Nebraska News Vol. 1 Issue 2

 

Nebraska News

11-14 Monday

It hovered happily in the 20’s for most of the day! We tidied up and Jill made thee most delicious Dutch babies ever with sourdough starter and blueberries in prep for Ro (Rosalyn) and kiddos coming over for coffee. We had the best time chatting and snacking over coffee around the fire. Max and Ken both filled their buck tags! Yay! The guys had been teasing Ken that we weren’t gonna make cheesecake until he got his buck! I made some raspberry topping for the cheesecake before Danielle and I went with Danl to North Loup on an errand and then truck hunted with him on the Schudel property overlooking the Loup River. So pretty watching the sun setting and the golden eagles flying while munching snacks from Trotters. No deer ever appeared, but it was good to get some quality family time in. And to cover more chapters in my book. Supper was a very satisfying affair! Grilled ribeyes, fluffy baked Yukon gold potatoes, oven-roasted carrots, and cheesecake with homemade blueberry and/or raspberry sauces.

11-15 Tuesday 

Happy 60th, Jan! (Jill’s sweet mama) The guys and Max headed out early for pheasant hunting in South Dakota. I enjoyed my morning coffee and another of Ro’s espresso-frosted cinnamon rolls even though we were going out for coffee at Ollie’s in a little town called Sargent. We dropped Mason and Danielle off at Grandma Virginia’s. (Jethro’s mom) Picked up Jan, Janelle, and Jenny after a quick tour of Hilltop Gardens. Got some cool cards! Then we stopped at the Secondhand Rose in Ord. Jill and I went there last year and I wanted to go again! I got a pretty Westernish belt and a dinosaur book for Danielle. After a scenic drive, we arrived at Ollie’s. No lunch on Tuesdays, so we all just got coffees and shopped the huge variety of stuff. I loved my PSL and the adorable soaps I got for Mason and Danielle. Back to Ord for a delicious lunch at The Something’s Brewing Cafe. I got the hamburger vegetable soup special with coleslaw and a breve. Definitely keeping up with my caffeine intake today! Dollar General for necessities which included more craft supplies for our busy creative kiddos. We all chilled and rested once we were back home. The guys were getting a hotel so no need to virtuously have supper ready! We relished nachos by the fire along with all sorts of other yummy eats. Tried to listen to the Conference lecture. Then bravely went out in the swirling wind with a few snowflakes to get into the swim spa! So pretty with the colored lights at night. Well worth the cold dash to and from it! Stayed up late just because we could for once. 

11-16 Wednesday

Grand Island Adventure Day! First we went to the Lambdins to do chores since they were gone to Conference. Their pet deer is such a fascination! I could get used to Bambi kisses! I drove since Jill needed to do some design work. First stop was Hobby Lobby. Goodness, it was like Black Friday in there! Annie (or Anna as she’s known here) and Becca were shopping as well! Freddy's for a fine lunch; then over to the trampoline park! All of us moms decided to jump too since we had the whole place to ourselves! I even climbed my first “rock” wall with much effort and exertion! Phew. I am SO out of shape! I mean I do have a shape, but it’s not a fit one! Hanging out with Kristen, Shawna, and Annie was so good. I think this moms/kids outing needs to be a yearly Nebraska thing! Next stop was Homegoods. Danielle got a speech that “asking for things” was indeed a form of begging. The “one thing” had already been purchased prior at Hobby Lobby! I’m realizing that I no longer shop with her in tow much now that she’s in school 5 days a week. Sonic drive-thru for hotdogs and tater tots; then Scooters for breves so we could brave the way home lol. Tried in vain to listen to the youth singing at Conference. Actually got a bit of the lecture once we were back in range of Wifi. The guys got home after 9:00, exhausted from fun and pheasants. 

11-17 Thursday

Started the day as usual with coffee and cuddles upstairs before moving down for more relaxation. Sourdough toast and lemon meringues for breakfast. I’m getting so relaxed and spoiled; how am I ever gonna settle back into normal life in Florida?! Jill decided to whip up homemade kolaches since “Eat a kolache” was on my long list of “Things I Want to Do in NE.” Bless her heart! I hadn’t known that these delicacies were such a part of Nebraska cuisine until Shirley Unruh told me that Annie had been making them! Speaking of Annie, Danielle and I went down the hill into town for our annual visit/playtime at their house around 2:30 in the afternoon. The girls did lots of girly things while giggling and shrieking about. Annie and I yakked and yakked like old times; Bailey (or Glendon as he’s mostly known here) came home right before I was going to leave, so of course my leaving was further delayed in order to finalize the catching up of bygone people and places. I left Danielle there to play for “just a little bit longer!” while I came home to load up with Jill and the boys to go see Jenny’s four story mansion in Greeley! Picked up Danielle, then soon Jenny was leading us about on the most delightful tour of her historic home! Another super fun item checked off my list lol. The kolaches were definitely a hit; the guys had put a major dent in the supply while we were gone. Jethro grilled burgers and baked cherry and apple pies on the grill while we were gone. Ken’s last supper during “Eating Season” as he famously calls it, since he rebooked his ticket to fly home in the morning.

11-18 Friday

I had an elderberry kolache and part of a caramel walnut roll for breakfast. Sat down by the fire until it was past time to dash about getting ready to run to North Loup and Ord. We dropped Max, Mason, and Danielle off at Grandma Virginia’s again since they are generally miserable little shoppers. First stop was Popcorn County USA for local red, blue, and white kernels for ourselves and for gifts. Then we stopped on a whim at Hey Honey Boutique and were so delighted with the fun “Pink Friday” sale going on! We popped pink balloons to find out what our individual discount was and partook of pink lemonade. She also had darling frosted sugar cookies up for grabs, so we took some home for the kids. Then we went to Anderson’s Pharmacy. I had so much fun picking out stocking stuffers for my family’s Christmas celebration. They were also celebrating Pink Friday, and had everyone choose an ornament off a tree with a hidden discount. Jill and I both scored 25% off! Next we popped over to the cafe, but since it was almost 2:00, we happily settled for sundaes instead of soup for lunch since they were no longer serving traditional lunch options. Both of us had breves as well. Grocery Kart and the feed store finished our shopping day. Took our daily downtime once we were home. Then I put pheasant gumbo in the instant pot. Rice, potato salad, cornbread made with freshly milled corn flour/cornmeal, and lettuce salad rounded out our “Southern” supper. Leftover pie and new tubs of ice cream by the fire for dessert ended a perfectly lovely day

11-19 Saturday

I’m gonna miss these easy mornings of vacation… A slice of cherry pie and coffee in my favorite “DonHeim” vintage mug for starters. Cleaned up the main areas and sat by the fire. It’s stayed nice and chilly, mostly in the 20s the whole time we’ve been here which has been FANTASTIC. Getting in on a bit of real winter just makes my heart happy. Fixed my “usual” for lunch at Jill’s Café.  Homemade sourdough turkey sandwich, fresh refrigerator pickles, a bowl of homemade thick Greek style yogurt topped with homemade granola and fresh fruit, with kombucha to drink! Now how’s that for a nutritious and delicious probiotic-happy meal?! The kids had pizza lunchables today. Annie brought Becca over to play for a couple hours. She, Danielle, Mason, and I got in the swim spa for a last blissful swim. Then I got more laundry done up, and started packing everything up. Daniel brought in some beautiful venison tomahawk steaks and put them in marinade to be grilled for supper. Jill made finger jello, and I cut up some carrot sticks to dip in ranch. We also had corn and leftover Yukon gold potatoes. More pie and ice cream for dessert. Such a good supper; everyone was in a jolly mood too. Ended up hanging out rather late, enjoying the fire and friendship.

11-20 Sunday

Happy Birthday, Kate Ryan! Sad to miss her party which was yesterday. I hope no more kids in our family end up with “Hunting Season” birthdays! My alarm rang at 5:00 to get up and packed up. We said our sad goodbyes and were on the road, watching the sunrise shortly after 6:00. Felt almost surreal to arrive at Justin and Tommi’s place around noon instead of to just share locations as we went SO closely right on by! So so good to be with them and their kiddos and eat lunch together! Tommi had made a feast! Delicious Chicken, mashed taters, green bean casserole, garlic knots, lettuce salad, apple Snickers salad, and pumpkin crumble with whipped cream! They guys went driving around, while the rest of us enjoyed hanging out at home. Danielle was so pumped with all of Ashley’s toys and the thick layer of ice on the pool! Reluctantly, we got on the road again around 3:30, but with another fun destination in the gps! Pulled into Drew’s after dark, and after hello hugs, we got right to eating just like old times! Pulled pork nachos, sliced apples, orange julius, and our famous Key lime pie! The years have passed, but some things never change! After lots of laughing and reminiscing, we crawled into bed, more than happy we were stopping to make more memories instead of doggedly driving straight through!

The Weakly Tribune Vol. 1 Issue 12

THE WEAKLY TRIBUNE

(It's time to post what was written, even though it's not "news" anymore! I didn't write at all this week; it was just too hard and full.)

Thursday 10/20

Waved goodbye to our too-big girl as she left on her first vacation without a parent with her nana! She was beyond excited to be on the way to the Great Wolf Lodge! I kept busy reclaiming the house, pittering, working at my desk with its never-ending duties, doing laundry, sundry cleaning, and mostly finishing up Danielle’s If You Give a Mouse an iPhone pumpkin entry for the Atmore Library Pumpkin Contest. She had done all the painting but with needing it to dry, we hadn’t gotten the gluing done. I walked a bit in the glorious weather. I truly love FALL best of ALL! Danl was working late welding on a dirt pan, so he and David had grabbed supper at Arby’s during a town run. I happily made myself a pan of super nachos. Later on in the evening, I went over to the barn to keep Danl company and take him a snack. He had built me a fire in the wood stove! Sweet! I tended the fire and read in the September issue of Real Simple. Hands down my favorite magazine! 

Monday 10-24

Kept Danielle home from school since she wasn’t 24 hours fever-free. She didn’t quite act herself all day either, so I was glad she was home. Reclaimed the house, walked outside on the driveway for 30 minutes, since Danielle didn’t feel up to coming along on Garrett Road. Set up the sprinkler in the backyard in order to settle the dust. Danielle decided a swimsuit was in order and proceeded to play under the sprinkler for a while, even making a “beach” with sand from her sandbox spread out on a pink plastic tablecloth. Later in the afternoon, we did a bank run, got my dairy milk from SH church frig, and picked up Danielle’s school work from school. She worked on that while I cooked supper, which was grilled wild hog sausage patties, Jill’s scalloped potatoes, and cheese green beans. The bottom of the new tub in our bathroom is so rough that it’s detrimental to our bottoms. Tried Danielle’s idea of using my yoga mat in it for her bath. #fail. It just floats up and gets in the way. I must order a soft tub liner or something ASAP! 

Tuesday 10-25

Happy Birthday, MomDenise! Due to the teacher and too many students being sick, 1st Grade was called off for the day! Danielle was feeling fine as frog’s hair, other than still coughing and having more snot than necessary. I decided to “dress for work,” even donning heels so as to “feel” like a secretary. I always get more done when I do this. I told Danielle she since was the boss’s daughter, it was part of my job to help her if she needed assistance. She informed me that SHE was my boss, lol! Had my hour sand timer going so Danielle could keep track of when my “breaks” were coming up. Flipped that timer twice. Dug out the cardboard Snoopy dog house from under Danielle’s bed that we’ve had since her first birthday party! (It lays completely flat when you take it apart, so there, Minimal Mom!) Danielle was more than delighted to add string lights and decor to the inside, also more color via marker to the outside. She pretended to be a dog herself, but also had her fave little stuffed dog Skippy in there with her with a small bowl of Reese Puffs for kibble. Too cute. We took a timed recess of 15 minutes for playing soccer. I lost. Also did a 15 minute story time. Frog and Toad stories are the best! Watching a skiff of rain drip down rates pretty high too. Pedaled 30 minutes on my indoor cycle thing while catching up on my phone. Lots of good phone downtime today. Chili from last week with fresh Navajo fry bread for supper. 

Wednesday 10-26

Baked oatmeal sounded good for breakfast. Worked at my MR. Daniel picked Danielle to go with him for the day since school had been called off entirely due to prevailing illness amongst the teaching staff and students! I commenced cleaning up my craft/sewing corner. It truly looked like that closet that exploded open in the Berenstain Bears Messy Room! Of course, it took me much longer than I expected to go through everything, but in the end, I was much pleased with the rainbow-ordered bins of felt and foam paper, along with everything else in baskets for easy retrieval. I wasn’t as pleased with the mending pile that totaled 24 items! I took a walk in October’s bright blue weather, picking up an overstuffed Walmart bag of litter along the way. Then since I wasn’t quite ready to go back inside, I spread my quilt under the tree for 10 minutes and relaxed; listening to the wind swaying the pines and the drone of planes overhead. Read another good article in the Sept. issue of Real Simple titled “How to Be Less Busy.” Finished cutting out the dress I had hoped to sew for Danielle for her Fall Party. Danl and Danielle came home, very pleased with their good day together. I fried the last pkg of venison backstrap for supper, made instant mashed taters and white gravy, and opened a can of Del Monte pears. Enjoyed my first soak in our new tub! 

Thursday 10-27

I planned to mostly sew, but as always, I want ALL THE THINGS done before I begin. Completed my MR and did some desk work. Played a game of Wild Kratts with Danielle at one “recess” and a game of Deer Tag at another. Deer Tag is a game Danielle made up that is like hide and seek but the person hiding has a set of antlers that you have to make visible when the It person calls out, “Deer!” Then once your hiding spot has been “blown,” it’s a mad dash for base! It’s actually pretty fun to play. We usually only play it in the fall/winter when the antlers are out for decor. After lunch, I cut out a camel brown dress for myself and sewed it halfway done. I meant to be one of those girls who whips out a new dress in an hour or so to wear for evening plans, but alas. I’m just not that girl. Dressed up my old faithful black T-shirt dress for our supper reservations at Gather at 6 with David and Tara and Mike and Lisa Murphy. They’ve been our biggest customers this year with their property in Molino which FLS is developing. We got to eat at the round table by the kitchen which has always been my dream! My plate of cherry-smoked duck breast with Gather mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, blueberry bbq, and goat cheese exceeded expectations. We lingered long, enjoying all the amazing food, dessert, coffee, and conversation until we needed to remove ourselves to make room for the next reservation at 8:00. 

Friday 10-28

Well, I guess it’s my turn to experience the current illness going around, Influenza A or RSV?! Who knows?! It’s not Covid though according to my home test. I spent most of the night quite miserable with fever, body aches, headache, sore throat, and congestion. Danl came back around 10 and took Danielle and her 4wheeler to the job with him. So I had a mostly quiet day to lay around and recuperate. I slowly did the MR which took most of the day. Read in Once Upon a River a lot. Diesel was feeling quite poorly too. His skin has really deteriorated; the pic I sent to the vet confirmed what we thought. The lymphoma is cutaneous now. The end is very near for both dogs actually. Leroy didn’t want to eat his food and was shaking which means he’s in a lot of pain. And it’s not fair for them to suffer much longer. They have loved and been loved. But it’s still hard. Danl had me call in a pizza and breadsticks for him and Danielle to pick up for supper. 

Saturday 10-29

Felt some better, but still fatigued. So sad  to miss Gwen’s baby shower at the Goetter’s. Put in a Walmart Pickup for Atmore Smallmart. I keep forgetting they now offer this service! So nice when you don’t want to get out and breathe on people, but you still need food! Put a new layer of that deep ceramic shine on the Audi at Waves. Then I did dash into Family Dollar and Pig since Walmart did not even attempt to substitute one very necessary item, and I forgot to add onions to the order, AND we needed some more presents to wrap for the dogs’ last Christmas. I tried to stay 6 ft away from everyone. I didn’t survive Covid without learning something! Ended up sobbing once I got home. It’s just so final now. We plan to put both dogs down on Tuesday. Pulled myself together and Danl and I proceeded to make crispy fried chicken thigh sandwiches with seasoned house mayo, on a bakery buns topped with provolone and pickles; home-fried tater chips on the side. Yum. Danielle and I had fun making things festive, wrapping presents, and hanging stockings stuffed with toys and treats. Diesel and Leroy were so excited that it was suddenly Christmas time! We all hung out in the living room, helped the pigs open their presents, ate microwave popcorn, then settled in to (try) to sleep. Good times, good memories. Oh, I did make dough too, since I had fed Susie earlier in the day.  

Sunday 10-29

I bailed on the party around 2:00 am, and slipped into our bed to finish out the night with some restful sleep instead of fitful dozing. It was overcast and rainy, definitely a good day to hunker down together. I was feeling even worse than I had on Saturday instead of better as I had hoped! Made a small pan of cinnamon rolls, one loaf of regular bread, and two small loaves of cinnamon pull-apart bread with the sourdough. Did a speed-rise on the cinnamon rolls and baked them for breakfast along with brown-and-serve sausage links. Danl prepped a chuck roast for the crockpot. I’m not sure what all we all did, but the day seemed to pass rather swiftly. I know I did a lot of nose-blowing. Attempted to make Gather-style mashed skin-on red potatoes, (I’ll have to keep trying) along with gravy to enjoy with the roast and fresh bread. We ate this meal later afternoon. Sad to miss the 5th Sunday Joint Hymn-Sing at WH. Danielle and I played many games of Fishdom, trying in vain to pass a hard level. Everyone helped tidy the house, which had rather gone to pot. In some ways it felt like a good weekend, and in others it felt weird and hard, knowing what is coming on Tuesday. Things will be so different with two members of our family missing. But life goes on, a cycle of death and birth! I’m sure we’ll welcome new puppies, sooner or later!

RIP Diesel & Leroy

 

And it's over. 

We are just back home from Atmore Animal Hospital where Daniel and I watched our boys peacefully take their last breaths, lying side by side just like they loved to be. 

Not long after the first of the year, Diesel was diagnosed with lymphoma. He had several tumors removed, and we thought the end would not be far off. But true to his warrior nature, he proved us so wrong and lived almost to his 13th birthday! 

Leroy was bounding along quite well we thought, until several months ago he started shaking a lot, and didn't want to eat his food or chew the tops of Diet Coke bottles, which was his greatest thrill. X-rays revealed his hips had disintegrated, which explained why he was in so much pain. He endured three different kids of pain medication, including twice weekly injections (which I had to learn how to administer) all to basically no avail. He got some relief, but not enough to have good quality of life. He would have turned 12 around the end of this month.

Last week it became apparent that the cancer had spread everywhere in poor Diesel's body; his skin especially was affected and was starting to scab off, leaving painful open sores. After hard conversations, we made the decision we knew was coming, yet somehow could never quite prepare for - to put them both down today, together. Daniel and I spent as much of the day today as we could just being with them, talking, and crying. Once Danielle was home from school, she joined us and said her last goodbyes. We dropped her off at Gene and Karma's on our way to the vet for our 4:00 appointment. Dr. Shirley met us outside and helped get Diesel in the side door; agreeing that he probably would not have even lasted another day. He was so tired and done; hardly able to even make his last walk on his own. They settled us all in the surgery room. Several of the employees came to say their goodbyes and give us their sympathies. First Dr. Shirley gave them each a sedative; he said Leroy's nervous system was so shot he could tell he didn't even flinch or feel the sting. Leroy soon laid his head down and they just peacefully slept on their favorite blanket while we continued to pet them. Diesel got his final injection first; it didn't take long at all before it was obvious that his big brave heart had beat its last beat. Dr. Shirley checked with his stethoscope and agreed that it was over. Then it was Leroy's turn, which went just as peacefully. Kelsey told me someone had left something for us up front and that she would bring it back to us. It was the most gorgeous bouquet from Karma, Tommi, and LeAnn! We picked Danielle up and headed back home to a quiet house. No one to greet us with excited eyes and stumpy wagging tails! These dogs have been part of our lives for so long; they kept me company when Daniel was gone overnights working, they welcomed Danielle home as a baby, they never failed in alerting us to anything that seemed off kilter in their surroundings. They never even tried to sample Danielle's chickens. So, like Jill penned in her drawing, "Somewhere between hello and goodbye, there was LOVE, so much LOVE."