Since no Norma Jeans have stepped up to take on the job of Albin news reporter, I will again attempt to relay some Albin news from this week. I think I'm experiencing what they call job security.
This week, just in time for Memorial Day, spring turned into summer. Many of the farmers and ranchers scrambled to get field work done before the next rain storm. Many ranchers were out fixing fence and shipping cows to summer pasture. Brian Jacobsen brought a load of pairs down from Chugwater and lost a wheel bearing on Highway 85. The cattle had to be transferred onto another cattle pot and the wheel removed before the truck and trailer could be driven again. The Rabou Ranch had their branding on Saturday and had a good turnout. Instead of using a calf table, the Rabou Ranch still heels their calves using horses, and drags them near the branding irons. A team of two calf wrestlers hold the head and back feet of the calf while the calf is worked. Besides driving a few posts, Lyle Bowman said he is glad to be done with his registered Black Angus artificial insemination work for this spring.
On the farming side of things, spring planting has begun in earnest. Sunflower, bean, and millet planting has started. Chances of a killing frost after June first are very low and a stretch of sunny weather emboldened farmers to put seeds in the ground. On Friday and Saturday, Michael Lerwick set a personal record for most beans planted in one continuous stretch by planting 400 acres of irrigated pinto beans in 40 hours with a 12-row planter. Many of the area farmers have equipped themselves with GPS guided tractors that can steer themselves during planting. This not only allows them to plant at night but it also reduces operator fatigue by reducing the amount of mental concentration needed to make those straight rows.
For all you spring cleaners, there is a community garage sale planned at the community center on Saturday, June 5th from 8 AM to 3 PM. Call or drop by the community center for more details.
Gary and Lea Lundberg of Gibson, CO and Cole and Cassie Hudley of Kansas, OK were Memorial Day guests of Ken and Phyllis Lundberg.
Ken Lundberg, born March 24, 1919, is 91 years old and one of oldest members of the community. He is the last living “bump pilot” in the state of Wyoming. Ken has been a member of the Albin community for most of his life and is a 1938 graduate of the Albin High School. Before the Albin School opened in 1931, Ken attended three different smaller schools in the area. In 1941, after graduating, Ken joined the military under the Horse Cavalry. During basic training in Washington state, Ken learned to march in order, and take apart a rifle and re-assemble it blind folded. After being transferred to the mechanized outfit of the 115th Cavalry, Ken was transferred to officer's candidate school. During this time Ken was trained as a mechanic. Soon after, Ken applied to be a pilot and was accepted into the Air Corps. After being trained as a pilot, Ken was sent to fly a supply route over the Himalayas from Calcutta, India to Kum Ming, China. These flights would go over 32,000 feet at a time when airplane cabins were not pressurized. Approximately half the time, Ken had to fly relying on instruments due to poor visibility. This was a very dangerous flight and in one night 28 planes were lost to the same storm. Ken successfully made that flight 57 times.
Tammy Newton from Denver, CO visited Chuck and Pat Palm last Saturday. Pat called on Bernita Anderson last week for help with a quilting problem.
JD and Esther Ellis are parents of a new baby girl, Tirzah Moriah, born May 27th, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring 19 ½ inches long.
Thank you to all the community members who spent time mowing and cleaning up the cemetery for Memorial Day. Ron Sorenson, town maintainer for Albin, put in an extra amount of work. The effort was organized by Albin Cemetery board members Karen Sorenson, Louise Jacobsen, Martha Malm, and Pat Palm.
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