Hi Babe,
Well, today was one of those days where the dark side of humanity really comes out. When I got up this morning and was out doing my horse chores, Beth came out and started yelling at me about how inconsiderate I am having my horses on a highline because they get in the way of people trying to get to the horse manure bin. Well, no one but she has complained about it in the two plus weeks I've been here, because I've explained that one of my horses (Apollo) had gotten hurt in one of these stalls and I preferred to keep them on a highline. Yes, I understand it's against the rules, but generally we horse people are pretty forgiving when we know people are just trying to do what they think is best for their horses, and are tolerant of the many things that may entail, but that was not the case with her. I remained calm and tried to point this out to her, but she kept railing on. I finally said that if it bothered her so much, I would keep my horses in their stalls. I thought that would be the end of it. Then I saw that the ladies next to me were packing up, and since I had noticed evidence that someone had previously highlined their horses over there, I decided to pack up and move over there, thus getting out of everyone's way and still be able to highline my horses in a quiet spot that wouldn't bother anyone. So I spent the next three hours packing up and moving over, taking down the highline and putting it back up again in a quiet spot next to me, hooking up, moving and unhooking again. A lot of work. At 1:00 I finally stopped to eat breakfast. I no sooner got my breakfast started when a ranger came to my door. He demanded to see my permits and read me the riot act about the highline, which looked no different than a clothesline at this point, because I hadn't moved the horses over and there was no evidence horses had ever been there, so I knew he came gunning specifically for me, and I knew why. I explained that one of the locals had told me they didn't really enforce the permits, but that I was leaving on Monday anyway, but he insisted I had to move immediately. He eventually backed off and said I could move tomorrow, considering how late in the day it already was, and how long it would take me to pack up, again. After he left, and I went over to check on the horses, Beth had returned from her ride and asked me if I had been riding, and I informed her that, no, I had spent the last three hours moving my trailer. She asked where did I move it, and I told her where, and that I had done it to get out of her way, but that apparently wasn't enough, because the authorities had kicked me out and I was leaving in the morning. Then she curiously said she'd been out riding and that did I think it was her fault. I said, I don't know, did you? and she went silent. That was all the confirmation I needed, though I didn't even need that, there was no question about it. So my day, and my weekend was pretty ruined. I was really looking forward to a couple more days of nice riding, as the weather had cooled down nicely and it's going to be a beautiful weekend, but not, instead, I'm going to be driving straight to New Jersey tomorrow. I was even more disappointed, because the couple that was parked in this spot last week, and whom I had a lot of fun with, came around and ended up parking in the site I just left, and I was looking forward to spending more time with them. Interestingly, she overheard that conversation with Beth, and agreed that she displayed all of the characteristics of a guilty person. Anyway, that episode is over and I'm ready to pack it in here. Really disappointed, but am not going to let it fester. Anyway, Karen picked up my order at Tractor Supply in Watertown and I drove over to her place to pick it up, so at least I'm set with horse food for awhile. Binge-watched a few more Havens, soon to bed as I expect to get up extra early tomorrow so I can get to Meg's and get settled in down there. Good night, darlin', love you!
Archives for 2025
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 – Fabulous 12+ Mile Ride on Flash, Dinner w/Friends
Hey Darlin',
Another warm day today, but still lovely in the shade, so after chores and breakfast, plus a not so quick run over to Karen's to add our trash to her pile before it was picked up (where I tried to use the Tractor Supply app to pay from an order online, as she has a good cell phone booster at her house. I was unsuccessful, grrr!), and a short-lived escape by a horse that jumped over the front rail of his stall, broke his lead rope and ran off to the next loop, where someone was able to catch him before I even got there (exactly why I prefer a highline to these little standing stalls), I saddled up Flash and we headed out for a beautiful ride down to the more southern part of the forest. This place truly has some spectacular trails! We went out on Icicle, then took Jumper over to Mike's Rd, then Valley Trail, east on Streamside, then back up to Ridgetop, then west on Streamside to make a figure eight, all gorgeous trails! I ran into a couple, Bill and Sandy (he was riding and she was driving a buggy) and we chatted for quite awhile. Seems we met them here back in 2015, and he remembered quite a bit about us! Nice to know we made an impression! Then we headed out Mike's Road to Pitcher Pond, Spring Creek, then north to Fletcher Trail. Flash had picked up his pace almost as soon as we turned north, but once we hit Fletcher Trail, which is a wide, firm sandy road, it was Katie bar the door! He took off galloping almost all the way back to camp, over 1 1/2 miles!! I didn't mind, it was a slower ride because it was mostly on hilly single tracks, so it was great to have the wind in my hair, literally! We got back to camp, I washed him down and put him on the line, then finally managed to make a Tractor Supply order online in Watertown (Karen's supposed to be going in to pick up her ebike at a shop, and I asked if she would pick up the order for me). There were quite a few new vehicles in camp, and one of my new neighbors is Beth, whom I met last year at Brookfield (she astutely recognized Flash as a Paso, having one herself), so I went and chatted with her. Turns out she and Karen are friends, so when Karen arrived to pick me up to take me to dinner, Beth came along and it was like old home week for them. We went to the Coachlite Inn, about 15 minutes away, had a lovely meal, then took a scenic route home, getting back after 7:00. Fed the horses and settled down for the evening. What a beautiful day! A great ride, a great meal with horse friends, couldn't ask for more on a long summer day! I felt you all around me today, our love for this place hasn't diminished one bit! Love you, sweetie! Good night!
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 – Nice Five+ Mile Ride on Apollo with Lola
Hiya Sweetie,
Another early wake up, but I managed to get back to sleep for a bit, then read and did my PT. I had just gotten up and was in the bathroom when I got a knock at my door, I guess since I hadn't stuck my head out yet my neighbors were compelled to check up on me. I guess early birds don't get those of us that thrive on a theatre schedule! Anyway, I got everybody taken care of, did a few things around the house, then saddle up Apollo put Lola in her orange vest, and away we went! We had a lovely ride, nearly 5.5 miles! I had given Apollo a bute pill with his breakfast, and it did seem to make him more comfortable, though he was still a bit stiff at first, at least until he was startled by a deer and he flung himself in the opposite direction in a hurry! Once his adrenaline got up like that, he improved! Looking forward to the joint treatments I've been giving him to kick in. We went down Blue Jog to Confusion Flats, then Florence to Cow to Homebound, a very nice loop that was all flat and pretty good footing except for some pine roots, so perfect for my old guy. Love to see that he keeps moving, despite the fact that he's 29 years old now! Spent the rest of the day mostly reading, then binge-watched some more Havens. The stories are really getting interesting now, the writing much more complex and thought-provoking. Anyway, it was another beautiful day here in way Upstate NY! Love Otter Creek! Life is good! Good night, baby! Love you!
Monday, July 28, 2025 – Laundry and Housekeeping
Hi Babe,
Woke up to the chatter of my new neighbors before it was even 7:00, managed to nod back off until I heard the sound of the forest workers coming to empty the manure bins about an hour later, so I got up and put the horses temporarily into the stalls just to be safe. Figured I might as well get my chores done and start doing some housekeeping, waited until most folks had left the camp loop before starting my laundry. Did a pretty thorough cleaning today, wiping down all the walls and ceilings, and vacuumed and mopped the floors. I had a problem with the generator when my second load only had about eight minutes left, checked the oil, changed the propane tank, checked the air filter, let it cool off for awhile, but it still kept cutting off. Finally went back and opened up what I thought was an empty tank of propane which I had just shut off, and that solved the problem. I think I need a new regulator on those passenger side tanks. Got the laundry finished anyway, but not before my new neighbors returned from their short ride. Then they built up their campfire and sat around that most of the day. I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would want to sit around a campfire during the day in 85 degree weather. The result was, unfortunately, that all their smoke found it's way into my clean house. I was glad my laundry was on the other side so it didn't get the full force of the smoke. Sigh. Anyway, the rest of the day I read and watched some more Havens, tired after all that cleaning. It was hot today, so I didn't mind staying in the shade and paddle fans of my trailer today. That was my day! Off to shower and bed soon! Love you, darlin'! Good night!
Sunday, July 27, 2025 – A Rainy Quiet Day in Camp
Hiya Darlin',
Rain moved in overnight, with some thunder and a lot of heavy precipitation most of the night, so it was a fitful night sleep. It finally stopped around 9:00 this morning, got up for chores, but with it being so wet, it wasn't going to be a good day for laundry, so I've put it off until tomorrow. I've decided to stay the week here after I figured out it's less than a six hour drive to Meg's in NJ, and there's no point to wasting time breaking down and moving for a short week. With all the rain, Brookfield is likely to be very muddy anyway. I thought it was going to be quieter, but then a group of women came in and parked right next to me again, so more campfire smoke tonight, oh, well. Spent the whole day reading, then I binge-watched several episodes of The Haven, finally managed to get a decent enough connection to live stream, which has been a challenge here. Not much else going on, just killing time until my next stop! Good night, my sweet! Love you!
Saturday, July 26, 2025 – Another Gorgeous Ride at Otter Creek, Dinner with Friend
Hi Sweetie!
Another late morning, but got some stuff done before saddling Flash and heading out around 12:30. Today we decided to do some trails up north, so we picked the farther loop on Beach Mill and Payne Lake, Frost Pocket and Cleveland and just had ourselves a great old time. He was in good spirits today, and we did a lot of gaiting. When it came time to head south again, he decided to become an endurance horse and we galloped, cantered and largoed most of the way back to camp. We did nearly 15.5 miles in less than four hours, so we made some good time. I think I finally have my left stirrup in the right place now, back to pre-surgery levels. I had lengthened it because it was more comfortable, but it has been a bit long, putting me a little out of balance, but halfway through the ride, I pulled it up another notch, and I think it's perfect now. I also tried out a new saddle pad I bought for the Yellowstone trip, and it certainly did feel comfortable! Not taking any chances after that hard saddle on the Red Rock Ride last year! I also took my new (old) camcorder, it was wonderful to get back to one handed photography. I put in a 128 gig micro SD card, and I have another 32 gig, which I trust will be more than enough for all the pix and videos I want to take in Yellowstone. Got back to camp around 4:00, relaxed for a bit before heading into town to meet Karen at her favorite restaurant, Tony Harper's, a nice little Italian joint. I had a calzone with sausage and pepper, but there wasn't very much in there, mostly just lots of ricotta cheese, so not the best I've ever had. Need to order pizza next time! But I ate half, which was more than I needed, and of course, I couldn't drive home without stopping at Mary's for a mini twist frozen custard cone, so tomorrow I'm going to pay for it on the scale for sure! Well, gotta indulge every once in a while! Got back to camp, did my chores, then sat with the neighbors for awhile at their campfire. Looks like it's going to rain overnight, so I'll be closing up before going to bed, which will be soon! Good night, babe! Love you!
Friday, July 25, 2025 – Shopping Day
Hiya Babe,
Took a long time to get to sleep, woke up a couple of times during the night, finally dozed off and slept until almost 9:30! Usually the horses would be nickering for their breakfast, but since I've started using these big hay bags, they're a lot happier since they're not running out of food! After chores and breakfast, I headed out to town, first to Tractor Supply for propane and some washers to modify the hay bags to make them easier to use, only to discover that they're propane was empty or broken or something, and I had to make do with washers that weren't all the same size because they didn't have enough. This is the worst managed Tractor Supply I think I've ever been to. Anyway, I went next door to the coop and they filled up my tanks, though they did it by the size of the tank and not the gallons put in, but it was still pretty reasonable. Managed to pick up some additional hardware I needed, and was sorry I got my washers at Tractor Supply because the coop had a much better inventory, plus they had them individually instead of packets, so they were cheaper. Oh, well. Went to Walmart for a few things, then stopped at Mary's Dairy for a mini twist, just because I can't resist frozen custard! At least I got the smallest one... Stopped at Karen's for my final package, got back to camp, put everything away, fixed the hay bags, fixed a bad fuse in my solar panel, and finally settled down for the evening. Shared dinner with my neighbors (they cooked my steak with their hamburgers, so less dishes for me!) and we chatted into the evening around the campfire. Won't be long out of bed, though I'm hoping I'll get to sleep early enough so I get both a good night sleep and to not sleep so late in the morning! We'll see! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Thursday, July 24, 2025 – Visiting Day with Friends
Hey Darlin',
Got up with the alarm to get an early start, was done with chores and breakfast and out the door by just after 9:00, heading down to Camden to visit with my high school buddy Steve and his friends at his little cabin. Spent the day chatting away, with time just flying by! Of course, I came back smelling of cigar smoke (though I didn't imbibe myself!) and Buffalo wings. Left around 6:30, stopped at Karen's to pick up a package that came with my video camera (still in the original box, amazingly, even though it's refurbished) before getting back to camp. I was happy to see the horses still had a little bit of hay left, so these new giant hay bags are doing the trick! I had new neighbors move in right across from me, and I ended up going over and chatting for a bit before coming home, having a little ice cream treat with my tea, soon off to my shower and bed! A lovely day! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 – Hay Day and Ride on Apollo
Hiya Sweetie,
Getting back into my theatre schedule, late to bed, late to rise. That's what happens when I'm parked in deep shade rather than a wide open field! The horses are loving the new, giant hay bags I bought, even though they're slow feeders, and they're lasting all day, as planned. I finally decided to give up on fixing my camcorder, so I ordered the same kind, though refurbished since they don't make them anymore, at twice the price I remember we paid ten years ago! But that one gave us good service for a long time, and I need a good camera for my Yellowstone trip. The newer models are much bigger and heavier, so I wasn't interested in those, even though the pix might be a bit better. Not printing them up, so it doesn't really matter. Once I got that decision made, I then made arrangements to go pick up hay from the Mennonite family that Karen recommended, aka Tim the Hay Man. He had just baled his second cutting yesterday, and for $4 a bale, I got as much as I could hold in my trailer and use until the end of the week. Green and lovely, just as you would expect! Haymakers have been having a hard time this year, it's been so rainy, but the last few days have been perfectly dry, so fields are buzzing with activity. I picked up an extra three bales for Karen and dropped them off at her house, to replace the three she gave me a few days ago. I also stopped at the meat market for more garlic cheese curds, some lemonade, and a pigs ear for Lola. Got back to camp and put them all away, with a few under the gooseneck to finish off. Finally got around to saddling Apollo for a gorgeous four mile ride, starting on Shady Trail, then Hiawatha, Glenwood, Twin Ponds, Icicle and Blue Jog. Lola came along, and I figured she's head into one of the Twin Ponds, but I couldn't persuade her to go in. Apollo stumbled a lot, there are a lot of pine roots out here, but mostly I think it was his arthritis. I've started him on a MSM/Chondroitin routine, but it hasn't kicked in yet, I'm hoping that will help. Gotta keep this old guy moving whenever I can! Got back to camp just after 4:00, trimmed his front hooves, then settled down for the evening. My phone has now been charged four times with one of the battery banks I bought, so I'm gaining confidence that I can make it through Yellowstone with enough power to keep things charged up. Meanwhile, I've been having trouble livestreaming today, though I don't know why. I'm seriously considering a Starlink once I come back from my vacation, it gets so frustrating not being able to get online when I want. Anyway, time for my evening ablutions and bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – Another Fabulous Ride at Otter Creek!
Hi Babe!
Had a fitful night sleep, until I pulled out my extra throw blanket! I was too cold to be comfortable, even with my wool cap on, until I did that! I slept fine after that. It's so shady here, it's hard to get up at the crack of dawn, so it was more like 8:30 when I finally got moving, though I did do some PT exercises and read for awhile. Spent some time taking apart my camcorder to see if I could fix it, not sure it's doable. I'm missing a screw on the door spring hinge, and don't have one to replace it handy, though I think tomorrow I might pull out one of my many old laptops and see if I can find one that fits. There might also be some damage to the electronics band that moves with that hinge, which is keeping the monitor from working. I can actually record video, which I tested from the SD card, but not photos, apparently, and the monitor is blank, so I may have more problems that that, but I'll try anyway! I'd really rather have a separate camcorder rather than do everything with my phone, so I may have to buy another one. Oh, well! Finally saddled up Flash and hit the trails about 12:20, on a gorgeous day! A bit cool in the woods, but finally warmed up by late in the afternoon. Had to wear my Red Rock denim jacket to stay warm! I decided to do the Blueberry Trail clockwise (so far, I've only done it counterclockwise once before), and it is truly a stunning ride. We took Fletcher Trail, Florence Pond Trail, Crooked Creek Trail (we had two creek crossings), then picked up Blueberry after a short stint on a road. We came across signs for Trailside Restaurant which didn't look like they were that old, so I thought maybe they had reopened it (I had heard they shut it down), and Google said they were open, so we took a detour just to see for ourselves. Sorry to say, Google had it very wrong, not open, empty, and looks like it has been for a long while. I think they shut down during Covid and never reopened. Anyway, we headed back, took a wrong turn and ended up meandering along a lot of private roads until we finally had to just about go cross country to get back on track. No worries, Flash is a bulldozer! We ended up going over 14.6 miles, and we cantered the last couple of miles, except one stop to let a couple of kids say hello, though Flash had his adrenaline up so he wasn't standing as calmly as usual. As soon as we finished there, we took off again. What a rush! Love that horse! Got back to camp, put him away, then went to visit with the gals at the end again, who then came down and had a tour of the trailer and bought a book. Went back to chat for a bit, then got a text from Karen that she had my special order Sweigels white hots (six pounds!) and a package, so I ran down there and got that, came back and had dinner and settled down for the evening. Got involved with trying to solve my camcorder problem again, there's still a couple of things I want to try tomorrow. Anyway, tea time, shower and bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!