The Muench Bunch

 Luke wanted to trick or treat and find a costume. With his onw money he picked out a white wolf/dog mask. When he had it on and moved his jaw, it opened the dogs mouth. The most fun was driving home from the store on the highway passing people. We had some looks and we had some fun creeping people out. For Halloween, Luke wore his dog/wolf mask and went around Williams with Alivia trick or treating. My parents had a Trunk or Treat at their church and did a cute job decorating their car. Levi had the cutest costume of all as a train engineer. Wade and Carina fixed up his own little train to ride in. Most towns and communities did not have any trick or treat due to the pandemic. Once again I am thankful to live in a great state with a great Governor that did not put an end to everything.          Jayden also had fun celebrating Halloween at a party with Noah's family. His mom had the whole night planned out, even their costume from the movie Joe Dirt.

 Jake has been working at Nate's mechanic shop since March. He was working afternoons during shcool and full days since the end of May. He likes working and has stories to tell everyday. His boss is fun and funny most days, however there are plenty of days that he is surly. Jake has learned how to survive many different types of people and situations with his job. He is learning a lot of life lessons. One lesson is getting out of bed and to work on time. That is a struggle both boys have. When Jake isn't on the clock and working for Nate, he spends a lot of free time after hours working on his won car. He has been working on the new engine for his Cutlass, a Pontiac 455 V8.      

 I was reluctant when Jayden told me she was getting a puppy. It sounded like a terrible idea. I know puppies and I know how much work and how much trouble they are. I didn't think she needed more responsibility and  things to worry about. I envisioned a puppy chewing up her Rocking J merchandise and all her belongings. I pictured the puppy barking all night and going potty on her floor and rugs. Where would she put her dog when she was in class, and gone for a weekend or traveling? Turns out her pup was just what she needed. She had been so alone in her house. Her roommates were always gone and she hated being alone. She returned to OK with her new puppy waiting. Jayden was sick her first week back and that little puppy kept her company and stayed with her, slept by her and was perfect. He was just the medicine she needed. At only 7 weeks old and potty trained, quiet, and very obedient. She has been a blessing. Her name is Sage, a baby blue heeler.             

 What kind of person has so much hate they will burn other's property just because they have a flag supporting our president?  A farmer making a living, providing the country with food to put on their tables, was the target. The very person that started the fire relies on the farmer to provide necessary provisions for survival. This farmer had two Trump flags on his semi. Someone came along and intentionally set fire to not one, but two semis, a tractor and grain cart, and a combine. How horrible! The level of division and hatred forming in this country over differences is alarming. We don't have to see eye to eye or agree on everything within political parties, but to act out, hate, and do evil acts is outrageous. Our country needs to get on the same page, we need unity, not division. This is so disheartening and sad.   

 In the spring I planted two small cherry tomato plants. I knew that Jake likes them and thought I would have a few for him to snack on. Little did I know, I would have a plentiful harvest of tomatoes like no other. It was the plant that kept on giving  into late October. I picked every three days and always had a bucket full. It was fun to see how many I could pick and gave them away to friends and family. I even made some salsa. Jake didn't eat them as much as I thought he would, go figure.  Our lovely hens started laying some nice eggs. With 12 hens, we were getting more eggs than we could use.  I gave 4 hens to my neighbor Mercedes, she was so thankful! We lost the nice black hen that we have had for a few years, given to us from our Ames friends. One day she just disappeared with no signs of feathers. I ended up with 5 hens, more than enough to keep us supplied in eggs. There is something satisfying in producing food for your family.   

  The East Troublesome Fire crossed the Continental Divide on Thursday, prompting the evacuation of homes and businesses in Estes Park.The fire, which grew by more than 105,000 acres in 24 hours, spread rapidly eastward Wednesday night and Thursday morning from its origin north of Granby past the town of Grand Lake and into Rocky Mountain National Park. As of Thursday morning, the East Troublesome Fire had grown to 125,602 acres with 5% containment. It started Oct. 14, and the cause is under investigation.  Estes Park is one of my most favorite places. I am sad to hear there has been damage and loss and pray that the fires can be put out before further damage is done. What a a frightening time for so many people in the area. 

 I havent been watching the news or keeping track, so here is an update on numbers. At least 368 new coronavirus deaths and 47,601 new cases were reported in the United States on Oct. 18. Over the past week, there have been an average of 56,615 cases per day, an increase of 30 percent from the average two weeks earlier. As of Monday morning, more than 8,190,900 people in the United States have been infected with the coronavirus and at least 219,500 have died, according to a New York Times database.

 This week turned cold,  too soon to be this cold. Last week on Sunday we were walking at Ledges park in 80 degree sunshine. This Sunday the ground had a sprinkle of new snow that stuck around all day. Monday the 19th we had a couple inches of snow. It has stayed cold all week dropping into the 30's overnight. Saturday morning the 24th it was 22 degrees with a feels like temp of 14. I went out around 10Am to winterize some areas for our pets. I plugged in several water heater buckets, made sure the chickens had enough heat lamps and straw. The week remained cold. We went to a movie theatre for the first time in over 9 months. First we ate at Texas Roadhouse, then watched our movie in the luxury lounger seats. It was nice to do something somewhat normal. Everyone was supposed to wear masks throughout our movie. 

Jayden thought she felt extra tired and her throat was getting a little raw and scratchy, but she didn't make a big deal over it. On Sunday, when she was headed back to Oklahoma, she felt worse by the hour. She could tell her throat was gradually getting worse, she suspected strep throat. On Monday morning she went straight to the doctor. This is where it gets a little strange. With COVID, there are so many precautions and worries at all clinics, that you must have your temp checked at the door, answer a number of questions, such as: have you recently been out of the state, have you been around anyone who has tested positive or is showing signs of COVID, or do you your self have any of the signs/ These are questions you are asked in any medical clinic, including dentist and eye doctor? At no point during Jayden's visit did she get asked or have her temperature taken. Isn't that the first thing any doctor checks in a sick patient? The doctor took one look at her throat and d

     Mark and I figured it had been 21 years since he had been to Ledges park. Around this same time of year, October 1999, Mark and I took a picnic basket and went to Ledges State Park on a beautiful sunny warm day. I was 8 months pregnant with Jayden. That didn't slow me down, I even hiked up the trails. Our family returned once several years ago on Mother's day for a picnic lunch, however all roads leading down to the Ledges were closed due to flooding, and we had our picnic at the top entrance. One other occasion just a few years ago while Mark was planting, the boys and I went on Mother's day. We walked along in the creek and up into the ledges trails.  Today, our trip was short, but sweet. It was just Luke, Mark, and I. We went to Cornerstone for church, bought lunch at Hickory Park, and drove down into the Ledges park for the beautiful sunny day. We were not the only ones with the idea. The park was full and the drive in was a continuous parade of cars. We spotted an

 At some point this spring, Luke took to driving. He has driven with a parent or grandparent a few times last year, but this year is driving alone down the road. He is a little too comfortable behind the wheel and it makes mom a little nervous. I wasn't a fan in the beginning, but I was outvoted. He was running dad, grandpa, or grandma here and there all the time. He was driving his grandparents vehicles to the shop to wash them and back. Everyone got more and more comfortable with the idea and always had something Luke was needed to drive to. I still tried to have him take the 4 wheeler or get a ride when he could. The 4 wheeler wasn't the safest with our old neighbor who drives way too fast, can't se,e and takes up the whole road. Before long, Luke started driving Grandpa Orrie's Ford truck. It became a daily driver, sometimes making multiple trips. He never goes more than to the shop or grandparents, everything is within 5 miles. He is safe, cautious, and wears a sea

During the summer, Jayden and I have occasionally signed up to work at Overflow. Our favorite jobs are hanging, pricing, and stocking clothes. We work 2 hours and enjoy it. We also get to look through the clothes and sometimes find things we like for us or the boys. Jayden also finds some clothes that she can resell and make a good bit of money. She bought 6 pairs of jeans for $18 and sold them for $180. That's not too bad! Sometimes I get to see my friend Carolyn who works there as well. Jake used to enjoy working there with me too, now he is just too busy. Luke has never really enjoyed working there, he is usually watching the clock counting down until we are done. I like that Overflow supporst many local charities and one Orphanage in Africa. Several people from our church work there and everyone is so kind.

Because it didn't rain, harvest was dry and dusty with very little down time.  There was always a large dust cloud behind the combine. Beans were terrible dusty and hard on the help; dust masks and respirator masks were necessary. On our first day of harvest this year, one of the crew accidentally snapped a power line with the combine being so tall. That wasn't exactly a good start to the year. Most years a little rainfall will delay so the crew can get some rest. Jake ran the grain cart most afternoons when he got back from DMACC. His new friend, Keaton liked to come ride every chance he could get. Luke took turns riding in semi, tractor, and combine. He hoped to drive the combine more than he did, but still got some time behind the wheel. If I want to see the Mark and the boys, I had to jump in the cab for a few rounds. I took many meals to the field and enjoyed the beautiful harvest sunsets.       The Fort Dodge radio station 540KMWT did a fall "Feed The Farmer" pr

 Jayden made the long drive home Monday, Sep 21 to stay for 2 weeks. It takes her a little more than 8 hours to get home. She makes as little stops as possible and goes way faster than she should. It is always a great relief when we hear her truck rumbling in the driveway with the big trailer. She brought her two horses home and settled in for a nice staycation. She told her professors and coach that she would be home to help with harvest. I am not sure how much she really helped. I think in the 2 weeks, she helped me cook twice and rode in the field a handful of times. Mainly it was a vacation time home for her and we were happy to have her!  I think she is lonely at school and misses home quite a bit. When she left Alva, Noah had been intensely involved in an event called UTV Takeover at the dunes. Jayden watched him put in hours fixing up and preparing for the dunes. She got in on some of it and watched Noah compete and place in the top of a wheelie competition with his UTV. There w