Time gets away from a person!

Hello again from the Country boy!

It has been since Ash Wednesday that I have posted. Thats nearly 40 days! Have I been out in the desert? No, not exactly. Have I been out on the ranch? As time allows, yes. Have I been entirely away from technology and the way of the computer? no. I have been very busy with my school year, that is all.

As a special education teacher, it is the time of year that paperwork is inundating lives, especailly with IEP's coming due for renewal and other meetings and such. It is also the time of year teachers are referring kids for services like crazy. This is all good stuff, though. It means we are meeting the needs of children and attempting to do our best to serve them as they need to be served... even if the paperwork is crazy!

I have also been a Destination Imagination coach at our school (see www.idodi.org) My group of girls (5 3rd graders, 1 4th grader and 1 5th grader) competed at the regional competition on March 8th in Aberdeen, SD. We received first place for our performance and are heading on to state competition April 5th in Pierre, SD. This is definitely good news! I'm proud of my girls. There will be a picture of their acheivements in the Sota Iya Ye Yapi, the newspaper of the Sisseton- Wahpeton Oyate. If I haven't told you, I teach at a tribal school on the Lake Traverse Dakota Indian Reservation in northeastern South Dakota.

ANYWAYS... contracts were renewed last week at school and I am hired on for another year! I just wish I knew what next year would bring for me. This year I started out teaching Kindergarten, and then was asked to move to special education. It has been a great learning experience, but I really wish I could be in a regular education classroom again in the fall. I do miss the children and the daily grind. Not that special education is boring! haha

ANYWAYS... calving has begun on the ranch and we have lost a couple. Yesterday I was at the ranch and my brother had taken a calf into the basement of the house because the mother hadn't claimed it yet. The poor calf didn't make it. I'm sure there will be several late nights creeping upon me where I will have the pleasure of checking cattle at 11:00pm with Pa and brother and hauling calves in by the sled full with the 4-wheeler.

I'm dealing on a cutting horse, so that I can help with moving/sorting cattle. Little do brother and Pa know that I'm doing this. I think having a good horse around again will be beneficial. I hate 4-wheelers with a passion. Let the record show that.

Holy Week is upon us starting tomorrow with Palm Sunday. It is definitely going to be a busy and interesting week. I'm not sure exactly what I will be doing and where, but I pray that it will be a good time for me and for all. I need to get deeper into my relationship with Jesus again. I'm sure Jesus keeps saying to me, "I'm right here!!" and I need to listen to that voice more often.

Well, I tried to get the bolt off of my oil pan so I could change the oil in my jeep, and I was very unsuccessful. I'll just take it into the shop on Monday, I guess... maybe I will give it another try tomorrow. We'll see.

Until then!