A few weeks ago, Ed and I loaded up the kids and went with our friends, Burnard and Dianne to collect firewood...Only we thought that it would be fun to collect it old fashion style! The day proved to be a beautiful one. When we arrived at our spot in the forest, just outside of Heber AZ, we unloaded the horses and wagon and prepared them for our little "trek". We all piled into the wagon box, along with a picnic lunch and a couple of chainsaws, and headed into the forest. (The horses could take us places that even the best 4 wheel drive vehicle couldn't...especially since the ground was still very wet from the snow we had received just weeks before). It's amazing how quiet the forest is when you travel off of the well beaten paths. We enjoyed the quiet time together.

It was the perfect weather...not too hot, and not too cold. There were pockets of snow still, and so the kids, and Burnard, enjoyed a good old fashioned snowball fight every now and then.

When we finally finished, and had packed the last load of wood back to our trucks, we asked the kids if they had fun. They all agreed that it was fun, but Wyatt insisted that it would have been "even more fun" if they could have chopped the trees down with "real" axes instead of chainsaws! Who needs Wii, and X-box...give the kid an ax and a tree, and he'll stay busy and do something productive...

I can only imagine what it must have been like for our early ancestors who crossed the plains, with whole families, in wagons this size. They carried most of their belongings, which wasn't much, in them. They slept in them, and under them. The seat's (there were two on this wagon) were not very wide. They are just simple planks of wood on metal leaf springs. The springs helped to cushion the big bumps...but for the most part, there is little support for your bum or your back! Can you imagine riding for hours on a bumpy dirt trail?

I have a new appreciation for those that lived before...a simple, yet wonderful lifestyle. Fortunately, in the last several years, Ed and I and the kids have had the opportunity to experience some really neat "pioneer" (if you will) experiences. When we lived at the ranch, often we didn't have any power...we didn't have TV, nor did we have a telephone for a time. It was hard, but in a weird way, it was fun. It certainly was a learning experience.

I feel very blessed...first to have so many conveniences and second, to be able to recognize those conveniences.