Hiya Darlin'!
Had a wonderful and busy Christmas Day! After chores and breakfast, I did a little checking on the non-working furnace, which is back to doing what it did before the last mystery repair, and nothing I did helped, unfortunately. But that wasn't my focus for the day. I saddled Flash and we went for a fabulous ride, almost fourteen miles, on the orange trail, which took us up to the Apex area trails. That turned out to be great, because I had a chance to check out a couple of trails ahead of the Taste of Goethe, and one trail which I couldn't use last year because they had chewed it up so badly that it was terrible for horses, has now settled down into a beautiful sand and grass trail that will work just fine! Flash was in high spirits, insisting on a four mph walk the entire way, except for when he decided a fast gaiting or a full on hand gallop was called for! What a fun ride! We went nearly 14 miles. The trails are so dry and lovely, you couldn't ask for better trails! I noticed some of the trails already had ribbons on them for the Goethe Gallivant ride this weekend (quite right, since it's an FEI ride, including a 100-miler), and the conditions are perfect! The weather was fabulous today, with a high near 80, and they are supposed to continue through the week until a cold front finally comes in on Tuesday. Fabulous! Got back to camp around 2:00, rinsed of Flash, who then promptly rolled in dirt and sand, going from white to brown in a matter of seconds! Oh, well! I decided to take one last stab at my furnace, cleaning off the control board and removing the cover from the far where the sail switch is, cleaning that up, taking off all the electrical connections I could see and running an emery board over them in the hopes of improving any connections. I finally put the cover over the fan, and put it on more tightly than before, since nothing works unless that's in place, and finally turned everything on, and was delighted when it immediately came on and stayed on! Everything works, but something is setting off the safety switch, which shuts everything down, and I think it's that fan cover, as simple as that seems. We'll see how long this fix lasts! Finally cleaned up after that, changed my clothes and headed up to Bob's house, aka Mellow Yellow, and joined the party up there. What a lovely evening! Too much food and drink, some very pleasant conversation, a nice walk over to the Caudill's for dessert, music, door prizes and even some dancing (though I didn't partake in that!), and a lovely Christmas was had by all! We finally left around 8:00, back to camp by 8:30, gave the horses their hay, and now have just a short evening left before bed. So grateful for days like this! Though I'm grateful for every day, of course, but these kind of days are so memorable. Not long out of bed tonight! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Wednesday, December 24, 2025 – Panther Back on the Road!! Plus Ride on Apollo
Hey Sweetie!
A very happy day! The weather was gorgeous and crying out for outdoor activity! First, though, I took a quick look at my furnace, which stopped working a few days ago, and I reset it, pulled the fuse a few times, and finally got it back on track, working again. Hopefully it will stay that way, since we have some cold weather headed our way next week. The Porta-potties for the upcoming Goethe Gallivant arrived, so I got them settled in and taped up so prevent their use before the event starts. Then I took a ride on Apollo, with Art and Lola alongside, and we went on about a 2.5 mile loop. It was wonderful! Then Art drove me up to Reuben and Angela's to pick up Panther. He sounds fantastic! That incredible growling purr is back! I'm still a little worried about things like what kind of shape my tires are in, but there wasn't the shimmying at 45 mph like they're use to be, so a lot has improved. There are a few electronic problems I need to look into, like the power locks and the power windows on the passenger side, though fortunately, the driver side window works fine. It was covered in dust, which I remedied later when I got back to camp. After I picked it up, I headed to Helen's to pick her up, then over to Willards for lunch. She was in a particularly despondent mood today, I've never seen her so depressed. Having a car accident and losing her independence a few weeks ago is really getting tough on her. We managed to cheer her up a little by the end of lunch, I think. Then I headed back to camp, where I gave Panther a good wash and a light wax, as well as a bit of Armorall on the inside. There are so many boxes being stored inside, I really need to take some time to go through them all and see what I can get rid of. No room for Lola or passengers at the moment, gotta fix that! Finally settled down for the evening, having enjoyed a very fulfilling and satisfying day! So good to have Panther back on the road!! Good night, baby! Love you!
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 – Laundry and Housekeeping Day
Hiya Babe,
Spent the day doing lots of odds and ends. I was just feeding the horses when Art came by for his daily walk, and asked to take Lola with him. I think that breaks the tedium for him, and Lola is a great companion, as we know! They came back after an hour, and by then I had done a couple of loads of laundry and was hanging them up to dry. He didn't stay long, so I got busy doing housework and a bunch of little jobs that needed doing throughout the day, with reading breaks occasionally. Made arrangements to pick up the Buick tomorrow (can't wait to have Panther back on the road!), as well as have lunch with Helen and Art. Finally settled down for my usual evening. Just another day in the life! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Monday, December 22, 2025 – Runaround Hay Day
Hey Darlin',
My plan today was to do a bunch of errands in the morning and get back to do housework this afternoon, but that didn't exactly work out as planned. My first stop was at Jo's to pick up a package with some med's for Lola and the pink flags I need for setting up the ride next weekend, and we took a few minutes for Lola to have a playdate with her four dogs, since she gets so excited every time we pull up into Jo's neighborhood. A brief stop at the Dollar store where I picked up a couple of things. Next stop was at the Triple J ranch where I had previously bought some really nice green coastal. I decided that rather than use the hay I had already stored, I would just buy enough to last me my stay here and leave those eight bales for the next leg of my journey. Unfortunately, they didn't have anymore of that nice hay, it was just your usual coastal, but Chelle had told me that Farmers Direct still had the greener stuff, so I drove up there. Turns out they were out of coastal, but had a truck coming in around 2:30 this afternoon. They were pretty sure it was of the greener stuff, so I decided to wait for it. While I did, I took a drive down to the trailer place to check on my little trailer, and learned the axles hadn't come in yet, so it would be mid-January before it would be ready. They had put the new roof on, though, so that was a major improvement. After that, I stopped at a park near the hay place, because I read they might have a dog park, but it was just open fields, so I just sat and read for awhile before heading back to the hay place. Eventually the trailer with the coastal arrived, and I was happy to see it was the lovely green stuff, so I bought another fourteen bales. Then I stopped at Helen's to pick up some cans for recycling, then I dropped those off at Forest HQ before finally getting back to camp around 3:45, much later than I had anticipated. Poor horses, I only had a few flakes to give them this morning, figuring I'd be back by noon, but they were waiting patiently for me, and attacked the new hay as soon as I put it in the paddock. Stored the rest of the hay under the gooseneck and finally was able to start my evening. A busy runaround day, but at least now I'm set for hay until I leave to head south. Gorgeous weather today, and more on the way, so I definitely would like to get some more riding in this week! Housework is calling me, so I'll have to squeeze that in sometime, but you know how that always ends up at the bottom of my to-do list. Time for bed! Good night, my sweet! Love you!
Sunday, December 21, 2025 – First Ride at Tidewater
Hiya Sweetie,
Had a great night sleep, finally found the right setting for the thermostat so that I would stay fairly warm in bed, while I try to stop being so stingy with propane that I'm uncomfortable! Woke up to the sound of thundering hooves, and sure enough, Flash was doing some self-exercising around the paddock. Guess he's ready for a ride! Did a little planning in the morning, then saddled up Flash and headed out, just as Art was arriving for his morning walk. I had texted him to suggest that if he wanted company, he was free to take Lola with him, and he just received the message as he arrived here, so he did take her. Flash and I headed out, trying to follow a trail that the trailmaster for the next ride had given me, though the map she uses is much different than the map I use, so I'm not certain I followed it exactly, but I did most of it. My Garmin died about halfway around, and even though I had four spare batteries, none of them worked! Guess they got a little rusty or old from sitting around in my horn bag for too long! Still, it was a lovely ride, and Flash did a good job, as usual. About a mile out of camp we ran up on a woman, Deb, who was ponying a youngster, and once Flash was bent on catching up, then as soon as we passed (after chatting for a minute), Flash decided that he needed a gallop, so I let him run until we reached Saddle Pen Road, which was lime rock, where he slowed down. Got back to camp and Art was still here, so I had him look at Flash's movement to make sure he wasn't limping, but he seemed to think he was okay. He didn't seem to favor any leg after I rinsed him off and put him away (after he rolled in the sand and dirt, of course!), so I guess he's fine. We chatted for a bit before he headed out, and shortly afterward, Lola came out and reclaimed her outdoor lounge chair! Read for awhile, then settled down for my usual evening. Another beautiful day in paradise! Love you, babe! Good night!
Saturday, December 20, 2025 – Christmas Light Walk at WEC
Pix to come!
Hi Babe,
Woke up to a chilly morning in the upper 30's, took quite awhile to get the chill out of the air, and by then it was a bit too late to ride, since my vet friend Art was picking me up at 3:30 and I didn't want to be rushed or worry about running late. I finished reading a book, and had just finished feeding the horses when he arrived, and we set off to Pavarotti's for an early dinner. We split an entree, which was more than enough for both of us, then headed over to the World Equestrian Center (WEC) to wander around their grounds, which is all lit up for the holidays. Quiet a spectacle! We met up with a group that had been organized, and we enjoyed walking around together for a couple of hours. It was a lovely evening, and I had dressed in enough layers and even brought my parka just in case it got too cold, and I never did! Got back home about 9:00, too late to do much but finish a Spanish lesson, do my blog, take my shower and head to bed! Good night, darlin'! Love you!
Friday, December 19, 2025 – Debrief Lunch With Ride Team
Hiya Darlin',
Finally had a good night sleep! I've been waking up in the middle of the night and having a hard time getting back to sleep, but managed to sleep through the night until about 7:30, yay! Did my chores, skipping breakfast, and drove into town for my annual blood test. I arrived early and the system wouldn't let me check in, so I went over to Tractor Supply to fill up three tanks of propane, only to find out they were out! Checked my mail, ran into Walmart for eggs and bread, then back to the lab, which was very quick. From there I drove up to Dunnellon Feed Store, which also sells propane by the gallon, though for a bit more than Tractor Supply, but it was worth it not to run out or to have to come back. Got home, but everything away, and it wasn't long before it was time to pick up Helen and head over to Willard's, where our ride team had a debrief and celebratory lunch. Got back to camp around 3:00 and settled down for the rest of the day. Made plans with Art to join a group going over to WEC tomorrow night to experience their Christmas decorations, apparently it's quite a sight. Relaxed the rest of the evening, feeling more rested, but could still use a day off! Maybe Sunday. Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Thursday, December 18, 2025 – Inventory and Friend Visit
Hey Sweetie,
Well, not exactly the day of rest that I planned, but not too exhausting. I did go up and help Chelle do the inventory, took a bit longer than I hoped because we also got all the station boxes sorted and restocked, and it had just started raining by the time I got back to camp. Meanwhile a friend stopped by and we ended up chatting for quite awhile, so I didn't quite start my restful routine until almost 4:00. Not as much time resting today as I hoped, but you know what they say, I'll rest when I'm dead! Finally did settle down for a quiet evening, and had the satisfaction of still getting something worthwhile done today. Tomorrow's also going to be busy, but maybe over the weekend I'll finally get a day of nothing! Wouldn't that be nice! Be nodding off here soon, so off to bed with me! Good night, babe! Love you!
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – Moving Day, Plus, Plus
Hi Babe,
Another busy and exhausting day! After breakfast, I finished packing and closing up the trailer, then loaded the horses in for their breakfast before taking the tractor and bush hogging all around the paddock to clean it up. Then I drove it over to Helen's to fix some tire ruts where one of the riders got their semi stuck in the sand and made quite the mess. Not perfect, but a lot better. Then I finished the trip going over to Chelle's, who brought me back to camp, and from there I finally headed down to Tidewater. Turns out the site I had been assigned was way too small, with no place for the horses, so after scouting around a bit, the manager and I settled on a nice open area across from the day parking, which gave me lots of room for a fenced paddock and more sun for my solar panel than just about anyplace else. Finally unloaded the horses after I got their paddock ready for them, which is in a location right where I can see them, then had to fill up my water tank since I no longer had a nearby spigot. Changed the water filter in the process, LONG overdue! It was nearly 3:00 by the time I got everything set up and I could finally stop moving for a bit. Played a little with Lola, read awhile, put up my solar panel, then finally settled down for my evening routine. Happy that I have a pretty decent cell signal where I am! Feeling very tired, though, I really need a day off, but I'm not sure I'm going to get one any time soon. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I was thinking about resting then, but I need to do an inventory with Chelle for the Taste of Goethe, so we'll probably do that tomorrow instead. I will find a day to do nothing, though, and soon! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 – Doctors, Shopping and Packing
Hiya Darlin',
Woke up before my alarm, got up before the crack of dawn, then headed out to my first appointment at the dentist and my second appointment for my wellness check up, followed up with doing some shopping at Walmart. Stopped at Jo's on the way back to return all the markers (making a little bit more room in the back seat of my truck!), and was back at home by 1:30. Got everything put away, then started packing up, since I finally got it settled where and when I would be heading down to Tidewater, which will be tomorrow. Spent the rest of the day and evening in my usual routine, very happy that I've finally managed to get back to decent live streaming! That's what happens at the beginning of my month of cell service! Service isn't too great down at Tidewater, but I'm hoping there will be enough. We'll see! Heading to bed shortly. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!























