Albin News Readers,
This week we saw the return of rain to the Albin area and the salvation of the dryland
wheat crop! It started slowly on Friday night and by Monday morning there were actual
puddles. Approximately one inch of nice gentle rain fell in starts and stops, never too
quickly. This moisture was desperately needed to put our pastures and farm ground to
bed for the winter.
Also in community news, deer and antelope season is winding down. The Albin area
has some prime hunting available if you know where to look. Local resident Greg
Woolington harvested a very nice 9x7 non-typical mule deer buck near the beginning
of the season. Greg said he happened to spot the buck while approaching his hunting
area and was able to bring it down with a well placed shot through the mid section.
The deer was in excellent condition and will allow the Woolington family some savory
venison dinners this winter! The antlers had a 24” outside to outside spread and a quick
measurement using the Boone and Crocket method of scoring non-typical antlers put
the buck at about 145 inches. Greg runs the local county maintainer, and is a volunteer
firefighter for the Albin fire department.
Clint and Jessica Jessen enjoyed spending their 8th wedding anniversary together in Las
Vegas last week. Clint was especially thankful for the recent rain and said things are
going well.
In the Albin Elementary news, I’ve made the executive decision to move this section of
the Albin news to a monthly basis instead of a weekly basis. This keeps the work load
to a more sustainable level for me and hopefully doesn’t interfere with the flow of the
classroom for the teachers.
There have been reports of someone shooting cats and dogs with a pellet gun in the town
of Albin. Any incidents or suspicious activity should be reported to the Laramie County
Sheriff’s eastern division office at (307) 245-3838.
Finally, here is the latest from Dixie on Tim’s continued progress:
“Our first full week home and it has gone well--busy with different activities and some
routines. The hospital tried to have us map out a daily routine--HA! There's rarely ever
routine from day to day around here. We did a few small numbers of calves (pre-
conditioning them for those of you who know ranch work) on two different days and then
on Saturday we worked about 90 calves--and as we were out there in God's creation we
had 4 generations all working together! Tim's grandpa celebrated his 77th birthday this
week (he's the workhorse of the whole bunch!) and Tim's cousin's girls were with us. The
verse Psalm 89:1---"I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will
make your faithfulness known through all generations" came to mind. I sing a lot while
working cattle because it's loud enough no one hears you! As I watched Tim sitting
and 'waiting on the Lord' as He heals and restores him, I continually praise Him for His
faithfulness. Tim had an excellent Phy & Occ therapy session on Friday!! The two guys
who work with him really pushed Tim and he was able to bend that left knee the most we
had seen! He was able to stand more on his left leg and his upper body balance is
improving!! Left arm is bending more and more!! Speech Therapy is supposed to start
this week--we'll see how that goes!! Tim was able to go to church today!! So good to be
back with our church family and in our community---as the saying goes, 'there's no place
like home!'. Tim is sleeping well and we have not had any pain medications all week!!
We continue to ask for prayer over that left side for it's movement, Tim's continued
patience and humor with us, and for him to stand this month on his own!!! Big prayer---
Big God!! The girls (Cassady and Jessica) will be coming home on a permanent basis!!
Such a blessing and thanks to their 'second home' with Stacy, Andy, and the three K's!!
All of our family and friends have been God's blessings of encouragement, strength,
friendship, and have allowed us to be with Tim as we have--again we say THANKS to
God and to all ya'll!! We have praise also for your prayers concerning Tim's emotional
response--he has asked alot about the accident, situations with him, and he and Howard
watched the film together of the accident when he asked Howard to show him...(his mom
has not watched it-even though she filmed it). I'm so thankful for the friendship and father/
son bond they have with each other--I truly hope this journey has brought several of your
father (parents) and son (children) relationships closer to each other and to our Heavenly
Father. Also, please pray for this weekend --Tim has stated that he wants to go to the
college rodeo at Cheyenne!?! Have a great week and God Bless ya'll --until next Sunday!
Our home address is Box 67, Albin, Wy 82050 and our phone number is 307-246-3262
(We have very little cell service so our cell phone stays off most of the time-so we wanted
to give our land line number for those of you who only had our cell number.)”
Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this to say about growing and processing your own
fresh horseradish:
“If you love to eat horseradish with your meals, try growing your own plants. Start
by planting a small section of root in the spring. The root can be purchased or gotten
free from a gardening friend. Horseradish can spread in a garden, so plant the root in a
drainage pipe sunk vertically in the ground to keep the roots growing down and not out
to the rest of the garden. In addition to using the roots, horseradish leaves can be eaten in
salads.
In the fall, carefully dig up the plant and roots. Cut the leaves off and clean the roots of
as much dirt as you can. After washing the roots peel them with a vegetable peeler. I cut
the cleaned roots in small sections and using the grater attachment on the food processor,
I grated them up. I added some crushed ice and a little water to get a better consistency.
Grate only about a cup or two at a time. Make sure you have good ventilation at this time
because the fumes will be very strong when you take the lid off the processor! Put the
grated horseradish in a bowl.
To make a mild horseradish, immediately add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and ¼
teaspoon of canning salt for each one cup of grated horseradish. A hotter horseradish
can be made by waiting 3 minutes, and then adding the vinegar and salt. The vinegar
stops the enzymatic action in the horseradish and stabilizes the degree of hotness. Put the
finished batch in a sterilized jar and keep it in your refrigerator.”
Ann is currently serving as secretary on the Laramie County Conservation District’s
Board of Supervisors. The board consists of five members who are elected to a four year
term. Two of the positions, including Ann’s, are up for election in 2010. Other people
running for the two positions are current board member Jay Berry and longtime Albin
community member Lindi Kirkbride.
In Ag news, there was a major shake up in the commodities markets this past week.
The NASS crop production report that came out last Friday lowered the projected
average corn production per acres from 162.5 bu/ac to 155.8 bu/ac, down 6.7 bu/ac. For
perspective, the 2009 crop set a record at 164.7 bu/ac. The corn yields are expected to
improve as harvest moves in to the northern corn belt. This survey has taken that into
account to the extent that surveys can. These surveys aren’t perfect, but they are usually
the best data we have and the markets take them very seriously. After the report came
out, the corn price moved from the $5.00/bu range towards the $6.00/bu range. It will
take several weeks for the price to stabilize given this knew prediction. In the mean time,
the corn price has dragged the wheat and cattle prices up and given the local farmers and
ranchers another shot at marketing this year’s production.
Josh Koenigshof and David Romsa were harvesting corn this week and reported yields
to be mediocre (in the 130 bu/ac range on irrigated and 50 bu/ac on the dryland). Like
the beans, much of the corn in the Albin area took a yield cut due to the hail. On the
plus side, the test weight has been excellent (56-60 lb/bu) due to the amount of heat
units received this year. David said I should mention that he and Josh are Albin’s most
eligible bachelors. Having nothing tangible to report to this effect, I’ll just say that their
qualifications will become self evident upon closer inspection. So there it is ladies; don’t
take my word for it, go have a look for yourselves!
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