Good Visit 2 MONTHS!

Can you believe today is Rod's

TWO MONTH anniversary?

That is just crazy.

Especially when you see the

leaps and bounds he has made

in his healing.

We got up "early" and headed down

to Wichita for his 2 month checkup.

We learned a few things.

Like they do not take x-rays every visit.

Darn.

We were hoping to see his progression.

Also, he's supposed to be still wearing

his brace, at least when he's out and

about. Rule of thumb, if you will be 

walking more than about 50 feet.

Also, still NO bending, lifting or twisting

for another month.

He IS cleared to drive though.

So he will be able to drive himself to church

this weekend (good since I'll be teaching.)

We took a couple selfies in the office

while we waited for Ryan to arrive.

I forgot to put on makeup,

so there you go.

And, of course, this is Rod's good side.

LOL.

After the visit (a quick one) we 

headed up the highway to Braum's for

a burger and milkshake.

And then we stopped at the half-way point

in Salina at Menards so I could show him

the countertops we are thinking about getting.

I really like this one.

It's almost totally smooth.

This one is a little busier pattern but

possibly a little smoother surface.

They are both the same price...

Anyhow.

Then I went over to show him the flooring

we picked, and it's on CLOSE-OUT!

Only 10 cents cheaper than usual, 

but once it's gone, it's gone...

So I called Kyle and we figured out how

much we need and went ahead and

paid for it.

We will drive over sometime in the next

2 weeks to pick it up.

(And return any of the stuff we already

bought we ended up not needing...)

We usually buy a little extra of everything.

And we made it back in town

JUST in time for a quick blog post

and then turn on the computer for

tonight's class.

Whew!

All in all a good, successful day.

Amazing

 Kyle continues to amaze.

Adding more and more skills

to his repertoire...

Introducing Kyle, the Electrician!

Today he was running wire BACK from the

various outlets and light switches to the

circuit breaker panel.

It involved pulling a LOT of wire.

But he's cruising along and gettin' it done!

We took a little break and figured out

where we wanted ceiling fans and

can (pot) lights in the ceiling in the various

rooms and which rooms needed a 

double or triple light switch bank.

We've made a few minor changes to the 

layout, like now the washer and dryer are 

in the office closet. And we moved the

door in the prep room to the mudroom

instead of in the kitchen.

I actually like that MUCH better...

And then we drew little dots where the 

lights and fans are going to go.

We aren't to that yet, but it's good

to have a plan....

Tomorrow we are taking Kyle's truck 

into Hays to return a couple of extra

windows (we bought before we moved

the prep room into the house) and the

harness Rod was "supposed" to be wearing

any time he was on the roof...

Getting our money back on that deal...

Anyhow.

We are also picking up some paint and a

door for the Sister Sisters since it won't

fit in their little PT Cruiser (car).

And, of course, some stuff for us...

Including my new tire.

When we get home, Kyle will put that on,

so we can get up "early" and head back

down to Wichita for our 2 month

checkup.

Can you believe tomorrow is 2 months???

Feels like so much longer/shorter.

Depends on who you ask.

Rod feels like it's been a year already.

And I feel like it was just yesterday.

Or a year ago.

Anyhow.

I'm off to make a box of Kraft dinner

for a quick meal and then we are off to bed.

Have a great Tuesday!

Talk at ya later!

Yesterday

Yesterday was one of those weird days

when I didn't really know WHAT day it was...

It didn't feel like a Thursday.

More like a Saturday.

But not.

Anyhow.

The electrician was supposed to come

out to the farm around noon to get the

electricity run from the pole to the house.

Kyle got up, fixed the excavator,

and dug the trench.

(Which included an hour and a half with

a shovel and a pick axe to dig the stuff

under the house...)

Our ground is really hard.

Also frozen.

Haha.

Anyhow, about the time he got done,

the electrician called. His supplier (Home Depot)

sent the wrong pvc, so he needed to run into

Hays and exchange it for the right stuff.

Let's hold off and start tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, it appears there is a blockage

somewhere in our plumbing.

When you flush the toilet, you can hear it in

the shower, and when the washer is draining

it's LOUD in the kitchen sink drain.

Nothing coming "up" through the drains,

but it's not right.....

So we called the ward plumber and he doesn't

do that anymore. Suggested RotoRooter out of

Hays. So we called them and they said they

could be out around noon.

So I stuck around until he got there,

and then I headed out to run my errands.

We returned the walker to the Sister Sisters.

(Along with their jars and tubs that had

various food items in them....)

Then out to the farm to drop off the 8 bags

of chicken feed we got at Bomgaars on Wed.

(The plumber got the problem taken care of, easy peasy.

Really nice guy - good review.)

(We have a snake and could do it ourselves,

but it required getting on the roof.

NOPE.)

When I got there, Kyle was at his house,

so we unloaded, then walked over to see the

pigs and the puppies.

It's only been a couple of weeks,

but the puppies are really growing.

That's Winston (Winnie) in the front standing up.

Pebbles is sitting.

Bam is stretched out enjoying the sunshine.

He is nearly as tall as Winnie now.

When I first walked up, I thought he WAS Winnie.

(But then Win came around the corner and

you could tell the difference...)

Also, the pigs chew on Winnie, so his coat is

always dirty and matted up looking.

They don't bother Bam (yet) so he looks all

pretty and clean.

The pigs are getting bigger too,

but I forgot to take a good picture.

This one is all I got.

Winston in his favorite spot.

Back to Kyle's house to sit on his porch.

His new weather station said it was 71 out there!

We sat out there for about an hour and a half

just soaking up the sun and talking about 

the garden and wishing it was time to plant.

It felt like spring, but still looks like winter.

Bear was hot.

He kept leaving us to go lay on the cold dirt

in the shade of the trucks.

Couldn't understand why we wanted to sit

up in the sunshine!

(It was hot. We were both wearing fleece

lined jeans..... sheesh...)

We still had stuff to do though, so we rounded up

Bear (HARD to do, he doesn't like to be picked up

and doesn't want to stay home alone but also

hates riding in vehicles..... a challenging puppy!)

Other than those foibles, he's a really good dog.

Anyhow.

Finally caught him, Kyle drove Rod's truck

and I drove my car back into town where

Kyle changed the oil in prep for our trip to

Wichita on Wednesday.

Also noticed the tire was going down.

Sheesh, another flat because of driving on the

dirt roads and "cutting" a tire on a rock.

So we had to order another tire - we are trying

a different brand this time.

I can't be buying new tires every time I turn around!

Anyhow.

While Kyle was doing that, Rod fixed

the handle on our toilet (it sticks)

and I picked up the dog poop in the yard.

It hasn't been done in awhile

(snow.....) so I got a LOT.

Time for Kyle to head home to do his

farm chores.

Rod and I had some dinner and watched

a little TV and then off to bed.

This morning we are taking his truck

(my car is now sporting a donut until Tuesday

when the new tire comes in to Hays)

and picking up 500 pounds of pig feed

and taking it out to the farm.

We'll drop it off and check on how the

guys are doing with the power.

Then I have to come home to teach.

It's going to be another pretty day out

so we will probably spend most of the day

out there.

That's the plan anyway.

But we'll see what actually happens.

(grin)

Whew.........

 It's been a busy couple of days.....

(edited to add... published WITHOUT

reading it - so beware of spelling mistakes

and silly words that don't belong...)

Yesterday Kyle hooked up the stock trailer

and "slip sliding away" got it out of the farm.

(The snow is nearly all melted, so there

is an inch of SLIPPERY mud....)

Picked me up and we headed to Salina.

But FIRST.....

Down to the "other" highway exit where

they have a bigger "truck stop" type of

gas station with bigger bays, easier

to pull in with a big truck and trailer.

Fueled up and then back on the road.

As we were pulling out of the south exit,

there was a semi heading towards us in the

other lane, just got on the highway,

so not up to full speed yet.

And a guy in an older Chevy Malibu

was in the north exit of the station and....

just decided to pull out and make a left.

Between us and the semi.

Kyle STOOD on the brakes (and horn)

with both feet.

I seriously didn't think we would stop.

Meanwhile the semi did the same.

But clipped the backend of the car

ripping his bumper off and tearing up the

front of the semi.

We were pretty sure he was going to flip

around and hit us......

but Kyle is the best driver on the planet

and got that big ol' truck stopped in time.

We turned around and went back to where

they were both pulled over... (for a minute

it looked like the guy considered running,

but he didn't, pulled in behind the semi and

was already on the phone with the police

taking full responsibility...)

Kyle was going to offer his information as

a witness, but looked like they had it under

control, so he just berated the guy

(That was FREAKING STUPID!!!)

(but said with a smile)

and then we headed back up the road.

Stopped in Dollar General for cheap 

"road snacks" and to let our heart rates

return to a normal state...

WHEW!

Anyhow.

The rest of the road trip was thankfully

very uneventful!

We headed to Salina and when we got there,

although it was nice and warm in OUR side

of Kansas, over there it was BRISK!

We wandered around the store and checked

out paint chips for the exterior of the house,

and looked at flooring again (still like

what we picked before), and cabinets,

and found a GREAT fridge for a really

good price, and looked at the choice for

countertops and the island again.

Basically just wandered around for 

several (3) hours.

Then we went to the back and had them

load up the septic tank and steel for the

patio deck roof.

Turned out we had some room leftover,

so we also bought 20 bales of insulation

(put it in the bed of the truck) and some more

parts for the septic.

Got that all loaded up and then walked back

into the store and ALL the way to the front

(it's  HUGE store) to pay for it.

They said we needed a ticket for it.

So we walked ALL the way to the back

and got the ticket.

Then we didn't take the pallets that the

steel came on (they are 16' long, the trailer

is only 12' and the steel was only 10' so

why?????) anyhow, we had to walk

ALL the way back up to the front to

the service desk to get a refund for those.

And then ALL the way to the back again

to get out truck and trailer.

The gate guy looks everything over and

couldn't find the little foam thingies you

put under the steel.

I gave him the receipt from when we paid

for everything when we were there last week.

It wasn't on the receipt!

Oops!

(He said the cashiers often miss one of 

the pages and since the order was in the

thousands, I didn't notice...)

Anyhow...

another trip ALL the way to the front

(where we used the in-store credit from

the pallets we didn't take) to pay for

the foam thingies.

And then...  yup, ALL the way back

out to the truck!

And we FINALLY got to leave!

Whew!

Over to Braums for a burger and milkshake.

Yes, we had milkshakes even though it

was COLD out by then!

A nice drive home again,

but it was late (9:30) by the time

we got home!

Oh, on the way over we saw a giant

wind turbine that had caught on fire!

This was the best of the lousy pictures.

But the housing was just a burned up shell

and the actual blades had big giant chunks

burned out of them.

Anyhow.

It was a LONG day, but a productive one.

Then this morning we got up and headed back

out to the farm to meet with the electrician.

He gave us a good quote to bring the power

from the pole to the house.

And then Kyle unloaded the truck while

I drove Rod home and then Kyle and I

headed into Hays to do the shopping.

We stopped first a Bomgaars to pick up some

chicken feed. There was a big pile at the 

front door with a sign on it.

50 pounds on sale for $9.99 a bag

with a $5.00 REBATE making the bag

$4.99! (or 10 cents a pound!!!)

That's even cheaper than pig feed!

So we bought EIGHT.

Hahahahaha.

And then to get the groceries.

And then home again in time for me

to teach and Kyle to run to Colby and

pick up the wiring harness for the excavator

that the rabbit chewed on.

(He's still living in there... gotta figure out

how to get rid of him!)

The electrician will get the supplies in the

morning and meet us out there at noon

so he and Kyle can run the wires.

(Kyle will dig the trench and then help

pull the wires so he doesn't have to pay a 

helper and saved us a bunch more $$$$$)

That man is worth his weight in gold.

Anyhow.

I'm done teaching, so I'm going to

go finish cooking the chicken that has

been marinating in garlic herb

and then it will be off to bed.

NITE ALL!

(Good Phone Chat JIMBO!

Good luck!)

Monday ZZzzzzzz

 The Monday following a weekend class

I tend to just laze around.

I did wash the kitchen and bathroom

floors, because after our week of 

REALLY cold weather and snow...

yesterday it hit 60!!!

And everything melted.

And turned into mud.

But other than that?

I read a book.

And started another one.

And made some Kraft dinner for lunch.

(With pickled beets!!!!)

YUM.

Kyle showed up about 2:00

and put the new parts into his little

VW Gulf that has been sitting

in the back yard for several months.

He drove it HOME today!

He was happy to have it.

It gets 40 miles to the gallon.

(I didn't take any pictures lately.... sorry!)

Anyhow.

I had PLANNED to start working out today,

but I just .... didn't.

Tomorrow is another day.

Poor Rod woke up with a stiff neck.

Really sore, we tried a lidocaine patch,

and then some Tylenol, and finally had

to resort to a Gabby pill.

(We are trying to wean him off...)

It's feeling better now.

AND, he is READING A BOOK!

A friend in the ward gave him 3 books

that he wrote and I dug one out tonight

and he's enjoying reading it!

But now, I'm going to make something

for us to eat before we watch some

TV and head off to sleep.

I think tomorrow Kyle and I are heading

back to Salina to pick up all the stuff

we ordered last week.

It's finally all there.

So it will be a long day again.

NITE ALL!

(And Happy Birthday to Rod's Dad...

he got to share his birthday with

the Groundhog.)

New Calling

 Man, I wish I could find the 

picture I took of Kyle several

years ago (through the window)

when Kyle was teaching Primary.

But it was back in Palm Bay and

I don't have the patience to wade

through years and years and years

of photos looking for it.

(AI couldn't find it...)

So, just know that Kyle has taught

Primary for as long as I can remember.

Except when he and Rod were

Scout Leaders.

A gazillion years ago.

It's the only calling he has ever had.

Until today.

Introducing...

Brother Kyle Buffaloe

Sunday School Presidency, 1st Counselor

He'll fit right in.

(hahahahahaha)

(one of my FAVORITE pictures of him!

He sent this to me to let me know he was

BORED driving the potato rig...)

Guess we need to get him a new suit jacket.

Boo!

 Annnnnnnnd, he's BACK!!!

Hahahahahaha.

We were at Bomgaars this week and they

had a great sale on cold weather gear.

Kyle didn't love his old "burglar mask" 

because his lips froze.

So when we saw this other style, we grabbed it!

It's got quite a bit MORE lining in it,

so he got home and gave it a try.

He sent me that picture and said he was

pretty sure it was going to be good because

and I quote...

"I just tried it on in the house for a few

minutes and my face melted off."

You just gotta love that guy!

He makes me laugh every day.

Garden 2026

 YEA!

Garden Season for 2026 has

officially begun!!!

This afternoon we rehydrated

a couple blocks of coconut hair

and put them in four 72 cell

seed starting trays.

And then we planted all the

tomatoes and pepper starts

for this year's garden!

We have lots of fun tomatoes this year.

Lemon, Big Beef, of course,

SunGold (the STAR of last year)

and lots of Romas.

We also started a bunch of different

peppers, giants, red bells, and a bunch

of gypsy and snacking peppers.

They were SLOW to fruit last year,

but once they did, boy they were yummy!

We put them in Kyle's old bedroom

on a new shelf we picked up on clearance

at Bomgaars Black Friday sale.

NICE shelves for $35!

Kyle got the lights all set up,

but the timer isn't right...

it was supposed to shut off at 8 pm.

But I had to go in and unplug it.

I'll have him look at it on Sunday

when he comes over.

Anyhow.

We are EXCITED!

I get to be in charge of the starts,

so hopefully I will do as well as he

did last year... they looked AWESOME.

Remember?

Fingers crossed....

we are starting them WAAAAAY earlier this year.

Hoping to get them in the ground earlier as well.

Last year I felt like we were so behind.

We'll see.

Anyhow.

I just finished tonight's class and getting

all set up for another weekend class

starting in the morning.

Now I'm off to eat something and head

off to bed.

NITE!

Stay Warm Florida Peeps!

 Its time for the annual 

January Freeze in Florida.

Also known as "official winter".

(Also known as freeze all the

blossoms off my mango tree day...)

My morning dandelion tea decided

to salute you this morning!

Isn't that cute?

Dandelion tea with a splash of

whole milk that decided I needed a 

tiny palm tree in my life to go with

the french toast made with the

bread I whipped up yesterday.

It was tasty, but a little sweet for breakfast.

Anyhow....

we're thinking about ya as we head

into Hays for our Tuesday Hays Day!

Our Snow

 It finally stopped snowing.

It made it up to about 30 degrees today,

so it's going to be awhile before

it melts,

but today we braved it and drove

downtown (ok, it's like 4 blocks)

to the pharmacy to get Rod's eye drops.

It's so beautiful out there!

Still all pristine and white.

Rod caught a picture of our darling little

neighbor sneaking back home after

clearing our driveway and walk with

his snowblower.

(Also a path for the mail carrier who

has to trudge through the snow from

house to house to deliver the mail...)

He's probably our age or a little older.

His wife has ... something.

Not Parkinsons........... I can't remember.

It's been a long couple of days.

I just finished teaching again tonight.

Anyhow.

It was a relaxing day.

We didn't even turn on the TV!

I baked a loaf of raisin bread (and we

each had a slice with butter for lunch)

and I read a book.

(And had a nice chat with Mom on the phone!)

It was nice!

And now I need to figure out something

for dinner - probably leftover chili.

NIGHT!

Whew!

Another long day of virtual zoom classes.

Except today I wasn't teaching.

Our newest instructor, Brandy took the class.

And, bless her heart, she READ the book.

Word for word.

AND

we only had ONE student all day.

I felt badly for both of them.

But it had to be done.

Brandy got better as the day progressed...

she would read it and at least then she

would step back and try to recap it in

her own words.

So that's good.

I got a little package from Mom yesterday.

A pretty little valentine necklace.

(I mentioned it yesterday...)

But I was looking at the envelope today

(while I was trying NOT to fall asleep in class... lol)

90 years old.

And STILL the most beautiful handwriting!

That Palmer Method really sticks!

So pretty.

Ok, I'm REALLY tired of sitting in this chair.

I'm moving to the living room.

Have a wonderful evening!

(We got up to 22 degrees today!!!)

Winter Storm Fern

 Coming from Florida,

it CRACKS ME UP

that they NAMED this storm!!!!

Hahahahahahahaha

Of course, it wasn't a big deal for us.

Yes, it is   C O L D!!!!!

And we DID get a good bit of snow...

but, uh, Canadian........

-3.

Cold.

-40.

COLD.

But, of course, there ARE others in the

country who are much more affected than

we are and may be without power for a 

LONG time, and that can be devastating.

So, again, we are blessed.

But still.

Fern?????? 

That's a bit lame.

Wanna see some pictures????

While I wait for them up upload.....

while I was teaching my zoom review last 

night, Dan (boss) called and said because

of the storm, every class in Louisiana was

cancelled and the RVPs wanted to know if

I would be willing to do a virtual class instead.

So..... (since I seem to be incapable of saying NO...)

I'm teaching an unscheduled class today.

We had 52 people registered, but only got

an actual 5 students.

Our newest instructor, Brandy, was supposed to

teach her first live class today.

Dan wanted her to attend my class today to get

more training and then, have her teach tomorrow.

So, that's what we are going to do.

So, I've been locked in my office with my

blanket and my space heater,

watching it snow out my window.

But KYLE sent me a ton of pictures, so here you go.

Our WaKeeney neighbors shoveling their driveway.

OUR neighbor, Johnny, knows Rod broke his back,

and he came over and did ours with his snow blower!

Our front yard (pre snowblower)

The drift in front of Kyle's shed.

(And Bear...)

Looking from Kyle's 2nd story bedroom window

down towards the valley and my house

(on the other side of the trees)

Kyle ALWAYS takes a picture of his feet in snow.

Our two little gardening stools on wheels.

Make picking okra SOOO much better!

Footprints in the snow heading out for their walk.

My favorite place on the whole farm.

This is my view out of my new office window!

The drift in front of Rod's shop.

Snow out in the fields. (Not a drift)

Looking from my house, out towards the road.

Our house from Rod's shop.

Isn't it beautiful?

Rod's poor Florida lawnmower.

Naked trees in snow is just so picture worthy.

Yeah.

Pretty deep snow here... no wind.

The snow inside the stock trailer.

ARGH!!!!!

Oh, Hi Kyle.

Whew.

He's got all his blinds closed,

blankets over windows that don't have blinds,

space heaters running,

ceiling fans running on "winter mode"

pushing the hot air down...

he's toasty warm.

And since there was almost no wind,

it was actually pretty nice out so he

and Bear took a nice long walk.

It will be COLD again tonight.

Church is cancelled tomorrow because

they haven't even started clearing the roads.

Tomorrow will be the last brutal day.

And it will actually be in the 20s

which is still cold, but positively balmy

when compared to the -3 we had today.

(Although it is currently +1!!!)

So, I think we have survived.

It will be cold again tonight, 

but then it gets back to more normal for winter.

Alright, I'm tired of sitting in this chair.

I'm out.

Have a great Saturday evening and enjoy

your Sunday!!!

Rozann.... no idea why your comments are coming

in as Unknown... but I usually know it's you.

Sabrina and Jim both come in as anonymous or

unknown as well, but they "sign" their comments.

Thank you guys for commenting!

It is nice to know someone is reading...

OH!

And Mom!

THANK YOU for the cute little valentine necklace!

Our intrepid mail carrier trudged through the

snow to deliver it today.

It was TOTALLY worth it!