Hiya Babe,
Slept late this morning, after not getting to sleep until very late last night, so my internal clock is getting a little screwed up. Happy to report that my air mattress stayed up, yay! I’ve been waking up on the bottom of the floor, but it seems to be fixed for now. I killed some time until 1:00, then went into town to pick up some things, stopping at the post office because I had an Amazon package being delivered there, General Delivery, like I’ve done many times before at many post office, but for some reason, the clerk there gave me a hard time. She claimed they NEVER accept packages for delivery services, despite it being addressed to General Delivery. I explained that I’ve done it many times before, and couldn’t see the problem. She said they hadn’t received any packages for me anyway, so I left. I finished my errands, then went over to my friend’s Chris and Mervin, who looked after Apollo while I was gone all summer. When I got there, I checked with Amazon and found that my package had since been delivered, so Merv and I went into town to go retrieve it, and something at the pharmacy for Chris. When I walked in and asked about my package, the clerk told me that yes, they had received it, but the Postmaster had instructed her to mark the package Return to Sender! WHAT??? She said that they don’t accept deliveries because, according to the postmaster, they can’t track whether the recipient has actually received the package, because they don’t have a USPS tracking number. What BS!! If someone sent me a first class letter to General Delivery, they wouldn’t be able to guarantee that either, so what’s the difference?? I couldn’t believe my ears!! I told her I’ve done this many times all across the country, and no post office has every questioned me about it, and she might want to straighten her Postmaster out. I mean, I’d already stopped by there, they knew I was expecting a package, and they STILL think they have to be able to guarantee delivery? How ridiculous! I finally just put my hand out and said, “Just give me the package,” and she finally went and got it. Thank goodness I didn’t wait until tomorrow to go back and pick it up (I was considering it!), or it would probably be gone already. I’ve had problems with this post office before, but I never imagined they would be this stupid about this. Anyway, it was my awning motor, so that will be my job in the morning. We went back to their house and had a nice dinner (breakfast for dinner!), I picked up my order of books, which I had wisely had sent to their house, so now I’m flush with books again, and got back to camp before 7:00, fed the horses and settled down for the evening. Very warm today, not cooling off too fast, so I ran the AC for a bit, taking a cool shower tonight! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Archives for 2023
Tuesday, August 22, 2023 – Lazy Day, Except Fixing Mattress
Hey Sweetie,
Started slow this morning, and after chores and breakfast I tackled what turned out to be the only job I ended up doing today, finding the leak in the air mattress. It was right next to where the last leak was, along the seam, so I glued it all up with my old reliable Air Stop, two thick layers throughout the day. Once I got that done (you know what a pain it is to get down to the mattress with all the layers on top!), I realized I was in just a plain lazy mood. It was cloudy, and supposed to rain a couple of times during the day (it didn’t), so I just decided to make it a movie day. Watched a couple of movies, had some popcorn, and generally just took a day off. After dinner, I finally put the bed back together again, a hot and tiring exercise, but managed to get it done. Unfortunately, it looks like some of the baffling is going on my side of the bed at the feet end (it’s already done that on your side of the bed), so this mattress is truly on it’s way out. I did some research on it, and absolutely no one makes an air mattress that will fit in the space as it is now, and I’m not really interested in a memory foam mattress, too many bad reviews and not enough flexibility. I’m thinking I can get a twin air mattress, which I can fit in if I move the existing foam side frames around a bit. That may be my only alternative, unless things change by the time I need it. Anyway, that was the extent of my day! Good news, my next batch of books has been shipped and is arriving tomorrow, yay! Was worried they wouldn’t come in time, but they’ll be, unless Fedex screws up again, like they usually do. At least they’re being delivered to a house, so they better get it right! Also, my new motor for the awning should arrive at the post office tomorrow as well, so I’ll have my work cut out for me once I pick up my deliveries. Well, enough talk, I’m ready for my shower and bed! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Monday, August 21, 2023 – Laundry and a 19 Mile Ride with Sam “Eagle Eyes”
Hiya Darlin’,
Had a decent night sleep, though I’m now positive I have another leak in my air mattress again, so that’s on my list of things to do now. Started a load of laundry nice and early, got my chores and breakfast done, got my laundry on the line, then saddled up Flash just in time to meet my friend from the Shore to Shore, Sam. I call her Eagle Eyes because every time I rode with her, she was able to point out critters I would never have otherwise seen, including the tiniest little fawn you can imagine! She lives up in Cadillac, and drove down to ride with me, and we took a fabulous 19-mile ride, mostly around the perimeter of the Hungerford forest. What a beautiful day, and beautiful trails! I truly love this place, one of my absolute favorites anywhere in the country! Her horse Amy was a stock horse, so we had to do some adjusting, but we had it pretty well worked out by the end. We both had to do a little schooling, and we helped each other out on that. Such a fun day! Got back, chatted for a bit, then after she left I made dinner, did my evening chores, settled down, now I’m ready for shower and bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
Sunday, August 20, 2023 – Mostly A Day Off
Hey Babe,
This was one of those days when I woke up feeling tired for some reason. I guess it was the accumulation of all the stuff I did this week, but I just felt too exhausted to do any of my usual Sunday chores, like laundry and housekeeping. I had promised Alayna I’d pick up the Poker Run chip bags that were out on the trail, but I didn’t get the energy until nearly 1:00. I wanted to go later, after most people had gone, because I was hoping to take Lola with me, but she was limping too much, so I left her at home. When we arrived at the place where the first bag was supposed to be, it wasn’t there! I texted Alayna, and kept moving to the second spot, and the bag wasn’t there either! Turns out, another girl had picked up two bags, and a third girl had picked up the first bag, so it was an entirely wasted trip for me. The bags did finally make it all back to me, though, so at least I’ll have them to give back to Alayna. People just trying to be helpful, I suppose, but had I known, it would have saved me the trip! It was very hot today, nearly 90, a far cry from the 47 degree morning we had the other day. I ended up doing nothing else today but put all my tools away, since I won’t need most of them, and only a couple once I get the new motor on Wednesday. Relaxed watching TV the rest of the day, that’s all I had the energy for. Hoping to get a good night sleep, as I’ve arranged to take a ride with Sam tomorrow, she’s coming back with a friend for a ride and I said I’d join them. Need to get a load of laundry done first, so I’ll be up early in the morning! With that said, off to shower and bed, though it’s still very warm, so I’m not sure how quick I’ll be falling asleep. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Saturday, August 19, 2023 – Poker Run and Work on Awning Motor
Hiya Sweetie!
Got up early with the alarm, did chores quickly and went up to pavilion to help do a few preparations for the Poker Run. Once I finished that, I headed into the hardware store to get a screw on this awning motor tapped out, and Ernie did a great job in just a few minutes. He didn’t have a replacement screw, so I headed down to the Ace Hardware and managed to find some long threaded screws that fit. Got back and went to work. After numerous attempts throughout the afternoon to fix it, and after stripping out a few more screws, I decided the best thing was to just buy a new motor. Hate to do it, but hey, it’s 12 years old, so I can’t expect it to last forever, especially considering how often I use it! Anyway, at 2:00 I went back to the pavilion for the the final awards, seems they did pretty well this year! “Eagle Eyes” Sam from the Shore to Shore was here, nice to see her again! Spent some time down at Sheila’s fire, now I’m ready for bed and shower. Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Friday, August 18, 2023 – Two Rides and a Lot of Work Done!
Hi Darlin’!,
What a busy day! Got up early, quick did chores and breakfast, called the tire store and confirmed my tires were in, drove down there, they were done within the hour (tires look and rode great!), got back to camp and took Apollo for our first ride together in months! We covered the Poker Run trail, and there were only a couple of limbs down which I managed to clear up with my campsaw, so no sawyer needed, then started work on the awning. Managed to get the motor off with only one minor scratch to my face (the arm didn’t quite go the way I expected, but no big deal!), then spent the afternoon tearing the motor down to its smallest parts. I managed to free everything up, and started putting it back together, bench testing it with the truck battery every step of the way. I think I finally got everything working, but when I put it back together, I didn’t notice that one set of wires was farther away than it should have been, and wouldn’t you know, when I tried to get it apart again to fix it, I rounded out the phillips head screw. So now I have to try to drill or tap it out, and I’m thinking of just taking it to a hardware store and seeing if they’ll do it for me, or at least show me what tools I need to do it. Probably could use a tapping kit anyway. Probably have one somewhere, just don’t recognize it! More likely I sold it at one of my garage sales when I sold the house. Anyway, I lost track of time, suddenly realized it was after 6:00, so I started to saddle Flash, since Alayna was supposed to be arriving right then, though she was running late. Turns out she wanted to ride Apollo and Faith brought Glory, so the three of us finished saddling. Didn’t get out of camp until after 7:00, and I was getting worried it would be dark, and Apollo was a slug this morning I knew he’d be going slow. Two rides in one day for him is unprecedented! He did fine, and he needs the exercise, he put some weight on this summer and can stand to lose some. We split up at one point, and then Flash rushed back to camp once we were done putting up the poker chip bags, so we were done right about 8:00, so it was all good. I fed the horses (I hadn’t even had time for dinner, made myself a quick half a PBJ sandwich just before we left!), drove Alayna back up to her campsite, and now I’m bushed and ready for my shower and early bed! Whew, what a day! Love you, babe! Good night!
Thursday, August 17, 2023 – Truck Fixed, More Research
Hiya Baby,
Woke up to the sound of thunder around 7:30, rain came in quickly and stuck around for quite awhile. Good news, I took my truck down to Ken’s, who’s only about a mile down the road, and dropped it off, and by 2:00, it was done! New steering box, and he only charged me $100 in labor, and the parts were just over $300, so a far cry from what those ripoff artists at Quality wanted. Yay! I did more research on tires and finally decided on a brand called Falken, which is better known in motorsports circles, but is getting a good reputation with the average consumer now. They scored better than most other brands, and they’re a heckuva lot cheaper than the Michelins, which have aged out before they’ve worn out, so I didn’t figure I needed to spend that much again. I’m not really doing the miles that we used to do, basically just from Florida to up north and back once a year, not a lot in between, and these are supposed to be nice and quiet on the highway, but built tough enough for gravel roads as well. High marks for towing, too. We’ll see! Also did some research on the awning motor. I’ve decided to take it out and tear it apart to see if I can see what’s wrong with it, I’ve read it could be as simple as a stripped screw or gear, figured I’d check that first. I can get a whole motor assembly in just a couple of days, so it’s worth it to check it out. Hung out with Sheila and her growing gang at the campfire for a bit, but I have a busy day tomorrow so I came back early, having my Sleepytime tea, soon to take my shower and go to bed early! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 – Work on Awning!
Hey Hon,
A good night sleep, a beautiful morning, then I got busy. Filled up the water tank in the truck, did some research on the internet, the went to work on the awning. I was using baling twine wrapped around the awning arm and a hook on the front of the truck to try to get the arm close enough together to put some zip ties on it, but wasn’t getting close enough. Then a guy drove by in a Jeep and stopped to asked if he could help. He was exactly what I needed at that moment! With his extra hands, it only took a minute to get the arms locked down, and then he ended up staying and helping through the whole process of rewiring the motor. My goal today was to verify that the problem is, in fact, the motor, and with the help of my new multi-meter, we determined that we had full voltage all the way to the motor connection, so now I at least know it’s not the switch or anything else in between, so I guess I’m getting a new motor for it. Found one on Amazon for just over $300. Between that, the truck repair, which I’m hoping will get done tomorrow, and new front tires, it’s going to be another expensive month! Oh, well, it’s an early birthday gift, I guess! My new friend’s name is Tim, and he’s the official sawyer/lumberjack for the trail club, he was out checking the trails today. We ended up chatting well into mid-afternoon after we finished our awning trials. Then, I saw my friend Sheila, whom I stayed with on my way out of Florida this past spring, walking down to the pay kiosk! She came over and we chatted for awhile longer. Tim finally left, I cleaned up, did some more research on the computer, then had dinner, fed the horses, and walked down to where Sheila and her two girlfriends were camped, and we chatted until dusk, finally came back to home. It was a beautiful day, but it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow, perfect for getting the truck done, then that’s all the rain in the forecast for the foreseeable future. Going to be a great weekend! Finishing off the evening with some Sleepytime tea, a Spanish lesson, shower and bed! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 – The Gang’s Back Together!
Hey Babe,
Was in bed really early last night, because the rain made it get dark early, got lots of rest. Woke up early, did chores and breakfast, then took the truck over an hour early for my appointment at Quality Truck. Turned out that wasn’t the best decision. They charged me $50 for each thing I asked them to look at. One thing was my cigarette lighter, and they discovered it was a fuse. A simple fuse. I had already changed the one marked “cig lighter”, but apparently the second one was under some other obscure name, probably took them all of two minutes to find it, and they still charged me $50. They discovered it wasn’t the power steering pump that was leaking (which I was relieved to hear, since I’d replaced that once already a couple of years ago), but the steering box that was gone. Rather then order the part and repair it, they informed me they couldn’t do it until Thursday, which is not what I had bargained for. The other $50 was to get the passenger side mirror extended, apparently the motor isn’t working, but at least they left it extended like I asked. Then they presented me with a list of half a dozen other high ticket items they claimed needed fixing, practically my entire undercarriage. I decided to get a second opinion, and called a friend of Alayna’s, and he stopped by in the afternoon. He confirmed it was the steering box, called to get pricing on the parts (which was much more reasonable that Quality, more like what I could get it for online), and we arranged to do it later this week. And he’s just up the road, two minutes away! Should have gone there in the first place, I guess. Finally, Alayne brought Apollo back, yay! When I put him on the highline, he and Flash put their noses together for a long time, then Apollo squealed like a mare a couple of times! It was hilarious! Flash didn’t flinch anywhere near as much as he usually does when Apollo gets pushy, I think maybe absence has made their hearts grow fonder. I hope so, anyway, Apollo can be a bully when he wants. Once they settled down, he got real quiet. I guess it will take a few days to get back to normal, he’s been getting so spoiled by Alayna’s grandma! Not to mention being in a pasture rather than on a highline. He’ll be fine, I’m sure. Meanwhile, had dinner late, now I’m more than ready for shower and bed. Love you, sweetie! Good night!
Monday, August 14, 2023 – Travel Day to Hungerford
Hi Sweetie!
Woke up before the alarm and got moving fairly early because there was rain predicted. Finished packing up and was out of camp by 9:00, stopped at a state park to dump but they wouldn’t let me do it for free like the last place, so I skipped it. Didn’t really need it anyway, and I’ll be staying at a place with a dump in a couple of weeks anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Arrived at Hungerford just after 11:00, scouted it it for the best spot again, hoping that the site at the top of the hill was reopened, but it wasn’t. I ended up in that same spot where we came to 10 years ago, down by the water house. They’ve improved the cell phone signal here, so that was a factor. Didn’t really want to be that close to the road, but there were more pros than cons, so that’s where I am! Managed to get Flash up on the highline and was just starting to get the awning down when it started to rain. For once the weatherman was right! When I looked at the radar, it could hardly have been mis-forecast, it was a huge storm that ended up lasting all day and still raining at bedtime. I was supposed to have a mobile RV guy show up at 2:00, but when he still hadn’t arrived at 2:30, I called and cancelled it. I’m pretty sure I can solve the problem myself, even if I have to replace the motor. I got a new multi-meter the other day, I’m going to do some checking with that to see if I can track down the problem, and if nothing else, the new motor can be here in two days, so I have time. Figured I didn’t need to spend $150 on a service call for something I can do myself. I’m just going to wait for a nice day! it rained all afternoon, so I ended up just watching a movie with Meryl Streep and an all star cast, lots of fun, just had a nice bowl of NE clam chowder for dinner, now a shower and to bed early. I have an appointment to take the truck in tomorrow for the power steering problem. I managed to get the radio working yesterday, and one of the cigarette lighters, but I’m having them look at the other one, I really need two. Anyway, I’m off to shower and bed! Good night, my darlin’! Love you!