Hi Darlin',
Up with the alarm again, chores and breakfast done, then I got Apollo out of the pasture and gave him a good brushing and a little hoof trimming before Art arrived. The four of us, Art, Lola, me and Apollo, took the same walk as yesterday in reverse. I wore more comfortable shoes, which made a big difference! And maybe I gained a little strength after yesterday's walk. I definitely need to use it or I'm going to lose it! So I guess I need to make this a better habit. I know Lola enjoys it, and I think Apollo did, too. After we got back, we ran over to Helen's to pick up my portable hot tub, Chelle and Eric are keen to set it up, since the pool is still too cold to swim in, and this makes a nice addition. Shortly afterward, I received notice that my new Lenovo tablet had arrived, so I walked up and found it in the mailbox. Naturally, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting setting it up and getting acquainted with it. I think I'm going to like it! I think it's the perfect less than a pound option to carrying a five pound laptop. It won't do everything, but it will certainly do everything that I need on vacation, and for a lot of other times as well. Later in the afternoon I received another package, this one had a new sliding door for the trailer's screen door, but despite the picture on the box, it wasn't the same, and ended up being too small, sliding right out of the track, so that's going back. The other items were a couple of cargo nets. Both of the trellises that I've been using for area separation are pretty well destroyed, so I've decided to try something new, so we'll see how that goes. Finally settled in for the evening, starting the second season of the Night Manager, won't be long out of bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
I decided to go on the walk this morning, and was hoping to take Apollo along to stretch his legs, but he managed to slip away from me (I forgot to bring treats!), so I just walked with Art and Lola. I had a hard time keeping up, it's been a long time since I've done any walking. Later on I started on the ladder repair, but didn't get too far. I couldn't even begin to loosen the hardware from the old ladder, so I got online and ordered some new pieces. I also had a hard time getting a screw out of the side of the trailer that held one of the rubber doorstops in, and ended up having to cut it off. I'm thinking that the best solution now is to screw on a small metal plate for each rubber stop at the bottom, just to keep it tidy, since I reamed out the holes so bad there's no easy way to put a new screw in, and epoxy will just look nasty. A little creativity is required for this! But at least I made a start. I ordered a few more things I needed, trying to get as much done while I'm here as possible. Eventually settled down for the rest of the day with my latest binge, The Night Manager. You would have loved this British spy mini-series! Otherwise, a quiet day, Flash is looking good and running around the pasture, following me around in the hopes of getting some more of that alfalfa and treats! Might try to catch Apollo again tomorrow, but we'll see. Heading to be shortly! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hi Sweetie,
Got up early to do chores, started some laundry, and was just making breakfast and calling the dentist at the same time, to see when they could fit me in to get this broken temporary cap replaced, and their response was, come right now! So I converted breakfast into an egg and bacon sandwich and headed out, even before Art arrived to walk Lola. Was happy I didn't have to wait long at the dentist, and they got the job done pretty quickly and without numbing my mouth, yay! Stopped at Tractor Supply and picked up feed, and was surprised they had a pallet of Balance for a change, so I took two. Picked up a couple of things at Walmart, then stopped at Ace for some hardware for the repairs I need to do on the ladder. They didn't even have the ladder I needed, so I checked around. The Ace in Williston was listed online as having the lowest price last week, but this week, it was Bronson, and that was even lower! I headed back home, dropped off everything, got Lola in the truck just for a change of scene for her, and drove up to Bronson for the ladder and hardware I needed. Did some online research and shopping, had some dinner before the Taste of Goethe debrief meeting, which went for over two hours, though it was conveniently located right at Chelle's house, so ten steps to the house was short and sweet! Settled down for the evening, looking forward to making some progress on this ladder repair tomorrow. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hello my Darlin'!
Had a good night sleep, checked on Flash's legs when I was feeding (where I slipped him a little extra nice alfalfa Jo had given me), and all looks good. It's been such a long time since we had a Sunday with rain predicted, so I decided to make the most of it. Splurged on blueberry pancakes just to round out the day. Art came by and took Lola for a walk, then chatted a bit. Afterward I battened everything down in anticipation of the storm coming in later. It's been windy all since early this morning (and yesterday as well), so I covered up the hay, closed up the awning, put the porch chairs in the back and the tupperware around my electrical connection. Finally settled down, read for awhile, nodded off a few times, then watched a couple of good movies. Started a new TV mini-series based on a John LeCarre novel, and had a wonderful, relaxing day, which I really needed! Of course, Lola didn't like the thunder, but she finally settled down. We had a few good downpours, so I'm looking forward to seeing some greening tomorrow, though I don't know how long that will last, since there's no more rain in the forecast, other than a slight chance tomorrow. It has been incredibly dry this year! Everything is so brown. Anyway, it was a lovely day, just a little more of my usual routine and it's off to bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
My usual morning of chores and breakfast, though it was a bit delayed due to the fact that Lola, who begged me to go out late last night, apparently dug up a whole section of sandy garden along the edge of the house, so I had to get that cleaned up after I fed the horses. Finally had breakfast, then got busy with a couple of repairs. I replace the tie bolt on the trailer, which I could have sworn I had a leftover from the last packet of two that I bought, but couldn't find it, so I had ordered another pack of two. When I finished putting the one on and putting the extra away, lo and behold the extra from the first pack, which I had searched for high and low, jumped out at me. Crazy! I also worked on the ramp hardware, which I had tried unsuccessfully to rivet back it, so I had to use my generic Dremel and impact drill to get the old rivets out. Just need some screws to finish the job. By then, it was time to collect Flash for the vet, and the timing was perfect, I was just tying him to the trailer when she arrived. A couple of x-rays later, we decided he needed a couple of steroid shots, one in each of his hind hocks, to alleviate problems from arthritis, darn it. Apparently that's not uncommon in Pasos, and even though he's been doing okay, he's not 100 %. According to the vet, though, he should be back to his normal self within two weeks, and the shots should last his lifetime, we hope. Once we were finished, I hurried out of there down to Tidewater, as I had promised Jo I would help her break down after the Gator Run, where she was running her first 50 mile ride on her new horse Nikki. I was running so late she actually completed before I got there, so she was flying high! Probably enough adrenaline not to need my help, but I was there, so I did. Art was there vetting, and he sweetly gave me a Valentine's card, being that it was that day. Got back to camp as the sun set, fed the horses (Flash got an extra nice treat of a little alfalfa Jo had leftover) and settled down for the night. Feeling very tired, ended up falling asleep watching TV. I had forgotten to take something out of the freezer, so I ended up eating a bowl of cereal, and would you believe? My new temporary tooth cap broke into pieces! Looks like I'll be having another date with the dentist next week. Finishing my tea, then shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
My arms were still a bit sore this morning, though not as bad as last night, but by the end of the day they were almost back to normal. Surprisingly, I got an email saying my labs were back already, even though I was told it would be midweek next week before I'd get them. From what I can tell from the lab report, I have immunities already for all of the things I was tested for, including chicken pox, which surprised me a little. So it seems I don't need any additional vaccinations! Yay! My big chores today were to pick up hay and my small horse trailer. I got hay at Triple J, not quite as nice as previous batches, but still pretty good, and since I'll be here awhile, I got the 21-bale bundle. Then I headed over to J&S and picked up my small trailer. Tracy went above and beyond to make up for the delay in getting it back to me, for which I'm very appreciative, so it didn't end up being quite as expensive as I had feared. At least now I know I have a solid trailer with no leaks! Looking forward to taking my first trip with it, whenever that will be. We had to break open the hay bundle and move six bales to the trailer so I could close the tailgate, and the guys there helped me out with that. I also got some palettes to put them on as well. I had picked up a couple of badly broken ones at Triple J, but then I saw some much nicer ones in a burn pile at J&S, so I switched them out. Perfect for putting my hay on in the shed! Relaxed the rest of the day, waiting to get bit by the "gotta do stuff" bug, which has been absent the last few days, but I thinking now that the weather is warmer, it's going to break out any day now! Anyway, settled down for the evening, feeling like I made some progress today! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Woke up to my alarm this morning, chores, breakfast and out the door by 8:30, just in time for my 9:00 dental appointment. They got all the preliminary work done, and left me with a temporary cap. Walked over to Publix to check on the vaccines and learned a few things, most importantly that the smallpox vaccine has to be kept frozen, and Publix pharmacy doesn't have a freezer (kind of amusing, since it's a grocery store with a huge freezer section :-)), but had everything else that was ordered. I decided that since I couldn't remember whether or not I had chicken pox as a kid, and after my discussion with Chelle about her MMR wearing off, I decided I best get a lab test to see exactly what my immunities are so I get what I need and don't get what I don't need, so I had my doctor's office order that for me. Checked my mail, met Jo for a quick meal at the Breakfast Station (my mouth was still numb, so I just had a lovely soup), then shopped at Walmart for a few things. Picked up the Rx at the doctor's, headed straight to the lab for a blood draw, which fortunately didn't take long despite not having an appointment, then back to Publix to get the rest of the vaccines that I knew I needed. A flu shot and TDAP in one arm, and Hep A&B and Typhoid in the other. Just a little sore at first, but much more sore by evening. Just got back home and got my groceries put away when Art popped by, chatted for a bit, then finally settled down for the evening, sore arms and all! Won't be long out of bed, that's for sure! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Finally managed to have a little quieter day today, though not quite as much as I had hoped. My dentist appointment was cancelled at the last minute, so I ended up having lunch with Art and Helen at Willard's, then I spent a little time researching travel insurance, since that seems to be a requirement of the outfitter. I've never seen such a disparity! Policies ranged from under $20 to thousands of dollars, even though the coverage didn't seem to be all that different! Very confusing. I did end up getting one, just to meet the requirement, from what I guess is one of the bigger companies so the premiums were lower. I've never bought travel insurance before, but hopefully I won't have to use it. Anyway, once I finally got that done, I relaxed for the rest of the evening, so I feel like I got a little rest. Won't be long out of bed, since I have to get going early in the morning for my postponed dental appointment at 9:00 tomorrow. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
A pretty good night sleep, chores and breakfast, then spent most of the day sorting out my airline tickets and getting them paid, figuring out which vaccines I need and get them lined up, getting my dental work scheduled, working on putting together my Tanzanian visa, etc. Very excited about making this happen! Glad it's mostly done now, though, so I can get started on the many repairs and improvements I need to make on my truck and RV. I really did a number on my ladder this last time, so I have to start that job from scratch. So much to do, and I would really have liked to have a day of true rest before I got started, but it's not going to happen right away. No worries, I'll live! And now, by being able to stay in one place for awhile, I should be able to get a lot done. Tea, shower, bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Had a busy morning getting packed up and moved over to Chelle's, but managed to get over there by 10:00. Challenging to get into her driveway, it as a pretty narrow entrance with a culvert on each side, so I had to take a couple of passes at it, but managed it, just barely! Got parked in a good spot, though, near the horses' pasture, close enough for water and electric, though I may have to either get the sewer tank out of the attic or maybe borrow and extra sewer hose from Chelle to reach her trap. Either way, I'm settled in. Took a quick trip back to get my mangled ladder and to turn off the power at the host site at the trailhead. There's some hardware I want to get off the ladder, if I can, or I may just start from scratch. The ladder has been bent so many times now, and it's been needing to be repaired for a while, so it will be a good job to get that done. Once I got settled at noon, started some laundry and got on my computer, I was delighted to see an invoice from the African safari folks, so I was able to wire my payment to them, thus securing my Serengeti trip! Yay! Spent most of the rest of the day trying to work out the best routes to fly there from Gainesville, since it seems like I'll be staying here for the duration. Thought I might have some better alternatives, like flying out of Miami or Atlanta, but none of the connections made enough sense, so it looks like the DFW connection will work the best. I'm having to make it two separate flight reservations, unfortunately, because the direct flight I wanted wasn't available for points, meaning I would have to take more time and an extra stop in order to use them. Too bad, it would have been super cheap if I could have, but that's not important. I'm using points to fly from Gainesville to DFW first class, so that will help. Anyway, I put those on hold just so I can double check it all tomorrow before I make the purchase. I was just wrapping up when Art came by for a visit, staying until it was suppertime for the horses, then I settled down for the evening, hoping for a more restful day tomorrow! Good night, babe! Love you!