Monday-Kevin’s Funeral at Johnson

Woke up about 9AM & it was non-stop till just after midnight. Made another tax delivery to Durham at 2PM & the rest of the day was spent at home finishing tax returns.

Today was Kevin’s funeral at Johnson. At the cemetery they had everyone write a message for Kevin & tie them to balloons & send them on their merry way in the sky. Mama esp felt this was helpful for her personally. A cold stiff wind. They made it home by 7PM.

I finished 8 tax returns & got them efiled at just minutes before the midnight deadline. Wish I had spent more time on 4 of them, but will double check them later. That’s just the best I can do with the current situation. 

Glad this day is over.

mikey

Sunday

No SS class here so I was privileged to sit in on Sanford’s class. A man after my heart-had detailed maps of the middle east & Euphrates River. Evident he put a lot of effort into his SS class prep. A good experience.

Daniel Nisly had the sermon on accepting ourselves as God made us-imperfections and all. He can use us all in His kingdom no matter how much or little we think we can do. We should be faithful in what He’s given us to do.

Gary announced Kevin’s death in Church.

Counted the offering with Keith & ate a quick bite at Fannie & Willards. Took a quick nap & was on my way to western KS by 3PM.

Dark clouds in the east, and was in sunshine by the time I made it to Stafford. The Arkansas River was dry at Kinsley, but Coon Creek (which runs parallel to the Ark) had a lot of water in it. Got gas at Dodge & took Kevin’s route to the farm. Followed 50 all the way to Pierceville, then S then back west to 83. Then south to the big golf ball (weather station). The farm is 40 miles W of there.

Stopped by Shockey Cemetery where Kevin is to be buried. I think this is the closest cemetery to his farm home and some of his distant ancestors are buried there I think. Nothing left of this great city that Grandma drove to every day to pick up their mail years ago.

All 4 of Kevin’s brothers & sisters were at Uncle Duke’s. Everyone was upbeat and it was a cheerful atmosphere. Had fun looking at all the old pictures & getting posters ready for the funeral. It was SOOO good to see everyone. Met my cousin Leland’s son, Bryan, for the first time. They live in the Cupertino area. Also found out that Silicon Valley is roughly in the Santa Clara area.

Stayed till 9PM & then went on back home. Enjoyed seeing the wind farm lighting up the night sky with many blinking red lights. A festive appearance at the Spearville site. I slept at the north edge of the Gray County wind farm and the gentle swishing sounds were relaxing.

Got a snack and high energy drink at Dodge and made it home by 3AM. Took several nap breaks on the way home in spite of the energy drink not working like I hoped.

I learned from Uncle Duke that his father won his home place with a game of cards. He had purch some salt grass land NE of Garden City, sight unseen, while in Wisconsin & just after he left his boyhood home in Illinois. He was pleased with the land trade after his win.

Grandpa came to the Cimarron River area in NW Oklahoma, looking for Chris Molz, who later became his father-in-law as well as his employer in about 1920.

mikey

Saturday

Had a phone call from David & asked how things are going. There are more details coming in and just don’t know what to think of it all. David was very kind and understanding and spoke of his family’s experiences. Looks like Kevin’s funeral will be Monday. I made the decision to go to Stanton County on Sunday to see family members and come back home for the big tax deadline Monday. We had thought the funeral might be today.

Forgot to mention that yesterday I went to MP to get pop for the Center Youth Retreat and Jim spotted me on the street & yelled at me. Otherwise we would have missed each other again. He rode with me to Hutch to drop off the pop & met a few of the youth group: I think John, Brian S & Shane I were there. Jim mentioned that he esp appreciated how friendly Shane was and remembered his name.

Went back to MP and had a bite to eat at the German buffet & it was packed with people.

Anyway, back to today…Laverne also called from the retreat and listened to all details, some a bit more unglamorous than others. Appreciate the prayer support immensely.

Helped Dad find Immanuel Baptist Church on mapquest since Ken Ham is speaking there for Answers in Genesis. Later found out some Church community poeple were there, but didn’t find out who they were. I would have liked to have gone, but no time.

Missed the Svensk Hyllningsfest at Lindsborg. A bit of a disappointment since it’s only every other year, but guess that’s OK. Even skipped out on the Gypsum Fall Festival since I had so much to do here, but kind of felt like staying home today.

Also went over some complicated loan schedules for one client & started several small tax returns…all due Monday.

Finally got to bed at 5AM.

mikey

Friday

Slept in fairly late till about 10AM. We had a BIG thunderstorm going on & then the electricity went off, so I went back to bed and stayed there till Noon when it came back on again.

Finished another big tax return with 2 Quickbooks & separate payroll files. The one business quit, so it will be just the one for next year. 2 payrolls for one EIN is really not a good thing anyway and is a recipe for possible W-2 & 941 problems.

Stayed home all day & started on hopefully my last big tax return of the season today. Heavy rain all day which will be good for the wheat farmers-if it doesn’t wash seed away.

mikey

Thursday

It’s about high time I got this caught up. I was up all last night till 6AM trying to finish a big tax return & was on a roll, so kept at it till dawn. Thankfully with the full week Shawn agreed to take my shift at the hospital today. She has been wanting more hours so that worked great for both of us.

Also tried calling Jim several times and no answer & wanted to tell him what’s going on. Went to Office Max for an emergency run for another box of printer paper. It was good to get out of the hosue. Also made a quick stop at Dillons.

One interesting problem was a faulty interest 1099. Instead of a correct interest income amount, the zip code of 67438 was entered as $674.38. Never seen anything like that in all my income tax prep years. Won’t embarrass the bank by revealing their identity.

Delivered a big tax return to Durham and that went well & made accounting plans for the coming year and lined out who will do what next season.

mikey

Wednesday

Parents went to Hutch to see Alicia and family. Her parents are there to help out which is good. I stayed back to cont on tax prep as a nasty Monday deadline is looming and there just isn’t a moment to spare anymore.

They are doing as well as can be expected under such devastating circumstances. They had an appt in Wichita at 6PM tonight and have lots of things to do tomorrow before they go to Stanton County.

I don’t know what my schedule will be for the next few days, but hope to see you sometime Eldub. Thank you for your kind words Ryan.

Finished one of my big tax returns today along with a smaller one & got those delivered after Church tonight. Caleb had part 2 of the Future Vision of the Church and had lots of items for us to consider. Well done.

Also did payroll today around Noon which is quite early for me. Also making calls to adjust my schedule for the next few days and things seem to be falling into place quite nicely. Kevin’s brothers & sister from the West Coast (and possibly some others) are flying into Denver tomorrow and coming to KS with Sharon the next day.

Please God comfort all of Kevin’s family and give them strength for each new day.

mikey

Tuesday-In Memory of Cousin Kevin

Slept in till about 10AM & kept at some big tax returns-2 in particular that I hope to finish soon, so I can have my spread-out space recovered for other tax returns. Mom had an appt with her new allergist at 1pM that just moved here from Hutch. I had an appt with Dr. Wiles in the same building at 1:20. Off Skelaxin, but on a heavier dose of Naproxin at less frequent intervals. Then went to the chiropractor at 3PM. One more visit with him next week, then I think I will be done with that series. Enjoyed the staff and will miss them.

Took a one lap walk in Oakdale Park and got a bunch of rx refills between appts. Ate at Popeye’s & had a fun visit with classmate Don Larson and his parents and caught up with all the local gossip and compared notes on various other classmates, etc. etc.

Home and continued on the Hillsboro store Quickbooks final run thru to look for any possible misentries. In the month on June in one ckg acct I rec a call at 7:22PM from area code 408. From the SanFrancisco Bay area. It was cousin Vietta, with some bad news. Her brother, Kevin, had taken his life in a corn field near Buhler about 7AM today.

He was 2 years older than me. He had moved to Hutch from Stanton County about 5 years ago with his family. He was a farmer, had lots of pain & was unable to operate farm machinery anymore. Worked at Alcoa & I think Lowen Corp for awhile, then went to school to learn computer things to hopefully provide an occupation that would relieve him of his pain.

Kevin lost his L ring finger while swinging from doors in high school & got it caught in the hydraulic thing. Affected his guitar playing, but managed anyway.

We always had fun going to their house in Johnson. Older cousins I admired & looked up to a whole lot. Fun to sleep on the bunk beds in the guys room. Fell out of the top bunk one time I remember, but no ill effects that I’m aware of.

Our family had a tenant/landlord relationship with Kevin concerning Stanton County land that could have been somewhat awkward, but he was very easy-going & pleasant to deal with. No difficulties whatsover.

Every summer we got together with my sisters family and theirs and would watch the children play in the water park in Carey Park. Then go to their house for food and more fun.

Kevin was a cat lover and had cats with Spanish names, I can’t recall a single one at the moment. Oh, one was named Gato.

He cared for his parents, Uncle Duke & Aunt Emma, while commuting back and forth betw Hutch & Stanton County to take care of farm business, all the while, working, being a student and being a husband/father at home.

He loved his family and they loved him. Please pray for widow, Alicia, children: Jade, Kisa & Rock, as well as his parents 2 brothers, 2 sisters & extended family. He will be greatly missed.

They homeschooled and had 4H ties with some Center 4H people.

Called Joe & David who prayed with me on the phone. That was so special and meaningful. It is so good that Kevin is in the hands of a loving God who does all things well. May God’s presence feel near to everyone affected by this tragedy.

He did take measures to make a final communication with his family and esp Alicia’s parents so they would be available.

Thank you Kevin for being the cousin and friend you have been to me

mikey

Monday

Slept till 1PM, but still tired and achy from yesterday. Mom told me her tongue is swelling, so we made a rushed trip to the Salina ER. She said I didn’t need to go as fast as I was going, but I was concerned about a possible obstructed airway. Made it there OK and IV therapy finally got the swelling down. She has an appt with an allergist tomorrow. Hope they can figure out what’s going on. Dad came a bit later & stayed till she was ready to come home.

A local man, Dean Long, died and wasn’t found for 2 weeks. How sad. Mama told me how she took Mildred Long (the man’s mother) to Garden City with her so Mildred could see her daughter Deanna(twin to Dean) and then Mama could see her mother. I think this was happening during my college days. A special conversation with just my mother & myself.

While waiting, I read in the SJ that Tom Brin’s body was found near the new overpass by the corner of Ohio & Pacific/Old 40 Hwy. Just east of there, Old 40 was relocated with a fairly sharp new curve to accomodate the new overpass. Tom apparently was driving his Yamaha W and missed the curve. Motorcycle & body were found in tall grass just west of the curve yesterday at 10:30AM. He had been missing since Sept 8 and a statewide search had been started about 2 weeks ago by his sister, Janelle. She is a hairdresser & has done work for my mother in the past.

Tom was a classmate of mine in junior high. He was a fun, pleasant guy. I remember him defending Yamaha to other classmates. He often spoke of Damar, probably where his family came from. This small town is located NW of Hays.

Ate a 4PM meal at Flying J and went home by I-70 & Kipp Rd. The Niles Rd bridge over I-70 is being repaired now.

Tax work the rest of the evening. Mom’s tongue is fine now.

mikey

Sunday

Went to Church. SS on Rev Ch 15 & 16:1-11. All seven were there plus Julian who has become a very welcome regular. This week Matthew asks for prayer that he can get his work done.

Oren had the sermon on Church Leadership and the various offices from a Biblical perspective.

Went to Marvin’s for dinner. Rosa & Emily are in PA for a wedding I think. A delicious meal as usual and was sent on my way with a nice Mt Dew. Thank you!

Census at the hospital was 9 when I came on. 1 was dismissed shortly after I came on. It was a nonstop day of running around. Lots of padding changes, lifting, pulling and general manual labor.

An interesting ER with a young man of having a reaction to regalin. He had twitching symptoms and a stiff neck. Rec a bag of IV and can’t remember the drug given for intervention. It’s nice to see someone get better and walk out. It isn’t always like that.

Didn’t even start charting till 2AM and that kept me busy till 3:22 clockout time for me. The last bedcheck about wore me out. Barely able to drag myself out of that place, but I must say it’s nice to be busy again, in a strange way.

I did have a nice distraction in one room. Ch 8 had a program on the 1951 KS flood. It was fun to see all the sights of Hays and Topeka circa 1951. Topeka & KC were the main focus. Saw a sign saying to turn right to go into Topeka, most likely on today’s E bound 24. Much of “the cloverleaf” was under water. Also saw footage of the big RR bridge just W of Topeka Blvd succumb to the raging torrents. This same repaired bridge carries train traffic on the UP tracks that go thru the Hutch Church community (S set of tracks). Yes, I was working in the room-at least most of the time while the program was on.

Also saw pictures of the Kansas City stockyards and recognized several buildings that are still standing in the area. The stockyards as such are gone now & eerily vacant today. The main building that stood out was the Kansas City Livestock building. I rode with Grandpa and Mr Svitak with a load of cattle to KC when I was 8 yrs old. Grandpa & I spent the night in that building. I remember asking him if Kansas City is as big as Salina. He very kindly, but comically said it’s much bigger. Happy memories.

mikey

mikey

Saturday

Got up early at 9AM & feel quite rested & ready to tackle going over a Quickbooks file with hundreds if not thousands of transactions to review. Got that done and a good start on the worksheet, but not enough time to finish it.

Went to work at Hillsboro & helped a possible fx pt into the ER just after I drove in. Went in to clock in first tho. Had 3 ER’s tonight. An interesting abcess was lanced and drained in ER also.

Census went from 3 Thursday to 6 today, so there was no time to be bored. I used to have more people to take care of in the nursing home, but these people we have are so sick and need so much extra done. A non-stop day of call lights, changed wet pads, beds and general back-breaking labor. Glad it isn’t always like this & I have come to realize how older I feel with my back hurting so much of the time and just can’t get around like I used to. I do have a great crew to work with tho. Glad to get out at 11PM & home & get this thing caught up & study for SS.

mikey