Hey Babe,
Woke up at a decent hour, but stayed in bed to finish a riveting book, so it was nearly 11:00 by the time I got out of bed. Did my chores, worked a bit on the computer, then headed over to the pool to do some deeper cleanup. I had it pretty nice last week before it rained, but then it got all filled with leaves again. I also got the pool vacuum going, after cleaning the filters, and managed to get a lot of the sand and bottom dirt out of it. Then I had to clean the filters again to get the Navigator going, the pump isn’t really strong enough to get it moving very well, but at least it was mildly functional when I got done. I tried out my failing pressure washer, but it died again in a few seconds, definitely going to have to take it apart tomorrow and see if I can find the problem. Not sure it’s worth fixing, but it’s been nice to have it when I need it. Maybe not enough to buy a new one, but if I can repair this one cheaply, maybe. Played with Lola the whole time, she was really in need of some exercise. Afterwards, I gave her another bath with that special veterinary recommended itch shampoo, but she was scratching within moments of rinsing her off, so I’m pretty sure it’s not doing her any good at all. Settled down with my usual evening routine, ready for shower and bed and another book I started earlier. Good night, darlin’! Love you!

Hi Darlin’!,
Still not liking getting up in the dark, woke up around 7:00, stayed in bed reading until it got lighter. Was hoping to ride today, but when I checked the forecast, it was pretty dismal, and quite cool this morning. I remembered that today was the day that reservations opened up for the 2024 Red Rock Ride, one of the few items left on my bucket list, and I managed to get in on the ride I wanted, the third Spring Ride, which ends the day before what would be our 35th anniversary. It goes through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and ends up at the north Rim of the Grand Canyon with several notable stops along the way. In less than an hour, every one of the six rides was full, so I’m glad I got online immediately! It seems I’ll have to share a room with someone, but I’m sure I won’t be the only single gal on the ride. Afterward, I was getting ready to tear down my pressure washer, which quit working at Glenn’s the other day, but just before that, I plugged it in and turned it on and voila! It turned on. Don’t know how long it will keep working, but it’s running for the moment. I’ll have to test it and clean around Jeff’s pool, see how long it lasts. I did find a used motor on ebay, may order it if it dies again soon. Eventually I headed out to go shopping, first to Home Depot, then Walmart, before getting back home around 5:00. Settled in for the evening, same routine as usual, so good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetheart,
A decent night sleep, but I’m still not on DST, not getting out of bed until after 9:00. Yuck! Worked a little on the computer in the morning, had a hard time getting going, but finally went out and started out by trimming the horses feet, all eight of them. Flash has a little split I’ve been trying to glue so it won’t get any worse, and between yesterday and today the glue I put on fell off, so I put another coat on. I also trimmed it a bit to try to prevent the pressure from making it worse, and that got me started. It was a little cooler today, so I had the energy to do all four feet on him, then the same on Apollo. Then I followed up with a scraper to get some of the winter coat off Apollo, he’s covered with clumping hair and has really been looking shaggy, so I went to work on him. He looks better, but has a long way to go. Then, since I had the 3M 5200 glue out, I decided to reseal the toilet. I had put some other silicon adhesive on, but for some reason it never hardened, and was collecting dirt and staying soft, so I wiped it completely down and started over with the good stuff. I hope that solves the problem with the leaking and the occasional smell. Hope I don’t regret it, if I ever have to replace the toilet. That was about it for the day. I did speak to Jeff’s builder friend Jeff C. about reworking the microwave, as well as to a repairman, but still haven’t figure out exactly what to do. Jeff C. said he’d come by on the weekend and take a look, hopefully we can work something out. I’ve definitely secured the job in Texas in April, very happy about that, finalized my flight, looking forward to it! Settled down to some Remington Steeles and a movie, ready for shower and bed. Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
It’s official, I hate Daylight Savings Time. Why do we need it to be dark at 7:00 a.m. just so it can be light at 9:00 pm? Doesn’t make any sense to me. Anyway, got up while it was still dark so I could be at my brother Glenn’s around 8:00 for a delivery he was expecting, HATE IT! The dark, that is! Spent the morning cleaning his pool and his patio. I started out working with my pressure washer, but not surprisingly, it died after about five minutes. Did some more with just the hose, but that’s not very effective. Received the delivery, then hung around a bit doing some work on the computer, finally came back around 1:00. Not in the mood to do anything else, sorry to say. Finally got some rain, the first in weeks, in the evening. Watched a Remington Steele and a movie, still pretty early to go to bed, but I’m so bored I can’t stand it! it does look like I’ll have a workshop in a couple of weeks, which will finally break the monotony. Gotta get back on the road! Did do some research on the various bucket list rides I’m planning, and more about the microwave (looking less promising), but no real progress. To shower and bed and reading, probably until the wee hours, which is my pattern lately. Good night, my darlin’! Love you!

Hey Darlin’,
Not much going on again today. Daylight Savings started overnight, which I’m starting to hate, I just wish they’d leave it along and forget all about this stupid change. I mean, the days are getting longer anyway, why do we need to shift them in one direction or another? Doesn’t make any sense. Anyway, the only constructive thing I did today was to finish pulling out Jeff’s box scraper, which until recently has been buried so deep into overgrowth it was impossible to reach, but James has been cutting all the bushes back with a new pruning tool he got the other day, and the yard’s starting to look a lot better. I had to move the ramp on his semi box (yes, there’s a big Mayflower trailer in his yard, sigh…), but I managed to get it hooked up to the tractor and out to the driveway. I had to pull out a bunch of growth around the blade that was preventing it from sitting correctly, which improved the drag somewhat. Not perfect, but hopefully a lot better than it was. I’ll know better when I drive out in the morning. Spent the rest of the day doing pretty much nothing. Thought about going for a ride, but it’s gotten so dang hot down here so early, I just didn’t feel like it. I’m so bored with the trails around here, it’s really not much fun. Can’t wait to get back on the road again! Watched a couple of movies and did a load of laundry, and that’s about it. Ready for my shower and bed shortly. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Had a great night sleep last night, no earplugs, no barking, no pills, just a great night sleep, yay! Did my chores, fixed a cupboard in the bathroom that has worked loose and didn’t let the doors close properly, then go busy washing windows on the house. I had told Jeff that I would help clean up the place before all his company came in the next few weeks, but I’m feeling a bit like I’m rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. He has so much junk laying around, stuff that should have been thrown out months and years ago, I don’t know where to begin. I managed to get most of the windows clean, at least the one I could reach around the junk, so it looks a little better. I also did a litt more pool cleaning, but I couldn’t find the pool vacuum to get the sand out. I also couldn’t find a dustpan for the floor dirt I swept up, another setback. Then I got a text from my concert friend Lori, and we arranged to go to the dog beach in Juno for awhile, so I headed over there around 3:30. I picked her up at her RV park and drove over to the beach, which had dozens of dogs running around. We had a great time, although we lost another frisbee to the riptide! Now I have no more frisbees, I’ll have to find some more. I stopped at the Dollar Store and the Pet Supermarket on the way home and couldn’t find anything suitable, I’ll just have to keep looking. Enjoyed the company, though, and Lola wore herself out. I gave her a bath when we got back, then settled down for the evening. Took my shower, had loads of sand in a lot of unexpected places (one of the reasons I’m not usually big on the beach, but it’s always good to get there once in a while), watched a movie and a Remington Steele, heading to bed shortly. Love you, babe! Good night!

Hi Babe,
I could NOT get to sleep last night, I just kept reading, hoping to drop off, but there’s a dog somewhere in the neighborhood that just wouldn’t stop barking! Grrrr! By 3:00, I was desperate to sleep, I ended up putting in my earplugs and taking an acetaminophen PM. I hate to do that, because even though it does help me sleep, I usually feel logey all the rest of the day. Sure enough, it got me to sleep, but I didn’t wake up until nearly 11:00. Didn’t have the energy to do much, so I spent some time tracking down a microwave, Randy from Harmar gave me a lead on someplace, and I left a message, but they didn’t get back to me today. I also managed to find some new health insurance, and after half a dozen transfers, finally got with a woman named Kimberly who did a fantastic job of walking me through everything. So I’m still with Cigna, which is great, with a subsidized policy so my costs are WAY down. As much as I hated giving up my union contract this year, this will be a much cheaper option for me until I qualify for Medicare in August. Glad to get it, too, I was worried I’d have to go without for a few months, didn’t really want to do that. So that was my afternoon, mostly. I did a little pool cleaning while I played with Lola before dinner, then settled down to a movie, Mysterious Circumstance, about the dead of Meriweather Lewis. It was a bit slow, but an interesting acting exercise, doing the same scene over and over with slightly different intents, offering a variety of explanations of how the same essential script could be interpreted in so many different ways. But I’m ready for bed now, I’m truly hoping for a good night sleep, and to be able to get back on schedule, although with Daylight Savings time starting this weekend (ugh!), it’s just going to mess it up again. I wish they would just stop doing that! Anyway, the night is cooler, I didn’t have to run the AC today, thank goodness. There’s a cold front coming in shortly, so it will be cooler next week, which is fine with me! Anyway, time for shower and bed. Love you, darlin’! Good night!

Hey Darlin’,
Took awhile to get to sleep last night, but finally managed it. Got up pretty early, though, got packed up, said my good-byes, then drove around the corner to visit with Margarita and George, who cooked us a huge, fabulous breakfast. Bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, coffee, needless to say we all were full by the time we got done. We chatted for a couple of hours, until I finally left around 10:30. A fairly uneventful drive, though I can’t believe the variations in the price of diesel! On the turnpike (historically the most expensive place) it was $4.48 or so. I waited to get fuel until I got off the turnpike, and disappointingly, the Pilot was $4.89 a gallon! I only got a few gallons, enough to get me to a place north of Okeechobee, where I filled up at $4.03 a gallon. That’s the best price I’ve seen in over a year! I hope it keeps going in that direction. Stopped to drop off a book I had borrowed, then went to Glenn’s to do a more thorough cleaning of the pool, then stopped at Tractor Supply for some feed and hay, finally got home around 4:30. Loaded up the hay into the trailer, then settled down for the night. Watched a little British rom/com and a couple of Remington Steele’s, now I’m ready for shower and bed. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie!
What a nice change of pace today! After a nice breakfast of cereal followed by some playtime with the dogs, I spent a bit of time reviewing the ATV online course before heading over to the Forest Service office, so I was ready! Turned out I was the only student in this particular class due to some last minute changes that other people made, which was fine, we got through the whole course in about 80 minutes, and it was a blast! Learned a lot, got the feel of the ATV, got to run around a bunch of pinions in all kinds of patterns, really fun. Terry taught the class, Scottie came by to say hello, as did Jerry, who I don’t think I’d met before, so it was very welcoming. Spoke to Melanie in the office for a bit about volunteer opportunities, got the rest of the paperwork done, and spoke at length to some other folks that were in the office asking questions, and it turned out that the husband was a professional remodeler and was very familiar with RV’s, so I picked his brain about microwaves, and he offered to get in touch with some contacts he has in Elkhart, IN (where most North American RV’s are born!) and see if he could find a front-mounted one for me. I just have to get him the model number of the one I have, which I’ll do as soon as I get home. Nice folks! Then I headed over to my friend Margarita’s, and we spent the afternoon getting caught up. I knew Jo was working and didn’t want to disturb her, so it was an excellent way to spend the day. Her husband George wasn’t home, but when I left at 4:00, I said I’d be happy to stop by in the morning on my way out to say hi, especially if he cooked me breakfast (he loves to cook!), and within a few minutes after leaving, she confirmed that George had agreed, so it will breakfast at their house in the morning! Got back and ran the dogs around for a bit, Jo’s husband Jeff made another delicious dinner, I helped Jo get her trailer hooked up, she’s taking one of her horses to the vet’s in the morning, and then I settled down to watch Condoleeza Rice speak at the Reagan library, live streaming. A great speech, as always. Quick shower, setting the alarm, Spanish lesson, lights out! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Had trouble getting to sleep, a very fitful night, but managed to get enough in the end. Didn’t take long to get packed up, and headed out around 11:30. Stopped at Glenn’s to service his pool, then hit the highway non-stop to my friend Jo’s house, where I will be staying the next two nights. Her big yard is completely fenced, so Lola has plenty of room to run around, and soon was absorbed into the pack of the three other dogs that she has. Enjoyed the evening catching up, had a wonderful dinner made by her husband, had some fascinating conversation before going out to help feed the horses. Cooler tonight, so it should be a great night sleep, I hope! Heading to shower and bed early, lots to do tomorrow! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!