Hi Babe,
Well, rearranging my bed made a huge difference, I had a pretty good night's sleep, just woke up a few times, but was pretty warm despite temps in the 40's. I was sound asleep and in the middle of a dream when Jeff called out to ask me where the coffee was (in my tent), so I woke up to give it to him, and realized it was 8:00! I managed to get myself together, get dressed (I've been wearing my split skirts and leather vest all weekend, though this morning I needed my leather jacket too), and do breakfast again, though Jeff only wanted bacon, no eggs. Apparently he didn't sleep hardly at all, he was too cold, and he spent the morning whining about the cold and no showers and too primitive and on and on. Naturally he wasn't about the come on the ride this morning, which didn't start until 10:00, because he was too sore from yesterday, but he was quite willing to stay behind and break camp, since I told him I had no problem heading for home when we got back from the ride. Of course, he went on about it anyway, couldn't take yes for an answer, you know how he is. While yesterday's group had over 80 people in it, today it was less than 20, mostly women, and I had a good chance to chat with a lot more of them today. I rode Apollo since everybody else has stock horses and that's closer to the right speed, and I didn't want to have to fight with Flash to slow him down again. Turned out with the cold air, most of the horses were kind of frisky anyway, and we did a lot of jogging. I met a woman who has a summer home in Michigan and used to be on the board the of Michigan Trail Riders Association, the ones who sponsor the Shore-to-Shore ride that I'm thinking about going on this summer, turns out she only lives about 90 minutes from Lansing where that one client of ours wants to have their workshop, so we're trying to schedule it so I can do both, and this lady said looking after the critters for a few days would be no problem. Hoping all that works out! Also met some others planning on coming to the OTL, including a newby from the Miami area, so I'm hoping I talked a few more into it. Anyway, I got back to camp before 2:00, and found that Jeff had, indeed hooked up the truck and broken down everything except my tent, so I packed up everything that was in there, got all that put away, moved the trailer off the little hill we were on, and finally loaded up the horses, getting out by about 2:20. Other than a quick stop for fuel, we got home without any problems, arriving just before 6:00, so it was feeding time and we just got it finished before it was too dark. Whew! I jumped into the shower, as I'm sure Jeff did, too, and later we shared a steak he grilled, and we watched the last 3 minutes of the Super Bowl together over dinner before I headed back to the camper. Now I'm ready for bed! Good night, my love!

Hey Sweetie,
Well, it was a bit rough sleeping last night, it was pretty cool, and I had to reset myself a few times to warm up, but eventually I did get some sleep. I was up at about dawn though, because the first organized ride is at 9:00 and I had a lot to do before then. I got the horses taken care of, and around the time I was finished Jeff managed to get up. I was right about him being under the weather, he was definitely suffering from a hangover. He managed to get the camp stove he brought going and started some coffee, and as soon as it was done I made bacon and eggs for us both, though he doesn't usually eat breakfast. I managed to start getting the horses ready while he washed the dishes from the truck tank of water (there's no running water anywhere near us, just a porta-pottie, or should I say, a Lovely Loo!), and despite my best efforts to be at the mustering place by 9:00, Jeff slowed me down again and we didn't make it until almost 9:15. Fortunately they weren't quite ready to leave, so we didn't miss anything, but we headed out about 5 minutes later, after a group photo. You remember that place called Princess Place where I made a reservation last year but our schedule changed at the last minute and we didn't make it? We were going to try it out on the way home. They took my money immediately, but the refund had to be by check, which I got weeks later. Anyway, those were the trails that we ended up riding! The Agriculture Museum trails all lead to a land bridge over I-95, which took us directly over there. They were pretty nice, too, lots of old live oak with Spanish moss, typical old Florida terrain, quite lovely. I was riding Flash, and he was pretty good at first, but after three or four miles of holding him down to a pace that kept him with Apollo, he started getting pretty antsy, so it was a bit of a struggle for a good part of the way. We actually stopped for a break at the very campground where we were going to stay, and despite the office staff not being able to confirm whether it was big enough for our unit, it most definitely was! They even had set highlines and corrals! Quite a nice campground, I'm glad I got to see it. We took about a half hour break there before heading back on a different trail, making it a nice loop. Unfortunately, it was too long for Jeff (no surprise there) and he was pretty miserable by the time we got back. His butt and all those leg muscles were sore, not to mention his hangover, so he wasn't a very happy camper. He also started complaining about the fact there were no showers, you know he usually takes two a day, so that upset him. There was hot water in the dairy barn where we were going for dinner, I suggested he do a stand up wash like we usually do, but he wasn't interested. We both took a little nap in the afternoon before heading out to the big Prime Rib dinner, which as wonderful, and then there was more entertainment, a band and dancing. Doyle, one of the primary organizers, let me make an announcement about the OTL, so I'm hoping that might bring in a few more attendees. Jeff ducked out to the truck because he couldn't get warm, not even when he stood by the big bonfire, but that didn't help much either because he didn't take the keys and the temps were dropping. Just after I made my announcement, I joined him, and we were back at camp before 9:00. I offered him a wool cap, since I had brought extra, but he refused it, despite how much good it will do towards keeping him warm. So stubborn! Anyway, I had rearranged my bed during the afternoon so that it would be warmer, and settled down to read my kindle book for awhile. I'm enjoying myself, even though Jeff may not be, but sorry, I'm not about to make that my problem. Anyway, it's lights out for me now! Good night, my love!

Hey Babe,
Got up with the alarm today because I had arranged to meet with one of the folks from the OTL and start marking trails out in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area. I forgot to mention that I had spent some time on Friday pressure washing the little horse trailer, because I knew I would need it today, and got it all ready last night except for hooking it up to the truck, which I did in no time. I picked her up at her house in Jupiter Farms at 9:00 and we headed out there. The road wasn't any better than it was last year, so it took us nearly 45 minutes just to get half a dozen miles. I brought Apollo along because she has a stock horse with a slow walk (I think he's an Arab), and they turned out to be perfectly matched, and got along just fine. With all the rain we had here in December, there were places where the water was so high we practically had to swim! But mostly it was about knee high or less, though chest-high wasn't uncommon. I brought Lola along as well, and there were a couple of stretches where she had to swim quite a ways, but you know her, she loved it! We scouted out a couple of routes, and it became very clear to me why I got lost so badly in there last year, they really dropped the ball on marking some of the turns and forks. Now I have a better feel for it, and we put up most of the markers that we're going to need, but I'll need to go back and take a few markers down, since we decided to change the route in a couple of places due to the high water. It's possible that it will go down quite a bit if it stays sunny, and some places may be easier to pass, so I'll wait a couple of weeks to make the final decision. We were on the trail for four hours, and only did nine miles (compared to my endurance ride, 25 miles in 3:51) so you can imagine how slow the pace was! Still, it was a nice ride, it was great being back out in the wilderness on my horse! I finally dropped her off just after 3:00 and got back to the house shortly afterward. Jeff had left Frost out and kept Flash in the paddock, so I needed his help getting Apollo in the paddock because Frost was hanging out at the gate. He managed to get Frost away from the gate long enough to open it, and I slipped in real quick with Apollo (but not before the goats managed to get in, too), and then suddenly Frost leapt forward and bit Jeff on his back, and scraping his arm with his teeth along the way. Jeff went nuts, calling him all kinds of names and chased after him with a stick, well, you know that biting is the one thing you can't tolerate, so he did his best to let Frost know that was a mistake, but I didn't get the impression Frost gave one whit about that. Jeff was really disappointed, though, you know how much he thinks that horse is sweet, though I've been telling him that Frost can't be trusted, and now he's seen firsthand what I mean. He's going to have some big bruises, though he didn't cut through the skin much, mostly just a scrape. Anyway, after that episode everyone calmed down a bit. It was hot, so I got in my bathing suit and took a quick dip in the pool, then ordered a new controller for the lift chair that quit working, I found one for less that $14, so if it works, I can still sell it for the same amount of money and not be out very much. I also learned that the brothers had finally fixed the pullout step on the trailer, that little job I asked them to do last year that they never got around to. I think Karl persuaded Jeff to help him do it because he knows I'm ticked off with him not finishing the converter job yesterday. Glad to have the stair done, though, I'm sure there will be places where it will be better than using the mounting block like we've been doing, when it sits a little lower. Anyway, finally finished off the chores and relaxed during the evening with the TV, but now it's time to head off to bed. Goodnight, my love!

After a weekend of doing little else except try to stay out of the practically non-stop rain, mucking through inches of water every time I needed to get out of the water (only to discover my new "waterproof" muck boots leaked, so my socks kept getting wet) and generally just trying to keep dry (not possible!), the sun FINALLY came out today, and I was determined to get a ride in on Flash. I had to drag all his gear to high ground before I could saddle him up, but we finally got going around 11:00. We did a nice 15.66 mile loop, though originally I was going to go through the neighborhood first and back through Cypress Creek WMA, but he was being a bit flighty at a couple of nothings, so I decided we needed to do the mileage on the trails first, so that he would be tired by the time we got to the neighborhood where all things can appear to be horse-eating to a flighty horse. It was the first beautiful day in weeks, and lots of people were out hiking and biking, though I only met one other girl out riding once we got to the neighborhood. It was a wonderful ride, but Flash seemed to be limping a little by the time we got back, though I couldn't find any heat or swelling in his legs. No worries, he'll get a good rest before the next time. I was getting low on hay, and don't have enough to get me till Friday when I can pick some up at Ranch Feed (better price than the local Town & Country, plus they don't carry Nutrena, which I also need), but we ran out to get two bales at T&C just to get me through, only to discover they closed early today, so I missed them by two hours, darn it. Just have to borrow a little from Jeff till Friday. After that, Hubby and I had decided to get a nice dinner out, and decided on the new rendition of the restaurant right here in Jupiter Farms, which has gone through many owners and managers over the years. Now it's called Taylor's, and they had a nice menu and a decent happy hour, so we decided to go there. Hubby and I shared a fabulous Linguini Fruits de Mer, lots of mixed seafood and shellfish in a wonderful garlic sauce over pasta, just what I was in the mood for. That and a couple glasses of wine and pumpkin cheese cake, and we were set! Stopped at Publix for a couple of things, including a bottle of sparkling Brut to bring in the New Year, and we were back at dusk. Got the horses put away, settled down to a movie and some other TV until the NYC ball dropping festivities began, cracked open the bottle of Brut, made our toast, and were in bed not too much later. Hubby is still having to sleep in his chair, unfortunately, his shoulder just hurts too much when he's laying down, but I'm hoping for a good night sleep! Happy New Year, 2020!

Since I missed the bypass yesterday, I was determined to try to find it today, but of course, since I was going backward on the Orange Trail, and there were almost no markings in that direction, I soon got turned around. I never was sure if I found it, at least not until I got back to camp and downloaded our GPS track, only to learn we were practically on top of it, but just missed getting there. At least now I have a better idea where it is! I had asked a couple of local riders where it was, but there directions weren't too thorough (which is typical of locals everywhere, as they're so familiar with the trails they have a hard time describing it to someone from outside the area...), so I didn't find it anyway. Nevertheless, Flash and I had a fairly laid-back ride, lots of walking just to build up his stamina, until we headed back toward camp, when he largoed as fast as he could most of the way back to camp, so a good workout considering. Once I got him back to camp, I started on Hubby's dialysis session, which was a disaster. I couldn't get a flash on his arterial, so I tried changing needles, which seemed to work, but then the cartridge seemed to clog up, so I went through the process of putting in a new cartridge. That seemed to help for a little while, but then his arterial starting spiking really high, and when I couldn't fix it, I called the NxStage tech guy, and he said it was likely an access problem, and said we should stop the treatment and don't try to rinse back, so I did. When I took off his venous line, sure enough, there was a big clot in the line, so there were some problems. I tried to listen for a thrill, but there didn't seem to be one. SO disappointing, as until last Wednesday, his access was going like gangbusters! Grrrrr! Now I'm going to have to spend time tomorrow trying to get him into a local hospital to get his fistula declotted again. This will be the fourth time this year! We're convinced it's just because of the awkward position of this fistula, it's just so far under his arm that it's impossible for him to not put pressure on it, even when he doesn't sleep on it. Don't know what the long-term answer is, but the short-term is hospital for yet another procedure. I was in the middle of a couple loads of laundry, so we had to keep running the generator for a few more hours, a big waste of propane if we're not dialyzing! Anyway, we finally settled down after that, a bit frustrated at this turn of events.

After getting to better know which trails will be used for the endurance race next weekend, Jo asked me to do some preliminary marking if I had the chance, so I started out on Apollo, marking the first sections of the trail as requested. I also scouted out the last mile on the return, but wasn't sure what she wanted, so left it unmarked for the time being, until I get clarification. Then I went back, had some brunch, and saddled up Flash so I could ride the whole 14-mile ride section to make sure it was the right length and to check any areas that might need further clearing. I missed a loop cutoff on the orange trail, but I was able to fix that on Google Earth to make the right measurement, and it turned out just right. I made mental notes of areas that needed to be tidied up or, if possible, have the trail dragged to get rid of some serious ruts, and reported that all back to Jo. Flash was a bit less frantic on this ride, though he did keep up a good pace. I'm hoping he'll be fit enough for next weekend! It's been such a long time since I've spent so many hours in the saddle on one day, it felt GREAT! This is really a nice Forest, and my only criticism is that they only mark the trails going in one direction, so if you happen to start off going the other way, you won't see any markers except at intersections, so it gets a little scary and uncertain at times. I remembered this from our last time out here when we rode down at Tidewater and how annoying that was, not sure why they do it that way. Anyway, it was a fabulous day, and finally warm enough for Hubby to sit outside in the screen room all day reading, so he hardly missed me. Got back and settled down for the evening, another satisfying day on the road!

Had a great night sleep, my cold/flu is all but gone except the occasional cough, and woke up to temps 5 or 6 degrees warmer than what we've been dealing with lately, which felt like a much bigger change than it sounds. Got the horses fed and cleaned up, another load of laundry started, then Hubby got up feeling so well this morning he wanted to go riding! Yay! So after a while I saddled up the horses and we took an absolutely lovely 3.5 mile ride on the Lake Loop. Hubby managed to get on AND get off Apollo today, with no help from me! Looks like his back treatment is a success! The trails had some nice easy grades, and it weaved through some beautiful woods on the ridge, then down to the lake and back again. We both really enjoyed it. Flash was calmer because Apollo was with him, and he seemed to stop and wait for him on his own quite often. Apollo, not surprisingly, was a slug for the first half, but then when we turned on the bottom side of the loop (and we were heading back in the direction of the barn :-), his tempo picked up, as did Flash's. Hubby did just fine, no pain at all, even though it was a longer ride than he's done in a long time! Got back to camp, settled the horses back in their stalls, started Hubby's dialysis session and more laundry, and settled down for the rest of a quiet day.