Tagged – Thoughts From The Middle of Nowhere

<a href="http://www.dmerriman.dyndns.org/blog/" target="_new">DMerriman</a>, who's been having computer trouble so we haven't heard much from him lately, has tagged me for a meme so here goes. n n1) What got you started blogging? n nShortly after Ed started City Lights in 2003 I stumbled onto it and was intrigued. He linked to a couple of other bloggers and I started looking around and found that anyone could do it. I went over and opened an account at Blogger and got started within a few days. I had always been looking for a way to tell my viewpoint to people and this seemed like a perfect way. Now I just do it because I enjoy it. The writing and thinking keeps me sharp and expands my mind beyond the every day work of the ranch. n n2) How do you manage to blog from "the middle of nowhere"? n nHmm, I have to consider what you mean here. It was just over 5 years ago in Dec 1999 that we got a phone system installed on the ranch. I grew up with no phones out here and to this day I am still a phoneaphobe. I have always had a computer since 1981 so right away we signed up in 1999 for the local phone companies Internet service. With the phone system they put in it only worked at 14.4 so was extremely slow. I started blogging on that line but My Darling Wife and I decided to upgrade to a satellite Internet connection to up our speed. It is nice and allows the children much better access to the Internet on the faster connection. Homeschooling the one and projects for the other have really made the faster connection nice. n n3) Would you like to see one of your kids take the place over when nthey're old enough? n nReally tough question. I can remember growing up and my Dad saying "There are easier ways of making a living than ranching." I didn't understand at the time but now I do. I always thought he meant the work but I know it's more than that. Does that mean I will discourage my kids, no. Will I encourage them, no. Having said all that I don't know that any of them will want to. The oldest girl does not seem real interested in the ranch to me. She doesn't talk like she wants to stick around. The boy being autistic is not going to run the ranch. Both his therapists feel he could be high functioning but that doesn't mean he will be able to run a business. That leaves the middle child, the younger girl. Truth be told I have no concept about her and I will not even guess where her mind is on this. She is something in and of herself. n nThe only thing both girls are being told is that before they even have the option of working on the ranch they need to get an education of some kind and hold a job in the world outside the ranch for a couple of years. Experience something other than the ranch before the decision is made. I have seen some kids that were never given a choice and they are bitter, discontented people and I assume it's because they never had a chance to do what they wanted. So I want the kids to experience the world and what is in it. n n4) Is there any time of the year that's relatively slack? That is, ndo you and the family ever get a "day off"? n nIf I need a day off I can usually take a day off. As for slack time if I keep shipping at the end of September, the month of November until I start feeding is pretty slack. I have started feeding in November so the slack time fades but that doesn't happen very often. Otherwise their is pretty much something going on all the time. When were not real busy I try to take it "easy" on Sunday and not do much. That's the case right now. First time I got to sleep in since before Christmas was last Sunday. I tell you sleeping until 6:00 a.m. was sheer bliss. n n5) What do you like, and dislike, most about what you do? n nYou ask tough questions. I'll do dislike first, that's easy. Working with oil and grease. I hate that. Service tractors or equipment and get all dirty just disturbs me. I just finished renovating today and I had to replace some wheel bearings on the plow. There is no dirtier or greaser job them that. I hated it. Give me good clean cow manure any time. Right along with servicing the tractors is farming. Don't do much now but going around and around a field on the tractor farming, not haying I don't mind that, is not my cup of tea. n nWhat I like. Working for myself. If I want to take the day off and see the family, I can, if nothing is pressing. Really the family time is what I like. The place is running so that most of the time we only need to work about 8 hours a day. If we start at 6:00 a.m. that means we are usually done for the day at 2:00 p.m. We don't stop for lunch or coffee breaks, just work straight through and get things done. About the only time this isn't true is when were haying. Hours are quite a bit longer then but it's the only crop we put up so we work hard and get it done. n nHope that answers your questions D and always remember, backup those hard drives. This is the first time I have ever been tagged for any kind of meme, thanks. n nAll questions rely on the present for their solution. Time measures nothing but itself. The word that is written may be postponed, but not that on the lip. If this is what the occasion says, let the occasion say it. Henry David Thoreau