Rain please

It is very hot here and it sounds like it is so most everywhere!  Day after day of this extreme heat with no relief in the forecast coupled with absolutely no rain makes for a grumpy farmer and his wife!  It was good timing to get a knee replaced because you absolutely don't want to be outdoors doing anything!

I watered our sweet corn this morning and this afternoon it appears to be dry as a bone again.  I don't think it helped one bit.  I water my garden daily but cucumbers and squash could care less.  They want to die and wilt no matter what I do.  I really love cukes so this makes me sad!  The tomatoes, peppers and green beans look good so that is something, I guess.  I believe grocery shopping will be even more expensive in the near future.  :-(

Mark is doing incredibly well with his new part.  He faithfully does his exercises twice a day and yesterday morning was his first meeting with the physical therapist.  She was amazed how well he is doing and with the extension and bending that he could do with that new knee.    She said there was no need to see her as often as they had scheduled so we cut out one day per week so now he will go on Tuesdays and Fridays instead of three times.  The goal is to get the knee at 0 degrees extension and 120 degrees bending and he is already at 0 and 118 six days after surgery.  Yay!  Next Monday he gets the staples out and she said he will be able to go even further after those are removed.

We are getting a little bored just sitting around here, even in the AC.  I can see a shopping trip somewhere in our my near future, just to get up and out of the house!  I need absolutely nothing but sure I can come home with something that cheers me up.  :-)

Some random pics in closing....

Mark feeling happy before surgery....must have been the drugs!

Taking a snooze while icing his new knee

Our lawns looking really streesed!

Same lawns in May looking much happier.

Why I didn't go into nursing

Lots has happened since my last post.  The biggest thing is Mark's full knee replacement surgery on July 10, 2012.  He is getting along okay but obviously has pain.  That pain will increase lots come Monday when he begins going to physical therapy to work that new knee.  Until then we are doing at home exercises to keep it moving.  I am trying to be a patient nurse but my personality might not be compatible with the word "patient", but I am trying!  Now he has swelling in the ankle and my first thought is blood clot!  We are icing it and if it doesn't go down we will call for suggestions on what to do.  On the whole, he is a great patient and I am a bit surprised as I thought he would be pretty cranky.  :-)  No matter what he goes through these next few weeks, he will be better off than he was with that old knee!

Before his surgery we travelled to Peoria, IL to spend the 4th with our children and grandchildren.  It was very hot there, too, so most of our time was spent indoors keeping cool.  New grandson Ryan is doing well and is very precious.  Kayley had been battling severe flu but was on the mend by the time we arrived.  Drew became sick while we were there but mainly fever and sore throat which motrin seemed to keep at bay and he still enjoyed our visit.  Matt came from Omaha so we had a good family reunion those few days!

We are still in a drought and have no hopes of having a bumper harvest.  I will be thrilled if we have anything to harvest!  Pray for rain!  We have been watering our sweet corn and garden so at least we will have some food!

Pics from Peoria:

Kayley throwing a popping fireworks onto the cement

Kayley, Grandma and Drew at Mickey's Pizzeria

Grandma and her three favorite people!

Drew loves going to Mickey's!

Uncle Matt and Ryan

Drew celebrating the 4th

Happy Grandpa

Very proud grandparents

Matt with his niece and nephews

Drew at T-ball

Kayley was given a drink by an admiring 5 year old boy......

Hit the ball to me!

Hmmm.....what should I order?

First attempt at catching the parachutes

Successful attempt!

Hot and dry

I am back on the farm after spending 17 days in Peoria helping out Megan and Andy get settled into their routine with a new baby and Drew and Kayley.  Like any grandma I adore my new grandchild!  It was very hard to leave them but it was made easier knowing that we are going to spend the 4th of July holiday there with them all.  Matt will be joining us so that makes it even better.

Mark and I have been very busy since I returned.  More rock picking was on the agenda and we are finally finished with that rather back breaking chore!  He is happy to have it done.  The weather is really hot and no rain in our foreseeable future.  Tomorrow we might hit 100 degrees.  It could be a long, hot and dry summer.  Our crops will not appreciate that.

This fall we are remodeling the outside of our home which includes new siding so we decided to tear down the deck.  It was old and weather worn but it was still very hard to see it go.  My extended family has lots of memories spent on that deck with Mom and Dad.  As sister Sharon said, nothing lasts forever, and I guess that is true.  I don't think we will put up another deck.  We are looking at putting in a ground level patio instead.  I like the view from my patio doors now with the deck gone so I think I will be happy with that option.  My biggest challenge, being blonde and all, is to NOT step out the patio door this summer!  That first step would be a definite leg breaker!  

Good-bye dear deck!

Getting closer. 

Megan said that Ryan is doing well but giving them a bit of awake time during the night.  I think that is common for most parents but Drew and Kayley really didn't wake up/stay up all that much as infants so this is something new for them.  As I write this he is probably already sleeping longer at night!  I cannot wait to see that little boy in one week.  He has probably already changed from when I saw him!  I think I better start looking at flights from Phoenix to Peoria a bit more often this winter!

Ryan Matthew very content

Drew and Kayley love holding Ryan when they get home from school

Drew ready to head to the diamond for his first t-ball game

I want to hold him!

Kayley checking on her baby brother

Megan is trying headbands to try to teach her scissors shorn hair to do what it is supposed to do!

One more of Ryan

We have a new grandson, Ryan Matthew!

June 6th was a very great day as we welcomed the newest grandchild into our family.  Ryan Matthew was born around 7:50 a.m. and weighed 8 lbs.  He is another bit of a miracle baby.  Read our daughter Megan's blog listed on the right side called Kayley's Story.  She explains it all very well and has more pictures of this blessed event!

June 5th was Mark's birthday and we had spent the morning picking up rocks.  When we came in at noon Megan called and wondered if there was any chance I could drive to Peoria and help with Drew and Kayley as she thought they would be having a baby fairly soon.  I said YES!  I showered and jumped in the car (after wishing Mark a quick happy birthday!) and drove the 5 hours to Peoria.  Megan spent that night in the hospital and was scheduled for a C section at 7:30 the following morning.  

I dropped Drew and Kayley off at pre-school and headed to the hospital to meet my new grandson.  I didn't have to wait long and was able to watch the nurses clean him up and check him out.  He was perfect and beautiful.  What more can a grandma wish for?!?!?

Matt and Mark drove to Peoria this past week-end to help Kayley celebrate her 4th birthday on the 9th and to meet Ryan.  It was a fun and exciting time!  I am still in Peoria and will stay until next Thursday when Megan is cleared to drive again.  It will probably be hard to tear myself away from the three grandchildren but we are all coming back for the 4th of July holiday so that won't be long.  Ha, about only a week for me!  :-)

Some pics and video from the past week:

Meeting Ryan:

Drew at one of his first T-Ball practices

Drew loosens up his throwing arm

No balls come to me so I will put sand in my glove

Ryan Matthew Thiel.  Isn't he cute?

Happy 4th Birthday, Kayley!

Special guests at the farm

We had two very special visitors to our farm this past week!  I went to Peoria on Thursday and stayed until Mother's Day.  I brought Drew and Kayley back to the farm with me for a week.  We had an incredible time with them on the farm!  Mark's brother Milt from Arkansas and Matt also showed up on the farm.  So nice to have them both here to see the kids!  Drew and Kayley picked up sticks, picked up rocks (they really thought this was fun at their young age!), they planted soybeans with Grandpa, played on a wonderful water park thanks to their Uncle Milt and drove the golf cart with Uncle Matt.  It was so much fun!  It was hard to give them back to their dad when we met him in Iowa City a week later!  :-)  I look forward to more fun on the farm with these two in the future.

Mark has all the crops in the field and now we wait for rain.  We do need that.  Our lawn is very dry so that must mean the crops are the same.  He plans to spray the corn this week if the WIND ever stops blowing.  It has been incredibly windy...too windy. I am sick of it!

I have too many videos and too many pictures below so view at your own risk and boredom!  That is what grandmas do when they are retired!

 

The kids help around the farm

Fun on Pirate's Bay

Matt took Kayley for a Nascar drive!

Uncle Matt and Kayley

Kayley had to go far for a big rock

Filling the "rock bucket"

We picked a big load of rock!

Getting ready to go pick up rocks.  Gloves are on!

Don't fall off the side, Kayley!

Drew and Kayley making Grandma's tomato plant grow!

No farm visit is complete without the lawnmower ride!

Climbing to the top of Pirate's Bay

Matt and Kayley ready for a spin on the golf cart

Drew and Kayley when first arriving at the farm

Grandma playing tag with Drew

Kayley and Pumpkin

Kayley with Uncle Milt's dog, Pumpkin

Fun on the old JD tractor

Kayley getting a tractor ride

Time to help Grandpa plant the soybeans

Time for Drew's race!