Albin news Feb 28, 2010

Albin News Readers,

My apologies for the lapse in news last week! There wasn’t anything on my Albin News radar and everyone I talked to about Albin News said “nothing happened that I know of!” If anything reportable happened last week, send it along and I’ll report it next week. My general operating assumption is that something is always happening to someone but for whatever reason that someone to whom the something is happening isn’t always forthcoming about the particulars. The thing to do is to call that someone you’re thinking about and get the scoop straight from the horse’s mouth. Now for the news.

In community news, Lyle and Sheila Bowman are selling 25 of their angus bulls in the 2011 Vision Angus sale. They have worked hard to put exceptional genetics into their herd and it shows. You can look at the sale catalogue online by going to www.visionangus.com. The sale date is next Monday, March 7, in North Platte, NE. If you have questions, you can get all the details straight from the horse’s mouth by calling 307-246-3281.

Dixie had this update on Tim:

“Tim had good progress this week, but the highlight was sitting up in bed by himself and using the stairs to walk (with our assistance) into and out of the pool!  He continues to ask God to 'answer' quicker with his progress.  We ask you to pray for the suffering-perseverance-character-hope attitude (Romans 5:2-4) to continue as we all watch and 'wait on the Lord' with Tim's healing and restoration. Continue to pray for strength, coordination, balance as we are ever so close to taking those unassisted steps, for vision and voice quality to continue to improve, and for the full function of his left arm/hands/fingers! Tim set up his own Facebook and learning all about his updated phone as many of you know--the computer time has been great for him--he so enjoys reading the texts, wall posts, emails, cards!  He likes to talk on the phone as many of you also know--thank you for your time with your acts of encouragement and prayer support.  Next Sunday will complete our 9th month on this journey---so we ask you to pray for renewed energy, focus, and strength especially for Tim, but also for us, as we walk with Him day by day! (great song!)”

Cindy had this update on Garrett:

“Garrett, are you going to miss me . . . 'NO' . . . well why not . . . 'YOU'RE COMING HOME WITH ME' . . . where am I going to stay . . . 'IN THE GARAGE'. Sounds like I need to have a chat with my son on how to treat a lady :)
Prayers ARE being answered. Speech worked on rehearsal (remember - told a piece of info & you repeat it over & over in your brain) and writing it down. Rehearsal only works if it is for a short period of time. For longer periods (mtgs, appointments) you would usually write them down in a planner, calendar or notes. G did an awesome job this week remembering names or phone numbers till he could write them. His handwriting is getting better with each passing week. The miracles don't stop there - Fri PT told me I needed to buy shoes AND Sat AM when I walked into the room, of course, G said 'I AM HUNGRY'. I said that we needed to go shopping and buy something, what was it . . . 'SHOES'. He remembered -- That's not a PTL moment, that's a PRAISE THE LORD moment.
Speech shows G a letter and he had to pick any word that started with that letter. He did great till the letter A . . . 'MY BUTT' . . . what . . . 'I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT MOM'S HERE'. Thank you, my son, but there's a million and one A words and that's the one you pick :) He gave me a high five.
Speech asked if I had considered a medical ID bracelet. Thought that was a good idea. Dad was being funny & said ' . . . if lost, please call . . .'
PT/OT did discharge measurements. One example with the forearm (elbow against body) supination (cup of soup) or out should be 90 degrees and pronation or in should also be 90 degrees. Both are refreshing my brain on stretching.
G got his L brace and can only wear it a couple of hours a day, then I need to check foot for red areas. The brace is wonderful and so far NO red areas. I was home for only 2 days and Fri G was walking with PT with no walker or e-stim. He is changing every week by leaps and bounds! Mon, she will walk G with brace by itself and a combination of walker/e-stim. See what he does better with. Did I not say YOUR prayers ARE being answered & No Worries!? God is SO good and this process is, sad to say, kind of interesting!
Family mtg was nothing earth shattering . . . Therapies getting packets ready . . . G does not need any more wake up meds, just those specific in attention and cognitive speed . . . Ripley gave his spill on NO alcohol, cigarette smoke and high risk activities that would cause a second head injury (2ndimpact syndrome) - guess Pro Wrestling or Boxing will have to take a back seat for awhile . . . have a 6 wk follow-up. Ripley gave a good scenario . . . you have a V-8 that is missing 2 spark plugs, it still runs but does not respond as fast as it should - it takes more fuel to get the same performance. As with G, it takes a lot of energy and he tires fast. There is NO pushing because like I said before the brain shuts down. Rest is needed. Getting back to the 2 spark plugs . . . FYI we have a connection WAY UP NORTH pondering the 2 spark plugs. He knows what is best - He will decide if G is perfect as he is OR He might have an extra spark plug or 2 - He said they may be available tomorrow :) :) or we may have to wait a year or maybe longer :) BUT not to worry.
Vision clinic - Scott was there andhe did a great job asking my questions. For whatever reason, G does not have double vision any more so no more taped glasses. Seems strange that he has no double vision since his L is still looking up?! (Oh the wonders of the body) Did ask about surgery to drop the L eye if G would find midline or center better - No. Surgery would purely be cosmetic and could actually make him see double again. The R pupil is still fixed but to wait because that's the last to recover.
What to pray for #1 L leg coming along so beautifully - L arm/hand a little slower #2 R eye will fall with no double vision. I have a handsome son and I know when he comes out of PTA, his eye will bother him and probably want to get it fixed #3 attention and cognition - he IS improving every week #4 PTA #5 3 working days left #6 WEDNESDAY Scott surprised us and came down for the day. Didn't know if he could come Wed or not and asked if I could get everything in my car. That would be a big fat NO - amazing how much stuff you accumulate! Took a pickup load home today. I want to go to AM classes and he has pool in PM. I really want HIM (not me) to have one more pool time. He enjoys is very much and does so well. It won't be till summer when he sees another pool again.”

I know spring time is around the corner for sure now because Cabelas sent me a catalogue showing a guy fishing in a t-shirt and shorts. This surely means that you and I, with a little help from Cabelas, can soon put on our summer clothes back on and go fishing.

Yet another sure sign of spring is the return of Master Gardner Ann Sanchez’s addition to the Albin News! Ann had this to say this week:

“The occasional warm weather is giving me hope that soon I'll be out in the garden. This week I'm setting out my plant shelves and connecting the grow lights to timers. It's also a good time to sit down and plan out this year's garden on paper. Putting a plan on paper saves me money because once I start looking at seed catalogs, I get carried away and order more seeds than I need. Our family loves beans, tomatoes, squash, carrots, and corn from the garden, and of course what would a garden be worth if it didn't have a section of herbs?

My goal for this season's articles on gardening will include a paragraph on my journey of building a high tunnel for gardening in my yard. High tunnels will: give extra hours in a growing season, increase my harvest, conserve water use, and most of all add protection from hail and wind. I know that the NRCS is offering contracts that will help pay for some of the expense of putting up a high tunnel, but because of their guidelines and regulations, I decided not to pursue that opportunity.

Nancy Sundin shared with me a fascinating website called; "wintersown.org." This site offers information about starting plants outside even if your weather is still cold. There is also a wealth of gardening ideas and opportunities on this site.

A fun site for herb enthusiasts is: "All About Thyme: A Weekly Calendar of Times and Seasonings." The author of the website is an accomplished author who has written many novels, including mysteries that feature plant lore, woven into her stories. If you enjoy her site, you may sign up for her weekly newsletter.

Until next week,

Ann W. Sanchez”

In ag news, the multi-peril crop insurance price discovery period for corn and sunflowers is now finished. Corn came in at $6.01/bu, confectionary sunflowers at $35.50/cwt, and oil sunflowers at $30.50/cwt. Winter wheat has already been set at $7.75/bu and soybeans, barley, grain sorghum and canola won’t be set until March 15^th. These commodity prices are the same for both the yield protection and revenue protection insurance options. There will be another harvest time price discovery periods to determine if there is an insurable loss or not. Revenue protection insurance is available for corn, sunflowers (oil and confectionary), soybeans, barley, grain sorghum, canola, rice and cotton. Only yield protection insurance is available for other crops such as dry beans, millet, and sugar beets. March 15^th is also the deadline for changing which type of insurance you want for corn and sunflowers.

Albin news Feb 15, 2011

Albin News Readers,

Mother nature sent us all a message this week that we have turned the corner on winter and spring is in fact on it’s way again. When the first cold snap of fall hits, it’s a great motivator to make sure there’s enough food, fuel, etc to make it through the winter. When the first warm snap of spring hits, we start looking around for the seed catalogues, baby chicks, and any good reason to fall in love again. Speaking of seed catalogues, I just got the third one in the mail. A day like today makes me want to call them up and ask for “one of everything please.” I know this is just a warm snap and we have March and April yet to go but it still get the ol’ blood pumping.

In community news, there will be a raffle to support the senior lunch program at the community center. Tickets are $2/each and the prize is ½ of a buffalo processed and delivered to your freezer. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Michelle Childers at the Albin Community Center (246-3558).

Also, the community center is getting news doors and new gym lights. Because of the construction, the gym will be unavailable for open gym basketball and other events starting the week of the 21^st of Feb and going approximately two weeks. Aside from the gym, the rest of the community center will remain open and available for normal use.

In Ag news, the ag markets have continued to be volatile, mostly in the upward direction. However, as we move into spring, I think it’s safe to say that daily movements of $0.20/bu or more and $1.00/cwt on cattle will become commonplace. On top of this, farming inputs, such as fuel and fertilizer, have also doubled or nearly doubled. Not only does this volatility make it difficult to know when and how much of our crop to market, it’s also hard to know in what way to market crops (hedges, options, cash contracts, basis contracts, etc). Simply put, it can get complicated. What it all boils down to is what the USDA calls “risk management.” They’ve got a subsidiary of the USDA called the Risk Management Agency or RMA, which is responsible for laying out the ground rules for federally subsidized crop insurance.

In a year like this, when the crop prices can shoot up then drop off a cliff, it’s easy to hesitate on taking a good crop price because it’s so easy to be wrong. However, if farmers don’t take some kind of price protection, they could end up raising one of the most expensive crops ever and find it’s not worth much at harvest time. One of the ways to address this is to make a reasonable estimate of what it costs to raise a crop and then try to set a “floor price” that covers these costs and allows for more profit if the market moves up. Typically this is done using options on the futures market (for wheat, corn, or soybeans) or through a written contract with a processor for specialty crops (organic crops, dry beans, sunflowers, millet, etc). However, the RMA has been offering insurance products that would do the same thing on a percentage of the expected crop.

This brings me to my main point which is a way to approach marketing crops in a volatile year like this using a relatively new tool in the tool box offered by the RMA through your regular crop insurance agent. This year, there will be two basic types of crop insurance offered, “yield protection” insurance that guarantees a certain yield, and “Revenue protection” that guarantees a certain revenue to the farmer. The great thing about the revenue protection is that it costs more, but it essentially sets a floor price for you. To do this, the RMA picks a window of time (usually a certain month) and averages out the closing prices for say corn over that month and calls that the price level at which they’ll over insurance. The idea is that they will do this early enough that farmers can decide if their price protection worth getting or if they want to just purchase yield protection insurance and find some other way to protect the price they’ll receive for their crops. As it turns out, the price for 2011 corn is being set over the month of February and so far the closing prices have averaged out to $6.05/bu!! I’m pretty sure that’s a price we would all like to have for a floor for next year. You can watch this process in action at this RMA website link. http://www3.rma.usda.gov/apps/pricediscoveryweb/CropsInDiscovery.aspx The price for winter wheat has already been set and is at $7.15 for next year.

This brings us to the subject of cost. If a farmer has a yield history of 150 bu/ac and insures at the 70% level, then the total revenue guarantee per acre at $6.00/bu would be a whopping $630/acre. Although I’m a youngster, I can remember when good irrigated ground could be bought for $630/ac. To guarantee this revenue will be pretty expensive. However, take a minute and look at it this way. With revenue guarantees this high, you can more than likely guarantee yourself a profit even with the high insurance cost. This means, you can focus on farming and if prices keep going up, you will still benefit.

A way to cut down on the cost of purchasing revenue protection insurance is to look at enterprise units. As most of you know, an enterprise unit is when a farmer combines farm ground on multiple sections and averages the revenue or production protection across a broader area. To do this, you have to have 20 acres or at least 20% of your cropland in multiple sections of ground. Doing an enterprise unit reduces the cost of insurance by 60%. Some may feel like this reduces their chances of getting a settlement. However, it does what good marketing plan should: reduces marketing costs while protecting revenue for the farm as a whole.

In conclusion, the crops that are eligible for revenue protection and enterprise units are corn, wheat, soybeans, and sunflowers. Organic corn and organic wheat are also eligible. Other crops are only eligible for yield protection insurance. There is a March 15 deadline to request for revenue protection and enterprise units. There is no penalty if you do not end up planting a crop in multiple sections.

Albin news Feb 7, 2011

Albin News Readers,

There was an excellent turn out for the Albin community play Friday night. There was a cast of 11 and they did not dissapoint! Duane Anderson played the main character, Harry Monday. Monday was a private eye brought in by country club manager Billi Jean Hodecker (Jill Lerwick) to solve three murders that happen in the opening scene of the play. The club members were all suspects. Members included the foxy Stella Fontaine (Shawnae Branigan), haughty Cecil Deborus (Michael Lerwick), moon child Glamis Ludlow (Chaurise Anderson), the sophisticated David Soames (Caleb Anderson), ditsy Freida Mae Bristow (Heather Lerwick) and Freida's twin sister Anita (also Heather). Tony childers played Sergeant Brogan, a policeman with a strong dislike of Harry Monday. Other actors were Elijah Childers, Naomi Childers and Wesly Lerwick. Brownies and ice cream were served at intermission. A good time was had by all!

There is still open gym basketball at the community center on Thursdays at 7 pm and open swim on Mondays from 4-8 pm.

Dixie had this update on Tim:

“We have had very good days this week and it has been extra encouraging to see and hear Tim speak of his progress!  We have seen increasing strength from lifting legs onto and off beds, speaking, rolling over onto his stomach, getting on his hands and knees ('all fours') on the floor, and watching his left engage to take a step!  He has drug his left leg/foot a few inches by himself so we are close!! We are excited to see what miracles God has in store for him this week!  I think the biggest improvement is seeing him adjust his head and neck to center which holds his eyes in alignment! PTL!! We thank you all for your continued prayer support--it truly is our 'Daily Bread'.  Pray that we might crawl or step this week!  Keep Praying and Believing!”

Cindy had this update on Garrett:

“PT working on walking. Garrett is changing every week, so PT is having a very hard time trying to figure out what to send us home with. They have been working with me with the FES (functional electrical stimulation). G went to a gait clinic this week - there were about 5 therapists brainstorming - trying different braces. G's L foot is wanting to roll out when he stands so trying to correct that. PT is sure he needs a brace & the stimulation to cue L leg.
Oh remember last week, I told you how G ended up on the floor again . . . PT must have read that because one day we sat him on the floor and they showed me how to get him back up sitting on the bed/couch/whatever. I still like my idea of a NAP!
He had pool therapy twice this week. He even went into and out of the water by way of the stairs. When PT worked on stairs with him, he went down backwards, but with pool, we went down the stairs frontwards. He did very very good. Took time . . . cuing the L leg and repositioning the hands.
'OH MY GOODNESS'  . . . what . . . 'THAT FEELS GOOD'. He said that about a million times during massage therapy.
I am happy to announce that the g-tube is out. Ripley came into the room and, before I could say anything, he said we were going to take it out. I said good but how did he know I was going to say anything about that. He said that he knows me . . . (Now, what's that suppose to mean!?!) We chuckled. It looks like a little bullet hole & it heals very fast. Ripley is also starting to adjust some of G's brain meds. One med he has decreased by half.
Speech still working on computer recalling information. Shows G 2 rows of 4 pictures. Computer then shows 1-2-3 of the pictures and G has to remember what they are. He does good with 2 but on the 3 pictures, he always get the L picture wrong. To correct this, a person can cue him to look L - reposition chair so field of vision is better - or, this is the best, using his internal strategy (G turning his head thinking Am I Missing Something?).
Along with the rehearse/repeat approach with memory, Speech worked a day with note taking. Actually she took the notes, but G could answer any question she asked off her notes. She was asking him an emergency scenario and he said 'DIAL 9-1-1-1-1-1-1'.Perseveration is when you get stuck/repetition of something. To correct this, she told G to #1 tell brain you are done talking or #2 hold hand over mouth. G will persevere periodically when he talks or when he writes, his n's and m's will have about 10 humps in them. Speech told me that some people will persevere when they are brushing their teeth. They will brush in one spot till their gums bleed.
What to pray for #1 G WILL walk out of here. I hope I remember and I'm not in such a hurry and we 'load and go'. It may take us a year and a day to get to our car, but he will walk through those doors. #2 L side movement. More and more it is working. Twice OT had him grabbing/releasing nerf balls with his L hand. Thank you Jesus! #3 speech will become clearer and clearer. He really mumbled this week. And with initiation. If we have an hour before the nighttime routine, we will play Uno or go to the bridge and talk. Twice he has asked me 'WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?' #4 PTA/cognition. He still rates an 8 on the GOAT score. #5 8 working days left. #6 unspoken request - PT is going to try to play a trump card.”

In Ag news, calving is in full swing for the February calving herds. The cold has them tucked in close but as soon as the weather breaks there will be little calves running all over the place. The wheat farmers are glad to have a blanket of snow back on top of the winter wheat especially since the wheat price keeps going up! Also, many of you are thinking of starting plants for next year's garden already. I'll check in with Albin's Master Gardner Ann Sanchez to see if she has any advice on what to start and how.

Albin News Jan 31, 2011

Albin News Readers,

After a few weeks of nice weather, the weather has again plunged below zero. Low temperatures in the area hit 20 below zero with windchills of 30 below. I think we can safely say that the winter wheat has gotten the frost it needs to go into winter dormancy. This of course assumes that you planted less than two feet deep. Hopefully we get some snow cover to protect against winter kill.

Lucille Miller has been transferred to the Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne.

EMT class in Pine Bluffs is going well. The participants from the Albin area are Alicia Woolington, Tony Childers, Zane Willert and Cord Willert.

Les Smith has been in the Cheyenne Regional hospital for the past week after suffering from complications resulting from a spider bite.

Izzy Serrano is walking around with the use of a walker but has been having some problems with headaches. She has been doing some testing to try to find the cause of this but so far doesn't have a clear prognosis.

In Ag news there are a couple things affecting the wheat and cattle markets this week. South Korea, who has imported 25% of US beef exports so far this year, has been culling millions of cattle to contain a foot and mouth epidemic. The South Koreans are currently culling their cattle and pigs in an attempt to keep the epidemic from spreading to the rest of southeast Asia. On top of this, they found 40 cases of the bird flu in their chickens in January and have culled out 5.5 million chickens.

In wheat, there seems to be a stronger than expected demand for our relatively large 2010 carryover. Wheat prices rose after the Black Sea drought and fires and has stayed strong ever since. The higher cost of bread is part of the reason for the rioting in northern Africa and the middle east. Some of the countries have bought large amounts of wheat to at least stabilize the price and hopefully prevent higher prices yet. It's very possible that these riots could end in disintegration of government and chaos, disrupting the delivery and distribution of commodities to these countries.

Albin news Jan 24, 2011

Albin News Readers,

One of the important events that happens this time of year is that the Wyoming legislature is in cession. Wyoming is unique in that it is one of the few remaining states that has a true citizen legislature. Instead of having a group of professional politicians with personal staffs, Wyoming's legislature is mostly made up of people who work full time and legislate part time. This is the way that our US government started out and we are lucky to be living in a place where it's still this way!

Our representative for this area, newly elected John Eklund, has been attending the current legislative cession. John said that that he had a half week of training before coming into this cession and has now finished his first full week in legislature. John feels that it is an incredible honor and a privilege to have been given the position of representing this district in the Wyoming House of Representatives. Although he says he's on a steep learning curve now, he has been watching the older legislators and is starting to get a feel for how things get done. John is on the ag committee and has already helped on a bill that will prevent health inspectors from shutting down community pot lucks and bake sales. “At this point, they could shut down about any funeral in the state” John said.

When asked if he's gained a respect for the process by which the state is governed, John said he definitely has for several reasons. First of all, their formal way of proceeding lets the different view points be debated thoroughly and civilly while allowing individuals to consider each other as colleagues not enemies. Second of all, many of the people who help govern Wyoming, have left their regular jobs to help out and have taken a pay cut to do so. In addition to that John said most people don't realize how hard these people work to address all of the year's issues in just a few months time. Finally, the LSO office, which has a staff of non-partisan attorneys to help craft the bills, is one of the best of the nation. Many states have separate LSO offices for the different political parties. John feels all of these things have helped Wyoming to be a well-governed state.

John also wanted me to encourage people to come see where the magic happens. The legislature will be in cession in the capitol building in Cheyenne Monday through Friday until the first week in March. The best time to watch is from 10 am to noon.

Also in community news, the American Legion Auxiliary had their annual dinner January 12. Attending were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Anderson, Allison Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. George Wayne Jacobsen, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Alson, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Al McDermott, and Mr. and Mrs. Howard Romsa. The next meeting will be February 9 at 2:00 pm. February is cookie month for the Cheyenne VA.

The tickets for the Feb 4^th community play are now on sale at the Albin Community Center. Adult tickets (15 and older) are $6, kids (5-14) are $4, and kids (4 and under) are free.

In ag news, it's the time of year when farmers and ranchers get together and discuss things that need discussin. The Colorado Farm Show, the National Western Stock Show, the National Cattleman's Beef Association Annual Convention, the Kenny Haas bull sale, and the McConnell Angus bull sale are all happening this week and next week. These events are a great time for producers to pull themselves out of the picture frame so they can see the whole picture.

Albin news Jan 17, 2011

Albin News Readers,

The news this week is mostly on the ag side of things. We are in historical times in the agricultural world as we head into next spring. We are heading into inflationary times just as the world is running short on agricultural produce. Everything from fuel and fertilizer to wheat and beef seem to be inflating. Sooner or later, this will bring inflation to everyday items such as vehicles and flat screen TVs. Since Albin is an ag community which produces commodities such as wheat, corn, beef, and now some crude oil, this should mean an overall boost. However, we are all still consumers and will have to pay higher prices for flat screen TVs just like everyone else.

Early spring calving has now started for a few of the area ranchers and will continue through early summer. Please be careful going down the gravel roads as the calves can slip through fences easier than the cows.

The community center has open gym for basketball on Thursday nights at seven and open swim from 4-8 on Monday nights. There is also a Mom's circle from 9-11 on Mondays where Moms can bring their kids in and have a little time off to enjoy the craft of their choice or just visit.

The community play “If It's Murder Than It Must Be Monday” is scheduled for Feb 4. It will be a “dessert theater” (like a dinner theater but with just dessert) so be ready to laugh until whip cream comes out your nose. More details to follow.

Here's the latest on Tim from Dixie:

Tim is getting closer and closer to walking on his own and just like a runner getting closer to finishing a race, he wants to reach this goal and finish it NOW so he can move on to the next race!  We have added more therapy time with us using a Thera-cycle (arms and legs) and though he's not able to use the left leg quite yet, he is using the right leg and both arms. His texting is getting better, writing legibly, and reading more at distances (closer and farther)!  He thanks God every night for the his progress and for him to see it clearly--we see it in so many ways, but Tim needs to see it in big ways, even though we assess the day of his progress.  Continue to pray for God to give Tim a vision of his progress and continued trust in God's healing and His timing.  We thank you all for the encouragement--Tim reads or has us read any cards, texts, Caringbridge comments, etc. so we thank you again.  Pray and Believe that Tim will walk by himself in January!   

Here's the latest on Garrett from Scott:

This weeks update is being done by good old Dad. I came down last week and let Cindy go home for a well deserved break. I don't know how she has done this for so long. I'm wore out but this has been good for me. God Bless mothers. Anyway Garrett had a good week. He continues being stretched and exercised by the therapists. He rides the bike about a mile each day with emphasis on using his left leg more and more. His goal is to achieve a 50/50 mix. Right now he only gets about 20-30/80-70 mix left leg naturally the weaker. His speech therapist is still working to get his swallow to be faster so he can handle thin liquids. He can swallow about 1/2 teaspoon without choking. When he gets to handle larger amounts of water I believe they will take his stomach tube out. He also has trouble with the "K" and  "G" sound. This has alot to do with breathing and talking. We assume that speech is an automatic response. It's not, you have to think the whole process through. I should probably try the whole thinking before speaking thing. They are trying to get him walking. He is trying so hard to move and can occasionally take an unaided step. Today he took two unaided steps for me as we tried to maneuver up to the urinal. Maybe he needs a goal to motivate him to walk. Not peeing in your pants is a good incentive!! We are also trying to get him to initiate conversations IE: telling us what he wants or what he is feeling without being asked. We have been standing to move from bed into his wheelchair. Now they are getting him to do a sitting transfer which will allow him to move sooner by himself. The philosophy here is that his center of gravity will be lower and if he loses his balance he won't fall very far. He can do this, but he wants to stand so we have to get him to keep his hands on the chair or bed to keep his center low. He is catching on. Saturday came and with no therapy to occupy our time we decided to take a drive. We left to quickly after eating too much lunch and most of it came back to haunt us as we drove through Golden. By the time we got back to the hospital his coat was pretty full as I directed him to place it there rather than on my pickup seat. It is amazing the peace and strength God gives you in situations that might otherwise cause you to say bad words. I just cleaned him and the pickup and everything was fine. Garrett is getting better and I thank God and you all for your continuing prayers. Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will meet our needs. He is doing that, only we often mistake our wants and desires for needs. Jesus's parables in Matthew 6:25-34 tell us to not worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own. We thank God for each and every day we are given. This accident of Garrett's has made me appreciate this wisdom more than ever. With God's grace, His healing touch and your prayers Garrett will get better.     Scott
Just a quick note about the family mtg on Wed -- our departure date is set for Feb 16 because #1 this is an avg 3 month stay rehab #2 G is medically stable #3 everyone is confident that we can care for all his needs at home #4 G cannot start to think of this as 'home' (I heard that, they did not say that at mtg). Asked what would keep him here longer, they said if one of the 'therapists' were close to a break through and could not be accomplished with home therapy. Case worker working on home therapy options. Speech will be a BIG one. Asked what kind of qualifications -- medical background, TBI/cognition experience, dysphagia swallowing. 

In Ag news, the 2011 acre war continues to heat up as last Wednesday's NASS and WASDE reports turned out to be another bullish report for wheat, soybeans and corn. At this point, corn and soybean stocks are predicted to be at or near “pipeline” supply by the time next fall rolls around. That means it's time for farming communities all over the World to step up to the plate and do the best they can to bring another crop to harvest. I say farming communities because there's a whole lot more to farming than the farmer. To bring a good crop to harvest takes a good banker, a good road maintainer, a good mechanic, a good fertilizer dealer, a good equipment dealer, a good semi driver, etc etc. In other words, in times like these, the World needs and depends on communities like the Albin comunity.

I do want to mention one thing about our current situation that seems pertinent at this time. At this point, even if we have an average production year in 2011, it is very possible that we will have to ration corn and soybean use. If we have a poor production year (if we have a drought or other natural catastrophe) this rationing could be very severe. In practical terms, this just means that the major buyers of these commodities, the ethanol and the livestock industries, will have to figure out how to get along with less. If those two industries have to ration, it will mean that Joe Cool US citizen will have less ethanol in his gasoline and less meat in his diet. It doesn't mean that we're going to run out of people food. Imagine if we lived in a place where not only was food expensive, it simply wasn't available to buy! This scenario is very unlikely. We still live in the land of plenty and we still feed 50% of our corn crop to animals. Only about 3% of the corn crop goes to make things like corn meal and corn flakes. If humans ate all of that corn instead of feeding it to animals, it would feed a lot more people that it currently does! In the long term, if the world population continues to grow and the farming community can't find a way to keep increasing yields, that's what will have to happen. We may have to get used to eating corn bread and not have any ham and beans or chili to go with it!

I have heard that at the current rate of world population growth, we will have to double food production by 2050 to feed everyone. It's impossible to tell what will happen in the next 39 years but I think it's safe to say that these little farming communities are only going to become more and more important. BASF put together an interesting little video to this effect called “One Hungry Planet.” You can check it out by going to YouTube and searching “One Hungry Planet” or going to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd-48Zw0Tr4&feature=fvw.

Albin news Jan 10, 2011

Albin News Readers,

Winter continued this week with a few more inches of snow and a return to sub zero temperatures. The only difference this week was that the snow and cold came with very little wind. We are now into the coldest weeks of the year, the time of year when 20 degrees seems almost tropical. Remember a few months ago when 50 degrees felt down right chilly? It's amazing how quickly we just adapt to the changing of the seasons.

Winter is so completely different from summer here that when we're in one season, it's difficult for me to even picture what the other is like! It's like being in a completely different world. I've noticed that learning to prepare for it and adapt to it affects us in ways we don't realize sometimes. One time I spent several months in Ecuador where there are no seasonal changes. They call Quito the land of eternal springtime because it is 75 some degrees all year with almost no wind and just a few rain showers now and again. I really enjoyed it there but noticed that they have little reason think about the future. They never have to stare down the frozen barrel of old man winter's artic blaster and know it's time to get going before they freeze up like pop sickles.

The days are getting noticeably longer now and there is just a dim comprehension in the back of my mind that spring is coming. We've seen the miracle of spring so many times. In this world of frozen gravel and drifting snow it still takes a little faith to believe that it will happen again.

In community news, Bette Lu is recovering nicely from her recent surgery. Daughter Koral Peck stayed home for an extra two weeks to help out during her recovery. Koral's two sons Lincoln and Jasper are keeping things entertaining around the Lerwick homestead in the mean time.

Cordell Willert just got back from a trip to the Vaughan farm in upstate New York. The trip was a lot of firsts for Cord: first time on an airplane, first time to be in New York, first time to go further East than Cabela's, and first time to go snow skiing. Cord went to New York to visit Cody Vaughan, who he worked with quite a bit this summer. The two had plans to be in Time's Square to see the ball drop but Cord's connecting flight was delayed. Despite this setback, Cordell said he thoroughly enjoyed the trip and wants to do some more traveling should the opportunity present itself.

In ag news, the 2011 acre war is in full swing and so far corn is winning. I'm a little disapointed that the dry beans folks haven't decided to come out with some competitive grower contracts to maintain their acres. I hope they remember that corn can follow just about any crop in a rotation and has established itself as a viable money making crop even in our colder part of the country. If this corn market keeps going up, local farmers can and will plant more corn. If we have another fall like this one, it's even possible to plant winter wheat behind corn!

There is another important NASS report out this week. The 2011 winter wheat seedings report is due out Wed morning at the market open. This is the report that sparked the big wheat spike in 2008. Wheat supplies were tight and planted acres came in lower than expected. This caused a chain reaction that ended in euphoric wheat buying.

Albin News Jan 3, 2010

Albin News Readers,

This week in Albin has been slower than molasses in January. It’s a slow time of year but this week’s cold spell only made it slower. The mercury took a dive down around zero Thursday night and it started snowing. It was a white out Friday morning and after noon and by night was negative 4 with a 20 mph wind. This puts the windchill at around -25 degrees F. I was glad that I wasn’t a cow and that my cows at least had a good wind break to get in behind.

One thing that has been moving fast is the massive seismic survey of Laramie County. Helicopters could be seen dropping bags of gear on a grid with convoy of thumper trucks following behind. The survey is planned for around 800 square miles of Laramie county and will move it's way east to west. The town of Albin is about 15 miles to the East of the planned survey. This survey is being done by one survey company, Global Resources, and is independent of the crews seen around Albin this summer. The information gleaned from the survey should help oil extraction companies zero in on the best spots to drill.

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

We are setting our walking goal for this month!  He is so close to getting the last toe (the big one) off the floor in order to kick his lower leg out for the step!!  He is texting some--- as many of you know!  He also has called his own phone to tell himself he's doing a great job and keep working!  We are enjoying these messages and it will help him listen to his voice as God heals and restores it back to his tone and intonation as it was before the accident.  He has some assistance in pulling himself up and now can hold himself upright for a longer period by himself without any assistance!!PTL!!  Continue to pray for all the strength, coordination, timing, etc that is coming back!!  We also praise and thank God for all the protection against any cold/flu/junk germs that Tim has not caught--especially with all his visitors.  He really enjoys all the visits and cards!

Here's Cindi's latest update on Garrett:

“Happy New Year one and all! Scott was planning on coming down Friday but could not because of the blizzard. It did snow in Denver but not much and definitely NO wind. I wonder if the buildings have anything to do with that! Scott did come today but is not spending the night.
One day in speech - I love speech, I learn so much - Garrett said that his head hurt. It was not a headache, but cognitive fatigue (more stimuli than the brain can process). Speech is also working on lengthening voice (air flow). Say 'AH' for as long as you can - uh, barely over a second! Last week Angie had given him a party horn. He has been practicing on it so by the end of the week he could hold 'AH' for about 4 seconds. Way to go son! :) She tried pitch (low voice - high voice) - uh, he is as monotone as it gets. Another piece of info - the amount of air determines if it's a whisper or a shout. Never thought about it before.
When I transfer G from bed to chair, I think, I'm pretty sure, I am suppose to have a spotter. Well, I will look down the hall, I see no one - I will call for a tech, count to 20 (maybe it is 5) and if no one comes, I just do it. It works out just fine except this ONE time. Not quite sure what happened, if G's pants got caught on the wheelchair but every time I tried to move him, the wheelchair also moved. Yes the brakes were locked - at least I think they were - yes they were. Anyway, I was in a pickle so I just SAT G on the floor and recalled for a tech. All we needed to do was pick him up and put him in the chair. Tech came in and turned around saying something about nurse and evaluate. Nurse came in and asked G how was his head. I very calmly told him that he did NOT fall but I sat him on the floor.
Wed T-Rec had a Christmas Light Tour. That was lots of fun since I love lights. We went to Belleview and Eleti/Elati, down Santa Fe to Hudson/Watson Gardens, and toured downtown Littleton then up to the City/County Building. Sorry about the spelling or places we went, it is really hard to write in the dark - especially when you don't have pen or paper. :) It was lots of fun and I think G had a good time, too.
PT has signed me off on car transfers. Today while Scott was here, we went to Walmart and over to the Cherry Creek Mall. I may know how to do a car transfer, but it is Scott that lifts him into the pickup. G still did not want to buy anything so we just walked around. Ate Greek and G had about 1/4 of my Gyro sandwich - which would be considered regular food and not advanced. Remember - practice!
One night we were watching Funny Home Videos. Hadn't seen it for a while - forgot how funny it is. I'm laughing and I can hear G saying 'HA . . . HA . . . HA'. Haven't ever thought about laughter - I have heard him chuckle but not laugh. Laughter is GOOD medicine - will have to watch more of that.
One night in bed, he was sooo tired. He wanted me to leave (second time he has done that). I told him I would when he shuts his eyes. He said 'MY EYES ARE SHUT' I said how come I can still see the black spot in the middle of your eye. He said 'YOU HAVE X-RAY VISION' His nurse was standing there and we both chuckled.
What to pray for #1 L movement - he is starting (beginning stages) to move the L arm towards him. Thank you, Jesus, for the feeling in the L arm and leg. I BELIEVE feeling in the hand and foot will follow soon. Matthew 17:20 #2 emotion - his beautiful laugh will return, happy/sad tears. He shows no emotion but he has to feel it? When he asks me 'WHAT HAPPENED' and I tell him, is he crying on the inside or just taking in some information? 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 #3 R eye opening - it is opening more and more - sometimes he sees 1 of you and sometimes he sees 2 of you. Wed is another vision check. Ephesians 1:18-20 Exodus 15:2 2 Corinthians 3:5”

In Ag news, there are several good conferences coming up. Dry Beans days are Jan 6 in Gering and the Cattle Industry National Convention and NCBA Trade Show is Feb 2-5 in Denver.

Albin news Dec 27, 2010

Albin News Readers,

I hope this edition of the Pine Bluffs Post finds you settled in and comfortable. We are now into the very deepest and coldest part of winter and the heart of the holiday season. Don't get too comfortable though because the winter solstice was a week ago Tuesday at 4:38 PM! Technically, we are now on the up hill swing as far as day length goes. From here on out, the days start getting longer, our Northern hemisphere starts getting closer to the sun, and things start to warm up. Actually the coldest month of the year is January so there's a little bit of a lag while we burn what little heat we have stored on the earth's surface. By February, though, the average temperature is back up above December and January and the early “spring” calving season begins.

In community news, the funeral of Robert H. Ward was held last Wed at 2:00 pm at the Frontier School of the Bible Chapell in Lagrange. Robert was long time resident in the LaGrange and Meridan area and father of Glenda Edmunds (postmistress for the Albin Post Office). Robert had been battling lung cancer which recently spread to his brain and skull. He was transferred to the Davis Hospice center in Cheyenne where he died last Friday, Dec 24^th.

The funeral for Eugene Hansen was held last Wed at 1:30 pm at the Catholic church in Pine Bluffs. Eugene was a long time resident of the Albin area. He was 91 and well able to get around and work until very recently. This fall, he helped his son Dennis plant all his winter wheat.

Albin area resident Martha Cannon drove her husband Dave to Denver for an MRI. According to Martha they had an excicting episode at a Wendy's drive-through on the way home. In the middle of ordering, Dave felt a sudden unexplainable heat in the seat of the pants and pointedly demanded that Martha drive back to the hospital STAT. Dave had been having some nerve problems in his back. Martha restored order by turning off the seat warmer and ordering lunch. Another disaster averted.

There are tryouts for a community play on Jan 3^rd and 4^th from 5:00 – 6:30 at the Albin Community Center. The play is called “If It's Monday, It Must Be Murder” and it is a dinner theater comedy. The actual production is planned for February. Esther Davison is helping with the casting and directing. You can call Heather Lerwick at 246-3386 for more details.

Here is a paraphrase of the last two week's updates on Tim and Garrett from Dixie and Cindi. You can read their full updates by going to caringbridge.org and searching “timmalm” and “garrettross.”

Last week Tim was able to get out and into a vehicle with only Howard to help him. They went together to band calves and do other ranch work. Tim continues to make slow but steady improvement in his left side and eye alignment. Bethany is home from college for Christmas.

Cindi has been able to some definite clear words out of Garrett last week. He was even able to say “I love you Dad!” to Scott on the phone! Garrett has also been able to eat some foods now along with his mostly liquid diet. This also means he can get his medications down without a feeding tube. Garrett's left side continues to be less mobile than his right side.

In ag news, several confection sunflower companies have come out with contracts for 2011 sunflowers at around $5.00/cwt higher than last year. In 2008, contracts got up to $40/cwt and last year most were from $28 to $30/cwt.

Finally, the “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010” was signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 17. Included in this legislation was a one year extension of the $0.45/gallon blender's credit or VEETC. It also included a $0.10/gallon tax credit for small ethanol producers and a $0.54/gallon tariff on ethanol imports. This was an extension of the current pricing levels. Ethanol industry organizations such as the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the American Coalition for Ethanol have said they will use this one year extension to work on long-term policy reforms. This should keep domestic corn demand very strong in a year when carryover is tight and weather concerns abound.