We had a busy day today. We were all up by 8 or so. I started labeling packages to be shipped out – my shipping software had been unavailable for over a day and I had lots of orders to go out and a pickup scheduled. We coached Delia through cleaning up her playroom. First we set the timer for five minutes, then she took a break and went out and watched Ryan work on the chicken run fencing, then she came inside and did more picking up. I looked and suggested specific tasks (all the stuffed animals into the cradle, then pick up 10 things and throw them in the pink bin) to get her through it. I got most of the orders ready before Joy (our mail carrier) arrived, and then finished the rest for us to take the post office ourselves.

We hurried over to Nora’s at noon for Delia to ride a pony. Duke was being lazy today so Delia got to kick a lot. She did fun stuff like rode around with her hands on her head, rode backwards and side saddle and scooted up out of the saddle onto Duke’s neck and rode there and touched his neck and ears and went back onto his back to touch his tail. All to get her really really comfortable on a horse. She dismounted all by herself, which is a pretty big drop so that was cool. After her ride, we helped Nora move some fence panels around to fix a weak spot in one of her pens. We talked about ponies – her Yarny is a possibility for us to buy someday. Yarny isn’t trained yet but Nora will be working with her this winter so we’ll be able to help with that process. Nora also suggested we look into Haflinger ponies becasue they are big and strong enough for adults to ride. It’d be cool to have two ponies so 2-3 of us could go on trail rides together. Ponies require a lot less food and Nora says in general stay more friendly, happier, etc. We’re thinking about it! The whole time we were there Henry slept on my back in the Ergo, then when he woke up we talked a bit about EC.

We ran to the post office, then back to the house to change into clean clothes and to drop Ryan off, then Delia Henry and I went to Babbitt for ECFE. It was OK – not as big a class as in Ely. I’m glad we’re doing both, and hopefully the Babbitt class will grow on me. After ECFE, I went to Lossing’s and picked up the fence post driver and some other fencing supplies. Henry was asleep in the car, so Delia stayed in the car with him and watched a movie.  A police officer was in Lossing’s so I wasn’t sure if I should feel good about knowing there was a police officer so close, or if I should be worried I’d get in trouble for leaving my kids in the car! I locked them in, and this is Babbitt, but still?!

Came home, Marty was here getting stuff from the barn and also some topsoil from one of the piles by the pond. The other Marty and his son Isaac came up on their four-wheeler so Delia played with Isaac (he’s about a year old than she is) and Marty helped Ryan drive some fence posts in.

I made dinner real quick (noodles and defrosted some spaghetti sauce I made a few weeks ago) one-handed, and typed up a flyer about getting DSL. I drove with Henry and Ryan and Delia went on the four wheeler down our road to Waasa Town Hall to a town meeting! It wasn’t like the town meetings on Gilmore Girls. But it was interesting anyway. After about a minute of Delia whispering loudly and me walking a loud-sighing Henry back and forth in the back, Ryan took both kids outside and I stayed in the meeting. After they finished talking about the big easement issue, they invited me to say what I had to say so I introduced myself and gave them the flyer about getting DSL brought out here if we can find 8 households who want it. Then they went onto the next issues of the crumbling foundation wall in the town hall and whether they would allow a memorial footstone in the cemetary with no actual remains.

Kids went to bed early and easily tonight (Henry was asleep when I came out of the meeting), and we’ve got a messy house to deal with and plenty of work too! The weather was FANTASTIC again today. But now it’s supposed to rain for several days…