Archives for 2022

Hey Babe,
Didn’t have a very good night sleep, and was up pretty early. Horses weren’t in their stalls, they were out munching, so I didn’t bother to feed them, but I noticed they had drank a healthy portion of their water, so I guess the plumber did a good job! Had a quick breakfast, then was out on the tractor by just a little bit after 8:00. I ended up getting just about all the signs out save two that were just too far south and wet to get to, and mowed nearly 12 more miles of trails! The tractor was running great, last night I had flushed out the radiator and cleaned off the front grill, which was full of dirt, and it never even came close to overheating, which has been a problem I’ve been having with it. Barely reached the halfway point on the gauge today! Glad to see that! I got back to camp around 1:30, then kept busy with other stuff. Finished off the certificates and sent links to the participants in my workshop last month. Later than usual, but I only got their full names this week, they’re pretty busy out there these days. Did a load of laundry, dumped my black water, moved all the posts James dropped off yesterday to a painting position, interspersed that with a couple of good movies (Thirteen Lives, a film by Ron Howard about that kids Thai soccer team that got stuck in a cave that got flooded, and a sad little movie with Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet) and two showers, and I’d say it was a full day! I also got a call from the mechanic working on my truck, it seems it may take more time to get my truck back, they’re waiting on additional parts, wiring harnesses which seem to be in short supply these days, so I many not get it tomorrow, which means I’ll have to rent this car for a few more days, unless I can get the Buick running. One of the parts is waiting for me at the post office, I may just go pick it up in the morning and see if I can get it fixed. I sure hope all this activity helps me get a good night sleep tonight! Off I go! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
While I was hoping to make more progress on my mowing and sign installation today, I was asked to hang around for the plumber who would be working the old well, so I spent the morning cutting some more boards to length, painting the ends, correcting one board that I had put the number upside down on, then did some figuring out on the computer how many more posts I would need to fill in some of the blanks that have become apparent to me out there. Meanwhile, the plumber had two emergencies and didn’t get here until almost 4:00, but he did manage to fix the problem with the old well, so now we have fully chlorinated and carbon filtered water that smells fine, rather than that stinky sulfur smell we’ve had for the last couple of weeks. Old James came by with the grader and cleaned up the gravel they dropped us a few weeks ago, did a nice job with it, then he also brought me 40 more posts, which I figure is about what I need to truly finish the job here, with maybe half a dozen extra just in case. So not a productive day in what I had intended, but I made something out of it anyway. Relaxed for the evening, finished off my latest binge series, watched a movie, so now it’s time for shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie!
Up at the crack of dawn, got chores and breakfast done, and was out on the trail by a little after 8:00, this time working my way all the way down to the far end of the property. Did some more mowing as well as putting up signs, got back a little after 2:00, and relaxed for the rest of the day. Making some great progress, but will have to make a couple of changes on a sign or two, and put one sign in the wrong place, but didn’t realize it until a lot later in the day, but I can fix all of that once I start going out and painting, assuming I’ve found all the mistakes, which is not a certainty yet. Oh well, it will all get done eventually! Mowed most of the trails on the west side of the property, tried to do some on the yellow trail further east, but got stopped by a couple of drainage ditches that were too deep for my tractor. Saw a gator cross the trail in front of me at one point, just as I was stopping to let the tractor cool down a bit, nice place for a respite! Anyway, had a pleasant rest of the day. Took my shower as soon as I got back, so it’s straight off to bed for me, as soon as I finish my tea and Spanish lesson! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hey Babe!
Got kind of a late start this morning, spent some time finding parts for the Buick, but finally got out on the tractor around 10:30 and put up a bunch more signs. It’s been very dry for more than a week here, so I took advantage of the opportunity to get some mowing done in some areas that were very wet the last time I was out on horseback, and today they were quite dry, so I got almost all the way down to the boardwalk, except for the very last stretch. Not that anyone is likely to be riding this week, but at least it will be easier to mow next time, maybe. I stopped next to Jim Lake to let the tractor cool down for a bit, then did another short stretch on the teal trail on my way back to camp, finishing off just after 2:00. Relaxed the rest of the day, which was just as well, because I felt tired this morning and really struggled to get myself going. Ordered the parts I need for the Buick, due on Friday, hoping I can get a couple of the boys over to help me get the work done on it, but we’ll see. A quiet evening of TV viewing, off to shower and bed. Camp is empty right now, though we’re hoping some of the various plumbing issues get addressed this week. It sure would be nice to get all that resolved! Anyway, good night, my darlin’! Love you!

Hi Darlin’,
After a reasonable night sleep, albeit a slow start, I spent awhile dealing with a shower house problem. One of the showers suddenly seems to have popped its cork and was running full bore, with hot water streaming out of it. I had to shut down the entire shower house, since the individual showers don’t have shutoff valves yet. Once that was dealt with, and chores were done, eventually met two of the brothers at my Buick to try to get it started, and it surprisingly actually started once, but it died as soon as I put it in gear, so we ended up towing it back to camp, with no incidents, thank goodness. We did some diagnoses and testing using the shop manual that I’m so glad we got on the Buick so many years ago, and determined what the probably causes are for it’s non-starting situation, i.e. the ignition module, possibly the camshaft sensor, and just for good measure, a set of spark plug wires. Hopefully, that will be Panther back on the road! Then we headed to brother Glenn’s new house so Karl could see it, then we were all set to head out to his condo on the beach when there was a change of plan, and everyone headed to their respective homes instead, which was just as well, as I’m feeling a bit sore, tired and achy for some reason. Probably need a day off, feels like I haven’t had one it awhile. Settled down for the evening, now I’m ready for shower and bed. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Woke up even before the alarm, got my chores and breakfast done, then headed over to Jeff’s. After awhile, brother Karl and I went to Publix to do all the shopping for the party, then when I got back, I got in my bathing suit and spend some time cleaning up the pool. Friends of Jeff’s came in through the afternoon, brother Glenn and wife Dena showed up around three, and we started grilling awhile after that. It was a beautiful day, just enough clouds and rain to cool it down nicely. A good time was had by all! Lola got lots of exercise, did a lot of swimming and fetching, so she was out like a light as soon as we got home. I left around 7:30 so I could get back before dark, then settled down for the evening, while Lola positively crashed. I drove around the campground first, and there was absolutely no one else here, I think this is the first Saturday night that’s ever happened! Nice and quiet, the way I like it. Feeling tired from all the activity, won’t be long out of bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Went to be early enough, but then woke up around 4:00 and couldn’t get back to sleep, then when I finally did, woke up after 9:00! So a late start to the day. After chores and breakfast, I loaded up the tractor with cross pieces and went out the green trail, mowing as I went as much as I could, and put up another half dozen plus signs. Starting to look like something! Got back just as it started to sprinkle, and shortly thereafter we had a good rain. It’s been dry all week, so it was a welcome change. Relaxed the rest of the day, just did a little housework, that was about it. I need to get to bed early, though, brother Karl is flying in from Texas tonight and I promised we’d go shopping in the morning for Jeff’s birthday party. So off to my shower and bed soon! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Got up bright and early to tackle the day, managed to find a good deal on a rental car and arranged for Glenn, believe it or not, to pick me up and take me to Budget in Stuart. We stopped on the way to see if the Buick would start, but it didn’t, so I’ll have to come up with a Plan B. Picked up a nice little Kia sporty car, apparently an upgrade from the Toyota, but frankly, I can hardly tell the difference between one little car and the next these days. Then I went to do my long overdue shopping, a very expensive day, but now I’m stocked up for a long time. Didn’t get back to camp until nearly 7:00, unpacked my groceries, did my rounds (I only have one camper spending one night), made a nice big burger on the grill and settled down for the evening. Ready for shower and bed soon! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Kind of had a disappointing day today, in so many ways. After chores and breakfast, I started up the Buick and managed to make it to the auto repair shop with no problem, then said I’d likely need four new tires to fix the front end shaking (they say it’s dry rot), and they found where the whine was coming from and replaced a short piece of hose, which solved the noise, but then when they went to pull it up on the rack, they couldn’t get it started, which has never really been a problem, well, except that one time at the gate the other day. They didn’t have the right equipment to scan it for problems, but I did have a manual tool to read the code reader, but it was clear. The check engine light didn’t come on, so that didn’t help. The owner, Ray, decided it was a part that could only be found in West Palm and sent someone down to get it, only to learn it wasn’t really on the shelf at all. He ordered it from somewhere else, but it will be overnight. I was there over six hours, then, inexplicably, they tried to start it and it finally started. They were afraid to turn it off, but I ended up doing it, figured I’m better off doing it in their driveway than at the store, which I had to stop at for more dog food and bottled water. I started and stopped it several times and it seemed to work okay, so I drove off with it, made my stop at the store, then headed back to camp, with nothing improved except the whine. I was hoping that problem solved would also solve the backfiring and stalling in motion problem, but unfortunately, it didn’t. I was about a mile or so along Kanner Hwy. when it did it to me again, and this time, I couldn’t get it started at all, darn it. Fortunately, I ended up right in front of Chester’s house, the guy who does all the mowing out on the property here, and his wife and daughter came out and helped me push it off the road a bit, and drove me back to camp. Trying to figure out what to do next, how to get it back here, hoping maybe I can get a mobile mechanic out here, if I can get it back to camp. Had another argument with UPS, who refuse to deliver my packages to me, they’re only dropping them off at the office, then I waste an hour on the phone trying to remedy it and get nothing but empty promises that “dispatch will call me asap.” I’ve had the promise made three times now, and it’s yet to happen. Grrr! I also learned that the repair on the truck, if I want everything done right, including the lift pump, is going to cost me well over $6K, not happy about that, but I guess it’s still a lot cheaper than buying a new truck. Guess my only choice at this point is going to be rent a car until I get my truck back, don’t know if my insurance will cover that, since the repair isn’t a result of an accident, but I’ll find out tomorrow. At the moment, I’m truly vehicle-less! I was hoping to drive into Stuart to shop (and play Euchre maybe) tomorrow, but that will only happen now if I can get a rental out here early enough. Busy morning, I’ll be setting the alarm! Settled down for the evening, feeling very tired after sitting for so long in an uncomfortable chair. Heading for shower and bed forthwith! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!