Otherwise, Boyd is on the ranch preparing for winter, cleaning up the corrals, checking fences, and making sure all is in order to receive the cattle when the semi trucks bring them.

Laura Wheatley says her week was “business as usual.” However, with six children to do the business with, sometimes life gets a little hectic. For Zane’s birthday, his family took him shooting with a professional handgun teacher. He did very well. Laura says he’s already good with a long gun.

The school-aged girls are enjoying school. All the girls are participating willingly in their household chores and doing their homework. Even though Georgia had some foot surgery, she is doing well and has very little pain while she does her housework.

One fly in the ointment of routine housework was a brief quitting of the family’s clothes dryer. Zane fixed it and all is now back on schedule.

Laura took the girls to an after-school book fair in which all of them got a book. She is glad they are interested in books.

Orson Poulsen is still working to help his neighbor with his corn. Jeannette, meanwhile, is canning and has made some crabapple jelly. She has also done some temple work. She is eagerly anticipating going on a quilters’ retreat soon.

Jim and Starr Mitchell are working on their garden to get it ready for next year’s plants. It not only includes cleaning out the old plants, but also marking where they were so as not to plant new ones in the same spot next season. Their present garden still has some tomatoes, squash, and green peppers. Quite by accident, the couple found one more zucchini in just the right size to stuff for a dinner soon. Starr says their apple trees are OK during this prolonged drought, but the other trees aren’t looking like they’ll survive. And then, another skunk showed up.

Winnie Richman is also enjoying the much cooler weather. She says “it is so nice to go do chores at a reasonable time and not fear dying in the heat.” She also is glad to see her cats come out to eat their meals and not fight due to the discomfort of the heat.

Winnie’s five old mares look better, too. Their coats are shiny and their bones don’t show through. She is hoping for a warm, wet winter.

Winnie is disappointed that there was no family party to attend to welcome back brother-in-law Gayle and his wife Linda. Their truck burned up on the way to their winter home. They are OK, but their truck is not. They will go back home to their summer spot.

So far, Winnie hasn’t discovered any presence of skunks. She is ready for them if they do come.

She is very grateful to daughter Heather for taking her to a doctor appointment in Ogden. She remembers better what Winnie has been told.