Hey Sweetie!
Still not the best night, but a little better. Got my morning chores done, asked Cathy to help me rinse down Flash's ankle again, not feeling very confident about it, so I decided to take Apollo today, since my wheel-falling-off savior Holli was coming over to ride today. She had never been to Ft. Custer and I was the perfect excuse for her to come, and she was riding her mule Floyd, and they were both very patient with Apollo's slow pace. I was amazed, though, that he didn't seem to have any trouble with going nearly ten miles! Granted it was slow, but it was steady, so I think the gradual increase in his mileage during the last two weeks was helpful, and he absolutely has firmed up his hindquarters, which had been getting noticeably atrophied the last couple of months. Very happy with his performance today! And he didn't seem to have any ill effects once we got back to camp, either, so job well done! Amazing! It was a wonderful ride, Holli was great company, and I was very appreciative of her laissez-fair attitude toward our slow pace. Just before we got back to camp, we had a slight misty rain, and as she was loading up Floyd, we heard some thunder, so she left almost immediately. Later she said she rain into some heavy rain, but it missed us as camp, even though we needed it so badly. We only had that slight misty rain for a few minutes before it dissipated. Settled down for the afternoon for a Hallmark movie and an episode of a new series, then went over to Cathy's and played a variety of games during the evening before coming back to the camper to finish off the day. A fabulous day, great weather, great company, truly another great day on the road! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin'!
Still had a hard time going to sleep last night, still don't know why! Anyway, I was up with my alarm and was just saddling up when Cathy came over 15 minutes early (darn it, I was hoping to ready and waiting for her for a change!), and we were off! Flash didn't seem very bothered by his ankle once we got going, just a little stiff when we started off, which didn't surprise me. We had a fabulous ride, from one end of the park to the other, got in some lovely gaits (Whisky even got a little amped up, gaiting for longer stretches than he's apparently ever done before!), and even had a couple of nice canters in! The horses are well matched, though I think Cathy may not be used to such a fast pace! It was a gorgeous day again, and we had a fabulous time. After we got back, I headed out to pick up some hay, five bales for me and five for Cathy, an nice alfalfa/grass mix, though they weren't as green as I had hoped, but they smelled good, and the horses tucked into it as soon as I put it out for them, so they obviously don't mind that it's a little bleached out. She had to take Whisky into a vet, so she partially packed up and headed out at the same time. He's apparently mostly blind in one eye, and it's been getting worse, so it looks like they're going to have to remove it. They're going to treat it for ten days first though. Poor guy! But Cathy doesn't seem too bothered, better to remove it than have it keep getting infected. I got back long before she did, so I watched the last few episodes of House (8 seasons done!), with the final episode a Swan Song behind the scenes show, and I was, quite frankly, shocked to discover the actor who played House was English! I have a pretty good ear for English accents, considering I was married to one for over 30 years, and this guy never slipped in all that time. I never would have guessed. Amazing acting skill right there! Anyway, once Cathy got back and we both cleaned up and fed our respective horses (she's been kind enough to haul my manure in her sled behind her side-by-side to the manure pit all the way over on the other side of the parking lot. Yeah, it's a Michigan thing!), and then we played an hour of Uno just for fun before calling it a night. Trying my Sleepytime tea tonight, hoping that will make the difference! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Sweetheart!
Got off to a slow start this morning, but finally got my act together when Cathy came around at 11:00. I still hadn't decided which horse to ride, but decided on Apollo when Flash still seemed to be a bit tender on his ankle. Headed for a nice loop that would give us an opportunity to come back to came early, and Cathy to keep going, just in case it was too much for him. Once he got going, though, he did a great job! The trails here are quite nice, the weather was perfect, the footing had the occasional bit of rock but not too much, so it was very enjoyable. We actually missed a turn and ended up going for over six miles, the longest Apollo has done in a long time, almost double what we did on our last ride! He seemed to loosen up quite nicely, didn't stumble nearly as much, and seemed to really enjoy himself. This is the third time in a week he's been ridden, and I think it's doing him a lot of good. His hindquarters were getting a little hollow, but now they're firming up again. You'd never know this old guy is 30 now! Way to go Apollo! A very pleasant ride. Cathy's horse Whiskey didn't seem to mind the slow pace, and that last stretch home was the fastest. There were a lot more trees down on the trail than I would have expected in a state park, but nothing we couldn't get around with a little effort. Got back to camp to find Flash had hardly touched his hay, and that's the same bag as I put up last night, so I was a bit worried about him. Later, though, Cathy helped me rinse down his ankle, and he made a good pile of manure, which I was very glad about because it didn't look like he'd been doing much of that, and then he finally started munching down on his hay, so I guess he's on the mend. Apollo had no ill effects from his ride, so it turned out to be a good day all around! Later I visited with Cathy for awhile, then I helped her fill up her water tank in the back of her golf cart, and she helped me drag my manure in her sled to the manure pile, which is WAY over on the other side of the parking area. We waited until nearly 8:00 to do that, so that everyone had left, but the DNR guys showed up just as we were finishing. Technically, she's not supposed to have a golf cart here, but seriously? It's not like she's running around the park, she's just going from her stall to the manure pile, and now to the water pump. They told her she could get a permit for it for her stay, something the folks in the front office apparently neglected to tell her when she checked in. They also said Lola needed to be on a leash, even though there was no one else around (state law), and we were only walking from the manure pit back to Cathy's site. Anyway, finally got back home and settled down for the night, with plans to ride in the morning and pick up hay in the afternoon. Another lovely day on the road! Good night, my love!

Hiya Darlin',
Woke up to my alarm and got busy with breakfast, morning chores and final packing. I was expecting the folks that loaned me a generator (thanks so much for that!) around 9:00, but they were delayed, so it was after 10:00 before they arrived and loaded up. I was out of camp around 10:15, had a thankfully uneventful drive to Fort Custer, about 2+ miles south. Stopped at their dump to unload black water and take on fresh water, got to the horse camp and got set up on a couple of high line posts, started a couple of loads of laundry, and settled down for the evening. Happy to have electric here, yay! Visited with my new friend Cathy Weeks, another full-timer, who decided to come at the same time as me, hopefully we'll get a chance to ride together. Flash was much better today, the travel didn't seem to bother him at all, so fingers crosses, he'll be well enough to ride this week. I discovered that the well pump wasn't really a hand pump as I had been told, but a frost free spigot with no spigot, similar to Sugar Hill in NY, so I was able to apply my spigot and long host to it, and refill easily as a result. Happy about that discovery! I was going to put out my water barrel for the expected rain tonight, but now that I know I can easily reach and use the water pump here, that's not necessary. Settled down for the evening, rain is just starting to come in, so it's time for shower and bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Last night, as I was getting ready for my shower and bed, I heard a small moaning sound, and when I followed it, I found Flash on the ground with his lead rope around one of his rear fetlocks. Apparently I had tied it too loosely and I'm guessing he tried to scratch his ear like a dog (which he is prone to do), it got caught. I hadn't heard him whinnying or in distress, so I was surprised to see him like that. I managed to get his foot out of the rope and release the rope from his halter, and he just lay there while I tightened the highline, which had dropped down from all the weight. Once that was done, I put the lead rope back on him, untangled his legs from the post, and got him standing, though he was lifting that foot clear off the ground. I settled him down, treated the abrasion with the usual sprays and wound gels, and checked for anything else, but fortunately, it seems like the rope burn is the only injury. Phew! I gave him some bute tabs and stayed with him until he stopped quivering and finally went to his hay bag, settling down for the night. Guess I won't be doing much riding at my next stop! At least, not on Flash. By morning, though, he was doing much better, able to put his full weight on that leg, so I treated him again with topicals and bute, and he continued to improve throughout the day. I, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep until about 2:30 a.m., and was up with my alarm at 7:30. In the morning, I had a visit from my friend Alayna for about an hour, then headed into town to get a few things from Tractor Supply, including filling up my propane tanks, and to do a good shopping at Walmart, since it's a lot closer to camp here than at my next stop. I ran my generator again this morning, it went for over 45 minutes, until I actually stopped it, so the batteries got a good charge. I picked up some fuel for the truck (at the ridiculous price of $5.33/gal!), though it stopped at $100 and I left it at that, and a small tank of regular gas to fill up the borrowed generator, which I also ran later in the day for a short while just to top off my batteries for the evening. Put most of my stuff away in anticipation of our departure tomorrow, and finally settled down for the evening, more than ready to get to bed, hopefully to recapture some of those hours I didn't get last night! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Had a nice relaxing day today, even though the expected rain that I was hoping for never came to fruition. It's been a busy week of riding, so I decided to give us all the day off. Started the day with a little bit of housework, then spent the day reading, watching TV, walking Lola, and generally just taking it easy. Managed to run my generator twice, once for ten minutes in the morning, when I switched over to the borrowed generator, and again in the evening, when it surprisingly ran for about 45 minutes before shutting down. That was enough to charge the batteries for the evening, thank goodness, since the borrowed generator is almost out of gas. I'll get some more tomorrow, and do a little shopping and packing, getting ready to move to Ft. Custer, where I will have electric. Enjoyed the rest day! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin'!
What a perfect day for a ride! After chores, breakfast and finishing a book, I saddled up Flash for our longest ride here. The weather was perfect, mid-70's, overcast but no rain, nice and quiet on the trails, fabulous! I planned a long near perimeter ride, out to the farthest west trails, then along the north and eastern borders. Flash was so brilliant, again! We did a nice walk for about the first hour, then his need for speed kicked in, and we continued intermittently between galloping, cantering and gaiting, with just the occasional walk. Man, I LOVE THIS HORSE! Every time I stopped just to give him a break, he wasn't interested. He hardly fussed at all, except on rare occasions when I made him turn off the trail he knew led home, but that only lasted a couple of steps before he dived back into his speedy pace. We did the 15.3 miles in 3:41, averaging over 4 mph, but most of the last half of the ride was better than 6 mph. No signs of lameness, either, for which I'm very grateful! Trimmed his front hooves before we left and his back hooves when we got back, just trying to stay on top of that. I did Apollo's all around yesterday. Rinsed him off, put him away, took Lola for a walk and settled down for the evening, giving both Flash and Lola an extra meal. Flash, because of all the calories he burned today, and Lola because she just seems to be getting thin. I need to get her checked for worms first chance I have, though her heartworm tabs should be doing most of that job. Settled down for a few episodes of House (I'm into the last season now), a quick veggie and shrimp dinner, off to shower and bed soon! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe!
Got to sleep in a little later today, and lazed around reading until about 9:00 when I finally got up. Did a few chores in the morning, taking out the garbage and filling up the water tank in the trunk, plus transferring it to the camper, before I saddled up Apollo. It was really quiet here today, not a single other camper this morning, so I decided it was a good time to take Apollo and Lola along for a short ride. Feels like old home week whenever it's just the three of us! Makes me miss you and Clio, though I felt you in spirit today. Turned out to be almost exactly three miles, which was just perfect! Everyone did great, didn't run into any other riders except a couple saddling up in the day parking area, and we didn't even stop to say hello, since some folks don't like dogs around, not that Lola would be a threat to anyone! I think Apollo is getting stronger, he seemed to stumble a lot less, despite all the roots out here, and he did very well, even without bute this morning! Yay! After we got back to camp, I did a few more little chores, tightening the door latch, fixing the dog door (again!), until it was time to run some errands. I had pick up some Glucosamine for the horses, then return something to Lowe's, then a quick stop at Meijer hoping for the right grapefruit juice, which they had a slot for but were out of, but they had a sale on the other grapefruit juice, so I stocked up on that. Then down to the same folks for hay, because the horses have been really tucking into the hay I bought earlier, so I didn't have enough to last into next week, so I picked up another five bales. Back home, settled down for the evening, still surprised that only one other horse camper and a regular camper have arrived at camp! Thought it would be busier this weekend. Settled down for my usual evening routine, ready for bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie!
What a busy day today! My camping neighbor Linda came knocking on my door at 7:30 to ask me for help finding her missing horse, a gorgeous leopard Appaloosa named River, so I jumped into clothes, then my truck and immediately started checking along the road. It wasn't long before I found distinct tracks that went from the camp all the way up to 13 Mile Rd, about four miles from camp, where I lost his tracks on the tarmac road. It looked like he went left, so I drove up a couple of miles with no sign of him, then the other way for a short bit, still no sign. Headed back to camp to regroup (Linda had been calling all hands on deck), but Janet W. had heard about the tracks leading to 13th and had picked up the search from there, and ended up finding more tracks up a nearby dirt road (after an apparent diversion into a field), and finally found him about another mile and a half away. We drove over, then ponied him back to camp, with Janet holding the lead and Linda driving Janet's car. It took about an hour, so we got back to camp around noon. River was none the worse for wear, and soon settled down to hay and water. Meanwhile, I got back to my site, and since my plan had been to take a nice long ride with Flash today, I got him saddled up and headed out. I had to shorten my plan a bit, but we ended up going up to Trails 24 and 25, which are in the far north quadrant, and one of my favorite rides, all rows and rows of mature pines, plus some incredible old growth oaks. Flash was his usual brilliant self (man, I love this horse!), with lots of lovely gaiting, and a great gallop down Trail 10 back to camp, just in time to get him put away and settled down before my friends Chris and Melvin arrived, soon followed by their granddaughter Alayna and her two year old son Austyn, who I am meeting for the first time. We had a nice visit, it was great to see them and get caught up! Settled down for the evening, finishing off some popcorn I had made, plus a bit of watermelon, and I expect to lose a little weight tomorrow, considering the math of how much energy I expended vs. how many calories I took in! Managed to watch a House, but am more than ready for shower and bed tonight! I did jump my generator this evening, but it overheated and shut off after only about 10 or 15 minutes, so I had to run the borrowed generator for half an hour to charge my batteries. Very frustrating! Still waiting to hear back from the two resources in Indiana that I contacted, so tomorrow I'm going to have to make some more calls to get an appointment on the books. Meanwhile, I'm done for the day! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hi Darlin',
Took a short ride on Apollo today, starting out with Linda and Sherry, saw a deer in the woods that didn't run, so their horses jumped at it (not Flash, of course!) but they wanted to take the lake loop, and that would have been too much for Apollo, so I headed east and took a little loop across the road. Ran into the woman who was kind enough to jump start my truck the other day, they had just finished a ride when I was passing through, chatted with them for a few minutes. Apollo did fine, even though there were a few hills, though nothing too serious, and seemed to enjoy himself. Relaxed most of the rest of the day. Managed to start my generator this morning, it even had enough charge to not have to jump it. Just ran it long enough to cook my bacon, though later in the day I started it again (this time with my new jumper, which took me a few minutes to figure out), then ran it for a full hour. Even though it seemed to be very hot, it never shut off, which surprised me. It would be too much to ask for this to have resolved itself, wouldn't it? Anyway, watched some House episodes, settled down for the evening, looking forward to a good night sleep. Good night, babe! Love you!