Franching: Funny things

Each year I have been posting my final column of the year with funny things my kids have said through out the year.
• Anything camo is mine. Weston
• Don’t worry Mom, Jesus will heal it. Weston
•  I stated, “That’s not worth writing home about.” Allie asked, “What does write home mean?”
• Weston asked if I had the ingredients for sugar cookies, and I said YES, but Why?  “We need to make some for Santa.”  I guess he is ahead of the game this year.
• Did I grow in your heart? Weston
•  First things first, we are making cookies NOW. Weston
•  Be careful girls, there’s a gun in the car. (his bb gun) Weston
•  I like mine dark (chocolate milk,) just like coffee. Weston
•  I know the password to the microwave. Weston
•  “Mom I wish Teddy had a Mom.” said Weston. “Well you are kind of like his mom,” I said.  “Do I look like a bear?” asked Weston.  “Well you are like his dad,” I replied.  “I lose him sometimes you know.”
•  Go in the other room Mom, dad and I are working on an expensive plane. - Weston
•  What did you get dad for valentines?” asked Weston. “Those chocolates,” I replied.  “NO you have to get something cooler - Like a new feed truck.” said Weston.
•  No - not steak - it will make my tooth looser. Weston
•  The only thing wrong with these cookies is they need milk. Allie
•  Do you have any spinach - I feel weak. Weston
•  Weston stuck his tongue out at me, and I informed him he had better stop or that was going to get him in a bunch of trouble.  He then informed me that Jesus would still love him.
•  “Why does Hannah (our dog) want the pigs so bad?” asked the girls.  Well, the are bacon.....(Weston)
•  During Easter Sunday we were doing congregational singing.  Weston could see the communion table set up.  He asked me “When are we going to get to the bread and the blood?”
•  I told Weston go up to the attic and get his Easter basket.  He proceeded to get down on of my grocery bags, and stated, “It’s to small, I am going to need something bigger, and with a zipper too.”
•  Weston has his first loose tooth and stated, I really have three lose teeth, but the third one is hard to find.
•  You are going to have to get a lot better at English if you are going to get me thru high school mom. -Addie

Franching: Music programs

This last week Luke and crew preg checked and calf-hood vaccinated a group of cattle.  The day dragged on, but with some freshly baked cookies and several pots of coffee they pushed through and finished. 
With a second child at home I asked my niece how things were going at her house and she surprised me and said it was going much better than she had expected!
Our out of state deer hunters have not had as much success, compared to years past.  I think there are several factors involved.  The warm weather for one, healthy coyotes, and multiple deer hunters seeking venison.  However the only deer I ever killed was in my parents blue Oldsmobile, making me a non-hunting expert.
A chapter closed for Allie this week.  She had her last elementary Christmas music program.  The kids did well.  I often say that 6th grade is the last time some of the boys will sing. 
Weston got to take a ride on the Polar Express.  The kindergarten classes had a big day building up to an afternoon party where they got their ticket punched and the watched the Polar Express movie. 
My kids are certainly ready for a break from school.  They mainly want to know what they are getting for Christmas.  We got the Christmas tree brought in.  We cut down an Eastern Red Cedar from the pasture.

Franching: New baby

My poor lilacs, they have put out green leaves.  Who can blame them, what a treat it would be if they bloomed.  However, Jack Frost, and Old Man Winter will soon have other plans.  This weekend we went to a live nativity display and the weather was most enjoyable.
Have you ever been to Pratt, KS to see the Lemon Park Lights?  If not, you are missing out.  The display started out small and has since grown.  If you are passing through Pratt this Christmas season, make your way south down Main Street and follow the signs to the park.  There is a grove of lighted trees, a section of snowmen, a sea dragon and wild west show just to name a few.  Enjoy a no admission fee and cars can make as many trips around the park as desired.  Perhaps a drive is not good enough, park your car and take the walking trail through the park and enjoy the lights up close.  Our family enjoyed a stroll through the park, and I am ready to walk through it again next week.
One field of cotton has been stripped, however we won’t know the results of the yield until later. We have one more field that needs picked.
This was an exciting week for us. Behold for unto us a cousin is born, lying in a pack-n-play near Moundridge we found the babe swaddled in his mother’s arms.  Kalib Calvin joined our family last Tuesday. His mother went to the doctor and was asked, “Well are you ready to have this baby today?”  So, she quickly rounded up her things, and made it back to the hospital.  The baby came the next day. He was welcomed by his big brother Lane.  Addie had a basketball game at Halstead, so we slipped over and held the new baby.  Of course, he was very cute and handled all of us holding him.  I just hope he wasn’t a mess when we left.  New babies can get over stimulated when too many people hold them.
I printed off a special Advent calendar for Weston.  It has 23 pieces, each day has a small devotional and he gets to cut a piece that goes into the nativity.  Did you know that Micah prophesied over 500 years before the birth of Christ that he would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah?
This week we have 2 basketball games, piano lessons, church and one music program.  Thank goodness they are not all on the same day.  Luke plans on checking cows this week too.  One last thought, I am not trying to brag, but we have not one, but TWO roadrunners living at our house.  They are so much fun to watch.  The kids spotted them both this last weekend.

Franching: Warm Fun

I just can’t get over how warm it’s been the last week.  Such a nice bonus to the past Thanksgiving vacation. 
My older sister rolled into town on Tuesday and the party got started.  My parents’ house might have gotten shaken off the foundation in the past several days.  The kids have a good time running around the house. 
On Thanksgiving Day the weather was certainly better than what we asked.  After doing some exploring the kids all got together and played a big game of soccer. 
The next day the cousins banded together and made a fort.  After dragging out many tumble weeds they had a pretty big space.  They took some other tree branches and made a wall.  Then they convinced their uncle to load up some old junk to take back the fort. 
It was nice not having any basketball games to go to, however Addie did have one 6:30 in the morning practice. 
Allie is quite pleased that she is now the first chair in her trombone section.  She did spend time practicing and it paid off.
Weston told me that he did not want to go back to school.  I think that the break got him out of his usual schedule. 
Luke and the kids spent part of Friday making a Christmas star decoration for the  windmill at our house.   It took two strands of lights that I bought.  I had to go back and buy another section of lights.   The girls zip-tied the cord on and now the star is complete.

Franching: Sunday Trail

Earlier this week Weston informed me that he had a long Christmas list, and I might not have enough money to buy everything.  I think he might be right!  He will get a little gift this week since his cousins are coming in from Illinois and we will be doing the cousin Christmas exchange.  Nerf guns are at the top of his current list.  I think he and another boy cousin are getting the same thing.  I am always nervous that I am not going to get them something they want.
Addie had a full week.  She had two basketball games and a music concert.  On Saturday she and Weston got to help their dad move cows.  Allie was invited over to a friend’s house and I am sure she stayed up late.
On Sunday we rode horses.  It takes us a while to get all the horses caught and tacked up.  Maybe if the kids would quit asking me for help with different things, I might not be the last one in the saddle.  Goldie has been at our place for around ten years.  In that time, she has never really let me down.  She has a choppy stride, but she is always needs to be in the lead.  Addie and Luke rode Blondie, which is impressive since she basically has not training, she is just incredibly tame, calm and goes with the flow.
The kids only need to get through two days of school this week then the well deserved vacation time will begin.

Franching: Cotton must wait

Every morning when I get up it is so dark out, and I wonder if it is really time to get up.  However, it was nice to put the kids on the bus when it is not so dark outside.   Hope you moved your clocks back.
My horses are complete pigs, they have been consuming a whole bale of grass in just a few days.  I made Luke move a second bale feeder into their pen because two of the “outside” mares don’t seem to get the same amount of bunk space.  Poor Blondie always gets picked on.  I call her Blondie, not just because she is a palomino but because she is prone to knicks, scrapes, and not always very street smart, or should I say pasture smart.
Finally, we are approaching the end of soybean season.  We got done with ours a few weeks ago, but then we have stopped and cut beans for a few neighbors.  One guy had several fields to cut so he took the longest.  Another guy has been patiently waiting, but he only has 50 acres.  So, once they get moved it shouldn’t take long.  I have spent a few days this week helping move them around from field to field.
Many people have asked when the cotton will be picked. The cotton may take a while to get picked, or stripped.  We certainly are not set up to pick cotton in any shape or form.  We will get in line for our field to be picked.  The bowl opener has been sprayed on the cotton.  This is our first year to plant cotton, and yes, it is a bit of a risk.  We really have no experience, and the costs associated with production are high. There are only a few of the new round bale pickers in the area, but they are sure to be busy.  A new one costs $800,000 plus net wrap.  Seems reasonable. (Ok that was me being sarcastic.)
However, this is one crop that seems to be making producers money.  West of Pratt near the cotton gin. nearly every inch of ground is planted to cotton!  I took a picture of Weston out in the cotton, he was pretending to sing a song much like the “Peterson Farm Bros.”
 Addie has started basketball season.  It’s not her favorite sport, but she does enjoy the running around and hanging out with friends during the season.  The season should last until the second week of January.  She has three games next week, isn’t that crazy? Allie will want to play rec basketball again I am sure. Weston told me he wants to do sports, that is scary since he is the most competitive of the three kids.  Just playing a board game can be a major event for him.
Addie is also on the end of a project she has been working on for Veteran’s Day.  She interviewed my grandpa, and did learn many things about him and the Navy.  She has been complaining that other kid’s parents are writing their papers, and doing their project boards.  I just tried to assure her that someday that will catch up to them.
Allie has been working very hard on her piano pieces for Christmas.  I am surprised how much she has practiced being honest.  Weston like to bother her while she plays.  He also loves to try and play her trombone.   She got to spend the night with a friend for her birthday.  They went roller skating and she now insists she wants roller blades for Christmas.
Weston had his cousin Levi over and they seemed to enjoy going and playing in the girls’ big closet upstairs.  Both girls were mad the boys had been in there, but come on, they had not even opened that closet for months.

First of the last (teeth)

By Tammie Hoeme
The other day I realized that 2 boxes of Mac and cheese would not be enough to fill up my kid’s tummies.  Addie commented – I can eat a box all by myself.  Great, their dad will want to eat something to eat also.   Groceries are SO expensive.  I don’t like going to the store, and especially not with my kids.  Thankfully we do have a freezer full of meat.  We had two extra 4-H pigs that are now a regular part of our breakfast and sometimes supper.
It finally happened, Weston lost his FIRST tooth.   Such a big boy.  This will really change his looks from being a little boy into growing up into more of a big kid.   We go to parent teacher conferences this week.  I cheated and have already seen his grades online.  He seems to be doing well at school, but it might be interesting to hear it from the teacher.  Sometimes he tells me that he needs a day off.
We went to a football game a few weeks ago and sat with the other team. I knew the parents of one of the players from the other team.  Since they live in Western Kansas we don’t get to see them very often.  Weston and I sat down and began visiting with our friends. It did not take him very long to see that we were sitting on the wrong side.  This was very upsetting for him.  But he went and played with his cousins, so he had fun.
Allie has rolled thru 6th grade with few problems at this point.  In fact, her grades make me wonder if 6th grade is too easy.  I know that some things have been a challenge for her but her grades don’t reflect any problems at this point.  A boy was bugging her at a carnival we went to and Weston was ready to take care of the situation.  To be honest the kid is in her class, and one of her buddies.   But it was funny to see him want to protect the sister he enjoys fighting with. 
Addie has gotten through the cross-country season.  She was complaining about her knee right before the final meet, but then she said it wasn’t hurting at the meet.  That is good because her team won the league meet.  That was the first time the girls had won the title.  Ok the boys won too.  It was exciting for them.

Franching: VETERAN’S DAY

You know many people spend a lot of time bashing the public schools.  Some schools even allow children to opt out of the Pledge of Allegiance.   That is why I am thankful my kids have gotten the chance to learn about Veteran’s Day.  In the elementary school the students have an assembly that honors any local veteran who would like to attend.  At the middle school the 8th graders are assigned a large project for Veteran’s Day.  Addie has worked on her project for about 6 weeks. 
She didn’t have too look to far to find someone to interview.  Her great-grandfather is a Navy veteran.  Addie and I went over to his place so she could interview him.  She was asking him some big questions, such as “What where some of the lessons you learned.”  Keep in mind this was many years ago.  So her 92 year old grandfather replied, “I learned to follow orders, and do what I was told.” 
On Friday the middle school had a come and go reception at the school. All of the projects were on display.
We played Monopoly this weekend.  Weston really likes playing the game for about the first 30 minutes, then the game gets longer.  Then I am reminded my husband is a risk taker and a control freak.  I am left wondering, has Monopoly actually brought families together, or just caused fights.
Recently I noticed that the TV remote was hidden in the crown molding above a doorway in our house.  Luke has been putting it there so the kids won’t lose it.
I have decided to call my column Franching.  What is franching you ask, it is a word that represents people who both farm and ranch. I know lots of farmers who do not want to mess with cattle, but most cattlemen dabble a little bit in farming.  Did I mention that my grandpa came home from the Navy and spent the next 50 plus years franching. On of his favorite things he did was to build terraces.
As Christmas approaches keep in mind that BILLIONS of dollars are spent on advertising.  Keep in mind that all of the images also can plant a seed of discontentment in our hearts. 

On Friday I could no longer procrastinate and I had to face my peers.  We all met at our old high school at the basketball  homecoming game.  It was time to meet up for our 20th class reunion.  Except it was really our 21st.  There were few who came from out of town, but mainly those of us that live close by and never get to see each other.  We stayed out way past my bedtime.  The laughs were worth it. Basically people had not changed too much; we all just looked different. I wore my old cheer leading jacket just to be funny and for those who stopped to see what I was wearing they did in fact chuckle.
Addie and her friend attended their first middle school dance and of course had very little to say about the event.
The next morning Allie had a basketball game 8:30 Saturday morning.  The girls played the team that they played in the season opener.  The other team had been working hard.  They had improved, however we still managed to win.  Allie even made a basket.  She was rather surprised and pleased with herself.
Next we loaded up in the car and headed to Manhattan for the 4-H day with the Cats.  This is an annual event.  The kids get a special meal package and an event T-Shirt.  The Lady Cats played Iowa State and managed to pull out a win for their crowd.
Next we headed to Cox BBQ because that’s where the kids wanted to eat.  We enjoyed some I-70 seasoned French fries and headed home. We stopped in Hutch at DQ and Weston enjoyed his first Butterfinger Blizzard.

A home for Hannah

This was a full week but the main event was the adoption of a dog. It all started at Christmas time.  “We want a puppy.” Those words were being uttered by my three children over and over.  “Fine with me, but you are going to have to convince Dad.”  I told them.  Somehow they managed to clear the hurdle of approval with their dad.  We have one good dog.  He is nearly perfect.  Scout sleeps on the poach and stays on this bed.  Politicians should learn from him, because I see him frequently snuggling with the cats.  He does not bark at strangers, but it would be nice if he did.  If coyotes are near by, he is faithful to bark ALL NIGHT LONG.  Scout is 8 years old, and my kids have never had a puppy.
So the search began, what kind of dog?  Lab, Golden Retrievers, Labradoodles, German Shepard or Shollie?  When I searched on the Internet people were trying to sell puppies and some of them just seemed out of line.  We resisted the Christmas puppy and assured the kids that the right dog will come to us.  I even visited with one of my friends who is a Veterinarian and she to encouraged me that a good dog could be found without spending an arm and a leg.
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.  I was talking to one of my friends and mentioned we were kind of looking for a dog. She said, “Really my sister-in-law has a nice dog that they no longer want.”  As it turns out “Hannah” had killed a few chickens.  She was good with kids, only about a year and a half year old and not too big.  Hannah is a miniature Australian Shepard.  We are going to have to teach her how to play fetch.  The kids love her. Hopefully we have found a good home for her, especially since we have no chickens.

A Mom for Teddy

I won’t deny it’s been a few weeks since I have written anything.  The paper has been full and so my column was not needed to take up space.
Today Weston is playing “Farm” and getting popcorn all over my floor.  He seems to be having a good time, we can sweep it up later.  He has a grain truck, auger and combine out.  Perhaps I should remind him to go get the grain cart? His preschool teacher says that he is progressing.  Most days he even seems to enjoy school. Last week we did some water color painting.  At the end he was just using black.  So then I made him use any other color but black.
Last week he told me that Teddy his bear needed a Mom.  I told him that he was kind of like Teddy’s mom.  Weston then said, “Do I look like a bear?” Next I told him “Well you are like Teddy’s dad.”  Next Weston replied, “I lose him sometimes you know.”  So far in his 5 year old mind he has a few ideas about what it takes to be a parent.
On Wednesday Allie has basketball practice.  She enjoys walking across the street after school and going to practice.  The coach was one of my older sister’s friends in high school.  He has a daughter on the team also.  I could tell she was nervous her first game, but she really loved it too.
Addie has found plenty of things to do even though her basketball is over for the year.  She is participating in scholar’s bowl and mainly just enjoys spending time with her buddies.  We took Addie and two of her friends up to horse panorama this weekend at Rock Springs.  Even though we had no idea what we were doing, a good time was had by all.
Luke of course is busy calving out heifers.  The cow business can be tough; it’s hard to lose a baby calf no matter how long you have been in the cattle business.  It also makes a person happy to see a calf born with no problems.
From time to time we need to make a few changes at the Rural Messenger.  We tried to do a current event series for a time but after trying for sometime that idea just isn’t successful the way we had hoped.  I also have shuffled a few of the pages around.  However I don’t think they will be hard to find.   As always thank you for reading our paper.