Hi Babe!
Hard rain for much of the night, so sleep was fitful for everyone. It had already been decided that no one would be riding today, so we slept in a little bit, then decided to do spend the morning doing the tour through the Butcher Holler cabin, the mansion, and the museum, though I also did laundry off and on all day. We headed over after breakfast, managed to get the first two guided tours done, went back for lunch, then came back to the museum and main street for a couple of hours. Came back for dinner, then stuck around for the horseless rodeo for a bit before another hard storm came in, then we all (including Callie) retired back to the trailer, then eventually INTO the trailer because the rain got so heavy and the wind was pushing the screen room in. I had just pinned down the screen room the other day, and bought new and better clamps to attach the screen room to the awning, and despite the strong winds, everything seemed to hold just fine, thank goodness! Then we lost electricity for a little while, then when the lights came back on, spent the rest of the evening chatting and playing Euchre, after teaching it to Maggie and Callie, who had never played. By about 10:00, the rain seemed to have stopped, Callie and I won the game 11-2, and we all broke up for the evening. We all took out showers and headed off the bed. With all the rain, Maggie decided to sleep inside in one of the recliners, but Sandy was still dry enough to sleep in her cot-tent, which we had put under the awning before the rain. Now I’m off to bed, at last! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetie!
A good night sleep, though we got to sleep an extra half hour this morning since we had less tack issues to deal with. Had another big breakfast (I’m going to have to go on a serious diet again when I’m back on my own!), then got the ladies ready for their ride. I did a bit of running around, too the spray pain that I had bought for marking the trails back to the coop since we didn’t use them, then headed to Tractor Supply for some feed, though they didn’t have Balancer, but also found a breast collar, since Flash’s saddle keeps slipping on these steep hills. Then off to Walmart for a couple of things, then back to camp just after the ladies got back. Checked out the breast collar, looks like it will fit, so we’ll try it next time. After lunch, the ladies went down to watch the horse training clinic, but I started delving into my washer problem, and realized that I had been looking at the wrong component on my machine, and that, in fact, the part was correct. Since that was the case, I decided to go ahead and fix it, and managed to get it all put back together, got a neighbor to help get it back in place, put everything back in it’s place and voila! The machine was working just fine, yay!! Started a load, then sat down to rest for a minute, and not ten minutes went by when Sandy showed up, wondering why I hadn’t joined them at the clinic. Glad the job is done, though, a great relief, and now I can relax because all my chores are done. Of course, there’s rain moving in later tonight for the next 36 hours, so who knows what we’ll be doing till it’s gone. Went off to dinner (eating WAY TOO MUCH!), Sandy did a bit of line dancing (another great turnout!), I came back and fed the horses, Maggie was chatting with some other folks, we all got back together about 8:00, chatted, I did my Snowy River for them, but now it’s getting close to bedtime, and I still need a shower. We’ve brought Sandy’s tent cot into the screen room because apparently it’s not exactly waterproof (I hope the tent Maggie is in will be!), and we’ll all soon be off to bed. Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Babe!
Got up with the alarm at 6:00, knowing there would be issues with getting the saddles right for both ladies today, fed the horses, went to breakfast, then got back and started making those tack adjustments. Just managed to make it in time for the group picture and to leave in time with the organized rides. They opted to both go on the slow ride today, and the group had 85 people! I think it might have had something to do with the fact that in the information sheets we prepared, it was strongly recommended the newbies and folks who may not have the fittest horses should take that ride, and they certainly did that! Bubba’s group actually came in early, around 12:45, partly because one girl broke her arm when her horse slipped, so he didn’t add any extra trails like he might have done. Meals were all pretty good today. I spent the morning doing a lot of extra jobs that needed doing, like putting new clamps on the screen room for better bug protection, running the extra spray paint down to the office, also mailing a book order out (though I forgot there’s no mail today), and lots of odds and ends before I finally settled down to take the big job, fixing the washing machine. I couldn’t remember how we took it out last time, and I pondered and tried several different approaches, none of the worked. Sandy and I finally brainstormed and figured the only way was to take the two screws out of what was the top of the washer, which needed to come off anyway, and set the dryer on it’s side out of the way. We didn’t have the strength ourselves, but Sandy managed to wrangle a couple of burly guys to come in and move it for us, very grateful for country boys! It was shortly after that I realized that the part that they sent me was completely the wrong part! Way different, I mean, not even close! Their part had a Whirlpool sticker, and my machine is an Ariston, which is also Hotpoint in some countries and Splendide in others, but definitely NOT Whirlpool. So of course I called them, before once again realizing it was a holiday and everything was closed, dang it! So I ended up having the leave it, though I put all the closet stuff back in, which I’ll have to take out again when the time comes, a lot of extra work just because these clowns sent me the wrong part. I truly hope they’ll send me the right one overnight (at their expense) and not be one of these places that insist I send the old part back, and them receive it, before they’ll send me the new part. That will take WAY too long! I’ll have more answers tomorrow, hopefully. Anyway, we went down to the horse clinic and watched Randy work with one three year old mare and solve a whole bunch of problems with various campers’ horses, and he did a really great job. Maggie and Sandy both learned a lot from him. Eventually we went to dinner, then Sandy went off to line dancing, a new activity that we thought was a great idea (but that many of the old-timers rolled their eyes at) and I followed once the horses were bedded down for the night. I got there a little late to learn the dance, but then I saw Anthony and he waved me over so I joined him for a while watching them all shaking their boodies. It was a good turnout, at least 25 folks dancing and another 30+ watching, so I think he was happy with his decision. He also admitted to being more relaxed because we got so many other things under control and he was actually able to enjoy the activities rather than handling crises all the time. I headed back to the trailer after the line dancing, though Anthony stayed to set up impromptu karaoke, which is apparently pretty popular as well. We all took showers and headed to bed, ready to start all over again tomorrow! So that’s where I’m headed now, my love! Good night!

Hi Sweetie!
Woke up bright and early with my alarm ready for a productive morning, headed straight to the nearby coop to pick up some hay, then back to the trailer to do chores and have breakfast. Sorry to learn that one of Bubba’s mules keeled over dead during the night, they seemed to think it was a heart attack, but he was only fifteen, so it makes one wonder. They were hauling him off while I was feeding. Sigh. Was ready to go out trail marking by about 9:00, as that was the time we thought we might be heading out on the trails. One thing led to another (sigh), and it was after 1:00 before we actually got on the trail. Callie and her family were kind enough to dog-sit with Lola so she wouldn’t be alone all day, again. We somehow managed to mark and clear both the green and the blue trail, though some sections looked like they hadn’t been used in a long time (probably because the markings on some were so bad no one could find them!), but I think we’ve got a decent plan now. It will definitely be easier to follow now, though the map will need some changing because we had to reroute a number of trails because of downed trees. It was almost 6:50 by the time we got back to my trailer, so I rushed to feed the horses, do my usual cleanup, and then additionally put on their blankets as it’s supposed to get down into the 40’s tonight! Had the fireplace on last night when it was only down to the fifties, so it’s definitely going on again tonight! Well as soon as I rushed around and did chores I headed up to Callie’s because we’re having our 2nd annual steak dinner (yes, apparently it’s become a Linville tradition!), arriving just 23 minutes late, which is usually unforgivably late in my book, but they knew I was with Anthony, and that we started four hours behind schedule, so were almost surprised I was only that late. We had a lovely evening, didn’t get back until well after 10:30, barely enough time to write to you, take my shower and get to bed before 11:30, maybe later before all is said and done! So enough from me, I need to get this day done, so I can be up and ready for another tomorrow! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
It rained most of the night, and I had a decent night sleep though I woke up early, and had a lot on my mind so I went ahead and got up. Did my chores, then went into town to do some errands. First I stopped at the mechanic’s shop to let him test drive the truck to see if it really needed a power steering pump. It’s been behaving just fine for the last few weeks, so I thought maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought, and he agreed, saying that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so that was a good thing! Then I ran out to Walmart for a few things, filled up with fuel, then headed back. My plan was to get hay at the Coop, but it was still raining on my way past, so I figured I’d come back later. When I got back to the trailer I saw that I had an email from Anthony to come by the office, so I drove back down there. We did a bit more work on the trails on the computer, then he said he wanted to run the yellow trail on his side-by-side and did I want to come along, of course I said yes. He seems quite receptive, even eager to try to understand the needs of the horse riders, and he seems quite willing to learn. He had a few things to do first, and a while later he came down and picked me up and we proceeded to head out. I’ve NEVER YET been able to get all the way around on the yellow trail, though I’ve tried numerous times, the markings are so poor. Well, it took a few hours to manage it, we stopped and did some clearing with loppers and a chain saw, made notes on his GPS where we had to reroute some things, and where the markers were particularly poor, but we worked together well and I actually had fun. This is exactly the kind of stuff I love to do! He was quite a speedy driver, and his vehicle is quite a number, with really high clearance and a lot of power. Good thing I’m not the faint-hearted type! Got a lot of good work done, though, it was very satisfying. We have two more trails to do, and we have to settle on how we’re going to mark them. He thought he had some markers but hasn’t been able to find them, we might just have to resort to spray paint for the time being. We’re already talking about doing a better job in September before their Fall ride, getting the right markers and doing it up right. We’ll see. It would be great to keep this place open for horses, they just don’t really have the knowledge in-house to do it. Evidently he hired a forestry guy a while back, paid him an outrageous amount of money for a week of work, but I wasn’t quite sure what was accomplished, especially considered I’m still getting lost all over the place! Anyway, he’s got me cheap enough, and I’m more than happy to do it, I’d love to see them get more horse campers in here. Anyway, we didn’t get back until nearly 6:00, so I fed the horses and settled down for the evening pretty quick, and now I’m off to bed because we’re supposed to be getting an early start in the morning, and I still have to pick up hay before we do, so the alarm’s getting set! So I’m off to shower and bed now! Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Had a really good night sleep, woke up raring to go, though there were a few sprinkles in the morning. After doing my chores, I once again went out with my garbage bag and trusty picker upper and cleared up another bag full of trash. I’ve pretty much covered the whole area now, not perfect but a whole lot better than before! This time I brought Lola with me, just to try to keep her busy and involved rather than locked in the trailer, and also to give her a little remedial training. She hasn’t been coming when I call lately, and it’s starting to become a bad habit, one I need to get on top of. A few horse trailers came in late yesterday and more this morning, but the trail bosses are supposed to get here tomorrow, so I’m going to take Callie on a ride in the morning, as it may be my last chance. I got back from trash pickup just before the real rain came in, and it continued most of the afternoon. I did manage to talk to an Ariston technician about the washer, and we determined it had to be the circuit board, naturally since that’s the most expensive part of the machine, but it’s I could replace all of the components and it would still be cheaper than buying a new one. Not to mention, I don’t know how I’d get it in, since the washer is wider than the door frame! They must have put it in before they put the outside walls on when they built the trailer, that’s the only way I can see them doing it! Or dropping it in before putting the roof on! In any event, I have to keep it going where it sits, and I’m NOT going to live without a washer! Not a difficult repair, just inconvenient and awkward. Anyway, Callie and her mom came down to visit and we spent several hours chatting. It’s always easy to talk to those two. After they left it finally quit raining, I fed the horses, played frisbee with Lola for a bit, then settled down for the evening, which had now cleared up nicely. Going to be a beautiful day tomorrow! But for now, shower and bed! Good night, Babe! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
Well, it didn’t take me too long to pack up and get out of Seven Springs, left by just after 10:00, and had an uneventful drive arriving around 12:30, with just one traffic delay on I-40 just before my exit due to construction. Was well-greeted when I arrived, even running into manager Anthony, and we arranged to get started with a plan tomorrow morning. I picked a really nice spot, under some shade trees and right the closest row to the creek, a nice change from being out in the sun last year. Since I’m staying here two full weeks, the first time that’s happened since I left south Florida, I got everything out, including the full screen room, the grill, everything. I put the horses back into the same area as last year in their electric fence. Sorry to say that the washer didn’t fix itself, so I spent some time trying to find an appliance repair service. Callie arrived just as I was taking Lola down to the creek to play for awhile, she really needed to get some exercise, we chatted for awhile. Finally settled down for the evening, have to get to bed early because I have an early morning virtual doctor’s appointment I need to get up for, not to mention getting busy with jobs tomorrow! Looking forward to getting started with whatever they want me to do. Off to shower and bed now, it was a hot sweaty one today! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Had an excellent night sleep for a change last night, woke up refreshed and ready to get to work, and promptly did so. Spent the morning housekeeping, including some long overdue items like the black marks around the bedroom window, not sure what it was and wasn’t sure they would come off, but I managed to make it look like new! Did a pretty thorough clean, including flushing out the black water tank again, and was doing laundry when for some reason it quit. I was getting an error indicating it wasn’t getting water, and I did, in fact, turn it off once while I was flushing the tank, but usually once I turn it on again, it resumes with not problem. Not so this time! I spent some time trying to figure out what it was, whether the pump has gone again or if it’s something else, maybe something jammed, but I’m hoping once we hit the road tomorrow it will unjam and miraculously fix itself. Otherwise, I’ve got probably an expensive repair to do! Or a replacement, which will be even worse! Fingers crossed! Anyway, that kept me busy most of the afternoon, until it really got too hot to do anything, so I relaxed a bit until the sun was getting low, then I fed the horses and put them on the highline, took the fence down, cleaned up the yard and lined up the truck with the trailer so I only need to drop it down in the morning. I’ve opened up the jack to see if it needs more oil in it, it’s squeaked a couple of times and I’ve been meaning to look at it. It might just be from sitting in one position for so long, because it seems to have been better the last couple of times I used it, but better safe than sorry. It’s about a three-hour drive to Loretta’s, but I’m taking a slightly indirect route, because the direct route looks like it’s on nothing but back roads with dubious windy narrow turns, and I’d rather take at least US highways, which will take slightly longer but be safer. At any rate, I don’t have to leave at the crack of dawn, though I wouldn’t mind getting there before the heat of the day, since it’s going to be a hot one tomorrow! Once I got some more stuff put away, I went over to visit with my Indiana neighbors for a bit until it got dark, then came back to finish off what I could inside. Ready for shower and bed, at least I got my sheets washed and dried before the machine quit! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
Had a good night sleep, though I had to put in earplugs because for some reason, Lola was uncharacteristically restless, which surprised me considering how tired she must have been after a nine plus mile ride! I ended up having to give her an allergy pill just to make her sleep, and finally I was able to get to sleep. While the big group went out with the local trail guide, Tim, and another guy on a white mule, I spent the day resting and doing a few odd chores, like finally clearing out the back of the trailer and cleaning out the water filter, which for some unknown reason still had some of those leaf-like things getting trapped in it. So weird! Flash whinnied for quite a while after Apollo left with the group, but finally settled down. I thought I might go on a short ride with Flash but felt so tired, I ended up just reading, and rather surprised I didn’t fall asleep in my chair doing so! The group got back around 4:00, though I didn’t see them come in. I went out to check on Kris’ horse only to discover that Apollo was back in the paddock munching away. I joined them again for drinks and dinner, and even got a “to go” plate for later in the weekend as they had cooked so much food. I’ll give them their due, these southern gals sure know how to cook! I brought Lola with me, and was glad when she behaved herself. They’re all leaving in the morning. Meanwhile, more new neighbors moved in right beside me, a younger couple celebrating the husband’s 35th birthday, they seemed nice, too. I finally made it back to the trailer around 8:30, settled in for a quick one hour of TV, but am more than ready for bed, despite having rested for most of the day, well, apart from a bunch of chores, like fixing my water and clearing out the trailer. Noah and Steve came over and did some work on my stairs, but it looks like they’re going to need to be replaced, or at least re-welded, though a new set will probably be better. Another repair I need to make! Anyway, time for shower and bed, looking forward to a long ride tomorrow, then a sort of rest and prep day on Sunday. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
It was still raining when I woke up this morning, and several times during the night as well, not a real heavy rain, but there was likely some accumulation overnight. It looked like it was going to be drizzling for a good part of the day as well, so I decided to do some other stuff. First after breakfast, I went down and registered, there was finally someone in the office, then I drove into Muscle Shoals to do some shopping and fill up with fuel. I managed to find some diesel at $2.84, which was even cheaper than at the Walmart, though it’s been going up steadily since the new administration shut down the XL pipeline in January, and it’s likely to keep going up, how far, who knows? Once I got back to camp I put up the fence to make a nice paddock (I got permission from the office), so the horses where able to get out and roll, which, of course, made them happy, along with an abundance of clover, then I had a few repairs to do. First, the hose had a few leaks that I had to fix, then the electrical plug did turn out to have a couple of loose wires, as I suspected. Meanwhile, the crew I met at Wind Creek arrived and was getting set up as well. Two of the men came over and visited with me awhile (and helped me with the last hose repair, not that I needed it, but what the heck?), and we spent the afternoon and evening back and forth, right through to dinner, which they invited me to again. Eventually it started getting dark, so I left, put the horses back on the highline and settled down for the evening. Lola got a treat with lots of leftover fat from the steaks they grilled, she scoffed that down along with a whole can of food and then tucked away some dry food as well, which is good because she hadn’t eaten much in the last couple of days. We’re all planning on riding together tomorrow, and one of the ladies’ horse is lame, so she’s going to ride Apollo as well. Anyway, I’ve watched an hour of TV, and now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, Sweetie! Love you!