This Old Man  will try to publish a new blog. This darn computer keeps doing things different than I had figured out but at least it hasn't shouted at me to go away yet.
     I broke my left leg below the hip joint the 20th of August, 2012 and the steel plate repair job still doesn't like to go good yet so I get around with a cane or walker somewhat as the right leg isn't all that good. So much for that part  of the fun.
     We are in an extreme drought and had hardly any dryland rowcrop in the fall of 2012 and now have next to nothing for a 2013 dryland wheat crop.  At least we have not had a tornado or fire yet. The Oklahoma tornado and the Colorado fires are unbelievably terrible.
     Lois had a bad spell this summer with maybe arthritis and medications she was given and seems to getting better but is very disgusted that she has no strength or energy to do much. I keep telling her she is doing more than she thinks she is.
     Enough hunt and peck fun for this time. Love to All.








this old

Update Go-around

Hi everybody. Lois's hip is doing fine and she is back to running the household again, such as it is. She is doing the cooking and Earl is complaining about getting fatter again.
We have been having some rain this fall but the rowcrop harvest is finished and the wheat is up to a good start except for the Lane county farming and the rains did not help there.
For you people that do not take the Leoti Standard, The 75 years ago column had this paragraph in it. Enterprise school had only 3 absences during the two months past. Those who had perfect spelling lessons for both monthes were, Zelda Smith, Lesta Rishel, Alta Mae Wood and Earl Wiles. The pupils who received 100 in arithmetic for the month of October were, Earl Wiles, Alta Mae Wood, Vera Wood and Lee Harden. Earl was very proud to see that news item. He would have been in the 8th grade at that time.
Our Great Granddaughter Paige got 3rd in Cross Country at State. We are very proud of her.
Love to all. Earl & Lois

Our catch up news

A lot of you already know that Lois had her left hip joint replaced May 17, 2011. After getting to thin a blood count evened out and thinking things were going good at about 6 weeks it came out of joint. An ambulance trip to Garden City where they gave her lite anathesia and put it back in and sent her home after a night in the hospital and being fitted for a brace to wear which was very uncomfortable. Sometime in July it came out for the second time. Another ambulance ride to Garden City and a stand in doctor put it back in place as the doctor that did the surgery wasn't available. We came home that same afternoon. It came out for number 3 times in less than a week. That time her doctor put it back in for overnight and admitted her to the hospital for surgery the morning of the 24th of August. He put in a different ball and socket with an extra ring on the socket down over the ball more to lock it in place and says it can't come out now. He says it will limit her motion some, which doesn't worry us. We went back for a 10 day checkup. They took the staples out and said everything was doing fine. After the results of a blood test they took they called us after we got home saying it was way too thin and for us to go to the ER room in Leoti and they gave her a shot of Vitamin K and now we are keeping a check on it to try and get it where it belongs.

We want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes and to thank Ann, Larry & Galena, Dick & Joann, Charlotte & Dave and Darla for their nice anniversary cards for our 27th year together. Earl has became a pretty good cook through all this and says he has about killed himself off keeping things like Lois always kept it.

Lois does think she is on the mend now and feeling real good, but is not trying to move much in any direction.

Thanks

This is dad, stepdad, grandpa and great-grandpa and uncle and husband wanting to give a great big Thank You for all the wonderful cards and happy birthday wishes on facebook. We are having a nice day (if you can call another dry day nice) that I have waited 87 years to have. Lois is taking me out to Charlie's tonight so we can get a free birthday sundae.
I had a doctors checkup appointment this morning and it turned out good. I'm thankful for that.
Ann gave me a pansize (fake) trout which is cute to set around or hang and a fishing Happy Birthday plaque the size of a deck of cards.
A great birthday for this old guy and thanks to all.
Love to all.

Mere Musings!

It is 102 outside this afternoon so a good incentive to stay in with the air conditioner. Therefore, we will bore you people that happen to read this blog with some of our doings.
Back in July we spent a bunch of labor cleaning up after some swallows that had nested on the front porch sensor light. After the babies could fly out they just kept coming back like that was going to be their home. It took a lot of various spray to convince them to go somewhere else, but we finally won out.
Earl had a bunch of skin cancer spots burned off his face and they all turned out fine.
Lane came by and wanted Grandpa to go to a tool sale with him so we took that in, and enjoyed it as a sight seeing time.
We spread grub preventer on part of the lawn that showed activity.
Dick and Joann came and we went to Rainbow Lake and met Larry & Galena there and had a good time with Lois catching the biggest fish, and we had a good fish fry with all we caught. Everybody caught one or more.
Dick & Joann, Greg & Kim and Nathanael, Larry & Galena, Gary, Dorie, Julie and Rita all came out for the fair and all went to the free barbeque. Larry drove his Model T that he had restored in the parade with Earl riding along. It was the truck that Larry's grandpa, Arthur Wiles bought new in 1924, definitely a family heirloom! Great job of restoring by Larry!
Had a good rain saturday night to stop the carnival at 6 O'clock.
The next weekend we went to Grinnell for Bonnie & Bernie's 60th wedding anniversary. (Bonnie was a Fischer cousin.)
Pat Miller died and her funeral was Tues. Aug 10 and Joann came out to go to it with us.
We spent the rest of August with some very hot days. Most of the afternoon time over 100
degrees.
Sept. 1 was our 26th wedding anniversary. We went to a land sale at Marienthal for a bit in the morning and then on to Garden City to the Golden Corral for dinner and enjoyed the day very much together. Thanks for all the nice cards and good wishes.
Now we are praying for a good rain as the hot winds have taken the moisture out.
Earl has been working some of the summerfallow, much to his delight.
Our love from Grandpa Earl & Grandma Lois

Here we go again!

June 15th was Ann's birthday and we took her to Charlies to supper.
Lois fertilized the lawn and re-painted our name rock and palomino pony.
The museum is restoring an old house in Leoti (built in the 1800's). They had a pot luck supper for a family that had lived in it at one time. The family came from Minnesota or Michigan to celebrate with us.
Father's Day Lois fixed Earl a nice lunch at home which suited him fine. Jason, Gwen and Paige came by. Earl mowed the lawn .
Earl went to Lane County with Jason to check cattle and it was very enjoyable.
Lane came over Wed. evening to visit us awhile. We like for him to come see us.
Earl got to go over the summerfallow while Jason and crew were cutting wheat. It was fun to get to do some farming.
Lane and Jackson came over to visit us one evening. It was very good to have them.
Earl's All School Reunion at Scott City was the 3rd and 4th of July. We got back to Leoti in the evening of the 4th in time to see Leoti's Fire Department Fireworks, which is very good. We always have a ringside seat from our backyard. Jason, Lane and Gwen came over to watch with us. Lane had some 10 ball Roman Candles which he also enjoyed lighting and holding.
Mike and Dana , the John Deere something or other is a corn sheller if Larry hasn't already told you. The ear corn is put in in what is the back part of the picture and the shelled corn goes into a bucket out the bottom of the machine, and the cobs come out the opening that you see in the front of the picture. I can't see any handle to turn it manually so it might have been belted to an engine to run it. It looks like the tub may have cobs in it.
We got 1.40 of rain last night at the farm and 1.10 here in town. Still have a couple of days of wheat cutting yet. The yield has been good if we could just get the price up where it ought to be.
Love to everybody, Dad and Lois

Back Again

Hi everybody for some of what we have been doing. May 29 we went to Aunt Dorothy's 90th birthday party in Sharon Springs. June 1 Lois had eyes checked and needed new lenses. Picked up flowers at various cemetaries.
June 3, Lois weed eated and Earl mowed lawn and we packed up to go to New Mexico. Left at 7 A. M. Friday and got to Corrales about 3 pm. Visited and ate supper at the Wayne Scully's home, where the Fischer reunion was. Went up to Rio Rancho to Karen & Ronneys to stay all night (about 20 miles). Visited and had a good time and ate breakfast. It was very nice of them to let us stay there over night! Went back to Scully's in mid-morning and had a catered meal at noon. There were about 35 people there. It was so hot that the planned outside get together was moved in the house for the noon meal. We enjoyed the meal and visiting and much picture taking and homemade ice-cream. We left about 3 pm to go to Rylee's dance recital in which she did very good. We all ate supper together at a restaurant in Corrales and then went with Larry and Galena to their home. We enjoyed seeing all the updates to their home. Very nice.
Sunday we got to drive the old Model T truck that Larry restored to original condition and he did a professional job. Earl really enjoyed getting to drive it.
Monday they took us a guided tour for lots of mountain scenery. And Earl took us all to lunch at Abuqui Restaurant, by a lake of the same name. We ended our drive by seeing where Galena taught before coming to Cuba. Very enjoyable drive.
We left to come home the next morning and let Samantha (GPS) lead us through a scenic route by the Chama area which turned out viewing lots of nice scenery and got home about 6 pm.
Lois got a permanent Wednesday morning, which was why we had to be home by that day. Ann called that evening to let us know she got home from Poland and we appreciated her letting us know.
Thursday Earl got to run the tractor on a bit of summerfallow and he sure liked that. 100 degree weather on Thursday and Friday and then it got cloudy and cool on Saturday for Lane's swim meet at Leoti and everybody got cold, cold, cold.
Love to Everybody, Earl and Lois