Hey Babe,
Lots of folks came into the campground last night, so it was a bit busier than it has been, not unexpected, of course! Did some chores in the morning, picked up my mail at the office and posted a letter as well, chatted with some of my new neighbors while walking Lola around, then finally saddled up Flash for a nice 6+ mile ride. I actually found two short sections of trail that I've never been on, so I incorporated them into today's ride, so now I've officially done every bit of horse trail out here. This is a lovely place, but they really need about ten or fifteen more miles of trail to make it interesting! Only ran into two other riders on the trail, and we chatted a little, but then I stopped off at their trailer later and we had a long chat. They seemed very interested in my Africa trip, so I happily answered all their questions. Finally settled down for the evening, watched a little TV, took Lola for one last walk just before mosquito hour before settling down for the night. Sorry to say that the temps are really warming up in the next few days, so I'm a bit sorry I have no electric. Normally wouldn't bother me too much, but my generator kept kicking off this evening, with an overheating fault, and it's in the shade and not even running that long! I'll look at it in the morning, but I already checked the filter and the oil, and they both seem okay, so I don't know what's causing it to overheat, especially since I left the compartment door open. Hope I can figure it out, this is going to get a bit uncomfortable if I can't run my AC long enough to cool down the inside of the camper during these upcoming warm days! Time to pull out my little portable ice AC unit, for what it's worth! Enough said, time for bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Sweetie!
Despite the rain through the night, with earplugs in, I had an excellent night sleep! By morning it was over, and even Lola didn't get too excited about it, thank goodness! Did my morning chores leisurely, then saddled up Flash for a ride. He's really taken a liking to these trails, he was definitely back into a 6 + mph range! We only did about four miles before we got back to camp, when I put Apollo on a line and ponied him around the camp a bit just for exercise. Once we got back and I put them away, I headed out to do errands, stopping at a couple of hardware stores to see if they had the materials I needed to fix the legs on my solar panel (they didn't), and finally ending up at a welder/fabricator in the little town of Winimac who said he could help, so I left the legs with him and drove off to Rochester, IN, where I got fuel and shopped at Walmart to get a few essentials. Was delighted when I got back to the welder and he was able to fix my legs, though honestly, I'm not sure how long they will last, but it was worth the $20 bucks for even a temporary fix. Took Lola for a couple of walks, she is doing so well these days! Almost like before the torn ACL! Settled down to a couple of hours of binge TV, off to bed soon! Really hating DST, still light at 9:30, yuck! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Darlin'!
Had a busy day today, got a lot done! So nice to have a good night sleep without earplugs! Lovely and quiet out here. Started the day off doing a couple of loads of laundry before saddling up Flash for a beautiful ride. Gorgeous weather today! Low 70's, hardly a cloud in the sky, so nice after all the rain on Sunday. No horse boots required, and I didn't even take my saddlebags, so Flash was very happy! Though the trails were damp, there was very little mud, as most of it is firm sand. Once he got warmed up, Flash decided he was in a 7 mph mood, so we were booking through the forest. We did the northern loop, and ended up doing about 8.7 miles. There are a lot of trails here, just not a lot of long ones, but plenty if you want to meander around. We did a lot of gaiting and cantering, and he was in excellent spirits today! So much fun to ride him! Once we got back, I first stopped at HQ to pick up a package and report two downed trees, then I headed up to Tractor Supply, which is only about 15 minutes away, and got some feed, supplements and propane. When I took out the tanks, I discovered that it seems like my regulator isn't working properly, so I did some research on getting a new one, or trying to repair the old one. Considering it's 16 years old, I'm leaning toward a new one. I decided that I would stay here an additional week, since this is a good spot and I'm tired of moving every week (and in the case of last week, three times in the same place!), and this is a very convenient place. Water is right across the road, manure bin is 50 feet away, I get more than half a day of sun on my solar panel, and the horses are fine on their anchors during the day, so I'm good to stay here. To reach water yesterday, I had to piece together about four different hoses to reach everything, so I ordered a 100' Zero G hose, which arrived today, so when I got back, I put all the together, threw away one old leaky hose, and have another one I'll give away at the earliest opportunity. Much easier! Love my Zero G! After Tractor Supply I stopped at the grocery store next door and picked up a few things, then back to camp. Finally settled down to dinner and TV, took Lola for her second walk of the day, and am luxuriating as the cool air as it filters in. Going to be a perfect night for sleeping! And tomorrow, another perfect weather day! Loving life, as usual! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hey Babe,
Got up nice and early and still didn't quite get to the beginning of the riders coming in, just a little miscalculation on my part. There were only about a dozen riders today, and because of the rain in the forecast, it was decided that all rides would start at 6:00 a.m. Once again I was pulse timer, but I also did a little packing up, because we were all worried about me not being able to get out once the rain started falling. Once all the riders were in, I finished packing and attempted to move out of my spot, with the plan of circling around and ending up on the gravel driveway, but couldn't quite make it. I tried it from several angles, with and without boards under my tires, etc., but it was a no go. Robin had already called the DNR guy for help, so rather than try again, I let him pull me up out of the worst of it. Was a bit worried for a minute when HE started slipping, but it all worked out. I managed to swing around and get situated on the gravel before the rain got too bad. It was just a light drizzle for a couple of hours while the camp was breaking down, but by late afternoon, it was pouring for hours! Though I wasn't thrilled at the idea of moving AGAIN, it was the right choice. The field was a lake before long. Put blankets on the horses when I fed them in the evening, and walked Lola while there was sort of a break in the rain. Well, not much of a break, but I put on my full rain suit and managed to keep dry. Started a new binge-series, a Canadian one called Being Erica, which has been nice and entertaining. Headed for shower and bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Rough night. Lola just wouldn't settle down. I was up thrice during the night to let her out. Barking all the time. No idea what was going on with her, but she was inconsolable, even without storms. Finally managed to doze off in between, but not a very restful night. The morning was gray, cloudy, and we had a little rain, so I decided to get out the portable rain barrel that I had bought awhile back and had yet to use. It was for those rare times when water was an issue and there was rain in the forecast, and this week fits that to a T. It didn't take long to put that together, but then the rained stopped, the wind picked up, and the clouds moved out. I had to pull in the awning because of the strong gusts, but I'm grateful I parked with my tail end to the west, so at least the wind isn't hitting me broadside. Once the sun came out and it warmed up, I decided to take a ride. The ladies I spoke to yesterday said the trails were in pretty sad shape, quite overgrown, so I took my trimming equipment with me and headed out on the south loop. I confirmed with the ride manager that there are basically only three loops here, two six mile and on five mile loops, and I managed to do one of the six mile loops. It did need a lot of TLC, there was a lot of growth, so it took some doing, but I was glad to get it done. Flash was his usual brilliant self, patiently letting limbs drop on his head while I did clearing. Such a good horse! It's supposed to rain most of the day tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to get the northern loop done until Thursday, but at least I'll be here to collect rainwater! Took Lola for several long walks, including one all the way down the field and back, which I figure was nearly half a mile each way, and the more she moved, the faster she got, so evidently we're working on strengthening her bad leg. Finally settled down for the evening, and was delighted when I had no problem getting my Prime Video tonight! I think there must have been some updating going on or something, but I was able to enjoy several episodes of the last season of Drop Dead Diva, which I've really been enjoying. Totally a suspension of disbelief, but a very enjoyable one! Ready for a better night sleep, and I hope Lola is ready, too! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Had another full night sleep, with just a little barking early, but I had my earplugs in so I was able to ignore it, and happy when I discovered there was no accident as a result, which was my fear after doing all the cleaning yesterday! Woke up to a lovely morning, did my usual chores, than after breakfast, I saddled up Flash and we took a nice ride. I had marked off the trail I wanted to take according to their map, since I ended up on a snowmobile trail last time (those are mostly shared anyway), but wanted to try to stay on track a bit better. That didn't exactly work out. Where the map said to go in a few places was more like a barely visible deer trail, so I stayed on the main trails as best I could. Followed some trails that weren't even on the map, and some of it was what I did earlier this week only backward. Came across a couple of major tree falls, but nothing I couldn't get around. When I hit about mile 5 or 6, I started hearing thunder and seeing thick clouds come in, despite the weather forecast saying it wasn't going to rain here until nearly midnight. Worried that I would get caught in it (and I had left some windows open in the camper), I tried to find the shortest route back to camp, which took me along the road, but with a good grass swale on the side, so Flash and I were able to canter and gallop most of the way home, so it didn't take long. Of course, the storms missed us anyway, which I didn't think was possible when I looked at the radar, but they just fell apart before they arrived. No matter, it was a lovely ride. I forgot to mention that on my other ride earlier this week, at one point I heard a mewling sound, and saw some fur babies along the trail. I thought they were kittens at first, but then they crossed the trail behind me and it turns out there were three adorable baby raccoons! They were darling! They all started climbing a tree, very brave for such a young age. So glad I saw them! There are a lot of deer in the park as well, I even saw some in the campground munching. I let the horses graze on their anchors again, and was once again amazed that no one else arrived today. I get that there's not a huge amount of trails, and they are pretty poorly mapped (though the markings aren't too bad), but it would be good for a weekend, at least! So reasonably priced, and the facility is nice, so it is surprising to me. Not that I mind having the place to myself! Everyone knows I'm perfectly comfortable being on my own. once I got back to camp, since it seemed like the rain was holding off, I ponied Apollo around the camp at a trot, which he seemed to enjoy immensely! Afterward, we all settled down for the rest of the day, doing a couple more walks with Lola, and for once, she didn't just bark at me endlessly after dinner. Maybe because I finally put her bed back up where it belongs instead of on the ground. I hope she doesn't try to get down during the night, but she does seem strong enough to handle it. Here's hoping she stays that way through the night! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe,!
Had a good night sleep, got my chores done, then worked with Lola for awhile. I started out putting her walking harness on, but then left it alone, as she started quivering, though not as much. Then I did a red light treatment and back massage, then I put a plate of her favorite things on it: a meatball, a ball of cheese, a leftover deviled egg, and finally, a lump of peanut butter with her pills in it. As usual, she didn't eat it right away, but she didn't wait too long before gobbling it all up. Happy to see she has an appetite! Finally, after I had my breakfast, I hooked up her leash and she practically jumped up and headed straight for the door! I managed to get her out okay, and we took a little walk, and she managed to pee just fine. That's a relief! Once I got settled back inside and started a load of laundry, I saddled up Flash, with Apollo's western saddle (because it has a horn to carry everything I needed, and my new Aussie saddle doesn't), and headed out to pick up markers on the Lake Trail. It was only about six miles, but there was a lot of gravel, so Flash was going really slow. I don't know if it was because his feet hurt, or if he generally was tired from all the hill climbing we did yesterday. Today's trail was very easy, very few hills, and we just took our time with it. When I'm taking down markers, I sort as I go, so it was pretty easy to organize once I got back to camp. After I did that, I remounted Flash and ponied Apollo around the campground loop, which is about a mile, just to give him some exercise, since he's been patiently tied to the damn hitching post for the last five days! I swear, if I lived in Indiana, I would start a petition to force the DNR to replace all these abusive hitching rails to highline posts, which I know for a fact would be welcome by just about every camper out there! I haven't met ANYONE who thought a hitching rail was a good horse containment system for an overnight stay! Anyway, I put Flash away after that and took Lola for another walk. She does seem to be doing better, gaining some confidence, for which I give my new friend Lani a lot of credit. She only squealed a time or two today, and I was finally able to pinpoint that that only happens when she lands on her right side. Laying on her left side doesn't seem to hurt her at all. And good news! The woman physical therapist I've been trying to get her into, and who I was scheduled to see on Friday, had a cancellation on Tuesday at noon, so now I'm able to get Lola in even earlier! So happy for that! While she is doing much better today, I want to keep her going down that road to a full recovery, the sooner the better! Lois came by and picked up the markers (and seemed pleased that I had them all sorted and bagged accordingly), then I settled down for the afternoon and evening. I put some things away, like the hoses, but I didn't unpack much, so tomorrow's load out should be easy enough. I'm only traveling 125 miles, so I should get there in about 2 1/2 hours or less, so there's no big hurry. So glad I can get Lola in on Tuesday, though, I was hoping for an earlier opening! Anyway, time for shower and bed! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Had a solid night sleep, then woke up before the alarm, which was fine since I managed to get to be early. Managed to get Lola outside, but she wouldn't pee, until she was back on the steps, then she went on the doormat, which I then had to launder. Spent the morning as pulse timer again, then after lunch, saddled up Flash and headed out to pick up markers on the blue and shared blue/pink trail. The lake trail has so much gravel on it, it's not very pleasant, but once we got off it, it was pretty nice again. Still, it was a great ride! I love taking down markers, absolutely my favorite volunteer job on an endurance ride! We ran into a few pleasure riders, and Flash was so funny. He was steady all day, then when we passed them, he suddenly thought he was in the race and had passed his competition, so he immediately sped up! He's such a badass! Got back in time for the last few 50 mile riders to arrive, then the awards ceremony. Connie introduced me to Lonnie, a small animal vet, who said she was willing to take a look at Lola, and it turned out, she was parked right next to me! After the awards, I stopped over, and she came over with her kit and took a good long look at Lola. I didn't realize it, but she was an acupuncturist, and she helped me get Lola outside to pee, and gave her an acupuncture treatment while out on the grass. We spent more than an hour going over what I've been doing and what I should do, and was very grateful for the help. Even more, she refused payment, which I was more than happy to give! Lola seemed to be much more comfortable after her treatment, and we did manage to get her walking around for a bit, and she peed but still wouldn't poop, which she hasn't done for two days now. She offered some great advice, and agrees that physical therapy is a great way to go at this point, so we have a plan of therapy now, even before my first appointment with the physical therapist folks on Wednesday. Watched an hour of TV, splurged on a bourbon or two, ready for bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Took awhile to get to sleep, but got up shortly after 7:00, trying to get on a better body clock than getting up at 9:00. Horses survived the night on the hitching rail (I really HATE that type of horse containment system!), and I managed to get Lola out to do her business this morning, yay! I was getting worried about her since I never got her out yesterday at all, she just refused. Oddly, while walking up the drive, we came across a large tarp covering a large lump that was blocking the road. Since they were cleaning out all the manure bins, I thought maybe they had accidently dumped a load or something, but then I noticed a hoof with a shoe on it just under the tarp. It was a dead horse! Turned out it belonged to the only other campers out here, Billy and his friend. It apparently tied up in the trailer on it's way here or something. He was only 21 years old, poor thing! Anyway, after breakfast and chores, I saddled up Flash and headed out to the Dry Fork Loop, the only part of the trail that can't be reached by UTV, to check on markers and make sure there weren't any obstacles. It was a lovely trail, we did over 9.5 miles on it, but it wasn't dry at all, not with all the rain. Every creek had water in it, and many sections of the trail were muddy, and a few were even under water. Hopefully, since the sun had finally come out, some of that will dry up today if there's no more rain. Lot's of climbing up and down, switchbacks, and some technical stuff. There were some limbs I cleaned up and a few wayward ribbons I replaced, and two trees across the trail, but they were passable, although clearly they had come down very recently. I saw a lot of turtles today, it must be mating season, they're all on the move. I saw one on the trail, one back in camp, and two locked in an odd embrace that must be what happens when turtles copulate. Presumable the female was in a normal position, while the male was upright, actually leaning backwards, with only his privates connecting them. Strange, but there's a picture! Now you don't see that every day! Got back to camp and got Flash put away by 1:30, then I hustled Lola into the truck (I put on her muzzle just to be safe), though she once again exhibited some pain. I drove about 45 minutes to a pet acupuncturist east of Louisville. I had high hopes that her treatment would help the way it helped Billy all those years ago, but unfortunately, she didn't seem any better afterwards than she did before. The doctor says it may improve in the next couple of day after the treatment settles in, just keep putting heat on it and giving her pills. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but we'll see. I did learn the problem may be a bit higher up her spine, so I'm putting the heating pad up a bit higher to see if that helps. Wasn't sure if I wanted to do another treatment or not, but then the doctor said she was going out of town next week anyway, so that took care of that! We'll be heading up to Bloomington on Monday, now that's settled. By the time we got back and I got the horses settled, I was having my meal at about 6:30, and settled down for the evening, as usual. Won't be long out of bed! Good night, Sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Been sleeping pretty well, and laying in pretty long, but feeling rested and physically well. Took Flash for a short ride to explore the "Beginner's Loop", thought it would be a good one for Lola since it was only about three miles or so, but she didn't have any interest in coming along. Maybe she had enough the other day. This was a lot less steep, but I didn't want to force her, so Flash and I just followed her around the campground until she had had enough, then I left her at the trailer while we went off on our ride. It wasn't a bad trail, though I came across some downed trees again, but the trails were pretty slick from all the rain over the weekend, so I ended coming back on the road, just for the sake of better footing. When I got back, I ponied Apollo around the campground a bit for exercise, then spent a little time rasping the horses' feet, all eight of them, so I guess all this rest is doing me good! I noticed a map of the trails for next week's ride tucked by my chair, so obviously Connie had stopped by and dropped that off, so I called her and we chatted for a bit. Did a few minor repairs on the trailer, then settled down for the afternoon and evening. It started raining around 8:00 pm and is still coming down hard now, at 9:30. It seems to be training in place, so I guess it will be going on for awhile. Lola is not liking the lightning and thunder, so I ended up giving her an allergy pill, which I trust will make her sleepy eventually. Won't be long out of bed, will likely have to wear earplugs if the rain is still pounding like it is! Good night, baby! Love you!