Hi Darlin',
Rain came in on schedule overnight, but still managed a good night sleep. Waited until about 9:00 before it stopped long enough to feed the horses, got my chores done, made Lola some satin balls, then got busy with my taxes. Fortunately, they're a lot simpler these days, so it only took me a few hours to compile it all, considering I already did the preliminary work. Had to submit it twice because of a missing health form, but got it accepted in the end. Finished the work day with catching up on the more recent bookkeeping. Flash turned 20 today!! I can't believe I've had him six years already! He and Apollo got a good shower out of all the rain we had today, and for dinner, I gave them both a bunch of carrots as an extra treat. Did a little work on the map for the endurance ride, then settled down to a nice dinner and a movie. Looking forward to getting some miles of riding in over the next few days! Going for another early bedtime! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Went to bed nice and early, but then I woke up around 2:00 and it took awhile to get back to sleep, and that repeated a couple of times before I finally got up around 8:00. Spent most of the morning trying to locate a battery for the tractor at a reasonable price, Tractor Supply wanted nearly $200 for one, though I found a one year one at Walmart for $67, but I thought that was a lot for a one year. I finally found one at Home Depot, 3-year for $109, which I thought was reasonable, but unfortunately, it was all the way in Ocala. I jumped in the car with Lola and we headed out, then straight over to where the tractor is staying and sent to work. Turns out the new battery is exactly the same brand as the old battery, so I'm guessing I did the same search last time! It didn't take me very long to get it replaced, but I was missing one 10 mm wrench to finish it, so Jo brought me one since she was coming over anyway to leave some boxes here. Then I ran over to the Post Office to change my address, and I'm hoping they'll do the same deal with me here that I did in TN as far as forwarding it to me goes. The clerk seemed open to the idea, but she has to get it cleared with the postmaster. Anyway, it was 3:00 by the time I got back to camp, so I was busy getting everything packed. I usually spread out that job throughout the day, but I had no time left, so I worked non-stop for a few hours. Managed to do a bunch of laundry, too, since I'll be out of electricity and a water spigot for most of the summer. Finally settled down to dinner, having done everything I could to get ready, watched a movie and will soon be ready for shower and bed. I should also mention that there was a partial solar eclipse today, but we had a slight cloud cover, so it was hardly noticeable. Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hiya Sweetie,
Finally had a great night sleep last night, no ibuprofen, but I did put in my earplugs, slept almost a full eight hours again, then still laid in for a bit reading. Once I got the day started, I just started checking off my list again, and got everything done that I could. Got the little horse trailer moved over to Helen's across the street, so now that's safe and sound and under cover. Collected some chaney root to last me through the summer, did some mail stuff and other paperwork, washed the recliner cover and let it hang out to dry on this absolutely gorgeous day! Just chugging along, getting more excited about moving on down the road to new trails! Apollo is so bored he's been tipping over water buckets faster than I can fill them up. I don't blame him, I just don't have time to take him riding, though I did brush him yesterday, his winter coat is coming out by the handful. Flash hardly looks any different with a winter coat, not shaggy like Apollo, but his hair's coming out pretty well, too. Was pretty chilly this morning, got down to the mid-40's, but I think that's probably the last of it. Looks pretty nice in South Carolina, too! Settled down for a nice evening with a couple of Northern Exposures and a garlic shrimp burrito, heading for an early shower and bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Took three ibuprofens and put in my earplugs last night, I was determined to get a good night sleep, and thankfully, I did! Slept nearly a full eight hours, then worked on my shoulder for a bit. My muscles were really crying last night, and it felt like my shoulder had had a serious setback, but once I got a good night sleep, and worked on it for a bit this morning, it felt much better! After my usual chores, I set out working on my first problem, getting my brake controller working. It was working last week, but then it started to not work right, maybe because I had to use a four pin adapter for Yvette's trailer, I don't know. Once again, the solution seemed to be to take off the connector on the blue wire and just crunch them together and tape them. Something about the connector just not doing it, but this just seemed to work. I wasn't sure it was fixed, but it seemed to be, so after that, I headed down to Yvette's to drop off the tractor. I had to take off the auger and put the bushhog on for her, and it was in pieces, so it took me awhile to get it all back together. Once I got it put in the shed, I took her trailer back to her old house and dropped it off (so grateful for her help!), then a quick stop at Forest HQ to drop off a winch that I thought I might need but didn't, thankfully. Back to camp, and checked the brake controller on the big trailer again, just to make sure, and everything seemed to be working okay. Changed out the bumper pull hitch, since I have to move the little horse trailer tomorrow. Finally settled down to get started on my long list, which kept getting longer every hour I couldn't sleep earlier this week, mostly doing computer and paperwork. I still have an awful lot to do before I leave, but at least I made a lot of headway today. Finally settled down to dinner and a movie. Lola is doing much better, she's been putting a lot more weight on her back foot, and the vet told me I didn't need to soak it anymore, but we'll keep up the antibiotics for at least another month, she said. Hoping for another good night sleep tonight, I still was flagging by the end of the day, not quite fully recovered. Of course, I've been fighting this cold, or whatever it is, for the last few days, so that hasn't helped. Ready for shower and bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Well, I was well on my way to a good night sleep, having crawled into bed not long after 9:00, when Lola started barking at 2:30. That was followed by the sound of rustling outside my window, and moments later, whinnying from Flash. That's all a sure sign that Apollo has gone on walkabout, and sure enough, when I looked out the window, I saw the form of a horse heading toward the day parking area, lit by the bathroom lights. I jumped out of bed, threw on my robe and shoes and walked out to him. He stopped to eat some alfalfa that was evidently left by some day riders, so he was easy to pick up. I led him back to the highline and discovered a sort of freak accident had happened. Somehow, Flash's lead and pushed it's way onto Apollo's pulley fastener, and in the process, Apollo's ring slipped out of that fastener. Very weird, and not likely to repeat itself, thank goodness. I got him hooked back up, but of course, now I was wide awake at 2:45 a.m. having had over five hours of sleep, so I had a hard time getting sleepy again after that. I guess I was up a couple of hours when I finally nodded off, because it was the alarm that woke me up. Was on the road by 7:30, made one stop at Walmart in Okeechobee to pick up a couple of things I forgot and wouldn't have another chance to get before I leave next week, and arrived precisely at noon. I had to jump start the tractor, then it took about the same time as Wednesday, an hour and a half, to get the tractor loaded up. It took a long time because the auger was on the tractor, not the bushhog, so I had to use the tractor to drag that up onto the trailer, which was clumsy at best. Once I put that on first, though, I was able to pull the tractor right up to the front and lay the bucket on the bushhog, which made it pretty secure, and just fit inside the ramp. I put the old tire by the auger to keep it secure, tied everything down and away we went. Fortunately, the chain and the fuel can were there, only my ear muffs were missing, but I'm just glad I have everything else back in my possession. Did not like having the sword of Damocles hanging over my head, just waiting to be arbitrarily dropped on me whenever someone else felt like it. I'm feeling more free than I have in a long time. As soon as I got back, I serviced the battery, cleaning the terminals, topping it off with distilled water and putting the charger on it, hoping that resolves the no crank issue in the morning. Looking forward to getting back on the road again next week! Time for a cool change! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Had a terrible night sleep. Went to bed a bit early, around 10:00, asleep by 10:30, then awake at 2:00 and didn't get back to sleep except a quick doze around 6:00 with my alarm going off at 6:30. Needless to say, I felt tired all day, and ran on adrenaline because I had so much to do. Met Jo over at Yvette's house, she helped me move some furniture to make room for the Buick. When I partially closed the window yesterday, I realized later that I might not be able to reach the hood lever, and that would make jump starting problematic, but fortunately that fear was unfounded, I had no trouble getting the hood open, or jump starting it. Once we got the power window down, Jo crawled in and cranked it up while I jumped it, and thankfully, it ran a lot better today. It only took about five minutes for it to be able to be shifted into gear without stalling, and the engine was running a lot smoother, so I'm hopefully the rough running is mostly about bad gas, but I won't know for sure until I get back next season and start to work on it in earnest. Still, it had that fabulous Panther Purr going, which was so good to hear! We got it all done, along with several boxes of stuff moved, in only about an hour. Got back to camp and unhooked, then got busy with other things, like moving the generator and one big bag into the small horse trailer, pulling out the tarp to dry, doing a bit of housekeeping, and generally heading in the "packing up" direction. Then I got a call from my friend Sandy that they were passing through the Ocala neighborhood and wanted to stop by, so I (thankfully!) was able to take about an hour break to have a nice, albeit short, visit with them. I had a very hard-to-get appointment for Lola this afternoon, and we just couldn't miss it, so we went our separate ways and I ran down to Dunnellon and took care of that vet appointment. A quick stop to fill up with the cheapest diesel in town (at Murphy), a few things picked up at Walmart and Tractor Supply, then a run back over to Dave's Auto World in Inglis for them to recheck my brakes and to check for a leak in my power steering box (the one I had replaced last summer). Dave put some dye in it the other day, and he found a very tiny leak, so he just said to keep an eye on it for now. Fair enough! He and his family came down here from Watkins Glen, NY, so they're upstaters like me, and we chatted for a bit before I headed home. Stopped at HQ to pick up a couple of things that were found after the Taste of Goethe that belonged to me, then back to camp, shortly after fed the horses, had a lovely dinner of garlic shrimp burrito and a couple of drinks, then nodded off while watching TV before 7:30, a clear indication of just how tired I am! Heading for shower and bed soon! Good night, baby! Love you!

Hi Babe,
Up bright and early and on the road by 8:00, though I had to spend some time on the phone with the Sunpass people to get my toll transponder activated. I had to use my trailer tag, they wouldn't transfer my truck tag over because it's still listed under my other brother's account, so I had to stop at one of the service plazas on the turnpike to get that straightened out, but managed to get it done. I figured since I would be traveling up north, and specifically New York and New Jersey this summer, it would be worthwhile to get the pass that covers the most states, including Kentucky, so that when I pass over that bridge into Indiana, that's covered, too. Arrived just about on schedule at noon, though I was a couple of minutes late because I got stuck behind some slow truck for miles, but I was only a few minutes late. I spent the next hour and a half, by myself, getting my car running (which thankfully I was able to get started with my little jump starter), loading up the three boxes and my Honda generator into the back of the truck and in the car, and finally loading the car up onto the trailer, after letting it run for about 15 minutes, which is what it takes to get it to not stall out when I put it in gear. I put in some Stabil before I started it, and I think that helped, it wasn't running anywhere near as rough by the time I got it on the trailer. I finally pulled out about 1:45, ran into rain on the way, not to mention getting caught in the Orlando rush hour because it took so long to get everything done, so it was 7:00 by the time I got home. I was very happy that the trailer worked perfectly, no issues whatsoever. Not really looking forward to having to drive another 450 miles again on Friday, but it's the only day I have to do it, since my reservation in South Carolina on Tuesday for an event I'm helping to plan is already paid for, and I have had to jam pack everything else I need to do to prepare into my remaining few days here to accommodate a second trip south, so I'll be running around nonstop like the proverbial chicken with my head cut off until I finally head north. Looking forward to moving on, though, ready for a change of scene! Good night, darlin'! Love you!

Hey Darlin',
Felt a little better today, still not 100 percent, but spent the entire day sitting around Dave's Auto World getting my truck ready for the road. Had to jump start my truck this morning, though, evidently the brake controller was shorting out and drawing on the battery again, so that's another problem that needs fixing. Very happy that they did NOT find any problems with my ball joints, which is what I was worried about after being told in Michigan last summer that they were not good (pays to get a second opinion), but that my brakes were not good. Considering the passenger side was replaced last year (because of a poor installation) and the driver side the year before that, it was a little surprising, but since brakes are probably the second most important thing on my truck after the motor, I went ahead and got them all replaced to the tune of $2500. He put on extra heavy duty ones since I told him I was a bit overloaded with my towing, so I'm hoping these will last a bit longer than the measly couple of thousand miles these have gone. Still cheaper than a new truck! Anyway, once that was finally done, I headed to Dunnellon, got a few things from Ace Hardware and a Sunpass from CVS, fueled up at Murphy (finally down to about $3.77 for diesel, though I got 20 gallons at ten cents off), stopped at the forest HQ for a hand winch, just in case I need it to load my car up, got back to camp and went to work on the flatbed trailer. I had to nail down some of the loose boards and get it hooked up, but didn't have time to mess with the brake controller, just unplugged it and hoping for the best tomorrow. Spent too much time trying to open a Sunpass account online, and called just as the offices were closing, so I guess I'll worry about that tomorrow. Hopefully, I'm ready to go in the morning. Not really looking forward to making two trips down there, but it seems like my only option at this point. Had a quick dinner, watched one Northern Exposure, and soon to shower and bed! Good night, sweetheart! Love you!

Hiya Darlin',
Slept well again, worked a bit on my shoulder again, and after chores and breakfast went out to meet Yvette, who has a 16' flatbed trailer and needs a tractor, and has plenty of storage on her new property for all my stuff, so we reached a deal, but it still needs a few logistical adjustments. After I left there, I stopped at the Forest HQ to pick up the odds and ends that were put in a couple of boxes after the Taste of Goethe, only to discover those boxes still haven't made it into the volunteer closet, nor were they in any of the trucks in the compound, so I'm going to have to track all that stuff down next week. Headed down to the Rural King down in Crystal River because when I called them earlier this week they told me they had six bags of Balance, only to discover they only had one! Very disappointing! I had a bunch of stuff I could have bought there, but decided not to, just because I was a bit miffed at them at that point. Then I went to the Walmart in, I think, Inverness, and got what was supposed to be a few groceries but ended up costing a lot more (price of everything is up these days!) and finally back to camp. Still working on trying to find a way to make a single trip to get my stuff, hoping Jo's husband's friend might have a solution. Finally settled down to a beautiful evening, and since it was still relatively early, decided to watch the two Road House movies back to back. Not surprisingly, the original was better, with deeper characters and numerous subplots, where the new one just had more violence, blood, guts, gore and special effects, shallow characters and without much of a plot or underlying romance like the original. Oh, well. Enjoyed a couple of weekend bourbons, won't be long out of bed and beyond! Good night, my sweet! Love you!