Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond Wanted Husband Ladd to Stop Working on the Ranch After a ‘Rough Summer’

Ree questioned Ladd's work after "watching him limp inside, covered in dust and blood after a particularly long day"

This summer hasn’t been an easy one for Ree Drummond and her family.

In a post on her Pioneer Woman blog, the Food Network star opened up about how her husband Ladd had a very challenging few months on their family ranch in Pawhuska, Okla.

“Ladd has had...a busy, slightly rough summer. I think I say this ever [sic] year, but the work, the early mornings, the unrelenting grind, the exhaustion...it has been a little much,” she said.

(Ree gave the disclaimer that these are her words not his, as Ladd would just chalk it up to “it's what he does and it's part of life.”)

The work took such a toll on her husband this season that Ree even questioned if he should continue.

“A couple of weeks ago, after watching him limp inside, covered in dust and blood after a particularly long day, I actually said the words, ‘I don't think we can do this anymore.’ It was partly in jest, but also maybe a little bit not,” she said.

Related: Ree Drummond Reveals Daughter Paige Isn’t Living at Home as She Works on the Ranch: She's 'One of the Cowboys'

Ree added: “How much harder can you work, how much longer can you do this, are you okay, is what I was really thinking.”

In Ree’s blog post, which was actually a recap after her daughter Paige’s surprise engagement, Ree hearkened back to how the joyful moments in the Drummond family’s life make the hard ones that much more bearable.

“So to see him smiling and walking around and enjoying the celebration of his second child and the man she's gonna marry...well, it made me feel a little better about things. 😂” she continued. “And summer will be over soon!”

On Aug. 4, Paige, 24, got engaged to her boyfriend of one year, David Andersen. The last time there were wedding bells ringing on the Drummond ranch, for older daughter Alex's wedding, Ladd experienced a health scare.

Ree's husband had a truck collision with his nephew, Caleb as they were responding to a fire near the family farm. He broke his neck in two places, which forced him to wear a brace to Alex's wedding.

These days, Ladd has help on the ranch from Paige — she moved back to work there full-time in January.

Related: Ree Drummond Jokes That It Was Like 'Cops and Robbers' to Pull Off Daughter Paige's Surprise Engagement

During a June interview with PEOPLE, Ree said, “It’s really great to have her home.”

“She is actually living in town," Ree clarified, "in the house that was my in-laws' house. So it's kind of nice that we still have that house, hadn't sold it and so she's moved in and made it her own.”

Ladd's father Chuck, also known as Pa-Pa, died in 2022, while his mother Nan died in 2018.

It's not necessarily a permanent situation for Paige, Ree added. “In terms of how long she'll stay or whether it'll be a period of her life or forever, we're not really trying to predict or think about it too far in advance,” said Ree. “I love that she's here. She's the first of our kids to really come back and work on the ranch full time.”

In a May Pioneer Woman blog post, Ree wrote that Paige is “getting banged up, scratched, bruised, and clobbered,” on the job. Despite the taxing work ranching demands, Paige is able to hold her own, Ree told PEOPLE.

“She's very strong, not just physically, but she's got a pretty strong heart and personality, so it's fun to watch her kind of jump in and learn the ropes — not as Ladd's kid, but as one of the cowboys basically. Cowgirls, I should say,” she laughed.

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