Christmas 2009

Hi, everybody for a 2009 ending with lots of cold weather and snow flurries staying with us. We left Leoti about 9:15 Thursday the 24th to go to Amarillo to Debbie Jo's house for a Stephenson family Christmas with all of Dave and Charlotte's kids there and April and Josh with their twins and baby Abby for her first Christmas. A great day of fun and togetherness and Dave and Charlotte took us out to show us their country home and their work to make it their retirement place.
We came back to our home Saturday and Larry and Galena arrived about 4 p.m. Dick and Joann got here about 9 p.m. as they had to wait until about 4 p.m. for a county snow plow to open the road so they could get to highway 50. Gwen and family hosted us at their house for a Wiles family gift exchange and evening meal with Ann and Jerry and Jennifer and their family and Larry and Galena and Dick and Joann. Thanks to Gwen and Jason and Paige and Lane for having us at their house. Sunday morning Earl & Lois, Dick & Joann, and Larry and Galena went to Ann's church with her. Sunday afternoon Jason took Earl, Larry, and Dick to Lane County ranch to check cows and put out four bales of feed. Monday morning Larry and Joann and Dick and Earl went to the FSA office and signed farm program papers. Who knows what the fine print said! After lunch we went to the Farm Bureau office for crop insurance sign-up. Then we all went to Ann's at the farm for the afternoon.
Dick put up a new shower head and helped Lois with the computer and worked on a bedroom door in the basement and Larry put up a new indoor-outdoor temperature reader. Thank you, guys. We appreciate all the fixings.
All of our company left Tuesday and got to their homes safely. Larry and Galena had a foot of snow at their place and Dick and Joann got to their home o.k.
Larry and Galena had Christmas with the three girls and their families at Sandy's at Inlow. Hey, Dana I noticed in some of your Facebook entries you used the word sheesh. I thought I was the only one that used that word so maybe you inherited it from this Grandpa. Ha! Ha!
Hope this rambling on Blog doesn't bore somebody to the brink.
We wish everyone a happy New Year and a safe 2010 and our Love to All.

I guess some of you maybe think we just disappeared as it has been awhile since we bothered you"all with our blog but we are still around.
Lois had eyebrow lifting surgery the last of June and it has turned out very good as you can see all of her eyes flashing when I do something wrong. Do some of you guys know what I mean?
We had our Wiles Rainbow Lake gathering the first of the last week of July with a fish fry to prove what we were doing there. We really missed having Larry and Galena with us due to his detached retina surgery.
Lois and I felt greatly honored to be co-Grand Marshall with another couple at the Wichita County fair parade and getting to ride in a horse drawn chariot.
Dave and Charlotte Stephenson brought the great-granddaughter Sprock twins up to see us and go to the carnival rides.
Next on our agenda was Lois's Larson family reunion at Sharon Springs. All of Lois's brothers and sisters were there except one brother and one sister which were not able. There were about 75 people in all and a real fun time. Earl and Lois led the Sunday morning church service. (agh)
Earl had eyelid surgery Aug. 10 and did have coon eyes for awhile. Had the stitches out Aug. 20 and the black and blue went away.
The price of wheat, corn and milo has gone way down and the cost of production is still high, and I guess that is part of the fun of being farmers.
We had a nice 25th anniversary time and spent part of it in Emporia with Dick and Joann and Dick's mother Ardell visiting and going to church with them, and eating out Sunday evening. Earl took Lois to Garden City to the Golden Corral, that she likes so much, and the tempting buffet makes it easy to eat too much, on the day of our anniversary for noon.
September is here and fall farm work is here with a bang. Bob asked Earl to work some summer-fallow, while he was busy spraying and packing ensilage and the hired man was working on feedlot fence. Earl really appreciated getting to run his tractor.
We sure enjoy hearing from each and everyone of you on your blogs.
Earl and Lois

Time to report again.

Time to crash the blog again to let all know my ankle is doing good and am walking good with the boot cast on and it is'nt that uncomfortable to wear except maybe a little warm on the 100 degree days.
A big hurrah that I got to run the tractor a couple of days working summer-fallow and run the grain cart tractor Saturday afternoon for awhile. Feels great to get to help again.
Wheat harvest is going good so far and hope to get a good week in without any rain and definitely no hail this coming week.
I will take Lois to Fry Eye Associates in the morning to get her sagging eyebrows lifted surgically. I guess that means I don't do anything to get her to raise her eyebrows at me. Ho, Ho. We expect it to turn out good. For those that don't know it is at Garden City.
From Earl

Time to report

Earl had a doctor report today and he was pleased with the X-Ray and said it was as he expected it to be and maybe a little better. He wants me to do away with the use of the walker gradually and said I could start putting more weight on the ankle foot. I still wear the brace boot all day but not at night now so that will be a relief during the night. I tried just using a cane after we got home this afternoon but that was'nt too smart as it caused some hurt so I will go back to the walker and will try getting by without using the electric scooter chair. It kind of spoils you for ease of getting from here to there and sort of makes you have to learn to walk again. The brace boot is to be part of me for another six weeks (yikes, that is a long time yet) and then I will see the doctor for another checkup.
Thanks for all your prayers and concern as I sure appreciated all the help it gave me.
Love from Grandpa and Dad.

Earl's ankle surgery report

Ten days after ankle surgery the doctor check up turned out good. They took off the mamoth cast and cotton wrapping and took out about half of the stitch clamps and took three X-Rays and the doctor was very pleased with that much but there was some oozing of blood in some places that he did't care for so said to come back next Thursday to take out the rest of the stitches. We are to clean wash it once a day and gauze wrap it. I can put no more than 10% of my body weight on it but that is really a big help over not to put any weight on it.
Therapy tells me to wear support hose and a boot type soft cast on it for 24 hours and I was hoping for more freedom at night. I do get to do my therapy at Leoti 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The therapy people here at Leoti know me very well from my past go-arounds. The head guy is restoring an old Ford pickup and usually had a question for me that I hardly ever had an answer for but was interesting to visit about.
I go to Goodland tomorrow for ear wax removal and hope that turns out good. I was there about a month ago and he removed a small cyst from deep in my right ear.
When he sucked out the wax with a machine Im sure that if I would have had any brains they would have came out also. You guys can sure think something is wrong with my thinking now.

TIME TO SHOUT

Hello to everybody!!! I guess I'm doing O.K. as far as I know after surgery the 20th of April to fuse my left ankle that has been sprain damaged for several times in the last 50 years and then arthritis takes over in the last few years. Thanks for everybodies prayers and concern and sure hope it makes a good recovery so I can walk good again. I go to the Doc next Thursday and hope I can put some weight on it to help me get around after that as he wants no weight on it now and I am not stout enough in my arms and shoulders to carry it so not easy to step anywhere.
Lois is wonderful to help me. Jason borrowed his Dad's electric scooter for me to use and it sure is a big help. I really appreciate getting to use it. I made a mistake of driving it up close to the kitchen sink and wiping the dishes once and now it is expected of me to do that every time. SHEESH! How do I get out of that now? (really a small contribution for as much as she does for me)
We had some very warm days Thursday and Friday and then Saturday had a high of 50 or about and today is back in the seventies so is very nice today.
Thanks again for all prayers for me as we know it takes God to watch over us and give his loving care to us.
We skipped Sunday School and went to church and Lois had good help from various guys to get me from the car to the wheel chair. We have one borrowed from the health center that folds up to go in the car.
OurLove To All from Earl and Lois. .

Plans! Plans!

We had a drizzle all afternoon here for 20 hundred'ths Which is appreciated and more is forecast for tomorrow so we will see what comes by.
The plans for the ankle surgery are still in the go mode as I apparently passed the pre-op tests as we never heard any different. Earl checks into the Garden City hospital at 4 p.m. Sunday and we still don.t know what time the surgery is Monday but were told it would be first on their schedule.
Joann is coming to be with us Sunday evening and said she would probably stay until I got to come home. That is really appreciated by her Dad as she is so knowledgeable about what should go on and what shouldn't be done
Lois and Joann will be staying at night with Brenda (Minor) Jones. Really nice of her to take them in. Thanks, Brenda.
Dr. Baughman's office was to call us with more instructions and the time of the surgery but haven't yet. Maybe tomorrow.
We have a ramp installed at the back door with Thanks to Jason and Paige Wells and Braxton Berning. We got a wheel chair today from the health center and Jason is going to bring a nice electric scooter for me to use that is his Dad's.
Our Love to all from Earl and Lois.

MORE RAIN TO REPORT!!!!!!

We have a total of 1.20 inches of rain to report as of 5 p.m. for the last 24 hours. Still dripping a few drops yet but what a great rain for us to enjoy. When it rains on Easter Sunday it is supposed to rain for seven Sundays. We'll see what that old wives tale turns out to be.
We were out to Bob and Ann's for Easter dinner and Jerry and Jennifer, Jackson, Luke. Aubrey, and a friend of Aubrey's were there and all enjoyed a very nice meal that Ann fixed for us.
We saw your comment, Joann and will try to get back to you on the phone this evening. We thank our Lord for the wonderful rain.
Our Love to all from Dad and Lois.

RAIN!!!!!!

RAIN!!!!!!
We are so happy to get to report a big half inch of rain overnight and still dripping nicely this morning. I know it is a small amount in comparison to the two and three inches reported not very far east of us but we are so thankful to get this much Thank you Lord for answering our prayers for what we are getting.
Will maybe blog some more later.
Dad and Lois

Old Folks Catchup

Cloudy with real light snow flurries this afternoon that I didn't know was in the forecast but hadn't been paying any attention to the computer or TV weather outlook.
The guy, Jim King, that we hired to put in an escape window in the basement was just here with material and is to come tomorrow to put it in. He said I could dig the hole this afternoon. Ho! Ho! I probably do need the exercise but might be a bit much.
A Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman was just here and put a new belt on and turned the brush rotor so it was down lower that Lois didn't know could be done on hers and did not charge to do it and then she wouldn't let him demonstrate a new one or wouldn't let him shampoo any carpet. See how us old folks have to save when we know how to say no.
I told you wrong about our coming appointments over the phone last night ,Joann. We go to Garden City tomorrow to have Eric Fry check to see if our sagging eyelids are bad enough to get insurance to pay for fixing them. Next Monday, April 6 is when we go to Scott City to have the cardiovascular checkups. April 10 is when I go for preop lab and heart tests for the April 20 surgery possibility on my bad ankle. We will see what each thing brings up.
We hope something brings us some good gentle moisture as the blowing snow didn't do much except in a pile somewhere.
If anybody gets tired reading this palaver just hit the moveon key and find something else.
Our Love to all of you from Earl and Lois.

I guess Lois published a blog named HOOKER inadvertenly when she was trying to put some pictures on our blog. She came out of the computer room very frustrated after trying for some time.
We have changed family doctors from Scott City to Leoti to Doctor Marie McEntee and have been very busy catching up on checkups as Scott City doctors had not called us in since last May and they had been calling us in every four months. Doctor Marie is doing very good at checking us on everything.
I went to Goodlant to an ENT specialist that comes there from Denver for earwax trouble and sinus problems. He removed a cyst from deep in my right ear and yikes it did hurt when he was using a strong sucking machine of some kind to clean it out. The left ear was o.k. thankfully.
We have more appointments this week and next so lots of fun.
The Denver guy says I can't wear my hearing aid in my right ear until he comes back in May so if you want me to hear you will have to holler louder.
Sure was great to see Larry come driving up his driveway and hear the powerful engine in his T. The video made it very exciting and know he was feeling good about the progress.
Love to all from Earl and Lois

Hooker-

We had Larry put a picture of the Granada on our blog and are amazed at how he got it to turn out.
First we went to Grand Junction for Wes Shumard's funeral and Dorie fixed Lois a birthday cake since it was close to her birthday and close to Gary's birthday.
Lois had a birthday while Larry and Galena were out, Ann baked her a delious birthday cake and Bob and Ann, Jennifer, Aubrey, Luke and Jackson and Gwen, Jason, Paige and Lane all came in and helped her celebrate. We went out to Bob and Ann's for supper on Thursday night and Larry and Galena took us out to Charlie's for a birthday supper on Friday night, so she had a week long celebration.
I had better quit rambling.
We love you, Lois and Earl

Hi everybody
In case anybody is wondering we are still around and still kicking and complaining be cause we don't get a good rain. Our day today was a 9 oclock dental appointment for Earl at Scott City that took nearly an hour to clean and polish my teeth and almost another hour to fill two small cavities that were near enough to each other to fill at the same time. Lois had it figured out that she needed to shop long enough at Alco's and denny's to make it be lunch time so we ate at wendy's which was fine. Then I didn't have to help with the dishes when we got home. None of you guys ever get roped in to helping do dishes but sometimes it will gain some brownie points. Next we went to the fitness center to do our every other day workout and on our way home from there we stopped at the pharmacy and picked up a bunch of expensive pills. When we got home it was still and nice enough that we turned the underground sprinkler on to water the grass to see if all the heads worked and they did fine except for a back flow valve that was expensivly replaced last fall is leaking again. GRRRR! I guess it could have been worse. Lois is at Bible study tonight so I am letting all of you know we are still here as we hadn't blogged for a month. I guess that shows that we are busy doing nothing.
Our Love to everybody from Earl and Lois.

Brrrrrrrr! 1-26-09
It is 11 degrees above zero at 11 o'clock a.m. with light snow falling so you can figure why I am in the house where it is warm goofing off doing nothing. Paige has a basket ball game at about 5 o'clock this evening if they don't call it off because of weather and we will venture out to go to it. Lois has been updating her list of birthdays and anniversaries and she has quite a long list but I think she did finish it. We have been going to the fitness center every other day and went yesterday so we get to skip today. We are praying for gentle weather and gentle moisture and everybody's safety.
Love to all from grandpa Earl and grandma Lois