Kansas

We are having a good day today!

Emporia airport

So, I'm trying to get a taxi to go to Jim's office to borrow a truck, with no success. An elderly gentleman comes in to talk w the man behind the desk, and was asked he wouldn't mind dropping me off at Jim's office since the taxi seemed to be a no go. Jim was out burning his pasture, Joyce at a wedding. He seemed eager to help out and I was grateful! He was out checking on his airplane...he still flies a Comanche around. He was an Army aviator in WW II, and instrumental in developing the Norden bomb site. He flew the P 51 in Europe and out of Africa. He is as sharp as me on a good day, doing very well in fact. He is 93, and I have a new hero!

 He knows Augusta well, good friends with Herschel, knows the whole bunch. I guess he ran the local jewelry store (of course here knew Augusta..) He said he knew Carl and Nellie Marx well since his dad was also a carpenter. Old home week, a small world.

Anyway, I think as long as one can fly one might live forever!

Now, off to Kansas City, see if AD still lives here!

See ya, love Dad/UR 

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Tablet

Kansas

From the first, to the second! It's hot here. Will borrow Jim's truck, drive on into Olathe. Easier this time.
Another note to follow I need to share.

Kansas II

Hi Everyone, some updates:

I've talked to hospice a couple of times these past two-three days, and while there's no big changes, and Mom's vital signs are stable, she is no longer getting around enough to go out to the lobby for her meals, such as they are. She is eating very little and her weight loss is continuing albeit at a slow pace.

  Ken: I haven't heard anything from the local farmers. I guess I didn't expect to, but:

I'm heading back to Kansas in the morning via the ranch. I have my truck up there now, and I'll take the Bonanza. It looks like I have a window of opportunity between storms/winds, Hopefully. While I'm back, I'm going to make another site visit talk cattle, deer stands, etc.

  Diane: I will be at the mercy of the winds/weather if I get the plane back there. I'd like to leave my options open as they say. If the weather holds I'll go for Olathe (if they don't remember the last Debacle of 1984...). If I just get tired or winds are high I'll stop off in Emporia, rent a car there.

  Ash: I don't know if I'll be able to join up with you or not on your whirlwind tour. I may beat you there, may not, you know the drill.

  I plan to stay the week, then start homeward, drive or fly. Note to AD,  I'm NOT bringing home anymore chests, chairs, urns (concrete or otherwise), elves, pictures, figuringes, boxes, steel coyotes, etc.

 Well, here we go again, Love to all, UR/Dad

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