Hi Sweetie!
I am loving the cooler temps here, though I've heard that it's just as likely to be very hot and humid at this time of year, so obviously I've lucked out. Had a very good night sleep, took some ibuprofen as soon as I woke up in anticipation of an active day, got served a lovely breakfast of eggs benedict by my neighbor Jim Ong, got the horses fed, and before I knew it, I was saddling up Flash and was ready to go! I tracked down Michelle, one of the managers, and she sent me off on the red trail, with instructions to pick up all the markers I saw, and it would loop back to camp, so off we went. The dry day yesterday and overnight did wonders for the trails, they weren't anywhere near as slippery as I thought they might be, and they went through some beautiful terrain! I hadn't noticed how hilly it was here (the camp is flat), so I didn't put on his breast collar, a decision I was later regretting, though it wasn't too bad. The route I took didn't take me over the bridge or fording the river, so I'm hoping that I'll be allowed to stay so I can experience them. Before she left, Michelle told me about some other markers I can pick up tomorrow, so I have a plan and an excuse, at least. We were back in camp before 1:00, I sorted out the markers and left them at Shannon's trailer, along with a boot that someone had hung on the limb with some markers. I was surprised I only found one, considering how many people seemed to have lost boots yesterday. It was a lovely ride, perfect temps, very few bugs though a few biting flies found us on occasion, yet a very pleasant ride. I settled down for the afternoon to take a break, since I've been mostly going non-stop this week, glad to relax a bit. Read, watched a movie and an hour of TV, won't be long out of bed again. The place is almost empty (I think I just heard the last vehicle leaving) and I expect it will be a very quiet night tonight, which I'm really looking forward to. I feel like I'm having a little mini-crash from all the effort, even though yesterday was a slow day. Anyway, I have finally hit the road and had my first event on the road, am feeling great! Love you, babe! Good night!

Hi Sweetie!
What an incredible day! Got up bright and early while the temps were still cool, and shortly after breakfast, got Flash saddled up and headed out on the trail. What bliss!! He stood perfectly still while I fumbled around trying to mount on the onside, which I managed to do without too much trouble, and off we went! I was so anxious to get going that I forgot to fly spray him, or to check on my supply of insect repellent, and it wasn't long before the biting flies were swarming. The only answer, of course, was to outrun them! So we did a lot of gaiting. Interesting, though, as soon as we crossed Black Prong Road to the western section, the flies all but disappeared! Not a long of water over there as a rule, probably why. But there wasn't a lot of water over on this side either, the spring that's usually 2-4 feet deep also had NO water in it. I've never seen it that low. Good time to trim the trees there, though, I'll have to let Ranger Rick know. Anyway, we had a fantastic ride, and my leg was no worse for the wear, thank goodness! I can't believe it's only been 18 days since my surgery, and I'm out riding! Incredible! We got back just after 11:00, rinsed him off before I put him away, then came in and iced my leg, my usual regime. I was just about to leave to take the little trailer to Helen's when I got a phone call from the organizer of next Saturday's ride in N. GA, saying they could use me, so that sets up the first stop in my schedule! It also pushes me to get a move on, get everything packed and put away and ready to roll by Thursday! After the call I went to Helen's and put my little trailer under her little roof, then packed her into the truck where we first stopped for gas in her little lawnmower can, then off to Willard's for lunch with Jo. Got back to camp around 2:00, and spent a bunch of time on the computer getting my stops and travel plans sorted, getting appointments to get my hair done, changing my address, getting an appointment for Lola up in TN, just a lot of organizing. Tomorrow I'll have to do some more of the physical type of organizing, especially in the back of the trailer, but it's nice and clean after I pressure washed it a few weeks ago. I'll be busy for the rest of the week, but it will be worth it to get out of this heat! Anyway, finally settled down for the evening, no dinner for me tonight after a big pulled pork sandwich for lunch, and few PT exercises, I even took a hot tub because my scar is THAT healed! I'm sure it took much longer last time, maybe it's the red light treatment, and a lot of it is the stellar seam that Dr. Siebuhr made. So happy!! Another early morning tomorrow, gotta get the heavy lifting done before it gets too hot! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin'!
How happy I am that I had a good ten and a half mile ride on Flash today! Jo has finally worked her new horse up to a trotting pace, so we did almost the entire trip at a decent speed for a change. It made Flash and me so very happy! We got to do a bit of cantering, which was the most comfortable ride for me, though his gait, as always, was smooth as silk. Thankfully Jo brought me some extra strength Tylenol, which I think made a world of difference, I hardly had any pain at all. The bend in my knee is actually the most comfortable at stirrup level, even more so than when I'm lying down or in my recliner. Fabulous ride! There was a decent breeze so it wasn't too hot, though it did get a little buggy in spots, but they bothered Jo's horse a lot more than Flash. I think we outran the worst of them. It is so very dry, even the deep spring was the lowest I've ever seen it. But I hear rainy season is starting soon, so I'm going to appreciate the dry weather while it lasts! Before we went out, though, I had to climb up on the roof again to secure the antenna down. I had left it open in order to ask the trailer guys how it could be fixed, and they didn't tell me anything new, so I'll just have to figure it out one day. I diligently followed my pre-surgical routine, and will soon be off to bed. I only plan on doing a little housework and laundry tomorrow, I've been wearing myself out doing physical stuff, so I'm going to regroup and conserve my energy for the big day. Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Think I had a bit too much wine last night, had a kind of rough night sleep. Was awake and reading when I heard the horses going at it this morning. I don't know what's been up with them lately, if they're just bored or what, but their bitey-face routine has become more violent, and they're going at each other butt to butt, kicking. I've been hearing the squealing, which didn't worry me too much, but I saw them kicking yesterday and didn't like that. Well, this morning, it was the worst, and Flash ended up lame. When I came out, he was laying down, which is not typical at this time of day, and I saw a bad scrape on his leg and he wouldn't put any weight on it when he got up. So, obviously, I couldn't ride him today! Not happy about this behavior, so Apollo is going back on the highline, hopefully Flash will stay away from him now. Anyway, did the usual morning chores, then started to get ready for a scheduled ride with Jo. Spent some time scraping off Apollo's winter coat before saddling him. Jo was kind enough to help me crudely trim his feet, we just took off the biggest overhanging chunks, which were huge since I haven't been riding him lately. We got out late, about 10:45, and it was a pretty slow ride (I think Apollo had a few bruises on him as well, though they weren't as obvious), and we got back just after noon, doing just about three miles. But it was good for Nikki, it was the spookiest part of the forest, and she managed to lead going over water a few times, though still not the deep spring. Helen was waiting for me when we got back, and we headed off to lunch a bit later, joining John the Goethe mechanic at his table, and had an enjoyable lunch. Tried to relax the rest of the day, got the horses fed moments before the first of a couple of rain fronts came through, and settled down for my usual evening. The rain finished just a bit before my usual hot tub time, and soon the moon was out, a beautiful night! Worked out perfectly. Of course, my knee is quietly screaming at me, so I'm headed to bed early. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Babe,
A good night sleep, woke up before my alarm, did my usual stuff until Jo got here just after 10:00. I got Flash saddled up and we were off! I lengthened my left stirrup a bit, since that was causing me a bit of pain last time I rode, and the result was much better. I rarely had any pain, except the very occasional twist, and we even did a little trotting today. Once again we took mostly the blue trail and Nikki was much better with the puddles, and almost no hesitation on the big spring this time, so it seems Jo's making some progress with her. After trying an endless number of different bits, which Nikki chomped on so continuously she couldn't focus on anything else, Jo finally put a hackamore on her, and the difference is night and day! Nikki was much more relaxed today, and we all had a lovely ride. Of course, Flash would have like to go a lot faster a lot more often, but he was a good host and didn't fuss too much at the slower pace and only occasional trot. At least we had a nice ride, and my leg didn't hurt too much afterward! I even used our new mounting block for both getting on and getting off, using the off-side, and it worked well. After I put Flash away, Jo and I chatted for a bit before she left, then I took the rest of the day off, watching movies, icing my knee and generally relaxing. So, a good day! Splurge on a nice piece of top sirloin and had a pleasant evening before my usual hot tub and shower. Heading to bed shortly! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Had a good night sleep, was up at a good time, and was feeding the horses when I got a call from the doctor's office with my MRI results. Definitely some ripping and tearing and damage. They've forwarded the info to the doctor I want to use, hopefully he can get me in within a few weeks, but he seems to be the best, so I'll wait for him. I spoke to my supervisor about my need to stay here longer and to do less hours of work, and he was fine with all that. Now that I have a plan of action and a bit of a time frame, I can get busy doing the things I need to in order to get ready in a relaxed manner, including my unfinished taxes and the work on my roof, though I'm going to solicit some help with that. Once I get up there, I don't want to have to keep coming down to get things I forgot to take up with me! But that's in the future. The trailer repair shop finally came around today and finished working under the trailer, so I guess the basement cover is as good as it's going to get for now. Today, my leg was actually feeling pretty good, and know that Flash has been running circles in the paddock, I decided it was worth the risk to take him for a short ride. I mean, the damage is already done, I don't think I can do too much more to it, right? Besides, I need to locate the trail that Karen has been on me to mow, so I took it on. Flash was so eager he met me at the gate and practically stuck his head right into the halter! I managed to get him saddled okay, took a minute to get him close enough to the picnic table to step up on his off-side, but he was fine with it. We've done that a lot, so no big surprise. So off we went! I crossed the street and followed DeDe's instructions, and before long, I was at the spot I think Karen meant, so I took a pic and sent it to her to confirm, and it was the right place. At least I know now where it is, though when I'll get out there to mow it is anybody's guess. Flash was perfect though, as usual, and we even got a nice canter in, even though I kept my left leg out of the stirrup most of the ride, I found it was uncomfortable twisting in the stirrup. Got back to camp, managed to dismount at the picnic table on the off-side, again, with only a moment of issue, then untacked him, gave him and Apollo a nice rinse off (Apollo was standing at the fence looking forlorn, like he always does when someone else is getting a bath and he isn't), then settled down for the rest of the day. Glad to get a ride in, even though my knee is a bit more swollen and sensitive tonight. It was worth it! Felt better after my hot tub and shower, off to bed soon. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Babe!
After a full eight hours of sleep, I woke up refreshed and raring to go! After chores and breakfast, I saddled up Flash for a short ride. After not riding for nearly three weeks, I simply had to test out the progress on the healing of my knee. I wore my brace, which I've doing diligently at all times except in water and bed, and other than my hesitation to use that knee to step into the saddle (I got up using a big rock in the pavilion parking area, which was tricky, but doable), off we went! Despite it being Saturday, which I thought meant there would be a big crowd, no one else was here, so I decided to take Lola along, since I knew it would be a short ride, and she needed the exercise as much as Flash and I did. Off we went! I left Flash choose the trails today, and he selected the blue trail backward, so we hit the deep spring early, and he decided he wanted to stand in it for awhile, so I let him. Then he selected the orange trail back, and even took the shortcut. We only went just over three miles, but I wanted to take my first ride easy, both for my knee and for Lola's sake. She trotted along nicely, never getting to that point of exhaustion which she has been doing lately, but usually not until after about five miles. It was a lovely ride on some of the prettiest trails out here, and my knee didn't hardly bother me at all! Getting down proved to be a bit challenging, but I managed it, so grateful that my good horse Flash didn't move an inch while I was struggling, or it could have been a disaster! I unsaddled him and left him tied to the small trailer, then got Apollo out and tied him to a tree, than got on the tractor and ran around their paddock for awhile, chewing up all the manure into compost. It's been too long since I've done it, but it came out pretty good, looks a lot better. Got them both settled back into the paddock after grooming some of the long hair off Apollo, as he's shedding like made, and rinsed them both off just to cool them down. It got into the high 80's today! Crazy! A few days ago I was using my fireplace to keep it warm overnight, now I'm using the AC to cool it down before going to bed! Well, there's a cold front coming through tomorrow, so we'll be back to the fireplace before long. Finally sat down in my recliner to read for a bit, nodded off, and woke up two hours later! Guess I'm not used to so much exercise, not that I had much. Anyway, settled down for the evening, had my hot tub and shower, my knee feels no worse for the wear (and getting better every day!), and I'm headed to bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Woke up to an early alarm again, had Flash loaded up and ready to go by a little after 8:00. We headed down to Tidewater, arriving just at 8:30 as the LD's were leaving in the Gator Run Ride. The plan today was to once again accompany Jo and Nikki and hopefully be a calming influence on her. By the time we checked in, vetted (I was astonished that Flash did his trot out just fine!) and saddled up, it was nearly 10:00 when we hit the trail. We didn't get very far before Jo decided Nikki was misbehaving and got down to walk her on a lead. That went on for a couple of miles. We finally hit water, and Jo was trying to figure out how to get around it when I kind of got a little frustrated and told her to just get on her damn horse. I pointed out that the only lesson Nikki had learned so far was that all she had to do was jig a little, and Jo would get down and she wouldn't have to carry her anymore. What can I say, everyone once in awhile, a little butt-kicking is in order. Well, she got back on, and lo and behold, actually made it through the puddle following Flash. She would have occasional periods where she would be fine, but then jig some more, but toward the end, she was about as settle as she could be. I could tell she just wanted to go faster, but Jo isn't ready for that yet, and doesn't think Nikki is either. Anyway, by the end of nine miles, Flash was so frustrated with the slow pace that I decided to do the same loop again and let him go as much as he wanted. He has been very patient over the last two days, but he got pretty bunched up toward the end. I let him eat for a minute, got myself a bottle of water, then we headed out on the trail at 1:05. I asked the timer to mark it, even though the intro rides don't time themselves, I was just curious. So Flash and I headed out the second time, and this time we went like gangbusters. He gaited and cantered for over five miles, then slowed down a little bit, but not for long. It was a beautiful day but it was starting to get warm but with a nice breeze, so I didn't mind. Then when we were about a couple of miles until the end, a woman on an Arab came cantering up behind us, and Flash took off like a rocket! He was NOT going to let that Arab pass! I didn't realize he still had so much gas in his tank, but he gave it everything, right up into a gallop, all the way back to camp! We ended up with a time of 1:20 for that second 9.5 miles, so I was very happy with him for that. I unsaddled him and cooled him off, and after a couple of tries, managed to get him pulsed down to 60, took him through the vetting where he got almost all A's again (a B on his gait, but he did his impulsion test perfectly again, yay!) and we got out completion, though I'll only get credit for the 10 miles and not the almost 20 that we actually did. Not worried about the credit though, this was all about HIM getting to do what he wanted for a change. I hung around and chatted for awhile before heading back camp, got him settled down (and when I looked awhile later, he was laying down, not surprisingly!), as I did likewise. Dinner, TV, hot tub, shower, tea and cookie, and I'm ready for bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
After a good night sleep and having to get up with the early alarm, I went to an appointment with a dermatologist for a skin tag removal, which took no time at all, then got back to camp by 10:30. Jo had asked me to have Flash ride along with her new horse Nikki, so she arrived shortly thereafter, and we got saddled up and eventually hit the trail, though we did a lot of schooling before that. Jo did a lot of walking, and Nikki misbehaved a lot more than Jo expected, so it turned into a pretty long day. We came back after about 3.5 miles, waited a bit, then went out again. Flash was unbelievably patient, which really surprised me, but it seems he getting used to the teacher role that has been thrust upon him. Nikki wanted to do more than walk, but Jo was insistent that was all we were going to do today, which is fine, since teaching Off Track Thoroughbreds to walk truly is a challenge! She improved a bit, though not as much as we both would have liked, but obviously, it's a long slow process that Jo is just at the beginning of. I'm rather glad those crazy days with my horses are over! Once we got back the second time, I put Flash away and after Jo left, headed over to Willards for a prime rib dinner, tonight's Valentine's day special. I haven't had prime rib (or much beef at all) since the Red Rock Ride last June, so I figured I was entitled to splurge. Nice not to have to clean the kitchen! Got back at six, fed the horses, and settled down for the evening with a full stomach. Watched a little TV, and won't be long out of bed! Good night, babe! Love you!