FRIDAY NOOS...

THIS FROM SARAH JEPSEN


"...Hi, I have to hurry because I’m soon on my way to Fbks to get Lizzie’s arm casted.  Also, Haley’s flower girl dress is way too huge so we have to get that fitted at the place that custom made it for her. 

Last Sunday, John Basalyga preached, and he will preach again this coming Sunday.  On Wednesday night Gary Jarvis preached.  His text was from Philippians 3.  John has been preaching in the area and staying with his folks.  Gary Jarvis and Brenda have been preaching in the area and staying with Jim and Bonnie Mason.

Sunday night, Lizzie was trying to get something off the floor from her top bunk when she fell and broke her arm.  We had a miserable Sunday night because we didn’t realize it was broken.  Monday morning when she still felt really bad, we went to Dr. A’s and waited for them to fit us in without an appointment.  We were finally seen after noon time.  The Dr there splint her arm and we’ll go to Fbks today for a cast.  While at Dr. A’s we saw Esther Venebles and Melissa Reed Davis, an RN there for 3 days a week.  Esther works there on Mondays. Recent news on this is that she will probably have to have surgery to repair tendons and ors ligaments and go to a specialist in Anchorage. Poor Lizzy!

Tuesday evening, I ran Allyson and her children to the airport in Fairbanks so they could fly out to be with Jon for six weeks.  I also picked up Debbi and her children and later I picked up Seth, Kevin, and Chris Toby at the airport.  We all crashed at David and Laurie Miller’s house.  That worked out sooooo well for us. 

Seth Fouse has a big job in Delta so Kevin went to work right away. 

Jarred and Jennifer and children will be home on Sunday sometime since they fly in at midnight on Saturday night. 

Zee, the orphaned foal, is doing really good.  Kathryn still feeds it regularly from a bottle.  It is so friendly because it has been handled so much.  Rosie had her baby this week.  It’s a paint and is really cute.

Anyway, I’m sure there is more news, but I have to get to Fbks.  Nice knowing you all.  Sarah..."

Our family is leaving for a week of Fairbanks sights and special needs camp. But we will not be roughing it just enjoying the sights and taking part in some native Alaska workshops, crafts and cuisine. Flo, Annie, Rob, Pat and self. Should be a good time.

No more for now...have a good week end everybody!

Over and out 

OUR NEW BABY GRAND DAUGHTERS.!!

PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW IDENTICAL TWIN GRAND DAUGHTERS.

ELANOR CLAIR AND ESTHER SILVIA  BORN TO HAPPY PARENTS

 PATLOU AND BETHANY

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THESE LITTLE GIFTS FROM GOD.

SATURDAY

It’s been a looooong week.

We had alternating sunny and rainy weather.  We needed both kinds so that was all fine.  We had sun on the lawn mowing days, then Tony spread fertilizer on all our lawns after having done his fields, and then the soft rains and wild winds began.  Perfect, really.
   
We have some comings and goings in the next week or so. Seth, Kevin and Chris Williams are returning from their trip to Montana this week. Rob will be happy for that since he likes to spend time with those particular guys. Sarah Jepsen's sister Debbi and her 2 kids are coming to visit for a month. Ali Squires and her 3 children are leaving for 6 weeks to visit Jon at the Paramedic Clinic in TX and then spending time with family.

Garth, Kim, and Kelly are in Lubbock so Kelly can attend the youth retreat there.  I think Garth is ministering in nearby areas while Kelly’s at camp.  Kimberli and Seth and children made it home late last week.  Kimberli said the kids were sad to be coming home because they thought that when they got home that summer would be over and that we’d be going into school and wintertime already.   They were pleasantly surprised!

Rob has been riding around with Bradie and some of the other kids, on the water wagon and doing chores around the farm. His Dad has had him quite busy, finishing off our winter supply of wood, stacking and such. They made a running pen for our guinea pig to get some exercise outside on sunny days. He was pretty proud of himself!

Also Rob has started his summer riding lessons, and is doing very well. We go in a couple of times a week. There's a small riding stable in Delta that I found by googling it! the owner/instructor is pretty low key with her operation, thus keeping costs low, which is nice. She gets donations from around the area for various things including some of the horses. She does an excellent job with distressed animals and brings them back to working order. Rob enjoys his time there, although he only wants to ride for about 30', hoping to get him to go longer.

I have been working off and on in the garden. May, works every day out there. It is nice to be outside and I can take Robin to work with me, although that is not his favorite thing to do! :(

All our family, except for May, are going to attend a disabilities summer camp in Fairbanks. We are going to be gone for about a week, sightseeing and visiting points of interest in Fairbanks. As well as putting in a day at the Chena Hot Srings resort. Since we have never gone that will be an interesting things for us to do. Pat will try and get some piano work for a day, and we are also fitting in many of Rob's and Flo's medicals, as well as a check up for myself. So the trip will be a full one! Floan is also coming since she is officially Robin's respite care provider (he goes there for his granny days), I think she is looking forward to all this adventure!


PatL has some days off from firefighting outside of Delta. Not sure if he will have time to come out to the farm or not. He will probably be assigned a new fire job shortly. Alaska is ablaze and there are many large fires in the L478 as well, so he will be kept plenty busy, which is good! Pray for his safety!

Oh, now, it has been decided that Bonnie’s mom, Irene, is suffering from arthritic pain.  Her meds have been rearranged to accommodate her needs.  Irene’s grandson and great grandson are here visiting for two weeks.  It looks like the grandson and Robin have made fast friends; they ride bikes everywhere together. 

We’ve been waiting all spring to remove the old canes from the raspberry patch.  We should’ve done it early May, but we missed our chance.  Then it got to dry.  Every time we wanted to work on the canes, the wind would come up or it would be too dry.  Finally this week, we did it anyway and just loaded them all on the hay wagons.  I guess they were hauled to the dump for burning at a later date.

Ben left today to spend a week in Vacouver with his folks and other siblings.  All his siblings, at some point, will be at his folks house.
  
May and Bill Casey were in the garden the other day after lunch when Bill started having some chest pains.  To make a long story short, Bill had a heart attack.  Allyson took care of him and convinced him to stop in to see Dr. A.  From there, Bill’s son’s in law, the Warbelows, flew Bill and Kathy to Anchorage where they are now.  After some tests, it was found that one of Bill’s arteries leading to the heart was completely blocked.  A stent and a balloon were put in.  Now, he is recovering.  They are in the Regional Hospital in Anchorage.  Here’s their email address if you’d like to send them a note:  bkcaseygang@gmail.com


Our little orphan filly Zee (for her zebra stripes) is doing great! Thanks to Kath Nerbonne who feeds her every 4 hours. round the clock. Here are some cute pics of Zee.!

… I better go.  Have a great weekend.

PATS FIRE CREW COMES TO THE LAND!!

PAT'S FIRE CREW: THE GANNET GLACIER INITIAL ATTACH TYPE 2 CREW, CAME TO DRY CREEK FOR A VISIT. THEY WERE IN BETWEEN FIRES. ABOUT 21 MEMBERS TO THE CREW, 2 WOMEN AND THE REST MEN.
A NICE BUNCH OF FOLK. THE ROAMED AROUND THE FARM AND VISITED WITH US FOR A FEW HOURS.


NICE TO SEE PAT. THEY ALL LOOKED PRETTY TIRED SINCE THEY HAVE NOT HAD MUCH OF A BREAK MOVING FROM ONE FIRE TO ANOTHER IN THE WHOLE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, BUT THEY WERE IN GOOD SPIRITS.
ROBIN HAD A GREAT TIME VISITING WITH THEM, THEY WERE VERY FRIENDLY AND PATIENT WITH HIM, I THINK THEY GOT A KICK OUT OF INTERACTING WITH HIM, HE CAN BE QUITE THE HAM!


THE BOSS LENT HIM ONE OF THEIR POWERFUL RADIOS AND ROB GOT A KICK OUT OF THAT!


HERE'S A LINK TO SOME PHOTOS.


PRAYERS FOR THIS DEDICATED AND PROFESSIONAL CREW, ARE APPRECIATED.


THANKS GANNET GLACIER FOR KEEPING US ALL SAFE!


GOD SPEED!


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1918260287960.107962.1585591801&l=deda847f81

PRE WEEK END UPDATE

HELLO FAMILY AND FRIENDS,

East Volkner fire outside Delta Junction. Pats gonna be on this one now!

A short report on farm noose"

Wednesday and Thursday night we received a much needed, gentle rain.  (Now it can clear up again.)  We were having such hot, dry weather.  I actually had to wear sunscreen some. 

Even though we had very few people home on Thursday night, we still planted the transplants in the garden.  Everyone there worked well together all the way down to the little kids.  We had quite the efficient system going.  Then afterwards, we received that gentle rain!  They’re off to a good start. 

Garth wrote to say that they all had a good time in Phoenix, AZ.  Seth and Kim and kiddos have flown home while Jarred and Jennifer and children have flown over to New York where they will stay till the 14^th.  Garth and Kim are having grandparent time with Nathan’s children. 

This spring, Bro Rus ordered new strawberry plants for our strawberry patch. Tony, with the horse drawn disc equipment, disked up our old patch.  Bill rotatilled the area a couple of times, and Bro Rus did it a final time.  Now we need Thomas to make hills for us; then we can plant the new plants. 

Ze, our new orphaned filly, (she is a girl, btw) is doing well. We call her Ze because of some zebra markings she has on her lower legs. The girls and Cody have been taking turns feeding her around the clock every couple of hours.  She is very friendly and follows the kids around whenever they show up to see her. 

I did want to mention that two grizzly bears have been shot in our area.  Bob Hilliker shot the first one.  The bear showed up at Hillikers right at supper time when Sis Betty was cooking supper.  It started chasing their dog, Blue, around.  Then it put its paw up to her kitchen window and pulled the screen out with out harming the screen at all.  Finally Bob shot it in the eye.  The other grizzly was seen and shot on Stardahl’s property which is now owned by Stardahl’s son in law.  I think he, Dave, did the shooting.  And, since then Tony has seen grizzly bear tracks.  Since I don’t want to be bear bait, my solitary morning runs have ended.  I’ve gone to stacking our firewood for exercise.

Ann took Micah to Fairbanks for physical therapy all this week.  Usually he goes for for three or four weeks, but I guess that this year it is only for one week. 

Bonnie’s mom, Irene, was in a lot of pain this week.  She thought she had shingles, but, then, after having taken her to the doctor, it was decided that she had extreme nerve aggravation due to an overuse of some of her muscles.  Bonnie’s still trying to figure how that could be.  At least it’s not too serious.

Took Rob to his first riding lessons for the summer. He did very well and his instructor was impressed that he remembered most of the commands. He still rode Tequilla a nice, tranquil little quarter horse. He was even allowed to clean her hooves out with a pick and helped saddle her. That made his day I think! He was monitored by a young lady Dede whom I thot was 16 but turns out she is only 13, very mature for her age and a good rider.

As you all know by now, our son Pat is a fire tech2 with the Gannet Glacier Crew Initial Attack  out of Copper River in the south of Alaska. The whole state seems to be ablaze with fires that are just going wild. We pray for his safety and stamina! The most recent one he's been on is the Galihina one hear McCarthy.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve

News Release

June 4, 2011 For Immediate Release Contact: Mark Keogh (907) 822-7223

Little growth on Gilahina Fire despite winds

Copper Center, Alaska – Gusty winds hit the Copper River Basin on Friday, but the strongest gusts on the Gilahina Fire were measured at 8 miles per hour. The cooler, humid weather continued to restrict fire growth. The Gannett Glacier and Noorvik Type 2 crews worked to extinguish residual heat along the southwest edge of the fire. Firefighters have concentrated on cooling this part of the fire to reduce the likelihood of the fire spreading further down the Gilahina River drainage in the Full Fire Management area. The fire is over 6 miles from the Gilahina Trestle and about 5 miles north of the McCarthy Road.

Most of the fire is burning in the Limited Fire Management area in the Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The fire remains on the north side of the Gilahina River in a wilderness area. The State of Alaska Division of Forestry and National Park Service are managing this fire cooperatively.

The Noorvik crew will continue to work on the Gilahina Fire, monitoring the fire activity and extinguishing residual heat on the southwest edge. A 10-person Fire Use Module will be arriving this weekend to work with the Noorvik crew. The Fire Use Module will also do more site protection and long-range planning for the fire.

One Remote Access Weather Stations (RAWS) has been set up on the Gilahina Fire in a burned area. This RAWS station will provide current data about weather conditions on the fire. Another RAWS will be placed in the Lakina River drainage to monitor conditions there. The winds and other weather conditions can vary widely in these drainages due to the broken terrain.

The drift smoke in the Copper River Basin is coming from fires further north in Alaska and possibly from fires in Canada. Today’s weather forecast calls for continued cool and moist weather.

The McCarthy Road is open and there are no driving restrictions. For those who fly in the vicinity, be aware of fire related helicopter and fixed-wing traffic and the possibility of sudden decreased visibility. The local victor frequency is 122.9.


The Gannett Glacier Type 2 initial attack crew will be released from the Gilahina Fire today. They will be relocated to assist with firefighting efforts on the East Volkmar Fire, east of Delta Junction. So looks like Pat's coming to DELTA ...we might c him! :)

Here's a recent report on the fire Pat is on until today. It says his crew will be demobbed to the Delta Junction area for the large East Volkner wildfire that has been burning like crazy and is up to 35,000 acres.

EAST VOLKMAR FIRE – JUNE 4

Winds gusting up to 23 mph out of the south and southwest caused a significant run to the north of and slightly west along the South Fork of the Goodpaster River on Friday. Fire crews continued work to hold fire line on the south end of the west flank. Crews on the north end have moved west to set up a new helibase and spike camp located near river mile 26 of the Goodpaster River. These crews will concentrate on structure protection planning for the upper Goodpaster River and Volkmar and Healy Lakes. The current acreage remains 34,000 until a new perimeter is mapped later today.

As the fire moves north, repeaters will be set up to provide communication to crews on the line as operations become more remote. The fire will continue to utilize Sawmill Staging for base communications and support of personnel on the fire line and in spike camps. There are 243 personnel assigned to the fire.

The Oregon IMT 2, with Incident Commander Dennis Sifford, had an in briefing with the Alaska Division of Forestry, Delta Area Office and assumed command of the East Volkmar Fire at 6:00am on Saturday morning. The Incident Command Post will be located at the Delta High School.

WEATHER SATURDAY:

MOSTLY CLOUDY: TEMPS: 67F, RH: 24-30%, WINDS: SW 7-12

ENJOY YOUR WEEK END!

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

Hello,

Chris Toby, Seth, and Kevin fly out for Montana today.  Mainly horse guys, so Rob will miss them.

Two nights ago we received a smattering of rain.  We’ve had hot, sunny, dry weather for days now.  I’m not complaining but we’re starting to need some rain.  Everything is sooooo dry and the fire alert is high.  Bill Casey did set up the irrigation system and has been faithfully watering the seeds; otherwise the dirt with the seeds would have long blown away.  Yesterday we had extremely high winds that continued into the night, but all is calm now. 

The loggers went into Fbks last night so they could be up bright and early to put together a cabin kit.  The should be home tonight.  (Thomas, Brad, Ben, Rich, Tommy)

Yesterday Chloe Mason was swinging on the rope swing when it broke.  Her leg was in an odd manner so Hannah took her to Dr. A’s.  It’s a really bad sprain from which with some rest she will recover. 

Because Jo brought some horse supplement home from Fbks, the Koehlers came by and took their mare and foal away.  Until they did that, we had to have one or two people out with the horses around the clock to keep an eye on things.  Now, the kids are taking turns feeding the baby his bottle every couple of hours.  I think some girls slept out there last night as it was easier than getting up every few hours to tromp out to the pen. 

Joey has gotten a job with the forestry.  He is going to be a helicopter medic.  He was pretty excited!

We all did receive our six packs of flowers on Sunday – lots and lots of beautiful flowers.  Lizzie helped me plant most of mine, but she left me a few to do myself which are still not planted.  I was quite disgusted to find worms on my delphiniums.  The delphiniums come back on their own, and if they pop out of the ground early, they sometimes attract worms.  The worms start in the leaves and then happily munch their way to the flower stalk which is probably wonderfully juicy to them.  Let the squishing begin! 

Prins did come on Sunday.  He preached on the difference between being prepared 

and being ready.  I’m still thinking about that since I’m not sure I grasped it.  His text was the parable of the ten virgins. Lots of stuff going on in India, seems good, but I wld not want to live there...course not knowing Hindi wld be a probe too! ha!

I better get…. Have a great day