There and Back Again:

And, that's kind of how I feel right now after the journey.

 I had a good time for sure, interrupted by some very poignant "stuff". Some points:

 1) Trip back seemed fast; I traveled non-stop basically from A. Augusta's house in Emporia down to past Wichita, straight across the OK panhandle to Guymon OK, then down to Springerville. I did that in about 14 hrs travel, only stopping for diesel and one food stop. I subsisted on 4 chocolate brownies compliments of A.D., a coke, water, and chocolate covered peanut clusters, plus a yogurt..

 2) The above notwithstanding, gained 4 pounds over the trip.

 3) Dealt with the standard hospice, chaplin, farm, and lawyer issues with A.D. To my chagrin, I found a self-feeding corn deer feeder and tree stand on Mom's property. I have started to and will deal with that later this/next month.

 4) Got to spend quality time with cousins in the field, met some enemy, engaged them, and was successful. We will Not starve this coming summer after all.

  5) I stayed with 4 different families and really had a good time with all of them. I stayed with A.D. and U.R. the most, and it was really nice to see Kindra and Mark as well. I got to see a lot of old high school friends. We have a wonderful family, people, and I look forward to many more years of close relationship.

 My prayers are with Craig; he will have a hard go of it, and Joyce is hanging in there with him in a strong fashion, doing her best.

 I do plan to return to Kansas to see Mom again in the near future for a few days, before the Mexico trip. I would very much like to plan on the Dickson family reunion as well, the 1st or 2nd of June, I forget which right now, but it's that first Sunday after Memorial Day.

  Happy Easter to all; Christ has risen, and He will come again.

U.R./Dad

Kansas

Diesel is wound up and rollin', south west bound.
Dear U.K., Jim and I spent am hour covering the bed ox the pick up, but cover it s did...for now anyway. No rain yet but coming up on in flight radar.
It's 0350 Central, hoping to make ranch by night.
A.D., thank you for everything. You can eat my chocolate I left...Darn.
Love to all, Dad/UR

Kansas Update

 Greetings to all: some news/plans from Kansas.

We went to Topeka today and visited with Mom and the Hospice folks. As we arrived Mom was just getting up and into the wheelchair at 11:30. She went to the table with assistance and was served lunch. She dove into the cottage cheese/apricot bowl and ate the whole thing, then went to her mashed potatoes/gravy. She even ate some of the cut up roasted chicken. She has a strong tremor that impedes her motion but gets it done. She recognized me as someone she cares about but did not volunteer a name and I didn't pursue it. I believe she knew I was a son on some prompting but there was recognition in her eyes. She also recognized Mark and AD in a similar way. She smiled off and on, but is so frail and fatigued with even sitting there. She was glad to see us.

 She then expressed fatigue and was taken back to her room where she laid down. We went to lunch out of the facility, did some errands, then returned. She was awake/arousable in bed and interacted some with us.

 All in all she is stable, tries to smile, says "Thank You" when you touch her/stroke her arm, recognizes we are close to her. I do not feel she knows our names, maybe she does.

 Hospice agrees with this assessment, that she is not "imminent" at this point, and she could go on for more days and even some weeks.

 With that in mind, I really feel a need to return home for a while. I plan to leave Olathe in the am, pick up "the chair" and other stuff at Wayne and Anna's, leave some hunting stuff, then drive to Emporia. There I will load the chests, golf clubs, and other paraphernalia and head for Tucson. I plan to make it to Springerville at least, probably stay with Chipman's (who are actually staying at our place in Tucson tonight), then get to Tucson after unloading stuff in the cabin. I am hoping to get to Phoenix for Easter, spend the day with the younger ones...

 I will then plan to come back in a couple of weeks or so to spend a little more time before the big Mexico trip in mid May.

 Then there is the Dickson family reunion in early June and I plan to go there.

 There's the plans, my love to all,

DAD/UR

Update

Hi everyone,

 I know I've been rather sparse about news about Mom lately but news will be coming. I had a nice break down in Admire with Jim and Wayne, was a good 4-5 days, now back to business.

 Talked to the hospice today. She saw Mom today and helped with her shower. Her tremor is increased and she fatigues so easily. It took 45 minutes to complete the shower and get dressed with periods of rest. She has been increasingly complaining of feeling cold. She did, however, express a desire to go out into the lobby area to listen and be closer to the music played out there this morning. Her weight has decreased from 107 to 102 over the past week.

 That's all I know right now; I had planned on going down to Topeka today but since the appt's are all lined up for tomorrow now, I will go tomorrow.

  I will also go to Fish and Game and discuss an issue that came up when I drove Mom's 80 acre section down by Bushong; someone had put up an automatic deer feeder on Mom's property and a tree stand (expensive one) about 25 yards away. It's no question to serve as a hunter's ambush site and I cannot abide that. To keep you in the loop, I left things as they were but left a note I expected it to be gone in a "timely manner" or I would remove it myself. I think I may now who did it, either by themselves or by giving someone else "permission", but I want to make sure before jumping in with both feet, so to speak. But jump I will, for sure.

 It's a cold and even wintry day here in Olathe today; snow in the morning of all things, spitting sleet now, but you've seen the pics.  Since I'm not going to Topeka, Mark and I will go down to the WW I Memorial/Museum area at the old Kansas City Railway Terminal (where Mom and Dad had their picture taken when he was leaving for the Pacific), and then I want to re-visit the Steamship Arabia exhibit down by the river, a really interesting exhibit of a sunken/found steamship from the 1840's.

 More tomorrow likely after we meet with hospice directly and visit Mom in person.

 Love to all, DAD/UR

Spring

Santa Claus is coming!
Wait, it's April. My bad.
From Olathe KS.

Surprise Visit

A little "cowboy serenade"..Mark gone from Columbia for a week!
I'm done w the turkey hunts for a while, had a great time down in the Flint Hills with Jim and Wayne. Slow and hard hunting this year do far, only got one. Good news, No Ticks. Except when A.D. and U R and I visited the T-F Ranch. No kidding. Kristin jinxed it.
Now back in Olathe and to Topeka soon.
On a visit to Mom's farm, found where someone had placed an automatic corn feeder and tree stand. I am still absolutely fuming, will start to deal with this Mon or Tues, starting at Kansas Game and Fish.
Love to all, more later,
UR/Dad

What a day !

A trip to 4 "farms" one being the famous Tick Bar Ranch ! (See photo. No one home there so walked the fields of KS and ended at the DQ with U RICHARD. What's not to love about that! I even got to drive the truck . Yeehaw!

Friday night

Great cousins, wonderful Aunt, fun times in downtown Americus KS. You'll just have to look it up...just s few miles from the Marx farms.
More about Mom this evening, later.
You can congratulate Jim, a new Grand Pa! Sara delivered 7# girl in Olathe yesterday, C-section.
Love to all, from Kansas.
Dad, UR

G'Ma

Howdy Family, an update:

Today is a good day for Mom. When I arrived she was up in the wheel chair and alert. The aide told her her son was here and she replied "wonderful!". While she never called me by name several minutes later she asked the side where her son was when I was behind her. 

We had a conversation; she said how wonderful it is to have family around, said how wonderful life is. I feel she knew who I was, couldn't connect it. She is very feeble of course.

She ate an entire hamburger, plus the mandatory ice cream. She even asked if I would like to get some! So of course we shared some ice cream together! 

 A couple of pics, though she sounds asleep now, and is dreaming. I'd love to know of what. 

 I am glad to have had this opportunity with her.

Love, Dad/UR

 It goes with the territory, good days

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Tablet

Kansas

Greetings from Kansas, Dear Family, I'll write an update of just things coming and going on here in Kansas. It will no doubt be "I did this, I did that" but it's unfortunately all entertwined. We awoke to a nice cool gentle rain here and remembering "April showers bring May flowers" I enjoy it! Diane does not. Yesterday I picked up Robert Dyck, an old and best high school friend, and we went together down to the farm. We tried our best to find the original homestead site but no luck. Heck, there is evidence that it might actually be on the Duncan place just south, but who knows. I think that book "Footprints in Time" is not accurate. Nevertheless, I have more to do down there and I am so happy to hear that A. Diane wants to go down as well. The land looks good. And, Uncle Ken, if I have to hear one more time that you saw where some "big animal" bedded down, I will shoot myself. That's what wild animals do. They do not make the bed. And, since deer and turkey live in Kansas, there you go. Anyway, I am happy to report the T bar F Ranch (aka T-F, aka Tick Farm) looks good. In fact, A.D. and I are taking some potted plants down for your 8th grade flower urn you saved in one of the barns, just to spruce up the neighborhood some. We are still undecided about the "WildCat Parking Only" sign. But I digress: we are going down when time allows (between garage sale, nicer weather, visits to Topeka to be with Mom to visit with Gary Jensen etc. I will take her to lunch in Allen...one of my favorites. To answer some questions folks have been asking; I wish I could help with the planning issues and I fully understand, believe me. I have a good friend in Tucson whose Mom had a similar experience, and she held on for a few weeks at the age of 90+. Mom could hang on for 6-8 weeks or so, unless there is an event that would trigger a sudden change. Or, she could just let go over night. Thanks for your note, Doug. There are in fact many many photos, old documents, items of interest saved from 1579 still here in the Mittenmeyer Storage Facility, and if there is something in particular any of you out there you remember and have special memories of, please please let us know. Do not be afraid of offending anyone by asking. And, please remember and keep in mind an important fact; just because one or two of the old folks (aka Me, Ken, Diane) want to hang on to something as well, it is in fact temporary. We own/"have" nothing. Things of interest/value to our family, Dickson and Marx, are just on loan, for us to keep safe for the next generation as they become either interested or disinterested. So, be patient, but do not hesitate to speak up. There will be items hard for us old folks to let go of as well. Love to all, UR/Dad