Hey Sweetie,
Woke up to clear skies at last, and after a morning of computer work and phone calls, I saddled up Flash and headed out. It's the last day of hunting season with dogs, but since I've seen plenty of riders going out all week, including this morning when there were riders and a wagon with two Clydesdales, so I figured it would be okay. I desperately needed to get moving, I feel like I've been in limbo too long! Lola was very happy to get some exercise, and Flash had plenty of energy, too. I had planned a good 16 mile recon ride, but we got such a late start I didn't get the whole thing done, plus I went on a few side trips just to see where certain trails went. I found some good trails that I should be able to use, and ruled out a good number of other ones that are just too swampy and impassable, or at least it wouldn't be very good riding for an endurance race. Left about 1:00 and got back about 4:00. Ran into a group of hunters on my way out, they were coming in for lunch it seemed, then again when they were still at the trailhead when I got back to camp. Chatted a bit, then gave Flash a nice rinse and put him away, feeding them both at 5:00 these days. I'm now convinced that this recliner is adding to my pain. I was find standing up, walking and riding for nearly 14 miles, yet after sitting down for ten minutes, the muscle that I pulled was full-on painful again. Can't wait for my new chair to arrive on Thursday! Had a little soup for dinner and settled down for my usual evening, head to bed soon. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Had a restless night, finally fell asleep, then didn't wake up until after 9:30! Had a fascinating dream where we were together doing a lot of fun stuff, and it felt so real that I remember thinking, if my conscience is here with you, then where is my body? I was imagining I was in some kind of institution or old folks home or something, but mentally I was completely with you. Fascinating! I hope that's true, that at some point our consciences will intermingle, together forever. I guess I reached a deep dream state, huh? Anyway, I finally got up, and was grateful the forecast, in fact, said the rain was gone, even though it would be cloudy most of the day, and that was good enough for me! I got the horses out of the barn and put them back on their highline, and eventually saddled up Apollo and took him for a ride on all the remaining trails that were within reach, on this side of busy Route 41, just over six miles. He seemed a bit stiff at first, doing some strange stretching exercises when I was saddling him up, but he eventually loosened up. We mostly walked occasionally trotted, and once, when we came to close to a house that had a bunch of rabid dogs go crazy when we came close, (including one noisy Jack Russell that escaped the fence and came straight at us), when Apollo turned tail and started running away (from a Jack Russell, no less-how embarrassing!) He didn't go far, and I was totally relaxed so he stopped quickly, and we went down a different trail, which was actually the right trail on my plan anyway. We went by the Santa Fe River, which eventually dumps into the Suwannee River where we previously were, and through some very nice, old Florida type forest. We finally, briefly, saw our first bit of blue sky in days, it was glorious! When we got back to camp, I discovered Flash in a stall in the barn, evidently he escaped the highline and someone caught him and put him away. Once I got him and Apollo settled in, I went down to the only other camper in the place, thinking they had been the ones, but it turned out it was a day rider that did that. Regardless, I ended up having a lovely chat with Penny, who watched Flash's capture, until finally it was time to start my evening. I got the horses fed, then began my usual dinner/movie/Spanish lesson/shower routine, the last two of which still need to be completed. It was good to be back on the trail after so many days being cooped up in rain, but I was definitely in the right place, a place where I had a nice dry barn for the horses to stay in during the deluge! The universe is still looking out for me! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe!
Well, for the second night in a row, I've had to wear earplugs because a nearby camper had to run their generator all night long. Different campers, same experience. Oh, well. The road is kind of busy so I'm probably better off anyway. Had a pleasant morning, then saddled up Flash for an excellent ride on a beautiful day! We once again headed out to see some new trails I hadn't been on before, as well as stopping to look at the actual "River Rise" site, which I don't think I've ever done before. River Rise gets its name from the fact that the Santa Fe River goes mostly underground a few miles away at O'Leno State Park, then pops back up again here at River Rise. There's a little place where I was able to tie up Flash and walk a short distance to where the water actually starts up again. Wasn't particularly flowing or anything, but there were a couple of fishing boats there, so I guess it's a popular spot. Anyway, once again, most of the trails here are lovely old Florida, though most are more park-like that the wilderness type that I prefer. Mostly double-wide, though there are a few that go down to single that are particularly nice. Flash had a lot of energy, he kept up his 4.1 mph walk for a long way, and we cantered a gaited quite a bit, so out 13 miles didn't take too long. Beautiful weather, though Flash worked up a good sweat because his winter coat has suddenly sprung out. Gave him a nice cool bath and put him back on the highline, then sat outside in simply gorgeous weather! Several more horse campers have come in, so it will be a bit busy this weekend, and they seem to have a LOT of day riders coming and going as well. I'm just going to take it easy for a couple of days until it's empty enough to take out Apollo and Lola again. I didn't take Lola today, I'm worried about a busy road we have to cross, but she'll be fine if we stay here on the west side. Settled down for the evening, the usual, dinner and a movie. Tonight it was Matt Damon in an interesting flick called Downsizing, about groups of people shrinking themselves in an effort to save humanity. A bit extreme, but a fascination concept. Just have my Spanish lesson and shower left before going to bed. Love you, darlin'! Good night!

Hi Darlin'!
Had a pleasant morning doing the usual, then decided to take Apollo for a short ride to start off our two weeks here. I plotted a route to take in some of the trails I've previously missed, and we ended up going about 5.3 miles at his mostly sluggish pace, but I think it was just right for him. I trimmed his feet a little before starting, and he was doing some leg stretches as well, so I didn't want to tax him too much, but this is the first time in a long time when he's been the first one I've taken for a ride, and I think he appreciated it! Lola enjoyed herself as well, so it was a lovely time for all! After I got him put away on the highline, I decided to do something I've been meaning to do for quite awhile and haven't had time, to get back to my Egoscue stretching exercises. I promised myself a long time ago that once I got my shoulder straightened out, I'd work on getting myself balanced, which is what this method is all about. My shoulder has been two steps forward, one step back this past week, but I expected it would take some time for everything to get back into place. I felt two definite shifts last week, so I know things are settling. I'm not worried that it will eventually work out, I feel totally vindicated that my theory of what was wrong is absolute correct, despite not being able to convince any medical practitioners of that fact. Anyway, it was a lovely hour plus of stretching and I feel all the better for it! Had my usual dinner and a movie, won't be long out of bed. Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Seems like my body clock is better adjusted to the circadian rhythm of the sun than the clock, I woke up at 6:00 at first, and ended up getting up around 8:00. I do like Standard time so much better than Daylight Savings Time! Last night Kaleigh said she wanted to retrieve markers with the side by side starting at 10:00, but then later she asked if I would do it on Flash. Despite it being a bit later than I had hoped, I agreed, saddled Flash and headed out on the trail to see how far we could get today. Turned out we managed to do the whole thing. She and a boy had gone out yesterday after the last horses were out and supposedly de-marked the pink trail, so I figured all I had to do was the green trail, but it turned out they missed a couple of sections of the pink trail so I ended up doing that as well today. Managed to finish up just after 3:00. Spent some time redoing the ribbons so they would be the way I like them next time. I asked Kaleigh is she want me back in March and she said yes, so I'll have another fixed stopping point in my calendar. Settled down for the evening to another Wonder Woman movie (1984), and the rest of the evening is as usual! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Well, Kaleigh, the Ride Manager for the event this weekend, has run into a few more problems that have delayed her arrival even more, so she didn't arrive until after dark. Since I hate leaving things that could be done ahead to the last minute, which then leaves time to actually do the last minute stuff, I decided to go out and make the changes on horseback. I was afraid Flash would see me coming and run away from me after yesterday's long and tiring ride, but he was perfectly still, even turned toward me when I came over! We got a late start, but we didn't have that much to do, so off we went. I left Lola home because I figured she had enough exercise yesterday. We made the two fixes on the trail, and noticed several markers that had gotten blown off by the wind, it's been a very chilly wind from the north the last couple of days. Actually felt guilty I didn't put blankets on the horses last night, especially Flash after all the work he did yesterday. Anyway, we checked out a couple of extra trails on that side of the road to make sure the markers were still okay, and since we were making such good time, not having to stop every 50 or 100 yards, I decided to check out the markers on the farm side, just to make sure they were still intact. That's what added all the extra mileage today. Happy to say most of them were fine, though I improved on a couple of sign and marker placements. Got back to camp right at 5:00, rinsed off Flash and after I scraped him, put his blanket on, even though it's not going to be as chilly tonight. Still, the breeze is still going pretty strong. Got everybody and me fed, K and I have decided to wait until breakfast to get together, so I'm done for the night! Just my tea, a shower and that's it! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Woke up to a chilly morning, dressed with four layers on. Intended to get out early, but once again, had a few complications that delayed me. The most unexpected was when I was all saddled up and packed and ready to go, stuck my foot in the stirrup, and the stirrup broke! The leather had worked its way through the rivet. At first I tried to find another stirrup that might work, then I decided to see if a Chicago screw would work, and it turned out to be the perfect answer. That killed twenty minutes, so I finally got out a bit after 10:00. I only managed to get a little over six miles done yesterday, so in order to finish it off, I had to do the other nineteen today. Of course, I made a few errors and had to backtrack a couple of times, I just don't have any experience in this forest (I've ridden this side only once before), but I managed to get it done, though it was a long day, made longer by the fact that I also had to take down markers from a previous event that were left behind. How rude and inconsiderate! Unfortunately, they were the same pink ribbons we are using, so I had to remove them as much as I could. I re-purposed some that were on the same trails, had to take a bunch of others done because they were on the wrong side, just a lot of extra hassle, as if I didn't have enough to do today! Oh, well, c'est l'avie! Lola came with us, and for the first time in a long time, she just plopped down in her chair and crashed when we got home, didn't try to bring me her frisbee or anything! It will take a couple of days for her to recover. Flash was his usual brilliant self, mostly patient today with all the stop/starting, and even stood still for me to staple signs on the trees after awhile. It was after 4:30 by the time we got back to camp, but it was a job well finished. Well, almost finished. As I started to coordinate all the information on my mapping program, it seems it might be a tad long (not unusual), but there are a couple of places where I can trim a couple of tenths of a mile, so with Kaleigh bringing her side by side tomorrow, we can fix those in no time. She's having a computer problem she had to fix, so will be later than normal, but no worries, if I have to, I can always go back out on Flash, though I'm sure he would appreciate a day off tomorrow. I would, too, though we'll have to see how late she's going to be. Anyway, that was my day, need to get to bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Had a good night sleep, at last, and had intended to get an early start marking trails but had a few things get in my way. I had to pick up the package Jo sent me with arrow signs in it and ended up in a long conversation with the owners here. Then I had trouble with my staple gun, spent nearly an hour working on that before I got it working properly. Finally got on the trail just before midday, managed to get about eight miles done. Had to come back and make up some more markers, I didn't have anywhere near enough, and spent the rest of the evening making enough for tomorrow, hopefully. I'll need to get more clothespins if we decide to do a third loop. That's one of the things I learned from the owners today, apparently that part of the forest I was told we couldn't use is actually being used, and was used by another endurance ride back in September! I hadn't planned on a third loop, but maybe we can get it done, if I can finish off the other two loop tomorrow. Lola had a good run today, and has been crashed all evening, hopefully she'll sleep through the night. Anyway, I'm running late, having my tea, need to finish off everything and get to bed, busy day tomorrow! Going to be a chilly one, too! Good night, my sweet! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
You know that for the last almost fifteen years I've been struggling with a shoulder injury from a day when I spent so long using a chainsaw that I thought I shifted something out of place, but I haven't ever been able to convince any practitioner of any kind to really help locate and solve the problem. They all wanted to treat it but no one wanted to solve it, because they didn't believe my description of what I thought was wrong. Well, I think I might finally have made some significant progress! Since my last deep tissue massage over a year ago, where the masseuse managed to shift something, and it felt better for awhile but since then it's been hurting worse for a long time, I decided I needed to try everything I could to solve the problem once and for all, or else look for a doctor when I get down to Goethe, since I will be in one place for a while. Anyway, I've been taking advantage of the available time and having the round-the-clock electricity to pull out that old hand-held shiatsu massager, and have been really going at my shoulder and my back for the last couple of weeks. I tried putting ice on it one day to see if that helped, but it only made things worse, so I got out the heating pad instead, and for the last few days I've really been putting some heat on it. Then this morning, I woke up a couple of hours before dawn, so I pulled out the massager and really went at all the tight and sore spots. Lo and behold, about an hour later, I suddenly felt something big shift in my back, and it seemed like a whole lot of the tension suddenly released. Wow! I'm not saying it's perfect yet, but it sure feels like a HUGE step in the right direction. I discovered I could now reach for something and not have to shift my shoulder to a different position to avoid the pain, which I've been doing subconsciously for a very long time now. In fact, that was the weirdest part of the day, trying to NOT shift my shoulder, and only having the tiniest bit of pain when I reach for something. What a breakthrough! I can still feel a few spots of tightness and tenderness, which is certainly to be expected considering how much I've been beating on it lately, but I feel like everything will eventually settle down in the right place and maybe even get back to pre-2009 levels, which would be absolutely fantastic! Whoo-hoo! Of course, I finally fell back to sleep and ended up getting up late again, then after awhile I saddled up Apollo for a ride. I haven't ridden him in awhile, and he seemed ready and willing, so we headed out to do the trail down to the river to the west. I had cleared most of that so that it was passable except for the very end, a short path leading down to the river itself, so when we got there, I went ahead and cleared that out while I was there. Despite the fact that we haven't had much rain for a long time, the river seemed a lot higher to me. The last time I went down that path there was a good 10 yards of beach, but today there was only about 5 or 6 feet at the widest point. Enough for Apollo to get a drink and Lola to take a swim. On the way back, Apollo, who hasn't been on any of these sections of trail in several years, found and took every shortcut he could find, even ones I wasn't sure about, and except for one trail I insisted upon, he found the shortest way home. What a navigator! Got back to camp by 4:00, rinsed him off and settled down for the evening to dinner and a movie, and my usual routine, all feeling much better about the progress I've made with my shoulder. Can't wait to see how it plays out in the next few days! Love you, sweetheart! Good night!Hiya Darlin',
You know that for the last almost fifteen years I've been struggling with a shoulder injury from a day when I spent so long using a chainsaw that I thought I shifted something out of place, but I haven't ever been able to convince any practitioner of any kind to really help locate and solve the problem. They all wanted to treat it but no one wanted to solve it, because they didn't believe my description of what I thought was wrong. Well, I think I might finally have made some significant progress! Since my last deep tissue massage over a year ago, where the masseuse managed to shift something, and it felt better for awhile but since then it's been hurting worse for a long time, I decided I needed to try everything I could to solve the problem once and for all, or else look for a doctor when I get down to Goethe, since I will be in one place for a while. Anyway, I've been taking advantage of the available time and having the round-the-clock electricity to pull out that old hand-held shiatsu massager, and have been really going at my shoulder and my back for the last couple of weeks. I tried putting ice on it one day to see if that helped, but it only made things worse, so I got out the heating pad instead, and for the last few days I've really been putting some heat on it. Then this morning, I woke up a couple of hours before dawn, so I pulled out the massager and really went at all the tight and sore spots. Lo and behold, about an hour later, I suddenly felt something big shift in my back, and it seemed like a whole lot of the tension suddenly released. Wow! I'm not saying it's perfect yet, but it sure feels like a HUGE step in the right direction. I discovered I could now reach for something and not have to shift my shoulder to a different position to avoid the pain, which I've been doing subconsciously for a very long time now. In fact, that was the weirdest part of the day, trying to NOT shift my shoulder, and only having the tiniest bit of pain when I reach for something. What a breakthrough! I can still feel a few spots of tightness and tenderness, which is certainly to be expected considering how much I've been beating on it lately, but I feel like everything will eventually settle down in the right place and maybe even get back to pre-2009 levels, which would be absolutely fantastic! Whoo-hoo! Of course, I finally fell back to sleep and ended up getting up late again, then after awhile I saddled up Apollo for a ride. I haven't ridden him in awhile, and he seemed ready and willing, so we headed out to do the trail down to the river to the west. I had cleared most of that so that it was passable except for the very end, a short path leading down to the river itself, so when we got there, I went ahead and cleared that out while I was there. Despite the fact that we haven't had much rain for a long time, the river seemed a lot higher to me. The last time I went down that path there was a good 10 yards of beach, but today there was only about 5 or 6 feet at the widest point. Enough for Apollo to get a drink and Lola to take a swim. On the way back, Apollo, who hasn't been on any of these sections of trail in several years, found and took every shortcut he could find, even ones I wasn't sure about, and except for one trail I insisted upon, he found the shortest way home. What a navigator! Got back to camp by 4:00, rinsed him off and settled down for the evening to dinner and a movie, and my usual routine, all feeling much better about the progress I've made with my shoulder. Can't wait to see how it plays out in the next few days! Love you, sweetheart! Good night!

Hi Babe!
Can't believe how much sleep I'm getting. I must have read later than I thought last night before falling asleep because it was nearly 9:00 when I woke up this morning. Crazy! Well, I did do a lot of physical work yesterday, and I do feel fully recovered, so I guess that's a good thing. When I went to feed the horses, I found the top wire in Apollo's fence was hanging down. I had noticed yesterday he was leaning up against the fence, rubbing on the wire, now I know he was testing it. He pulled all the caps which held the hotwire off the tops of the fenceposts, just like he used to pull the portable fence posts right out of the ground. So I had to put the hotwire on, glad that I got it fixed last week. Spent the morning working of the planning for the McCulley Farms endurance ride in a couple of weeks. There's a large section of forest that is still closed after the hurricane, so we're trying to come up with some interesting alternative routes. Meeting with the organizer tomorrow to get trail markers and discuss options. Finally got far enough along to stop and take Flash for a ride. After yesterday's exhibition of running around the pen like a mad horse, I figured he needed the exercise, and so did Lola, so by 1:00 we were saddled up. I headed over to the river trail, thinking it had been mostly cleared by the Spirit of Suwannee folks, but I was certainly wrong about that! I was barely a mile out when I came across a couple of big trees blocking the trail. I had my mini-chainsaw with me, so I cut enough limbs to clear the way to step over the biggest log, and a few other small ones further down, but it soon became clear that no clearing had, in fact, been done on that section of trail. Since the point of the day was to get Flash some exercise and not do trail clearing, I managed to bypass a couple of bad spots and finally get to the old bridge stanchions, and the trail was completely blocked right there. I turned back to the wide trail and we ended up going on the hard-packed sand road all the way down to the Allard tract, about two miles down and two miles back. Then we cut back toward the river for a ways before heading home. A rather boring ride, but the point was exercise, and it's clear that I won't be able to reach any of the eastern trails any time soon. We gaited most of the way, so it was a pretty good workout, we did about nine miles. When it came time to feed them dinner, it was obvious Apollo had tested the fence and learned his lesson, because I couldn't even get him to the gate to put his feed bag on! I had to go in the paddock to do it. Surprised it took him three weeks to push his luck, he's always been a pretty good Houdini. Anyway, had a pleasant evening, ready for a quick shower and bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!