with so many of God's praying people!  Thank you again and again!  Timothy is snapping his fingers, lifting his own left arm, gaining strength for sitting unsupported, and so many "little" (big in our eyes) things everyday either new or stronger!  I will be back home tomorrow.  I will challenge myself and each of you to read Psalm 100 every day--until and on Thanksgiving Day!  We have so much to be thankful for...so thankful for another time with all my sisters (Please continue to pray miracles for Shena)and our mom!  Thankful for Howard, my best friend, and our four gifts-Tim, Beth, Cass, & Jess, especially for working together so I could come to OK!  Thankful for our friends who have watched over (food, picking up Beth, visits, helping with cattle on Sat, etc) Howard and the kids while I've been gone!  I could write a list, I hope you will sometime this week--but above all, I thank my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, for paying the price for me--my Heavenly Father for His grace, mercy, and love--for the Holy Spirit who lives in/through me to keep me on His path.  Thank you again for your prayers and Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!”

Cindi had this to say about son Garrett’s progress:

“OK where to begin. Monday we arrive to Craig, and took me most of the day to figure out where I was at or where we were suppose to go! They said that the first week would be mostly tests/assessments so they could set up a plan for G.
He has had a cat scan, x-ray (lungs) and a NIVA (non-invasive vascular assessment) or ultrasound for clots in the major extremities.
He has a sm clot in R leg so takes belly shots twice a day.  R leg - seems strange since that is his active leg. Oh well! Every night they measure calf and thigh of both legs and that is how they tell if it is dissolving or not. Pretty interesting. He had 24 hr bed rest but got up on Wed.
And this should come to no surprise - he has C-diff again.
G has had 3 different kinds of beds - a regular bed, but he is so fidgety, they moved him to a safe keeper. This bed is on the floor and has padded sides like wrestling mats. If I left I had to close the end of it and lock it - looked like a giant play pen with no netting. I did not like that, nor did the nurses. He kept wiggling off the wedge in the corner, it was hard to move him, hard on your back plus I had to take my shoes off. Now we have a posey bed. This is a regular bed with netting around it. Again when I leave I have to zip him all up and lock the zipper. Seems kind of silly at this point but I see if you had a patient wanting to get out.
His schedule is different every day. He sees Speech, PT, OT and a Psychologist. Psychologist - "G, how are you doing?" G stares at him thinking "Hey, bud, how do you think I am doing?"
I must say that everyone has been so nice. I also have to add that they were very nice at Kindred also. I would take any of those nurses, CNA's (at Craig they are called Techs), PT, OT, Speech any day. All are very wonderful. Unlike Kindred, the Nutritionist from Craig came in the first day and we talked about juicing. NO fight. I can do whatever I want as long as I write it down so she can keep track of the calories. I look forward to working with her! I am not saying it is my juicing or if someone's scales are off, but G on the 9th weighed 142 and on the 17th weighed 149. I don't know, just seemed kind of high.
G has a wheelchair. There are 3 kinds of passes - hospital grounds, off campus or in the car. I have done what I needed to do so I can take him outside or over to my apartment. I took a seizure test and got signed off with PT, OT and the Doc. They asked me if I wanted a car pass and I said NO. I would have no problem getting him in the car, and actually no problem getting him out of the car, BUT out of the car into the wheelchair maybe another thing!!!
G is wanting to talk so bad. Speech has/is trying vital stimulation with electrodes under the chin and above the vocal cords. Phonetory Apraxia is when you make noise when you cough or clear throat, but not when you want to as in talking.
Scott is in Denver Mon and Tue so I could come home. The weather is absolutely gorgeous in Denver, so it felt really good sweeping the sidewalks earlier tonight of snow. Man, was it foggy between Ft. Collins and Cheyenne. (But it did not slow me down! Thank you, Jesus, for a safe trip.)
What to pray for #1 G will get up and show everyone how it is done #2 L side movement - I believe this week he is getting a cast because his arm is so tight - can't move very good when you have tight muscles #3 voice #4 good weather for the holiday travelers.
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. I thank the Good Lord for what He is doing in my son's life. It is 'sad' but the process is very interesting. I have faith that G will walk, talk, go back to school, and someday be a husband and father. OK I am getting the cart way ahead of the horse. All in God's time. Colossians 3:15-17 Psalm 96:1-4, 98:1, 105:1-5 Romans 11:36 Philippians 4:19-20
HAPPY THANKSGIVING”

In Ag news, the uncertainty over what the price of corn should be continues. I have a feeling the dry bean and sunflower buyers aren’t going to be in any hurry to offer a contract until they see where corn settles.

The market was all over the place last week, mostly down. The biggest issue was China took steps to reduce the inflation of its currency. Besides currency manipulation from China, there are several factors which should keep the corn prices moving in the coming weeks: ethanol policy (this was talked about two weeks ago), energy prices, weather, economic news, and planting intention reports.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the blender’s credit of $0.45/gal or “VEETC” is set to expire on Dec 31. According to Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelsen, extending the blender’s credit hasn’t really come on the radar of lawmakers so far in this lame duck session. To try to get a rough idea of the potential impact of not extending VEETC, I looked at a chart of ethanol prices over the past six months and the same chart for corn prices. To tell you the truth, I couldn’t tell the two charts apart. The price of corn and the price of ethanol are tracking right together. I also noticed that a change in $0.45/gal of ethanol is roughly equivalent to a $1.10/bu for corn.

In closing, I would like to wish the area farmers the best of luck with these planting decisions and pass along some sage advice I was given last year. I was agonizing over whether or not I should sell my sugar beet shares or try to raise them a second year. Steve Eardman of Scottsbluff told me “you can’t go broke making money.”

Albin news Nov 15, 2010

Albin News Readers,

It's been a slow news week in the community of Albin. After the late warm fall we've been having winter finally gave us our first snow! It was a beautiful put-the-wheat-to-bed blanket of wet snow that had the roads slick at night and sloppy in the day. The ground hasn't froze yet so most of this moisture should be around for next spring. We're now past the time change now too so there it plenty of time in the evenings to get together and enjoy the season.

To kick off the season of get-togethers, the Albin Community Center hosted it's second “Albin's Got Talent” community talent show. There were 18 wildly diverse talents on display this year. There was a little cowboy song and dance from last year's winner Tony Childers (Take Me Out to the Pasture to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame), Diane Lerwick showed her geek streak by solving a rubic's cube in under six minutes, Caleb Anderson hammered out a daring drum solo, Brad Lundberg played his trumpet, and all the participants sang “God Bless America” at the end. The winners this year were Dean Anderson and Justin McCoy who played a couple blues harp duets. They showed real talent! Honorable mention had to go to the skit performed by Jill Lerwick, Sandra Anderson, Heather Lerwick, and Shawnae Branigan. The foursome replayed the harrowing tale of “Me and Earl” hauling a trailer load of “USDA grade 'A' cluckers” down Wolf Creek Pass. A good time was had by all.

There are also several more evening activities to announce this week. There is also adult volleyball at the community center on Tuesday nights and may be Thursday night basketball starting in December. More details to follow on the basketball. Also, Albin is in need of more volunteer EMTs. There are currently four in the community but I'm sure some of them wouldn't mind a break. If anyone is interested in training to become an EMT, contact Shannon Weller at 245-3400. You can also talk to our current EMTs Robyn Whitehead, Dean Anderson, Ed Allen or Kary Deselms. Evening classes will be two days a week starting in January. The class is still awaiting approval at the state level so I'll try make an announcement again later if it's a for sure thing.

The Boyce-Marlatt Chapter of American Legion Auxiliary met November 10 with five members present: Kathy Olson, Mary Kay Romsa, Elaine Perrault, Bertha Sandberg and Joann Hays. Wanda Carpenter of Pine Bluffs was awarded a certificate for 60 years of Auxiliary membership. $35 was donated to the community center for Christmas treats and $100 was donated to the Cheyenne Veterans Hospital for their project Christmas Year Round – this money is used during the year for holidays and birthdays. The next meeting will be Wednesday December 8 with guest Sheri Best, District President.

Here's the latest on Tim from Dixie:

“Today, our church had its Thanksgiving Service and Potluck.  During praise time, several spoke and those  who spoke of Tim were so precious and encouraging.  Tim raised his hand to speak..."I'm thankful to be alive, thank you for praying and keep praying!"  He was very excited to have his jeans on--we will work on his belt, buckle, and boots soon! He had very good therapy sessions both days--able to sit in an armless chair, bend left knee up and half-way down, then I could push it on down to the floor, spit better when brushing teeth, bend left arm more, learning how to whisper, and his attitude continues to be very positive.  His patience with us gives us encouragement and laughter!!  I've heard about and will be finding the book by Kerry and Chris Shook, Love at Last Sight.  It talks about having relationships develop and get better and better everytime you talk or see someone because you never know if it may be the last sight--More on the book after I read it (many of you are laughing right now when you read that I am reading a book!) We hope each and every one of you are planning a great Thanksgiving and you make a gratitude list!  We love you !”

I got to visit Tim this week and it was good to see that he's still Tim! He hasn't lost his sense of humor or competitive flair.

Here's the latest from Cindi on Garrett's condition:

Wow! Where to begin. OT (occupational therapy) started working with Garrett. Mon OT wrote numbers and words on a piece of paper, which G either showed the numbers on his fingers or pointed at (ear, nose, knee). G did curls and other stuff with a 4# weight and he spelt his name in sign lang. On Tue G went down to the gym. He sat at a table with about 7 objects. He found the flashlight and tried to it on (it was a trick, the flashlight had no batteries) - found the brush and brushed his hair, found the hammer and tapped it on the table. Was given pencil and paper but could not write his name. Oh well, that's OK. We don't want to do everything all at once - have to stretch it out!!!
Speech showed G 2 pictures and he pointed to the correct one every time. Still working on swallow. He has a strong swallow, it's the control of the tongue we are working on. She has also started working with voice. There was one PM I was washing my juicer and I could have swore I heard him say MOM. So I started talking to him. Went over to the bed and asked him if he said MOM or if he was just clearing his throat - nodded his head at MOM. Thank you Jesus even though he has not done it since then. The way I look at it - once is better than nothing!
PT, also at the gym, stood G up at the parallel bars then sat down. Did that twice. Now I am not saying that G STOOD up at the parallel bars, but they HELPED him. They actually did most of the work, BUT they could feel G trying to help. (If that makes sense.) They also put his feet on bicycle pedals, which he did do all by himself. OK only half of the rotation since his L side does not work. PT also put him a wheelchair. Talk about dying and going to Heaven. I'll take the wheelchair over the recliner chair any day. Just a little push and he'll roll right away from you. Today, in fact, he dropped his R hand, put it on the wheel, and was helping me. (Kind of - I was going faster than his hand was moving - we would still be out there if I waited for him!)
Talk about bursting a bubble -- come in from outside, G gave no indication if he wanted the radio or TV, so there was nothing. He was sitting there quietly and I was busy with something. A nurse came in and said something about entertaining him - what - entertain him - now I have to think! Went to Walmart and got a couple of little things. Ask him if he wants to play a game - nods head. By the time I raise him in bed and get him situated, he falls asleep on me. Now what does that tell you?
Told you last week that the nurses were telling me that G's status was changed from sub-acute to acute rehab. Well that must be true. Ripley came to re-evaluate. Have had a visit from Spalding and Craig liaisons. Scott came to Denver on Fri so we could tour. It matters not where we go because God is doing the healing - but what would you pick - 4 wks or 60 days? So, Monday we will be leaving for Craig. What to pray for #1 transition to Craig will go smooth. Mon we will move, then the next couple of days will be evaluating. #2 G can STILL walk out of Kindred and push his mother in the wheelchair! #3 L side movement #4 voice.
God is so amazing and ever so present. I praise Him for His sovereignty, love, wisdom, power . . . I trust Him with the 'whatevers'. Deuteronomy 29:29 31:6 Psalm 62:7-8, 11-12 Proverbs 16:9 Psalm 121 

In ag news this week, the commodity markets do seem to be cooling off for the time being. We are five months away from spring planting though so there is a lot of story left to tell on this acreage battle. There is a NASS report out in January that will tally the planted winter wheat acres. In 2008, it was this report that sparked the huge bull run that ran wheat up to $13.00/bu! With the late fall we've had, and wheat prices staying strong through wheat planting time, it's hard for me to believe that there won't be plenty of winter wheat planted this year.

Albin News Nov 8, 2010

Albin News Readers,

I would like to announce the beginning of the Wyoming Wind Festival in the Albin area lasting from now through May. Attendance is mandatory but admission is free. Pull out your carharts, put on the coffee, check out Pam's new quilt shop, take lunch at the cafe, whatever you have to do to enjoy the season. A couple of quotes from old cowboy songs come to mind: “The Wyoming wind, how it raps and it rattles, it blows the old road shut and chills to the bone” and “the wind whipped the granite above me, blew the tumbleweeds clean through my soul!”

Despite all the rapping and rattling, the wind somehow has a subtle cleansing affect that is usually only appreciated by those absent from it. Another quote from “Wyoming on my mind” goes like this: “..... and when those cleansin' winds would blow, I recall almost exactly how it felt: like my sins were all forgiven and my soul was minglin' with the rock of time.” Maybe the best way to deal with the wind is to step into its current, face it head on, then start walking. A walk in the winter wind can do a lot of good. In the sports world they call it resistance training!

In community news, the benefit dinner/auction for Garret is December 12^th, not November 12^th as I incorrectly reported last week. Instead of a Friday, it's a on a Sunday at noon. Once again it's at the Rendezvous Center in the Torrington Fair Grounds.

The cafe was closed Monday and Tuesday last week because Jan Rundell was in Nebraska watching her grandson Christopher Randall play football for Nebraska Westlyan. Christopher is a junior kicker for the team. Nebraska Westlyan won the game over Doane University by a score of 12 to 13. Jan stayed at Jeff and Don's one night to get her grandchild fix then reopened the cafe Wednesday for lunch.

The Boyce-Marlatt Legion Auxiliary met October 30. Guests were Pam Acosta, Chapter President of Legion Auxiliary, Dora Jone and Alice Norfleet all of Cheyenne Unit # 6. Albin members attending were Doris Sorensen, Sherri Sorensen, Jeannette Bishop, Bertha Sandberg and Mary Kay Romsa. Plans were discussed for the coming year. The next meeting will be at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 10. Bring items to be donated to the veterans at the Cheyenne hospital: puzzles, 2011 calendars, fountain pens, small soaps, gloves, large toothpaste, hats, puzzles, and pocket books.

Here is the latest from Dixie on Tim's progress:

“Tim worked really hard in his therapy sessions---and he is able to lift his left leg and move his left arm a bit now! PTL!!   He is holding his neck and head straighter and stronger and we know that will help him walk soon! We worked a group a cow and calves on Saturday and he tells everyone he so badly wants to walk and work!! Part of goal-setting is saying over and over what the goal is!!  So good to be in church with family and friends--favorite day of the week! We are excited for the upcoming week--even if the snow is coming!  Continue to pray for Tim's strength and movement, and please add my sister, Shena, in your prayers--the cancer road is really rough and bumpy this week!  We ask God for a miracle with her!  God Bless!”

Traci had this to say about her son Garrett:

For about a week, G has wanted his trach out. He would hook a finger or two around the strap that goes around his neck. Wed when we were outside, I had a friend visit. It was 'kind of' mentioned that if he wanted the trach out, he could do it himself. It was suggested that he put his fingers under the gauze. . . I told him to wait till I shut TV off (and preferably asleep). Yes, he was listening, while in the shower, I thought I could hear him cough. When I shut the water off, I could really hear him coughing, stuck my head out the door, and G had a death grip on the trach. I could not pry his fingers off - HELP. Poor Respiratory if they didn't have quite the sight when they walked into the room!!! He had pulled the gauze off and RT could not find the cap to the trach. I told them to check his hand and sure enough there it was. (He has pulled the cap off before.) I told him to wait till tomorrow so we could talk to Speech and he gave me a thumbs up. Long story short, he is decannulated - trach out. Where the trach is, there are no stitches or anything. They just cover it with a piece of gauze and in a couple of days, it is healed. Fri outside I took the gauze off so the fresh air and sun could do their healing affects and that night G pulled the gauze off. I guess he knows when enough is enough!
Fri he was negative for C-diff. While outside they cleaned his (our) room so we did not have to move. T-h-a-n-k Y-o-u Jesus! I did have to go and wash all my stuff though.
G is not talking but he really wants to. Thurs PM he was looking at me, mouth just a moving, and a strain in his eyes. Thumbs up if you are in pain - nothing. Thumbs up if you are trying to talk - thumbs up. I put my hand on his face and told him not to worry about it - it would come. Ever since the ABC's his hand will be very active. It's kind of like a baby who first starts to talk - you are trying to guess what it is saying. Well with G kind of the same thing -- T. . . D. . . N-M. . . (OK son I need a vowel!) He wants to communicate so bad but just not there yet.
Was flipping through the channels tonight and came across a BB game. Asked him if he wanted to watch BB - his thumb went up so fast. He wanted Denver and I was for Dallas (I think - who knows - who cares). I lost. I believe that 'sharing' my TV will be more and more. What he does not know - when he shuts his eyes, I can turn the channel!!  :)
Thank God for friends. Two friends from Laramie came today and of course he was showing off. I was so pleased and I know that it was good for G. They were telling stories and laughing AND G got a big ole half smile on his face. Very obvious! We even believe he was laughing because you could hear 'sound' periodically. Laughter is a good healer. Thank you Sarah and Becky - he sure does love you both as he showed you more than once today. (I had to keep my eye on them!) Actually, I didn't want them to leave and what was really neat, he knew exactly what they were saying.”

In ag news, it's the time of year when farmers must sharpen their pencils. There's a battle about to be waged over which crops get planted on the one thing we aren't making any more of - land. With the price of corn and wheat staying high, companies that want farmers to raise dry beans, sunflowers, hay, sugar beets, millet, barley, etc are going to have to pony up. Meanwhile, the farmers have to know what it costs to raise this respective crops and try to figure out what returns the most dollars per acres to the land. With the prices for seed, fertilizer, chemical, utilities, and rent all moving around, this can be tricky to do. This is where those math classes start paying off!

Last week I said that this acres war would only happen if corn prices held through next spring. The latest crop production report was just released and was about as expected. However it was still bullish (caused the markets to rise) because they once again lowered the expected corn and soybean crops. The corn crop is now projected at 12.5 billion bushels down from 13.2 billion bushels last year. The next crop production report is scheduled for December 10. At this point most of the corn is harvested and the yield picture is pretty clear.

With the supply side of the equation pretty well known, the wild card now becomes the demand side. Hopefully the speculation on what the price should be will settle down a little bit! As reported last week, domestic demand could weaken if the ethanol's blender's credit or “VEETC” isn't renewed or is implemented at a lower or flexible rate. Given the fact that this is a subsidy and energy prices are so high, my guess is that legislators will be under a lot of pressure to change or eliminate VEETC and the price of corn will adjust accordingly.

Besides the domestic demand, this market is very much affected by world demand, more specifically China. China is the second largest producer of corn behind the US, producing roughly half what the US does. However, despite having a good corn growing year, their domestic demand has outpaced this year's production. This begs the question; what would happen if there was a dip in corn production next year? Since most corn becomes animal feed, I think it's pretty clear that people would have to pay more to eat meat or eat less of it.

What this all boils down to in my opinion is that the corn price is going to go the way of the global economy. It's two biggest markets are for energy and animal feed, both of which will lose demand in a slowing economy and gain demand in a growing economy. It will be interesting to see in the coming months how much corn gets exported or turned into ethanol at the current price levels.

Albin News Oct 25, 2010

Albin News Readers,

The one and only convenience store in Albin is under new management. It is currently being leased out by the current owner, Juan Serrano, to a family who owns and manages Tres Magaritas in Greely, CO among other restaurants Besides selling gas and typical convenience store items, the new managers plan on selling made-to-order mexican food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are currently constructing a commercial kitchen in the store so they can prepare their food on site.

In recent years, the store was owned by the Panhandle Coop of Scottsbluff, NE then sold to Guillermo (Memo) Serrano. Memo sold the store to Juan over a year ago and Juan did well to keep the store open through the slower winter months. After keeping the doors open through the summer, Juan sold off his inventory, closed the store and put it on the market for sale or lease.

If things go well for the new managers, they may consider buying the store or leasing it long term. In the mean time, quite a bit of work has been put into painting and remodeling the store for a grand opening in the near future.

Another exciting event happened on main street Albin that caused quite a bit of rubber necking. Two visitors from Sweden were helping Ron and Monte Lerwick move a 70 ft grain auger through the town of Albin when things went awry. One Swede was driving the tractor, towing the auger and the other was following behind with Ron in the pickup. The Swede driving the tractor was traveling east through Albin and was supposed to take a right before the post office and head towards the grain elevator. However, he missed the turn and (not knowing he could turn right opposite the Albin Store) attempted a U-turn on Main Street. Unfortunately, the swinging arc of the end of the auger was interrupted by the top of the cedar tree in front of the old town hall. As tree and auger collided, the auger bend sideways, then buckled in the middle and sagged to the ground. The tree acted as though nothing had happened, the Swede was horrified.

Using a pickup with hydraulic arms, Ron and Monte were able to pick up the sagging end of the auger and tow it to the old potato cellars in south Albin. Luckily only one section of the auger and one set of cable supports on the top of the auger were bent. Ron and Monte, with the assistance of ace metal worker and mechanic Brian Norman, were able to disassemble the auger so the damaged section could be removed and replicated by Brian.

I also want to remind everyone that next Tuesday is time to vote again! Three Albin community member will be on the ballot this election cycle. John Eklund is running to represent eastern Laramie county in the Wyoming house of representatives, and Ann Sanchez and Lindi Kirkbride are running to serve on the board of directors for the Laramie County Conservation District.

Condolences to Norma Lerwick in the loss of her brother, Lee McConnell to  a sudden heart attack.  Lee was 71 years old and his funeral is Tuesday in Truth and Consequence, NM.  Lee's son, Matt McConnell attended Albin elementary thru 3rd and 4th grade. 

Here is Dixie's latest update on Tim Malm:

“Tim had a good week--we are so encouraged that each day we see or hear another daily miracle(s).  He is talking clearer and louder. He is getting more movement with his arm/elbow/leg on the left side.  While he was taking steps during therapy on Wednesday, the therapists noticed that he had started to really do a good job of shifting his weight off the left leg to the right so the left leg was easier to pull/move forward and backward to make his steps on that side.  We (Howard and I) did get him in the pool at our Community Center here on Thursday and we all three did okay for the first time! Please continue to pray for Tim to get stronger, gain more movement, adapt to medicine changes (off of one medicine this week), and keep progressing in God's timing. Until next Sunday!!”

Cindi Ross also left an update on caringbridge.org saying that Garrett is getting stable enough that he may be transferred to Craig hospital soon. Although he hasn't regained full consciousness, he still reacts to sensori stimuli and his breathing has stabilized. He has struggled with some infection but so far has been able to overcome it. Hopefully next week I'll be able to post some of Cindi's updates word for word.

Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this to say about planning for next spring's flowers:

“A great way to add fragrance, color, and interest to your home during the long winter months is to force bulbs. It’s not difficult and forcing bulbs creates a wonderful anticipation of the beauty of nature in your home. Start by buying quality bulbs from mail order companies or at the box stores. Don’t buy bulbs that are soft or have begun to sprout. Also buy some potting soil and a large pot with a drainage hole.

My friend Jerrene Randall always mixes the potting soil with water and lets it stand a few minutes before adding the bulbs. This allows the water to be uniformly absorbed throughout the soil in the pot. Next plant the bulbs with the pointed ends up, and as close together as possible, without letting them touch. Tulips and other bulbs with flat sides should be placed with their flat sides against the side of the pot. This will allow the first leaves to form around the edge of the planter. The tops of the bulbs should be visible at the top of the container.

After planting, place the pots in a cool, dark place, such as a cellar or refrigerator. At the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, they dig a hole in one of their outside flowerbeds and cover the bulb pots with 10 inches of soil, then 10 inches of straw. The bulbs should not be allowed to freeze. Then mark your calendar to remind yourself when you can start taking your pots out and also label your pots as to what you have planted in each one.

Forcing bulbs takes about 12 weeks of cold storage for early blooming bulbs (snowdrops, crocus, daffodils) and about 16 weeks for tulips. Taking your pots out of storage at different times will stagger and prolong your flowering enjoyment. When the time comes to take your bulbs out of storage, take them to a warmer place with indirect sunlight. Keep the bulbs watered. When the bulbs begin to develop, move them to a bright sunny location.

You will be pleased and happy with how fast the flowers develop inside your home. Hyacinths, which are my favorite, will share their wonderful beauty and fragrance for about two weeks.”

In Ag news, farmers have ended or are getting very near the end of the 2010 crop year. Thanksgiving is getting close enough that we can almost taste it. It's a relief to have the crops out earlier than normal so we can all look forward to a holiday season without the stress of seeing the year's work still out there at the mercy of mother nature. It's the time of year, when the big question gets answered: how will my crops yield? It's an itch that is oh so satisfying to scratch when the combines start rolling. After the barn is full of hay, the bin is full of grain, and freezer is full of meat, it's time to take a breather and celebrate Thanksgiving! Fall's harvest and the ensuing succession of celebrations is the push we need to make it through the winter solstice and survive until the meadowlark returns!

Albin news Oct 18, 2010

Albin News Readers,

I'm sorry to report another serious vehicle accident in the Albin area. Izzie Serrano was involved in a two vehicle accident last Friday and was seriously injured. She was driving along a county gravel road in Nebraska and met an oncoming car at a hill. The passing vehicles just clipped each other causing Izzie's vehicle to roll several times. Izzie was ejected and sufferd a broken leg and a broken neck among other injuries. Jan Rundell visited Izzie at Regional West hospital in Scottsbluff on Saturday and said Izzie was stable enough that they were planning a surgery on her neck in the near future. Doctors had already performed surgery on her leg the Friday of the accident. Condolences may be sent to Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, NE.

A benefit dinner for Garrett Ross will be held at noon on December 5 at the Rendevous Center (located in the fairgrounds) in Torrington. This event will include a BBQ dinner followed by a silent and live auction. For questions or to make a donation for the auction, you can contact Lori Schafer at 532-2436 or Roberta Luke at 532-4068. If you are in the Albin area, you can contact Tracy Petsch 246-3473 with questions or to arrange delivery of donations. Also, Albin community members have been asked to bring a salad.

Garrett is still undergoing rehabilitation at the Kindred hospital in Denver, CO for traumatic brain injury. You can find Cindy Ross's updates on her son by going to caringbridge.org and searching “garrettross.”

The Boyce-Marlatt Chapter of American Legion Auxiliary met October 13 with five members present: Ted Anderson, Kathy Olson, Mary Beechler, Joann Hays and Bertha Sandberg. $35 was donated to the Community Hollowe'en party, and used poppies will be mailed to the state office for use at the Wyoming Veterans Cemetary in Casper. Items will be collected at the November meeting to be delivered to the Cheyenne Veterans Hospital.

Here is the lastes from Dixie on Tim's condition:

“Proverbs 16:9   A man's heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps. This verse hit me because we, along with Tim, have to make plans (sometimes 'plans of attack') for the day or activity because they sometimes change within the hour!  We did fulfill one of Tim's plans to get on a 4-wheeler this week--Howard behind him with Andy driving and yes, they went real slow and just made a big circle where we work cattle.  The highlight of the week was hearing Tim tell everyone, "I walked" when asked what he did in therapy!  With both therapists on his sides, Howard behind him holding hips correctly, and me standing on a bench high enough to hold Tim's head up--WE  walked!  Tim was able to shift his weight to his left leg long enough to swing his right leg forward--weight to the right leg and the therapist on that side would move his left leg forward for the next step.  He walked 3-4 steps forward and backward for each time he stood up.  We went to the college rodeo on Saturday where he was so excited to see many, many friends!! It was great to see so many of you and for all the encouragement you have been and are to us!!  The part of the verse about plans and direction of steps---well, Tim sure is praying and hoping those plans and steps come together and he is there next year!?!  Only in God's plans and timing, but it's great to dream and have goals! The therapists are sure pleased how well they are getting more bend and strength in Tim's left leg/knee and left arm/hands!  Continue to pray for that left side!!  We hope you have had a great week--we are excited to see God work again this week--he is so faithful and good!  It was so good to see the patches the NJC rodeo team wore on their jackets with a cross,Tim's name, and his verse-Phil 4:13 on their vests! My sister, Shena, her verse is Phil 3:14--PRESS ON!!! Until next Sunday!!  “

Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this to say about looking ahead to next year's garden:

“This week in the garden I’ve been continuing to harvest raspberries, tomatoes, and spinach. I’ve also been planting more spinach. Planting now can bring an early harvest in the spring. A few winter hardy varieties include: Bloomsdale Long Standing, Cold Resistant Savoy, and Tyee.

It’s always exciting to think about next year’s garden. Next year I’m going to use more raised beds. It’s handy to perch on the wall of the bed and plant and weed. It also helps prevent grass from invading your crop or flowers. I also like to amend the soil by getting compost and top soil from B.S. Compost in Hereford, Colorado. The easiest raised bed is to use an old stock tank that has a rusted out bottom. To make watering efficient and easy, be sure to run a drip pipe up through the bottom of the tank before you add soil. Next year I am using a tank to start an asparagus bed. Another low cost raised bed is constructed from the white rock we have in abundance in our farm fields. I stacked the rocks about one foot high and used this kind of a bed for my raspberries. I used water permeable landscape paper on the inside of the rock wall to keep the raspberry plants from suckering up out of the bed area.”

In ag news, corn harvest is still in full swing and some have started harvesting oil sunflowers. There are two different distinct types of sunflowers grown in the Albin area. The first is called an “oil” sunflower and is used mainly for it's oil but sometimes is sold for bird seed. These sunflowers produce a small black seed that is mainly grown on dryland acres. There are more variety choices for oil sunflowers and they are more widely grown.

The other type of sunflower is the “confection” sunflower. These are the large striped seeds that are used for snacks and cooking. These seeds are usually sold while the kernels are still whole and so are usually grown on irrigated ground where farmers can better control the seed size and test weight. They are also worth more per pound with premiums paid for low insect damage and high test weight. There is one product on the marked called “Sunbutter” which uses ground up confection sunflower seeds to make a peanut butter like spread. If you haven't tried some, it's definitely worth a taste!