Archives for January 2020

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 – Lots of Little Things, Old and New

Hey Darlin’,
I did something to twist my back again yesterday, and making the bed and getting into it took a very long time. I kept having spasms in my back, and it was extremely painful, and it reminded me of how many times you struggled to get into bed because of the pain you were in for the last few months. I took some ibuprofen before my shower, and thankfully it kicked in, so I had a good night sleep and I had no pain in the morning, so whatever it was, it passed for now. Woke up early to the sound of the brothers leaving, as Karl’s flight was out of Ft. Lauderdale at 9:00, so they had to leave before 6:00 to get there in time with rush hour traffic. I took care of the animals, then got busy on the computer doing a bunch of stuff. I managed to finish the proposal for that convention later this summer and sent it out, and also spoke to that woman from Michigan about some brainstorming they’ve done on our behalf. She’s willing to provide a venue and a guaranteed fee for her members, get bodies in the seats for a set price, then charge “non-members” a premium, all so she can get her folks trained, possibly in July. I get the impression she wants to do this for all of her clients, so maybe this is a good start to a long-term relationship that could benefit us both. I sure could use some good news like that. It would be nice if I could time it so I could take one of those Michigan Lake-to-Lake rides, too, you know I’ve been wanting to do that. Had some bad news today, too, our renters have decided the house is too much for them, and are probably going to move out this spring, so now I’m destined to go back up and finish clearing the house out sooner than I wanted. I contacted that guy from the valley who was interested in property up here on the mountain, and he’s making arrangements to go see it. I hope he makes an offer, because I sure can’t see me spending any more time there, especially without you, and I have my sights on so many things that having a house will just get in the way of my travels. Another stupid thing, there was a notice from the post office that the mailbox needs to be moved because it’s current placement (where it’s been for decades) requires the driver to back up a couple of feet to turn around (it’s a dead end road, what else could happen?), but evidently backing up is now a major safety issue with them, and they’re not allowed to do it. Their answer is to force me to move my box across the street, which is ridiculous, but I’m trying to get an exception, since I’m not there and can’t do it (nor do I want to!) Grrr! So I’m starting to feel like I’m getting caught up on the cleaning and maintenance of the trailer, but of course, then something else always happens. The electrical cord from the garage must have gotten stepped on by a horse or something, because the end got completely pulled out of the cord on the RV side, no easy feat with a cord that’s all fused together, so now I have to get that replaced tomorrow. I was really sorry about that, too, because now I don’t have electricity, and it’s going to be down in the 40’s tonight and I’ll have to run the furnace, as my electric fireplace won’t work. Got a lot done today, but have even more to do tomorrow, so I’ll say goodnight, my love!

Monday, Jan. 20, 2020 – Some Chores, But Mostly Quiet

Hi Sweetie,
During the night I kept waking up thinking of things I had to do, so I was making a list on a memo on my phone. By the time morning rolled around I had a bunch to do. Turns out I couldn’t do some of them because it’s a holiday, but it was mostly stuff around the house. Jeff’s dog Rosie came to visit while I was still in bed, for a minute I thought I was listening to a rat or something scratching, until I heard the dog door slap open, and when I stuck my head out of the bedroom she was standing over Lola’s bowl, about to eat her leftover dinner. I told her No and she casually walked back outside again! Once I got up and had breakfast, I got busy. The horses somehow managed to step on a section of my heavy-duty sewer pipe and tore completely through it, but I had an extra connector so I got that fixed. I did some laundry, worked on the computer, found the receipts for a couple of items I want to return, and generally just did ordinary, mundane things. Karl and Jeff went out in the afternoon, leaving me on my own for a few hours. Amazon Prime delivered a new controller for the lift chair this afternoon, amazing since I only ordered it yesterday! I put it on the chair and now it works perfectly! Got that listed back on Marketplace, so hopefully I can get that out of here soon. Jeff’s boarder showed up to clip her horse, even though tonight they’re calling for the coldest temperatures of the season! Seems she did the same thing last year. So now Jeff has to blanket him when it gets colder like this. Not horrible, but upper 40’s overnight apparently. Anyway, eventually the boys got home, hung around inside for awhile, then Karl came out to pay his respects to you. I had him try on your leather jacket, but it didn’t fit. I don’t want to give it to Goodwill, it was too expensive for that, but I figure I’ll eventually meet some appropriate person to give it to, being such a nice jacket. I heard from the ladies in Michigan about that job we’ve been discussing, and it looks like it should come through this summer. That will give me a good goal to shoot for, northern Michigan at some point this summer. I twisted my back again, so I’ve been in agony most of the afternoon, alternating between heat and ice, not sure if it’s helping, but ibuprofen is on the schedule when I go to bed, which is going to be shortly. I’ll be leaving the fireplace on tonight! Fresh sheets, a quick shower, and I’m off to bed early because I just feel really tired today, probably residual from yesterday’s four hour ride in Corbett. Well, that’s all the news, have a nice night, love you!

Sunday, Jan. 19. 2020 – Ride Day Marking Trails in JW Corbett for OTL

Hey Babe,
Got up with the alarm today because I had arranged to meet with one of the folks from the OTL and start marking trails out in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area. I forgot to mention that I had spent some time on Friday pressure washing the little horse trailer, because I knew I would need it today, and got it all ready last night except for hooking it up to the truck, which I did in no time. I picked her up at her house in Jupiter Farms at 9:00 and we headed out there. The road wasn't any better than it was last year, so it took us nearly 45 minutes just to get half a dozen miles. I brought Apollo along because she has a stock horse with a slow walk (I think he's an Arab), and they turned out to be perfectly matched, and got along just fine. With all the rain we had here in December, there were places where the water was so high we practically had to swim! But mostly it was about knee high or less, though chest-high wasn't uncommon. I brought Lola along as well, and there were a couple of stretches where she had to swim quite a ways, but you know her, she loved it! We scouted out a couple of routes, and it became very clear to me why I got lost so badly in there last year, they really dropped the ball on marking some of the turns and forks. Now I have a better feel for it, and we put up most of the markers that we're going to need, but I'll need to go back and take a few markers down, since we decided to change the route in a couple of places due to the high water. It's possible that it will go down quite a bit if it stays sunny, and some places may be easier to pass, so I'll wait a couple of weeks to make the final decision. We were on the trail for four hours, and only did nine miles (compared to my endurance ride, 25 miles in 3:51) so you can imagine how slow the pace was! Still, it was a nice ride, it was great being back out in the wilderness on my horse! I finally dropped her off just after 3:00 and got back to the house shortly afterward. Jeff had left Frost out and kept Flash in the paddock, so I needed his help getting Apollo in the paddock because Frost was hanging out at the gate. He managed to get Frost away from the gate long enough to open it, and I slipped in real quick with Apollo (but not before the goats managed to get in, too), and then suddenly Frost leapt forward and bit Jeff on his back, and scraping his arm with his teeth along the way. Jeff went nuts, calling him all kinds of names and chased after him with a stick, well, you know that biting is the one thing you can't tolerate, so he did his best to let Frost know that was a mistake, but I didn't get the impression Frost gave one whit about that. Jeff was really disappointed, though, you know how much he thinks that horse is sweet, though I've been telling him that Frost can't be trusted, and now he's seen firsthand what I mean. He's going to have some big bruises, though he didn't cut through the skin much, mostly just a scrape. Anyway, after that episode everyone calmed down a bit. It was hot, so I got in my bathing suit and took a quick dip in the pool, then ordered a new controller for the lift chair that quit working, I found one for less that $14, so if it works, I can still sell it for the same amount of money and not be out very much. I also learned that the brothers had finally fixed the pullout step on the trailer, that little job I asked them to do last year that they never got around to. I think Karl persuaded Jeff to help him do it because he knows I'm ticked off with him not finishing the converter job yesterday. Glad to have the stair done, though, I'm sure there will be places where it will be better than using the mounting block like we've been doing, when it sits a little lower. Anyway, finally finished off the chores and relaxed during the evening with the TV, but now it's time to head off to bed. Goodnight, my love!

Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 – Getting Close to Getting Caught Up

Hi Sweetie,
I worked so hard today, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get caught up with so many long-standing jobs, though some were ones I hadn’t expected to have to do. I began by starting to fix my recliner, the one with the broken base, and once I took it apart, I figured maybe I could glue the break on the bottom, then shift it 90 degrees so that the weak part is against the grain, but when I got out my wood glue, it was obviously too old and starting to dry out, so I decided to go to the hardware store and get some new glue. I also had a key for the mailbox made, since Jeff only has the one, and since this is going to become my new “permanent” address, I thought it would be a good idea to get one. I also needed some hay, so I ran down to the feed store and picked up a few bales just to get us through. When I got back, I finished gluing the chair base and clamped it, fingers crossed that it holds. Meanwhile, I picked up the DC converter that I had ordered, since the Open Range didn’t have one, and expected Karl to finish that job this morning, especially when he insisted it was an easy job and wouldn’t take long. Unfortunately, I soon realized that what he meant was that it was an easy job for ME to finish, and after wasting two hours waiting for him to come out and do it, I finally gave up and took over the job myself. It took awhile, particularly since I wasn’t the one to take it apart, but I finally managed to get everything working okay, but it killed most of my afternoon. I had been hoping to go riding, which I really need because my stress level has been really going up and up lately and I’m starting to get cranky about everything, but it didn’t happen. I’m hoping my day out in Corbett tomorrow will help. Anyway, I finished off the Open Range, put the chair back together, did some more cleaning in the cupboards in the bathroom and the refrigerator, switched over the sheepskin off your saddle onto the saddle I use for Apollo, cleaned out the pool a bit because we had a lot of wind yesterday and there was a lot of stuff in it, and finally settled down for the evening after dark, though not until after moving some basic supplies from the big trailer to the little horse trailer so that I would have what I needed with me in the morning. Busy, tiring day, heading to the shower and bed! Love you! Good night!

Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 – Brought You Home Today

Hi Darlin’,
I did some more cleaning today, finishing off the bench seats of the dining room, so now it smells of leather in here, which is nice. I brought up the little horse trailer, which was back by the barn and covered with green algae, and got down the pressure washer from the attic/hay loft and gave the trailer a really good clean. I’ve made arrangements with one of the OTL board members to go riding in Corbett on Sunday, so I wanted to get it cleaned up a bit. Not that it will stay that way long trying to get back to Camp I in Corbett, but at least it will start out that way! I finished up just in time to shower and change, then head down to the funeral home. I did just what you wanted me to do, had you cremated, and put you in a beautiful wooden box that was inscribed with the poem by Omar Khayyám that you so admired, and what we based so much of our life on. “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”
It describes our philosophy so well, that it’s all just water under the bridge and there’s no point worrying about it, or wasting time on it, but just to keep moving forward, which is just what I’m trying to do. I had an early dinner with Jayne again, and we talked a lot about pets, as well as some of our mutual history. I’m sure you remember Lord Richie, probably your only competition (though not really, you just thought so), well evidently he passed away quite a long time ago, at quite a young age. Was sorry to hear that, he was a lovely man. Afterward, I brought you home, finished clearing off the dining room table and doing a few other things to spruce the place up, eventually put you in what will be your final resting place right in the center of things, lit a candle, and toasted you with a glass of wine. I’m hoping to have a memorial/life celebration in March just before your birthday, and quite a few people are interested in coming. Not quite sure where I want to have it just yet, I have a few logistical things to work out, but there are a lot of people who are responding, and it’s very heartwarming to see how many people you’ve touched over the years. Anyway, it’s past my bedtime, and I worked hard today, so off I go! Love you, darling! Good night!

Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 – Another Long Busy Day

Hey Babe,
Well, I told you a long time ago that once you were gone I’d go crazy with cleaning, and even though at the time I was talking about the house in Tennessee, it happened today, big time. I had an appointment with the carpet cleaners for the Open Range at 10:30, and he texted me that he was on his way, but I didn’t have my phone right on me and didn’t get it on time (there’s been a lot of texting delays lately due to the weak cell phone signal out here), and because he didn’t hear from me, he skipped by me and went to another job. I finally called him at 10:40, but it was too late and he had to reschedule for later in the day. I had two drivers come one after another to pick up all your dialysis stuff, one driver took the machines, the Ipad and all the clinic supplies, and another came for all the NxStage supplies, but then there was some confusion because the second driver thought HE was supposed to take the machine, but they were already gone (they actually passed each other in the driveway, not knowing), but I was led to believe what I already said. Anyway, I guess they got that straightened out without me, because they were both delivering to the same place anyway, and I didn’t need to get any more involved. Not too long afterward, the carpet cleaner showed up, made a good deal with me (I managed to finagle a discount, I thought they were too high for such a little job, but they agreed to a 30 percent cut), and the whole job was done in about 20 minutes. Hope it helps get that ladybug smell out! Meanwhile, I started to completely reorganize the trailer. With so much extra space now, I was able to put a lot more stuff away. I rearranged a lot of the cupboards, as well as the stud stall in the back of the trailer. I’m going to try not to clutter it too much, I’d like to keep it where I can open that door into the back if I want. So far, so good. I did lots of cleaning, even used the Lexol cleaner and conditioner on the bench seats of the dining area (well, on side is done, the other will get done tomorrow), and generally kept really busy. Lola made friends with the neighbors behind us (I guess the kids at the front neighbors have left after the holidays, been really quiet back there and Lola hasn’t been out that way lately), and of course, she trained them to throw for her in no time. She spent practically the entire afternoon back there. I’d call her, she’d come, stay for about a minute, I’d go back to work and she’d take off again. She finally came back just before horse feeding time, so I played floppy frisbee in the pool with her, but you could tell she was tired from all the exercise she’d gotten earlier. Didn’t keep her from swimming for awhile, though! She’ll definitely sleep tonight. I’m glad, I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to spend as much time with her as I’d like.
I had a nice conversation with Jane Alter today, about you and us and the possibility of doing the Convention again this year. Even though she’s 81, she stays really active and would absolutely love to go again, fingers crossed. I asked her to send me a bio I can use in the proposal, as Ashley believes they’ll want to know our team members, and I agree. Hoping Steve can come, but he’s just been made a full professor at Alfred, so it depends on his schedule. Again, fingers crossed! It was a pretty hot one today, but the nights have been getting pleasantly cool, and I’m definitely looking forward to bed tonight after all the cleaning activity today. Love you! Good night!

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020 – Long Busy Day

Hello Darling,
Had another busy day today, though plans changed at the last minute due to brother Karl. The lift chair I sold last week developed more serious mechanical problems, so I arranged to go pick that up again, hopefully I can find the trouble and fix it once and for all (though the woman was so grateful, she said I had “restored her faith in humanity.”) My plan was to pick it up and then go to euchre at the senior center, but Karl decided he didn’t want to go, he had made other plans to have an early lunch with his friend John, who is leaving tomorrow to go up to his new house in Georgia, so instead of euchre we went to Uncle Mick’s, that little hole in the wall in town, for lunch. We were there a couple of hours before we headed home, where we lugged the chair inside. I finally registered Jeff and myself for the upcoming Cattle Drive Reunion, though the regular website wasn’t working properly (it said the sale had “ended” even though we were within the deadline, but I managed to message someone there who just took my reservation, saying we could pay when we got there. Jeff tried to talk me into taking the trailer up there, but I finally put my foot down and said I didn’t want to do that, it was too much effort just for a couple of days, and besides, the point was to go CAMPING, like we did during the actual drive back in 2016, so he said he might just take his Bronco so he wouldn’t have to stay the whole time if he didn’t want, or maybe just because he’ll want to sleep in it. Whatever. Anyway, after a while, I decided to head over to the local hair salon for a cut, which was okay, though my hair has been so strange with it’s curliness lately, it’s not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least now it’s shorter. Then I headed over to the OTL meeting at Tim’s house, thrilled they managed to resolve the problems with the pavilion at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, so all that is back on track. The meeting went on longer than usual, but there were more people there than usual, and I guess now that we’re getting closer, there’s a lot more that needs to be done. A lot of logistics are starting to get resolved, and I’m doing my best to contribute. The key equestrian organizer seems to be a woman named Anita, and we’ve arranged to go riding this weekend to check out the trails in Corbett, you know, the ones I got so lost on last year? I think I’ve corrected that map now, but it will be good to confirm it on the ground. By the time I finished doing the things I promised to do at the meeting, it was nearly 10:00, so it’s just a bit of TV before bed. Good night, my love! Miss you!

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 – Kept Busy Today

Hi Sweetie,
Got a lot accomplished today. Spent most of the day cleaning out the Open Range, making some necessary repairs, some old and some new, and cleaned everything I could reach with Pledge and Windex. I’ve made an appointment with the carpet cleaners for Thursday, and the new converter I ordered should be here by Thursday or Friday, so with a little luck, I’ll be able to put it on Marketplace and craigslist by Friday afternoon. Hopefully I can get it sold in the coming weeks. I had hoped to go riding today, but once again there were scattered showers, and it was very hot and humid, so I had to pass once again. I spent some time on the computer later in the day, updating our business website and starting that LinkedIn campaign we talked about. Looking forward to see if that will work out better than the Facebook campaign we did last year. I also sent out an eblast to our mailing list about the workshop I’m trying to schedule for March 30-31 in Las Vegas. I also finished writing a proposal for that convention in August, would be nice if I could get the team back together and tackle that again, that’s always been a good time, a good reference, and a nice piece of change if I can pull it off. Sent it off to Ashley for her thoughts, will send it to the appropriate person once it’s been reviewed. Settled down for the evening, feeding Lola a lot of leftover liver and burger meat that’s been sitting around too long, which made her a happy camper. Relaxed this evening, continuing the binge, and now I’m headed for the shower and to bed. Good night, love!

Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 – Slow But Productive Day

Dearest Roy,
Started the day by figuring out the reason the batteries in the Open Range aren’t charging; it’s because when the dealer installed the Prosine inverter for us back when we bought it, they completely took out the DC converter! I never thought they would take it out completely, but after careful analysis (and having to persuade Karl to look for horses, not zebras), we finally realized there was a big power cord that went straight to the circuit box marked “in from converter” and a loose ground wire that are exactly what needs to go into the missing converter. The dealer wanted over $300 for a new one, but I found a surplus one on Ebay for about $125, so I ordered it. Should be here by Friday, so the whole thing should be fixed by Saturday. Meanwhile, the professional cleaner is supposed to come on Thursday, so I should be able to put it on the market by Friday, though I have to do some repairs inside. The chairs weren’t put back all the way in last time it was open, so when I opened it this time some things got moved and crushed, so they’re on my repair list now, too. At least I know what needs to be done now, and hopefully it will all be accomplished by the weekend. I spent the rest of the day on the computer and the phone, trying to solve a bunch of problems as well as get some jobs going. I’m trying to schedule a public workshop around the same time as the private one I have in Las Vegas, and to try to do that LinkedIn advertising and marketing we talked about. I also had a conversation with Ashley, the woman from the convention, just to see if we had a chance at getting the contract for that again, and apparently they’re starting with a whole new crew (reinventing the wheel!), but it might make an opening for me, so I started writing a proposal that I hope to finish up and get to the top woman in charge by the end of the week. Fingers crossed, I could use the work! I spent some more time trying to figure out how to rework our website for the public seminar, and all of the things that go along with it. It will be a long process, but I have to start somewhere! Finally quit in the late afternoon, but couldn’t feed the horses until Jeff and Karl got back from their get together with John, so it was after dark, not surprisingly. Had a nice bowl of soup with those dumplings you love so much, and settled down for the evening. Had my shower now, so I’m off the bed. Good night, my love!

Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020 – Lazy Sunday

Dearest Roy,
I took a much needed mostly lazy day today, where the only real chore was to confirm that, in fact, the charger on the Open Range isn’t working properly, but we’re going to tackle that problem tomorrow. I had considered going for a ride, but it was really warm, and there were scattered showers all day, so instead I mostly spent the day reading in the screen room and tossing the frisbee for Lola, though I did a few loads of laundry and did some general housekeeping that was overdue. Late in the day I relaxed some more by binge-watching some TV before finishing up for the day. I must have twisted something somewhere along the line today, or maybe I’m just not used to sitting for such a long time, because my hip is really in pain when I don’t move just right. I guess I’m going to have to take some painkillers tonight, hope that helps! Heading off to bed now, Love you, darling!