A Typical Day on the Ringen Ranch

14^th July 2011- Thursday

It’s awesome to be back on the ranch. I don’t realize just how much I miss it until I get back here. This morning I got up and stacked firewood for a couple of hours. The kids have disappeared with my 11 year old sister and 7 year old brother, and I doubt I’ll see much of them this week. They did, however, come help stack wood this morning. I can’t believe how much more active a lifestyle I live when I’m here. After firewood Tyler and I went to help Dad where he’s logging (at Solberg’s). I was supposed to drive the skidder and Tyler was going to hook the logs. We got sidetracked picking berries for a couple of hours (at Dad’s instruction), and then we helped. It was good time spent with my brother. I’m pretty rusty on the skidder and the brakes are bad…I’m not sure how much help I really was. I busted one of the logs in two, and forgot to bring the blade up a couple of times. I kind of think he could have done it faster without me but was taking the time to reteach me a skill.

After work we went to town to get diesel. It’s the only time I would go into a store looking like a hobo and smelling much worse. When I’m with others just as dirty and smelly and I’m in Kamiah…people just assume you’ve been working hard.

All in all, it was a good long day. I was so tired I went to bed around 10:30, causing me to believe that my insomnia would be quickly cured by some good hard work. Even the kids are sleeping better.

Oh yes, and Shawn now has a bird--a parakeet to be exact. Our neighbors were driving across the country and were getting rid of it. He, now named Basil I believe, is keeping Shawn from being too lonely.

What- I have blog?!

Yes, I know it's been roughly a month, and I have no excuse. But look at me now- I'm writing on my blog and it's 2 in the afternoon instead of 2 in the morning. :)

Demetri is gone for a whole month and I'm keeping busy so I don't constantly call the poor kid. We had a great 4th of July...with absolutely no fireworks, but a lot of relaxation. It was nice to have Shawn to myself for a few days.

Demetri is now enrolled in a charter school for next year, which I'm very excited about. We're about to start gymnastics (that is, if I can tweak the food budget a bit, haha), and I'm going to attempt, again, to give at least two of my boys piano lessons. I struggle with consistency.

My semester is almost over, and I'm learning a lot. If there is such a course at BYU-I, I want to take an in-depth class in logic...it would really help my critiques. Hmm, and maybe improve my mind as well. My English class just touched on it enough to show me I need to learn a lot more.

Birds have eaten all my green tomatoes off the vine and I'm about to sit outside with a shotgun to guard my beloved produce...or invest in a net. At least it's warm and beautiful outside and the plants are growing pretty well.

I'll be haying at the ranch for the next couple of weeks- just found out. So the kids get to have their own little vacation at Grandma's even if we did cancel most of the other vacation stuff we were thinking of. :)