Hi Darlin',
Got busy again today, this time tackling the first two big paddocks. As predicted, it was a bit tougher, made worse by the many vines my rake kept getting caught in, but I managed to get the first paddock done pretty well, and got a good start on the second paddock. Because the horses had been in there, there was a lot of manure, which slowed the burn down a bit, and I'll have to do it again at some point, but it does look a lot better. The weather was perfect for burning again. There's rain predicted to start mid-afternoon tomorrow, so I'm going to bed early and setting the alarm, I want to get as far along as I can on the last two paddocks before the rain comes in. It'll be another busy day! Settled down in the evening to a good movie, American Made, with Tom Cruise, all about the behind-the-scenes events of the Nicaraguan/Iran/Contra affair, very interesting, assuming it's based on somewhat of a true story. Or great fiction, if that was the case! Anyway, I enjoyed it, Tom Cruise always knows how to pick a good script. Heading for a shower and early bed! Love you, sweetie! Good night!

Hiya Sweetie,
Managed to get another eight hours sleep last night, so I guess I'm all caught up! After chores and breakfast I got busy raking, and since it was a perfect day for burning, decided to do that instead of hauling it all out to the side of the road. That's just too many steps! Rake it up, load it on the tarp or trailer, drag it out to the road, unload it again, only to someday in the future have the government come by, pick it up, haul it off somewhere, unload it, then, what? Burn it? Chip it? Haul it all to a landfill? I don't know where it goes. It's just a lot easier to rake it and burn it, in small doses, period. As long as I'm really careful, I don't see the problem. Besides, we have rain coming in Wednesday afternoon, supposedly, so I'd like to get as much done before that as I can. I did manage to get almost all of the rest of the back yard done, plus the round pen. Tomorrow I'm going to start on the big paddocks. These will be tougher, it's not just raking leaves on level ground, there's a lot of weeds and branches still out there, but it's about the only thing really major left to do. There are four paddocks, my horses are in two of them, though I'll put them back together and rotate them around to get this job done. Spent most of the day doing that, though I did get my new credit card today, so I put some time into updating a few automatic payments with that. That was pretty much my day! Looking forward to my shower to get the smell of smoke off me, then off to bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Slept late again this morning, woke up to chilly temps at last, did my few chores, had breakfast, then just read for awhile, I just started a new fantasy series called House Witch, eventually falling asleep in my recliner. Not a reflection on the book, I'm finding it very good! I decided to crawl back into bed and it wasn't long before I fell asleep again for more than 2 1/2 hours! Guess I really needed it! Got up, read a bit more, fixed dinner, fed the horses, watched a movie, and had an otherwise totally uneventful day, exactly what I needed! I'll be raring to go tomorrow for sure! We're supposed to have another chilly night tonight, I've gone from air conditioning to fireplace in 24 hours! That time of year! Be heading for bed here shortly, so good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hi Darlin',
Not the best night sleep, woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get to sleep for several hours, then slept until nearly 9:00 to make up for it. Spent half an hour trying to get the little Truckster going, never did manage it, so ended up just tying the tarp to the back of the truck and using that to haul yard waste out to the right of way. Worked for about three straight hours before calling it a day. Trying to pace myself a bit. Yard is looking a lot better, but still a ways to go. Took a nice shower and relaxed the rest of the day, finished a book, watched a couple of movies, headed for bed. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Darlin’,
I had hoped to get a ride in this morning, but I got a little sidetracked and ran out of time. I finally decided to get my foot looked at, it’s still hurting from the riding incident back in May, and I thought by now it would be healed, so I’ve been wondering if I didn’t actually break it after all. In any event, I wanted to know, so I drove to a local clinic in town, and after waiting about an hour, I finally got it x-rayed. Thankfully, it did not, in fact, have any breaks or fractures, but the provider assured me that a bad bone contusion could take 6 months to a year to fully heal, so I guess I just have more time to wait! It’s flared up a little with all the hard labor and walking I’ve been doing, but the pain has very gradually been diminishing, so it’s just time now. After that I ran down to Bealls to try to find some cargo shorts, only bought one pair of regular shorts that fit and were comfortable, and costs less than six bucks! I took a quick stop at Badcocks furniture and found a nice recliner I might like, so many of them were pretty uncomfortable but there was on Lazyboy that might work, if I can get a swivel kit. We’ll see, I have to do some research. Dave had asked me to help out with getting some firewood moved somewhere, so I stopped at the firewood guy Shannon’s house and met him, and we arranged to haul it together tomorrow. Being so late in the day, I decided not to do anything else, and relaxed the rest of the day. Once again, ready for shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetheart,
Woke up to a cooler morning, actually got below 60 last night! Fall must be on the way. Dave delivered the Truckster to me, but it was having some issues, and I ended up only being able to do one small load with it before it crapped out on me. It stopped partly in the road, so I pulled the truck over and towed it into the yard. Then I hooked up the trailer and backed it next to the far paddock, and spent the day moving limbs two or three times. Out of the first paddock, over the fence, then moved it again onto the trailer. Once the first paddock was clear, I moved to the second paddock, where my horses are, and threw the stuff over the first fence, then over the second fence, then finally onto the trailer. Slow going today, for sure! Took me a long time just to fill one trailer load, and by then I was pretty exhausted, so once I dumped that I quit for the day, around 2:00. All I had energy for today! I eventually went back to see if the Truckster would start again, and found the battery completely dead! So I got out my handy jump-starter and after a bunch of tries, finally got it going. I drove it around the yard a few times and it improved a little, but it’s obviously not going to be very reliable. When Dave came by later, he said the battery needed to be disconnected or it would drain, and I explained it had already done that, which surprised him that it took such a short time. He thought it might be the alternator, but then I explained that I had started it a couple of times after running around the yard a few times, so I didn’t think that was it. Anyway, hopefully it will start next time I try to run it. Had dinner, and finally received my package in the mail (I’ve been waiting all day!) and got my new little 6 inch mini chainsaw. Put the first battery on charge, though they seem to be pretty full, but apparently they only take about two hours to charge anyway, so that’s good! I was hoping we had access to a bush hog, that would be the best way to finish off these paddocks, but apparently we don’t, so I’m not sure what to do next, probably just keep going in and getting smaller and smaller pieces, especially if that Truckster starts working better. Meanwhile, though, now that I have my chainsaw, I want to take a ride tomorrow and see what kind of shape the trails are in, not sure if anyone’s had time to look at them yet, figure I can start on it if there’s a need. Finally settled down for the evening, won’t be long out of bed tonight! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Had an easier day today, first picking up a 21-bale bundle of hay from a place just a stone’s throw from McCulley Farms, didn’t see much repair work going on there, but I guess the endurance ride is still scheduled. Got my hay (the guy was an expert, dropped in perfectly in the back of the truck, though the tailgate had to be down because of the water tank), stopped at the cheapest place for diesel I could find (still $4.29/gallon), went to Tractor Supply, who managed to find me all the feed I needed, despite their website indicating they didn’t have some of it, then a final stop at Walmart for just a few things I needed. Was back around noon. Decided I wasn’t up to heavy physical labor today, and I didn’t have a chainsaw or the trailer to haul stuff, so I opted just to burn the piles of small stuff I had raked up yesterday. I also load eight bales into the trailer so I don’t have to worry about that, and covered the rest with a tarp. I may move them under the gooseneck, I haven’t decided yet. Did a couple of loads of laundry as well. Then Deb came by with a package, the new cover for my new phone which is due to arrive later in the week, and much to my surprise, it looks like my new phone is actually smaller than the one I have now! So I guess it’s about the same size as the phone before the Nokia, which will be great! Thought it would be about the same size or slightly larger, but smaller is better, as far as I’m concerned! The cover is a lovely shade of Hunter Green, which I realized later may not have been the best choice, if I lose it in the woods while riding it will be nearly impossible to find! But being smaller, it should tuck into my horn bag better anyway, so hopefully, not a problem. Settled into dinner and TV, looking forward to a shower and bed. Glad I had a restful day, though, I’ll be ready for more labor tomorrow, though only if I get the tools I need, which, at the moment, has to have wheels. Dave is supposed to be getting something called a Truckster, which he lent to someone else, but if he gets it back I’ll get busy again. If not, I may just take a ride to see what kind of shape the trails are in. I’m supposed to be getting my mini-chainsaw tomorrow, but mail gets here really late, so I might just take the folding clippers and my camp saw just in case. Decisions for a later time! Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
Not surprising, I had a great night sleep, got up early again and started working by about 8:15. Deb joined me shortly after and worked with me all morning, which meant we got a lot more work done! Another three trailer loads of stuff, plus the equivalent of another load dumped over the paddock fence to the roadside, where we hope they’ll be coming along to pick up before too long. Tomorrow they have some other stuff to do over at the canoe launch, so they’re taking the trailer and the chainsaws with them, not sure if I’m going with them or not, though probably not. I have to get hay, I’m down to my last bale, and there are a few errands I run. David said he could get a little vehicle that I can use to drag a tarp behind, so I might still be able to do some clearing, or I can do a small burn. We’ll see! Lots of choices! Looks a lot better though, we got a lot done. There are several large trees we’ve cleared up, everything but the largest part of the trunk, which we need a big chainsaw for, and is evidently going to a neighbor for firewood. Anyway, I was done around 3:00, relaxed the rest of the day. Heading to bed early again, I’m liking this earlier schedule. It’s physically demanding work, but I’m feeling stronger every day, just like on the Shore-to-Shore ride! Of course, the horses are being lazy for the time being, but once I get the little electric mini chainsaw I ordered, I intend to take a ride and see what kind of shape the trails are in. I don’t know if anyone else has been out there yet, there’s still a lot of work to be done around the neighborhood. Had an early shower, just have my Spanish lesson to do (I’m almost to a 500 day streak!), then I’m headed to bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Was up at the crack of dawn and got busy by 8:00. So much to do! Spent the morning loading up branches on to a long flatbed trailer and moving it out to the road, where evidently they’ll be along to pick them up at some point. I also raked up a lot of little stuff into piles, which I plan on burning later when the conditions are right. A bit too windy today. Later in the morning, Dave gave me a small gas chainsaw to use, so I was able to get a lot more done, though during a short break, I found a small electric mini chainsaw online and ordered it, I needed one anyway. Couldn’t believe I found one for $49!! And with really high ratings! We’ll see, but it should work on the trails, which is what I mostly bought it for anyway. Job one is to completely clear the circular driveway that goes around the property, so that’s where I put my focus, though I did try to do a little in the paddocks, that’s going to take some time, or a tractor, whichever comes first! Managed to take a few bites of this enormous elephant, but it’s a start. Finally quit about 3:30, just couldn’t physically do any more today. Tomorrow it starts all over again! Taking my shower early, will be in bed early, too, I’m sure! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
After going to bed by 8:30 and falling asleep shortly thereafter, it’s not surprising I woke up half an hour before my alarm went off. Consequently, I was all packed up and moving out of the campground be 7:30, which was actually before the sun came up! Thankfully, had an uneventful drive, except for once again stopping for fuel at a One9 truck stop, not fitting into their car area, and had to go to their truck area, where I had the same problem with too big a nozzle, splashback shutting it off, and it timing out, twice, after only a minute or two while I was checking on the horses, making me have to go inside and have them turn the pump on again. In the end, they had one of their guys come out and “do it for me” as if I was doing something wrong, when the problem lay with them and the brevity of their time-outs. Whatever, I won’t be going there anymore, which is unfortunate, because they are about fifty cents less than their sister truck stops, Pilot and Flying J. Anyway, I arrived right at 3:00, met up with my hosts and quickly got settled in. I had to put the horses in a different paddock than last time because of all the trees that were down in the previous one, there is certainly a lot of cleanup that needs to be done! I’ll start tomorrow, though, since it was after 5:00 by the time I got everything set up, and that included Lola’s swimming pool, since she was panting so much from the heat. Ran the AC for a bit to cool it off, hoping it will cool down enough tonight that fans will be enough in the bedroom. Heading for shower and bed, since I plan to get up fairly early to get a good start before it gets too hot. Good night, darlin’! Love you!