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.