My friend and I chuckled as our girls were asking us what all we had at our wedding the other night. We were attending the wedding of a high school friend who conservatively waited to get married. The main reason we were laughing at that we had no money for a huge party when we were young and just starting out. She told her daughter – we just had cake and punch in the church basement, no meal, not dance. They have been married twenty years, so having a dance didn’t make or break the success of the marriage.
Addie managed to make it through band camp this week. She plays the trumpet. It’s quite a change going from just sitting and playing to the marching and dancing for the band. Plus there is a lot of new music to learn.
Allie enjoyed the week in Colorado with my parents. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say she enjoyed the week since she got sick one day. Thankfully they really didn’t have a tight schedule planned, so they just were able to hang out and play at their cabin part of the time. On their way the stopped at some sand dunes. The girls ran around and played for a while until their feet got hot walking on the sand. The main part of the trip was riding the train through the mountains at Durango. Most evenings they enjoyed swimming and playing around. Finally, they came home on Friday and survived the long trip home.
Weston got to enjoy some boy cousin time. Levi came over and spent the night. They went to church together on Wednesday night and played the next day. They went over to the shop and played in the big pile of sand. Weston then went over cousin Grants house and did some backyard swimming, bicycle riding and just some boy time. They played for several hours and seemed to have a good time together.
Saturday I finally did the dreaded school supply shopping. I think I have everything but who knows, I can get more things later if they need it.
Luke had a flat tire on the baler but was not able to get it fixed before more rain started coming down. Will he get it dried to start baling again before the next little shower, who knows?
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Summer nearly over
What happened to the summer??? That is what I have been wondering this last week. We entered the first week of August and the kids are already enrolled in school. I now have kids in all three buildings. Elementary, middle and high school. I guess I had better get to know a few more secretaries. However, I have been warned by other parents that the high school expects the students to manage their problems and schedule.
This week Addie has band camp, Allie has gone on a girl grandchild trip with my parents and Weston is stuck at home. However, I think he is going to do a boy cousin sleep over later this week.
The Pratt county fair. First, we need to go back and revisit the county fair. It was very nice to attend most of the shows and not break a sweat. The fair had some very nice temperatures for the end of July. The girls started off with the style review. Then on Monday they did foods judging followed by the horse show performance classes. Tuesday brought quilt, photography and crafts judging then we went back home and loaded horses for the speed events. Wednesday, we brought all the animals to the fairgrounds. Thursday, we show swine in the morning and sheep in the afternoon. Friday the girls showed their cow-calf pairs, and Addie qualified for Round Robin. On Saturday they did the livestock judging contest and then the premium auction. Now we just need to do record books and write thank you notes.
After putting the paper together last week I finally got enough laundry done for us to pack up and leave for a few days. After enrolling the kids, we took off for Branson a few days. Our first stop was the Dixie Stampede. We went 4 years ago, and the show had changed a little bit. The girls still enjoyed it. Weston didn’t really remember it the first time, so he really enjoyed it. Allie said she still wants to be a Dixie Stampede girl. I think Addie liked the competition parts.
The next morning, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and eat some hotel breakfast. Weston must have wanted some type of responsibility because he grabbed the hotel room key and kept a hold of it. He kept it in his pocket the whole time while we were at Silver Dollar City. He insisted that he get to hold it. Finally, we got loaded in the car and headed to the park. We got a parking spot and then walked to the park. At first, they were experiencing an electrical problem, but then they got it fixed. I was a little concerned. After all what were the girls going to do? Finally, they got he roller coasters going. We spent the whole day there and enjoyed all the food. On the way home, we stopped at the factory outlets to do some school shopping, then headed to Springfield to walk through the Bass Pro Shop. We saw one family from Pratt we knew, our old pastors from nearly twenty years ago, and a guy that was in Luke’s class spotted him at SDC. It was fun to run into them and just say hi.
Saturday, we jetted up to Moundridge for our nephew Lane’s sixth birthday celebration. I think he had a pretty good day. Since we have no DQ in Pratt we had to slip into the one Hutch for a dip cone, or chocolate malt.
This week Addie has band camp, Allie has gone on a girl grandchild trip with my parents and Weston is stuck at home. However, I think he is going to do a boy cousin sleep over later this week.
The Pratt county fair. First, we need to go back and revisit the county fair. It was very nice to attend most of the shows and not break a sweat. The fair had some very nice temperatures for the end of July. The girls started off with the style review. Then on Monday they did foods judging followed by the horse show performance classes. Tuesday brought quilt, photography and crafts judging then we went back home and loaded horses for the speed events. Wednesday, we brought all the animals to the fairgrounds. Thursday, we show swine in the morning and sheep in the afternoon. Friday the girls showed their cow-calf pairs, and Addie qualified for Round Robin. On Saturday they did the livestock judging contest and then the premium auction. Now we just need to do record books and write thank you notes.
After putting the paper together last week I finally got enough laundry done for us to pack up and leave for a few days. After enrolling the kids, we took off for Branson a few days. Our first stop was the Dixie Stampede. We went 4 years ago, and the show had changed a little bit. The girls still enjoyed it. Weston didn’t really remember it the first time, so he really enjoyed it. Allie said she still wants to be a Dixie Stampede girl. I think Addie liked the competition parts.
The next morning, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and eat some hotel breakfast. Weston must have wanted some type of responsibility because he grabbed the hotel room key and kept a hold of it. He kept it in his pocket the whole time while we were at Silver Dollar City. He insisted that he get to hold it. Finally, we got loaded in the car and headed to the park. We got a parking spot and then walked to the park. At first, they were experiencing an electrical problem, but then they got it fixed. I was a little concerned. After all what were the girls going to do? Finally, they got he roller coasters going. We spent the whole day there and enjoyed all the food. On the way home, we stopped at the factory outlets to do some school shopping, then headed to Springfield to walk through the Bass Pro Shop. We saw one family from Pratt we knew, our old pastors from nearly twenty years ago, and a guy that was in Luke’s class spotted him at SDC. It was fun to run into them and just say hi.
Saturday, we jetted up to Moundridge for our nephew Lane’s sixth birthday celebration. I think he had a pretty good day. Since we have no DQ in Pratt we had to slip into the one Hutch for a dip cone, or chocolate malt.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Franching: Firecracker fun
Have you ever noticed in a few days’ time things can change? A few weeks ago, we had a larger pig in with our 4-H pigs. She was born in November, they were all born in March. ‘Mother’ left the group and now the other pigs are growing so fast. She must have really been ‘hogging’ the food.
With just a few inches of rain there are suddenly more weeds and brush than South Central Kansas has seen in several years. The pig weeds are not too noticeable until a little bit of rain and then they almost seem to grow a foot overnight. According to Wikipedia pig weeds “can grow from 2-5 inches in three days or less. In only a few weeks, it can grow from 12 to 18 in compared to cotton at 5 to 8 in.” So maybe growing a foot overnight might be an exaggeration, but still they can grow rapidly and the change is noticeable overnight.
The cousins all got together for the 4th of July and no one lost any fingers. My son really likes to light firworks and it is so hard to impress on him that they are dangerous.
We all went out to Dodge City and of course went to Boot Hill. There was plenty of information to read however, a certain 7 year old was my main focus. Then we ate at Freddy’s, which the Illinois cousins had not ever ate at. There was certainly plenty of food.
After lunch we headed down to the Long Branch Water park. They had a big pool for swimming, which included a big slide that most of the kids enjoyed. A wave pool area was a fun part of the park. The little kids five and under had a play area. The adults liked the lazy river area. All of the big kids spent a good part of the day riding the waterslides. One had some spins and loops, the other had a fast drop into the cove area.
With just a few inches of rain there are suddenly more weeds and brush than South Central Kansas has seen in several years. The pig weeds are not too noticeable until a little bit of rain and then they almost seem to grow a foot overnight. According to Wikipedia pig weeds “can grow from 2-5 inches in three days or less. In only a few weeks, it can grow from 12 to 18 in compared to cotton at 5 to 8 in.” So maybe growing a foot overnight might be an exaggeration, but still they can grow rapidly and the change is noticeable overnight.
The cousins all got together for the 4th of July and no one lost any fingers. My son really likes to light firworks and it is so hard to impress on him that they are dangerous.
We all went out to Dodge City and of course went to Boot Hill. There was plenty of information to read however, a certain 7 year old was my main focus. Then we ate at Freddy’s, which the Illinois cousins had not ever ate at. There was certainly plenty of food.
After lunch we headed down to the Long Branch Water park. They had a big pool for swimming, which included a big slide that most of the kids enjoyed. A wave pool area was a fun part of the park. The little kids five and under had a play area. The adults liked the lazy river area. All of the big kids spent a good part of the day riding the waterslides. One had some spins and loops, the other had a fast drop into the cove area.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Full weekend
Where do I start? This week was full of events. On Tuesday we moved cows and calves off a corn circle to some graze out wheat. That went pretty well considering that it could have been disastrous. We moved them about 6 miles. It was slow going but that was expected. Many of the baby calves ended up getting shoved in the trailer if they weren’t moving along very fast. Once we got to the field only a few cows wanted to turn back, but they soon settled down.
Later that evening we attended Weston’s kindergarten music program. They sang several little songs. Weston has been heard humming them around the house.
On Thursday Addie’s track meet got canceled, but it was actually kind of a relief. I had plenty of things to do and so did the kids. On Friday both Addie and Allie got to attend the Italian Dinner that was hosted by their school. The students had to meet two requirements to attend. They needed to lead a conference with their parents, and have their grades in good standing.
After the rehearsal for their piano recital, the girls were ready to get their hair done.
They met up with their friends and snapped a few pictures before the dinner.
On Saturday Weston had his last soccer game. The soccer season really did not go very well. About half of their games got canceled due to bad weather. Most of the team made it to the last game and they really had a good time. And yes they won. They played on the football field artificial turf instead of grass so the ball really moved quickly.
The girls had their piano recital on Sunday. The girls both did well.
The kids have about 12 days of school left and they are starting to get the feeling of wanting to be done with school. I have been running out of ideas for their lunches, but we will get by.
Later that evening we attended Weston’s kindergarten music program. They sang several little songs. Weston has been heard humming them around the house.
On Thursday Addie’s track meet got canceled, but it was actually kind of a relief. I had plenty of things to do and so did the kids. On Friday both Addie and Allie got to attend the Italian Dinner that was hosted by their school. The students had to meet two requirements to attend. They needed to lead a conference with their parents, and have their grades in good standing.
After the rehearsal for their piano recital, the girls were ready to get their hair done.
They met up with their friends and snapped a few pictures before the dinner.
On Saturday Weston had his last soccer game. The soccer season really did not go very well. About half of their games got canceled due to bad weather. Most of the team made it to the last game and they really had a good time. And yes they won. They played on the football field artificial turf instead of grass so the ball really moved quickly.
The girls had their piano recital on Sunday. The girls both did well.
The kids have about 12 days of school left and they are starting to get the feeling of wanting to be done with school. I have been running out of ideas for their lunches, but we will get by.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Anything you can do, I can do better.
This week started us off with a busy Tuesday. Addie had a track meet in Medicine Lodge, and Weston had a makeup soccer game in Pratt. Divide and conquer. So I went to the track meet, and Luke to Weston to the soccer match. My parents came down and watched a few of the races.
This track meet is the only nonleague meet our school goes to. So Addie enjoyed seeing some of her friends that she met at church camp. They all go to Chapparel Middle school. Her cousin from St. Marks was there also. Last year they didn’t race each other. This year they competed against each other in the half mile and the medley relay. Addie had the easy 100 meter part, while Briley ran the last leg of 400 meters.
Luke and the guys pulled a calf and unfortunately the calf did not make it. That is part of the game, you can’t always win. Last week they installed a forty foot water tank in the pasture and this week they got the run-off drain attached and working.
About a year ago we had a bunch of hay bales across from where we feed cattle. So, Luke, had me take the hydrabed and just move them with the pickup to the other side of the road. One day I managed to load four bales onto the bed instead of the usual three. I didn’t know that I had started a competition because Luke snapped a picture of the pick up loaded with six bales. He didn’t go anywhere with them but mainly was just having fun with a photo opportunity.
This track meet is the only nonleague meet our school goes to. So Addie enjoyed seeing some of her friends that she met at church camp. They all go to Chapparel Middle school. Her cousin from St. Marks was there also. Last year they didn’t race each other. This year they competed against each other in the half mile and the medley relay. Addie had the easy 100 meter part, while Briley ran the last leg of 400 meters.
Luke and the guys pulled a calf and unfortunately the calf did not make it. That is part of the game, you can’t always win. Last week they installed a forty foot water tank in the pasture and this week they got the run-off drain attached and working.
About a year ago we had a bunch of hay bales across from where we feed cattle. So, Luke, had me take the hydrabed and just move them with the pickup to the other side of the road. One day I managed to load four bales onto the bed instead of the usual three. I didn’t know that I had started a competition because Luke snapped a picture of the pick up loaded with six bales. He didn’t go anywhere with them but mainly was just having fun with a photo opportunity.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Windy days
Wow that wind last week was just a little bit more than crazy. I am glad that it has finally slowed. Our farrier showed up Tuesday morning, and was able to trim all the horses in our barn. He knew he would be able to use the barn, otherwise he would have rescheduled.
This weekend the girls had 4-H club days. Allie is the president of our club so she was able to make it through the model meeting.
Allie also played the piano and gave a project talk on Grass Fed and Grain Fed beef. That was a very broad topic, but we were able to help her condence it down to a 6th grade level talk. Addie gave a demonstration on how to make a thank you card, and then write it. She also played the piano. Weston made a project talk on coyotes, but since he is not really in 4-H he didn't give it to anyone except us. He made me print out a bunch of coyote pictures and he glued them onto a poster board.
Cousin Levi got to show off his weather balloon in the Show-and-Tell category for first year 4-H'ers. He got up and shared his big smile and talked about finding the balloon out in a field with his dad. He also gets to use it for his science fair project.
Then the boys played hard at our house all day Saturday. They went and played in the sand pit, played basketball and just as the wind came up and the front started coming in the wanted to ride horses. So Luke saddled up two horses. Weston claimed Goldie was hard for Levi to ride, so next time he would let Levi ride Diamond. It's interesting that Diamond is easier for them to ride, because she is certainly the hardest horse to catch. Not only does she know every trick in the book, I think she wrote the book. Goldie on the other hand generally allows me to walk right up to her and catch her.
This weekend the girls had 4-H club days. Allie is the president of our club so she was able to make it through the model meeting.
Allie also played the piano and gave a project talk on Grass Fed and Grain Fed beef. That was a very broad topic, but we were able to help her condence it down to a 6th grade level talk. Addie gave a demonstration on how to make a thank you card, and then write it. She also played the piano. Weston made a project talk on coyotes, but since he is not really in 4-H he didn't give it to anyone except us. He made me print out a bunch of coyote pictures and he glued them onto a poster board.
Cousin Levi got to show off his weather balloon in the Show-and-Tell category for first year 4-H'ers. He got up and shared his big smile and talked about finding the balloon out in a field with his dad. He also gets to use it for his science fair project.
Then the boys played hard at our house all day Saturday. They went and played in the sand pit, played basketball and just as the wind came up and the front started coming in the wanted to ride horses. So Luke saddled up two horses. Weston claimed Goldie was hard for Levi to ride, so next time he would let Levi ride Diamond. It's interesting that Diamond is easier for them to ride, because she is certainly the hardest horse to catch. Not only does she know every trick in the book, I think she wrote the book. Goldie on the other hand generally allows me to walk right up to her and catch her.
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Roll or get rolled over
This week some of the girls from the office and I attended a class at KSU about Social Media Marketing. We met around 5 AM on Tuesday and headed to Manhattan. So, what does that mean? The class was about how to get platforms like Facebook, and Instagram to work for you and your business. Most of the other attendees represented some type of organization or a private business. One thing I learned, was to roll with changes, or get rolled over.
It’s interesting, media is changing so quickly. How does a small newspaper keep up? One way I think, is to offer something that other papers don’t. The Rural Messenger offers many columnists that share a story or a humorous point of view. Some share personal stories, and life lessons from their past.
We also offer classifieds, that come from sellers who are from the most part from central Kansas. Not everyone likes to point and click and read on a screen. We offer a paper that comes out weekly so that you can sit and read the paper when you get the opportunity, rather than rush, rush, rush.
On to the kids, this is a big birthday time for our family right now. March 1 is shared by three people, along with 3 February birthdays and three other birthdays in March. Two of them are adults, the rest are nieces and nephews.
Allie told me that they could not have made it one more morning without me. Weston seemed pretty happy to have me home. Weston got to dress up and have Dr. Suess week at school. His favorite day was dress like a farmer. He told me that he didn’t want to dress like an ordinary farmer, he wanted to dress like my dad. I didn’t try and tell him that my dad dresses pretty ordinary most days. I think Weston didn’t want to dress in overalls. So, he dressed in a tractor shirt, some of his work jeans, boots, plyers on his belt and a ball cap.
Addie has been enjoying the new Cricut that I got for my birthday. It is a die cutting machine. Now we can cut paper, fabric, and wood. We can even do some embossing with a special tool. She has made several thank you cards and other projects. I have invested a small fortune is paper to cut out. However, this is one electronic I am happy to let her play with. We made some birthday cards for the cousins.
I finally got a picture of one of our road runners. I have seen three at our house, but I don't think they all say here at once.
It’s interesting, media is changing so quickly. How does a small newspaper keep up? One way I think, is to offer something that other papers don’t. The Rural Messenger offers many columnists that share a story or a humorous point of view. Some share personal stories, and life lessons from their past.
We also offer classifieds, that come from sellers who are from the most part from central Kansas. Not everyone likes to point and click and read on a screen. We offer a paper that comes out weekly so that you can sit and read the paper when you get the opportunity, rather than rush, rush, rush.
On to the kids, this is a big birthday time for our family right now. March 1 is shared by three people, along with 3 February birthdays and three other birthdays in March. Two of them are adults, the rest are nieces and nephews.
Allie told me that they could not have made it one more morning without me. Weston seemed pretty happy to have me home. Weston got to dress up and have Dr. Suess week at school. His favorite day was dress like a farmer. He told me that he didn’t want to dress like an ordinary farmer, he wanted to dress like my dad. I didn’t try and tell him that my dad dresses pretty ordinary most days. I think Weston didn’t want to dress in overalls. So, he dressed in a tractor shirt, some of his work jeans, boots, plyers on his belt and a ball cap.
Addie has been enjoying the new Cricut that I got for my birthday. It is a die cutting machine. Now we can cut paper, fabric, and wood. We can even do some embossing with a special tool. She has made several thank you cards and other projects. I have invested a small fortune is paper to cut out. However, this is one electronic I am happy to let her play with. We made some birthday cards for the cousins.
I finally got a picture of one of our road runners. I have seen three at our house, but I don't think they all say here at once.
The last dribble
Allie's team took the court for the last time on Saturday. The ended up in 4th place. They ended the season 2 - 4. Overall they really enjoyed them-selves and improved their game. Several of the girls are fifth graders and they will be ready to play next season. Allie will be a seventh graders so she will play at the school and not in the rec league. She has already commented that she misses practice. I guess she will just have to practice her piano instead.
Weston and Allie went out to cousin Levi's house. They played hard all afternoon. On the way home Weston was so tired that he fell asleep on the way home. He hasn't done that in a while.
Addie enjoyed going to Rock Springs Camp this last weekend for 4-H ambassador train-ing weekend.
Luke got me a Cricut maker for my birthday and now I need to figure out how to operate it.
Weston and Allie went out to cousin Levi's house. They played hard all afternoon. On the way home Weston was so tired that he fell asleep on the way home. He hasn't done that in a while.
Addie enjoyed going to Rock Springs Camp this last weekend for 4-H ambassador train-ing weekend.
Luke got me a Cricut maker for my birthday and now I need to figure out how to operate it.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
no calves yet
Everyone keeps asking how the calving is going and I have disappointed them when I have told them that we have not really begun. One cow had a calf very early but she was able to handle the situation all on her own. Then we have had a few others, and finally the first heifer had a calf this weekend. Luke did give the calf one bottle and it has been find with the mother ever since.
Allie had a basketball game on Saturday. Her team finally managed to win a game. They won by only two points.
We all crammed in the pickup along with Hannah and we went and checked cattle. Lucky we did, one side of the hot wire fence was down. So after fixing that we headed back to the house to enjoy the nice weather.
The kids got some drones from Christmas but it has been so cold, or the wind has been blowing. Finally, they got a chance to fly them on Sunday. Weston’s would not take off. Addie and Allie were both able to fly theirs. The batteries in them did not last long.
Weston was sick this week and kept a little cough around. He got to spend the night with his cousin and he informed me that he was not even scared.
My parents came to Allie’s game and my nephew’s game on Saturday, next weekend they will be at another grandchild’s game. They will be heading up to see my sister and her family. They have several birthdays close together and enjoy seeing everyone. Maybe they can take a few pictures of snow so my kids will know what it looks like.
Allie had a basketball game on Saturday. Her team finally managed to win a game. They won by only two points.
We all crammed in the pickup along with Hannah and we went and checked cattle. Lucky we did, one side of the hot wire fence was down. So after fixing that we headed back to the house to enjoy the nice weather.
The kids got some drones from Christmas but it has been so cold, or the wind has been blowing. Finally, they got a chance to fly them on Sunday. Weston’s would not take off. Addie and Allie were both able to fly theirs. The batteries in them did not last long.
Weston was sick this week and kept a little cough around. He got to spend the night with his cousin and he informed me that he was not even scared.
My parents came to Allie’s game and my nephew’s game on Saturday, next weekend they will be at another grandchild’s game. They will be heading up to see my sister and her family. They have several birthdays close together and enjoy seeing everyone. Maybe they can take a few pictures of snow so my kids will know what it looks like.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Banquet
Most of the staff from the Rural Messenger got to attend the Pheasant’s Forever banquet in Hutchinson this past weekend. We played games, and my kids drank as many pops as the could and we all had a chance to sit around and catch up on non-office ideas. Steve and Joyce Gilliland were also able to join us. I hope they enjoyed their evening. Nick Hollister of United Country in Newton was the auctioneer for the evening.
The Atrium Hotel and Convention center hosted the event. I was surprised how big the banquet room was. Most of the dinner was just so-so. But I did hear lots of people say how wonderful the brisket was. Everyone also got to enjoy a slice of apple pie. The meal was good considering how many people they served.
All of the kids got a Pheasant’s Forever t-shirt and free one-topping pizza from Papa Murphy’s in Hutchinson.
I just hope my boss didn’t have any surprises when he paid his tab!
The Atrium Hotel and Convention center hosted the event. I was surprised how big the banquet room was. Most of the dinner was just so-so. But I did hear lots of people say how wonderful the brisket was. Everyone also got to enjoy a slice of apple pie. The meal was good considering how many people they served.
All of the kids got a Pheasant’s Forever t-shirt and free one-topping pizza from Papa Murphy’s in Hutchinson.
I just hope my boss didn’t have any surprises when he paid his tab!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Into the fire
On Thursday in Pratt the unimaginable happened. A house fire quickly burned and because of the fast-moving fire 4 children and their mother passed away. Allie and I drove by the house Saturday and the street was still blocked off. The fire investigators are still working to find the start of the fire.
On the news we watched as the fire fighters first pulled up to the home site. We could see one of our friends running by in his uniform to the scene. I thought about how most fire fighters are “do-ers.” They DO the hard things that need done. Most people run from a fire, they run into the fire. When they signed up to start their firefighter training, I am sure they knew that hard days would come in the future. I am sure this was their worst nightmare come true. No amount of training can prepare a person for dealing with the loss of a child. I imagine that these guys could only lay their heads down, but not sleep. As they laid their head down, the scene played over and over in their minds. What could have been different, could they have arrived sooner? Questions I am sure continue to troll through their minds. Many of them went home to see their own children and shed a few tears.
On Sunday our pastor prayed that the first responders would be free of guilt. I too hope they will be free of guilt. Even though most people know it was no fault of the firemen, I can see how they might carry around guilt.
Perhaps I should summarize by saying how thankful I am for the DO-ERS in the world. I am thankful so many wonderful people are willing to put their live on the line and run into danger. I see these guys out training and their families also give sacrificially to the community. They have taken time away from their lives to be ready in an emergency.
Many donations have come in. If you feel compelled to donate this is one link https://www.gofundme.com/chfcjy-help-the-egglestonwheatley-family
On the news we watched as the fire fighters first pulled up to the home site. We could see one of our friends running by in his uniform to the scene. I thought about how most fire fighters are “do-ers.” They DO the hard things that need done. Most people run from a fire, they run into the fire. When they signed up to start their firefighter training, I am sure they knew that hard days would come in the future. I am sure this was their worst nightmare come true. No amount of training can prepare a person for dealing with the loss of a child. I imagine that these guys could only lay their heads down, but not sleep. As they laid their head down, the scene played over and over in their minds. What could have been different, could they have arrived sooner? Questions I am sure continue to troll through their minds. Many of them went home to see their own children and shed a few tears.
On Sunday our pastor prayed that the first responders would be free of guilt. I too hope they will be free of guilt. Even though most people know it was no fault of the firemen, I can see how they might carry around guilt.
Perhaps I should summarize by saying how thankful I am for the DO-ERS in the world. I am thankful so many wonderful people are willing to put their live on the line and run into danger. I see these guys out training and their families also give sacrificially to the community. They have taken time away from their lives to be ready in an emergency.
Many donations have come in. If you feel compelled to donate this is one link https://www.gofundme.com/chfcjy-help-the-egglestonwheatley-family
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Braces off
The braces came off this week. Addie couldn’t be happier. I was very surprised when a month ago the orthodontist said they could come off. She had minor issues, so she only had to wear them less than a year. Of course, now we need to finish paying for them, and we go back up Tuesday to get retainers.
Middle school basketball also came to an end. I know some schools are still playing but our school has a wrestling season for middle school. Last week was the first time in a long time that all three kids got on the bus and went to school, and then they all three came home on the bus. Addie seems to be pleased with a little more free time.
Allie started her rec basketball season. She enjoyed her game, even though they lost. She knows most of her teammates and enjoys playing with them. After the game her face was pretty red, then she looked in the mirror and said, “Wow they are really red!”
On Saturday we saddled up the horses and went for a short ride. Sometimes its seems like a major event just to get all the horses saddled up. They got out on Tuesday morning when it was about 1 degree out. They were just in the ditch looking for some cheat. Unfortunately, there is nothing green around for them to nibble on.
Middle school basketball also came to an end. I know some schools are still playing but our school has a wrestling season for middle school. Last week was the first time in a long time that all three kids got on the bus and went to school, and then they all three came home on the bus. Addie seems to be pleased with a little more free time.
Allie started her rec basketball season. She enjoyed her game, even though they lost. She knows most of her teammates and enjoys playing with them. After the game her face was pretty red, then she looked in the mirror and said, “Wow they are really red!”
On Saturday we saddled up the horses and went for a short ride. Sometimes its seems like a major event just to get all the horses saddled up. They got out on Tuesday morning when it was about 1 degree out. They were just in the ditch looking for some cheat. Unfortunately, there is nothing green around for them to nibble on.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
So cold
Just one more week of middle school basketball (yeah!) Addie has two more games, and we have meetings on both nights and I am not sure how we are going to get to the games. Then Allie starts the rec. basketball league. She knows her coach this year and is ready to start playing.
It was so cold last week. Thankfully we didn’t have two feet of snow to blow around. I managed to keep the horse water open. The tank looks like a big hunk of ice with a single hole going down to the bottom to the water. I am hoping to get some melt in the tank. Luke had a heat lamp on an old well that he needed to keep thawed. We went to unplug the heat lamp since we are enjoying warm weather for a few days. Near the well is an old underground house. In the house there is a bee hive. It had warmed up just enough the bees were out inspecing and making sure it wasn’t spring yet. On the floor we found serveral old honey combs. They were empty and just wax pieces. I tried to explain to Weston that the bees had made wax. They were hard from the cold and he didn’t know what to think. After the combs had set on the dash for a while they quickly softened and the kids enjoyed feeling the squishyness of the wax.
Even our roadrunners managed during the cold snap. I saw them puff out and try to keep warm. One was in the barn, I think he was looking for mice. I was surprised how close I got to him. Then Allie was in the horse pen and she said one walked right past her, then took off. According to the kids we have three roadrunners. I have seen two at the same time.
Weston told me he wanted to go visit a Reindeer farm, I didn’t know what he was talking about. Finally, I noticed a travel company had been advertising a tour to Alaska and one of the features was visiting a Reindeer Farm.
Addie and her friend went on a quick trail ride Sunday. Then when she got home we all saddled up and went down the road. We started out too late, and it got dark and cold quickly. Allie had been getting her new saddle adjusted to her horse. We had to trade out some billets and put a different cinch on. She got mad at me when I put saddle soap on it and did not wipe the excess off.
My daughter was mailed a letter from Pratt on December 18th and she finally got it December 30th. The main problem was the letter told about a meeting on December 28th. It’s a good thing that someone had told us about the meeting, so she was able to attend. Did you know that the Rural Messenger still mails out some papers, but now the paper can be picked-up at multiple sites in your community? The Rural Messenger is also free, so thank our advertisers. We are actually getting the paper into more hands than when we mailed the paper. Look for a new paper each Wednesday.
It was so cold last week. Thankfully we didn’t have two feet of snow to blow around. I managed to keep the horse water open. The tank looks like a big hunk of ice with a single hole going down to the bottom to the water. I am hoping to get some melt in the tank. Luke had a heat lamp on an old well that he needed to keep thawed. We went to unplug the heat lamp since we are enjoying warm weather for a few days. Near the well is an old underground house. In the house there is a bee hive. It had warmed up just enough the bees were out inspecing and making sure it wasn’t spring yet. On the floor we found serveral old honey combs. They were empty and just wax pieces. I tried to explain to Weston that the bees had made wax. They were hard from the cold and he didn’t know what to think. After the combs had set on the dash for a while they quickly softened and the kids enjoyed feeling the squishyness of the wax.
Even our roadrunners managed during the cold snap. I saw them puff out and try to keep warm. One was in the barn, I think he was looking for mice. I was surprised how close I got to him. Then Allie was in the horse pen and she said one walked right past her, then took off. According to the kids we have three roadrunners. I have seen two at the same time.
Weston told me he wanted to go visit a Reindeer farm, I didn’t know what he was talking about. Finally, I noticed a travel company had been advertising a tour to Alaska and one of the features was visiting a Reindeer Farm.
Addie and her friend went on a quick trail ride Sunday. Then when she got home we all saddled up and went down the road. We started out too late, and it got dark and cold quickly. Allie had been getting her new saddle adjusted to her horse. We had to trade out some billets and put a different cinch on. She got mad at me when I put saddle soap on it and did not wipe the excess off.
My daughter was mailed a letter from Pratt on December 18th and she finally got it December 30th. The main problem was the letter told about a meeting on December 28th. It’s a good thing that someone had told us about the meeting, so she was able to attend. Did you know that the Rural Messenger still mails out some papers, but now the paper can be picked-up at multiple sites in your community? The Rural Messenger is also free, so thank our advertisers. We are actually getting the paper into more hands than when we mailed the paper. Look for a new paper each Wednesday.
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