Hey Babe,
Well, after a slow morning, having a hard time getting much energy up for some unknown reason, at ten minutes to twelve and no sign of my package (which was originally scheduled for Thursday, then Friday, then today), I called the post office where they confirmed they hadn’t received it yet. Tracking has it leaving Jax at 4:30 this morning, so who knows where it might be! Of course, unless they miraculously deliver it tomorrow (not likely), I’ll be sitting in the post office lobby trying to catch it when it comes in and before it gets put in a carrier vehicle. I don’t really want to haul the trailer into town, so I’m just not going to hook up until I get back, which means a late start to my next destination. Well, it’s only 170+ miles, mostly freeway, so I should make it in around three hours, so not too bad. Then I started trying to figure out how the wireless fence works, starting with getting the training option working, and discovered that it makes a noise and vibrates, but doesn’t shock. I contacted Amazon and they agreed to replace it, I’m hoping that it also solves the inconsistent placement of the signal as well. Not sure I’ll ever need the shock part of the collar on her anyway, she comes running when she just hears it beep! That’s a good thing, so I might have to disable the shock part anyway! Spent most of the day reading, just couldn’t get any mojo going, until 6:30 when I went it to play some Farkle. Miraculously, I won the first game again! That’s three out of four now! Then we played a second game and I came in third, but, hey, that’s still best of 3 out of 5! Just got back to the trailer, put some laundry away, and am settling down for a short evening before shower and bed. Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 – Shopping and A Speedy Ride in the Allardt Tract
Hello, my love!
A good night sleep, got my chores and breakfast done, then tried to figure out how the wireless fence thing works. Seems a bit inconsistent, seems like it moves around, but I have to do a lot more experimenting with it yet. Then Sheila told me her friend said that Green Swamp, where I am going next week, was closed because of a hunt, though I was sure I had already checked that (and I do have a reservation!), but I double-checked anyway and got it straightened out. It was wrong on the website this morning, but they changed it back, so it’s all good! I went out shopping, and went to Lowes to pick up a bunch of little flags so I can try to mark the perimeter of the invisible fence, which is the way they generally want you to train your dog, but there’s a lot of clutter in this yard so I may wait until I get to my next stop. Had a little trouble with my new credit card at Lowes, it didn’t want to accept the chip, then at Walmart it wouldn’t work at all, and I had to use a different card for my purchase, then at Publix it wouldn’t accept the chip, but did take the swipe after a couple of tries. So it looks like I’ll have to get another card, something is wrong with this one. Grrr! Of course, they can’t get it here before I leave, so I’m going to have it sent to Cherryl’s house (you remember her, from Staten Island, and we had Thanksgiving with her a few years ago here in Florida), so I can pick it up next week. Once I got back, I saddled up Flash. After so many slow rides lately, I decided we both had a need for speed, so we headed out on a long straight sandy road to the Allardt tract, averaging above 5 mph, including some cantering and fast-gaiting, with Lola having to do a lot of running with us. The Allardt tract is a bit overgrown, so we got lost a few times, and didn’t manage to follow my GPS route very well, even though we were following the trail markers for the most part. Lots of sinkholes, and I thought it was generally very pretty, just nowhere near as groomed as the rest of the trails here. Just needs a little TLC, and it would be great! We did just over 10 miles in just under 2 hours, and Flash worked up a good sweat, so I rinsed him down and put him away, both of us happy! Chatted with Sheila for awhile, then came back to the trailer for dinner, some TV, some credit card updating online, now I’m ready for shower and bed. Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 – A Nice Ride at Mattair, Step Finished!
Hi Babe!
Had a good night sleep, did my chores, had breakfast and was just getting ready to saddle up Apollo for our ride over to Mattair, which is another section of trail along the Suwannee River, then it was postponed an hour because a small rain shower was supposed to come through (and did on the other side of the main road, but not here!), so it was about 11:45 when Sheila and I left. Linda couldn’t come with us because she had a vet coming out to look at Sonny, partly because of his leg burns, but mostly because she missed the expiration date on her health certificate by six days when she crossed the ag station, though surprisingly, they let her come in with a warning that she had to get it and send it to them within 7 days. It was a costly mistake, but at least she’s almost in the clear now, I just have to help her get it in the hands of the enforcers. Anyway, we trailered down to the trailhead, which was only about 10 minutes away, met her friend Chris down there, and headed off into the sandhill area down to the Suwannee River trail. Because I had been warned that Chris’ horse was pretty slow, and I already knew Sheila’s mule was slow, I brought Apollo for a change. Most of the trail went along the river, which was quite lovely, picture postcard Florida wilderness! Lots of Spanish moss hanging from trees, lot of beautiful views of the river, which is fairly high after all the rain last week. We did end up going through one brief sun shower, but it dissipated quickly. Everybody behaved well, with me in the back having to jog to catch up occasionally (Apollo can be a real slug these days!), and when we reached the trailhead on our return, we got chairs out and sat around and chatted for awhile. We finally got back home after 4:00, checked in with Linda and got the scoop on her horse, all is well, thank goodness! Just needs a couple more antibiotic shots on Sunday and he’s good to go, ride-able in 10-14 days, the vet said. I headed out to feed the horses, and barely got done with that chore when Kyle the welder showed up, ready to finish the job, which he and David did in short order! Well done, now I have a step at last! Hopefully, I won’t drag this one against any railroad tracks and it won’t get bent up again! Linda let me know that I was welcome to their dinner, so the five of us once again sat down together. I helped her for a bit getting her health certificate downloaded from GlobalVetLink while the others played a fast game of Farkle (David won in nine throws!), then we joined them for a second game (after ice cream and cherry wine), and though Sheila went out first, I had a miraculous run of 3150 points and managed to beat her on the last throw! I could hardly believe it! I won the last game I played, too, so I must be getting a string of beginners luck. Afterward I came back to the trailer to settle down for the evening. BTW, I received my new credit card FedEx today (it’s a miracle, got it overnight!), plus the new wireless pet fence, which I plugged in to charge overnight so I can start training it with Lola tomorrow. Seems like everybody else is busy tomorrow, and I also have to shop at some point, but I’m thinking about taking a long ride on Flash with Lola, she needs the exercise, maybe in the morning, but we’ll see. Anyway, a busy day, progress is made, now I’m ready for shower and bed. Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 – More Chaney Root, Ride and Step Half Welded
Hi Darlin’!
Had a good night sleep last night, then discovered a text from my credit card folks that a potentially fraudulent charge was made on my account, which I confirmed. They had to close out my account and are sending me a new card pronto. Unfortunately, I learned later on that several charges for things that I had ordered on Amazon hadn’t cleared the account, so now I may have a couple of deliveries arriving late because of it, darn it! They might still make it, but it’s not looking too good. Anyway, after that depressing call I did chores and breakfast, then went out on another chaney root hunt. My sister-in-law asked me to get some for my brother, so I went hunting again. I found a bunch of small ones, then finally dug up a couple of bigger ones, so now I have plenty for both of us. Then I got my lap sealant in the mail, so I climbed up on the roof and finished sealing around the refrigerator vent and putting the cover back on, now all I have to do is wait for the next rain to see if it solved the problem. Finally, with all my projects done, we were finally able to go for a ride, my hostess Sheila’s first on her mule Pete since she got here on Sunday. Linda rode Apollo again, so naturally I was in the lead on Flash the whole time. It was a lovely ride, pretty trails along the river, there’s just not enough of them to keep it interesting for me, so I’m looking forward to next week when I’ll be in Green Swamp, which has many more miles of trails, though tomorrow, we’re trailering over to Mattair for a ride, so that will be a nice change. After we got back, I did one last climb on the roof to put some more clear sealant along the edge of the awning, I noticed it was still dripping in a few spots during the last rain, so hopefully now, I’m completely watertight! Again, won’t know for sure until the next rain! Made myself some dinner after that, then killed some time binge-watching TV until Kyle showed up. He’s a tenant of David and Debbie’s, and he’s doing the welding on my step. He finally made it around 7:00 and managed to get about half of it done before he was stymied with a helmet problem, so he’s coming back tomorrow night to finish, hopefully. He and David worked on it together, and it seems to be working out, but for some reason, the step sticks out a bit more than the old one, even though they have it lined up perfectly with the previous studs. Oh, well, at least it will work, that’s the most important thing. Finally settled down after they left, just finishing my tea, now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 – Chaney Root Hunt and More Farkle
Hi Sweetie!
Woke up to the sound of David pounding limestone rock into the wheel divots right under my bedroom, but it was close to 8:00, so I didn’t mind. After chores and breakfast, we hooked up the truck and pushed the trailer back far enough so he could do the same with the trailer tires, which had sunk down enough to make the trailer pretty unlevel, so much so I was rolling to one side of my bed during the night! After he filled them in with more shell rock, we tried putting my leveling boards down, but that ended up being too high, even with one board, so we just pulled in onto the shell rock and it was just about perfect! Looking forward to a level night sleep tonight! Then I went up on the roof to take a look at where I think the leak is coming in around the refrigerator vent, took the cover off (which looked fine), and cleaned around the old seal really well. Because of the cover, I had never really put another layer down, and it does look like it needs replenishing, so that will be my job tomorrow afternoon, assuming my delivery of lap sealant arrives on time. After that, I headed out with a borrowed shovel to hunt down some chaney root. This is an island plant I learned about last year, high in iron and good for just about whatever ails you, native to the Caribbean but now widely spread throughout the South. I started drinking homemade chaney root tea last winter and my cholesterol dropped 30 points in less than 3 months, so I’m doing my best to keep that up! Well, the first few roots I dug up were pretty small, then I started looking for bigger and taller vines (it’s essentially a bramble), and that led me to some bigger roots, until the last one I dug up was HUGE! Well, certainly the biggest I’ve ever seen, but David was saying he dug one up once that literally filled a wheelbarrow. One root! Well, in less than an hour I dug up about 10 pounds of roots, which should be more than I need for my annual supply! A happy harvest today! Then some friends of my hosts came over and we sat on the porch and chatted for awhile, snacking a bit on sandwiches and sides, then after they left, we eventually all got back together for another game of Farkle, well, two games, and I actually won the second game! Considering how poorly I’d been doing in previous games, that was a relief! I have to say, I do better with games that require some skill, this one is 99 percent based on the throw of the dice, so not much skill involved, but it’s nice to have the camaraderie. Had another serving of ice cream and cherry wine, then finally got back to the trailer about 9:00. I’ll soon be heading off to shower and bed again! So good night, babe! Love you!
Monday, Nov. 8, 2021 – Nice Ride With Linda on Apollo
Hey Babe!
Another late night and morning, still trying to adjust to the new time, or just can’t seem to get off my “theatre” circadian rhythm for some reason. Did chores and had breakfast, then called Tractor Supply about the order of two bags of Balance we had hoped would be on the truck yesterday, and hit a roadblock. Typical. No one knew anything, and everyone I talked to told me what I had been told wasn’t possible. Grrrr! Frustrated, I got online on the Nutrena dealer locator and discovered the local Co-op had the Balance, so I went down and picked up two bags, plus a bag of Senior. They didn’t have the Perform for Flash, so I had to stop at Tractor Supply and get a bag there, but I had earned a $10 loyalty coupon, so at least that bag cost me about half price. Once I got those put away, I started saddling up the boys. I had invited Linda along, since her horse is out of commission for a bit while his legs heal, and she was happy to ride Apollo. We had a lovely 6 1/2 mile ride, mostly on the trails I’ve already done, but they were nice, and it warmed up to a beautiful day after a very chilly start to the morning. After we got back and put the horses away, she went off and tended to Sonny, I opened the two packages I had received today. One was for a new tailgate handle cover, which worked perfectly, and the other was for lug nut covers, which were way too small and will have to be exchanged or refunded. Then David came by with Kyle, one of his tenants that can do welding, and looked over my steps to figure out the best way to install them. They’re talking about not even using the bolts I bought, but just welding an entire seam along each end, they think that will be stronger. Whatever works, I don’t care! Then we all went into dinner, Sheila put out a big buffet spread for sandwiches, which was delicious, but as always on a buffet, I ate too much. Not going to lose any weight this week! Then we played another game of Farkle, then she brought out vanilla ice cream in stemmed glasses, and we poured Michigan Cherry Wine on it for dessert. Wow! Very nice! Oh, and I did Snowy River for them, just for fun. Then I helped Linda give Sonny another dose of bute, and headed back to the trailer, took Lola for a quick walk, and settled in for the night. Another night in the low 40’s, though Deb said it actually got down to 37 last night! Brrrr! Glad I’m so well insulated! Anyway, done for the day, heading to shower and bed in a bit. Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021 – Hay Day and Dinner With Hosts
Hi Darlin’!
Well, with the clocks changing last night, I woke up before my 7:30 alarm, and got more chores and breakfast done in plenty of time to get out to pick up my hay at 9:30. It was about a 30 minute drive to McAlpin, but it’s a big hay operation. The bales weren’t as big or as green as what I had before, but they were only $6 and it’s typical coastal, so I’m sure the horses will eat it. Made a quick stop at Walmart for some mineral spirits in case I need to strip all the old sealant off the refrigerator vent, or any other job where I might need it. I ordered some lap sealant today, so I can get the job done later in the week. Sheila arrived earlier than we expected, around 2:00, and she got her mule put away. Then we discovered that Linda’s young horse Sonny had gotten tangled up in the electric rope fence and really made a mess of his back legs, so we had to rinse those off and treat them a couple of times during the day. Then we gathered for a lovely dinner that Debbie had prepared, and afterward they introduced me to a dice game called Farkle, which was interesting and easy to learn. We treated Sonny again, then went our separate ways around the yard. I had decided that I need some kind of wireless fence for Lola, I’m getting tired of her disappearing on me and having to go get her, or having other people trying to adopt her. I met the guy that had her the other day, he claims he called several times, but couldn’t get through, but I checked and the number is working fine. Anyway, I did some research, and discovered an inexpensive system that actually works with a rechargeable battery on the transmitter as well as the receiver, which is a perfect solution. Most of them have to be plugged into power, and that means it would have to run off my trailer batteries whenever I’m not plugged in, and who knows what kind of a draw that would be. With rechargeable batteries, I can charge them every time I have the generator on when I’m boondocking, which means I don’t have to remember to turn on the machine every time I let Lola out. I hope it works as advertised, it’s the perfect solution. I ordered one, it should be here Thursday. Meanwhile she’s mostly going to be on a leash! After a nice quiet evening, it’s time to take my shower and go to bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 – More Rain, Housekeeping Day
Hi Sweetie!
Took a few hours to fall asleep after I went to bed last night, so I ended up sleeping late this morning. I did indeed wear earplugs because it rained all night, and kept raining most of the morning, though it was starting to slow down by the time I fed the horses, so I changed out their blankets. The lighter ones are supposed to be waterproof, but even they couldn’t keep all the rain out, and it’s been in the 40’s all night and this morning, so I took off the wet ones and put on the heavier winter blankets. After breakfast, I decided to do a really thorough cleaning in the bathroom and utility room, that kept me busy for a couple of hours, then I settled down for the evening. Didn’t ride or even meet with Pistol today, guess they got busy. Was hoping she was going to bring me some hay, I thought that’s what we talked about, but she didn’t, so I had to find another source, which I did, but they’re only available tomorrow morning, so no riding tomorrow, at least not with her. Maybe I’ll go alone later in the day, or maybe with my new neighbor, another guest arrived today with a young Morgan. We’ll see. My hosts have invited us to supper, Sheila from Michigan, the co-owner, is supposed to be arriving in the afternoon tomorrow, so it will be all of us together. Meanwhile, I’m just about ready for shower and bed! Good night, babe! Love you!
Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 – Cold and Rainy Day
Hi Babe!
Had a good night sleep last night, but woke up to the sound of a little rain falling, which turned out to be the theme for the entire day. Glad I put the horses blankets on last night! It was only 48 degrees when I got up, and it never got much higher all day long. Pistol arrived at the Music Park, and we all went into town for a few shopping items, but we all decided we didn’t want to ride in this weather, so she’s going to wait until tomorrow. Chances are, unless it gets sunnier and warmer tomorrow, I’m not going then either! You know me, I’m a fair weather rider, and this is definitely NOT fair weather! I found a puddle on the kitchen floor when I got back and I think I traced it back, there’s a serious leak down the back wall behind the refrigerator. I suspect that it’s not the ice-maker, which was my original concern, but in fact, the roof vent above the refrigerator. It’s either broken or the seal is gone, but it’s definitely bad because of the rain, and probably because I’m on a slight tilt, which must be letting the rainwater drip in. I’ve done some research and see that it’s not too much of a problem to repair or replace it (if it needs it), I’m thinking the seal is probably just gone somewhere, but I can’t check it until it stops raining. Anyway, I hope that’s it! Still doesn’t explain why the water pump keeps going off intermittently, but that’s a problem for another day! Meanwhile, I’ve put a little heater down there to hopefully keep it from pooling too much and ruining the wood. I didn’t feel like doing much of anything else today, so I just binge-watched this series I’ve been watching, Burn Notice. It’s like a spy version of MacGyver, based in Miami, which seems appropriate now that I’m back in Florida, and it’s pretty fun. Anyway, time for my Sleepytime tea, shower and another good night sleep, though I may need earplugs with the rain that’s still coming down! Good night, my darling! Love you!
Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 – Second Ride Along Suwannee River, Washed and Waxed Truck
Hey Darlin’!
Despite going to bed at a reasonable hour, I read for hours before I finally got to sleep, was still up before 8:00 this morning. After breakfast and chores and a little bit of housework in the bathroom, I did a little shopping on the internet (I ordered a new tailgate handle cover, I lost mine when the tailgate came down), then washed the truck. Then I saddled up Apollo, who seemed more than willing to go for a ride, and we had a fairly short four-mile ride that took us about 1:15. We did a lot of jogging, so that improved our speed somewhat. I mostly did the trail along the river in reverse, and this time we took Lola with us, so she actually got to go swimming in the famous Suwannee River! After we got back and I put Apollo away, I tried out some new Maguire spray wax, which was a lot easier than paste or liquid wax, and though I doubt it will work as well, it certainly was easy to use! It looked a lot better when I got done, whether or not it will bead, I don’t know, but I’ll find out shortly, there’s rain in the forecast. Debbie came by and chatted for awhile, then I had dinner and fed the horses. I also put their blankets on, it’s supposed to get pretty chilly tonight, and there’s an increasing chance of rain, and I don’t need them catching a chill! Settled down for the evening, and I intend to get to bed fairly early, though hopefully this time I’ll actually get to sleep at a decent hour! Heading to the shower and bed shortly! Good night, sweetie! Love you!