Hi Babe,
Another chilly morning, down to 27 degrees! Think I need to winter in Costa Rica to escape the cold! And it's only going to get worse over the weekend, they're calling for lows in the teens! Brrr! So glad I have a full 50 amp hookup, though even running my fireplace all night (and after raising it's thermostat to 75 degrees), I still have to put on the gas furnace in the morning to take the chill out. Did some work on the computer before heading out to do errands. Picked up my mail in Dunnellon, did a little shopping and got fuel at the Walmart, then ran up to Williston, stopping at Triple J to look at their coastal hay, then to the Chocolate Station and Sparrs to ask for donations for the Taste of Goethe. Went to Farmers Direct, who also donated, though I passed on their coastal. Their latest load wasn't as nice as it has been, and the hay at Triple J was better (and cheaper!) so I stopped by there and picked up a 21 bale bundle, most of which I stored under the gooseneck, since I don't have my tractor to put it away in the front stall. The rest will go over to Chelle's, where I will be moving after I leave here. I was glad to put up the skirting around the hay, that should help keep the cold out from under the bed, if only for a little bit. Of course, I always like the smell of fresh hay that drifts upward, it's almost like sleeping in a lovely barn! After putting everything away, I decided it was warm enough to do the plumbing repair I needed to do on the spigot I ran over, so I got that about half done, with the rest waiting until everything dries before I put the post back in and bury everything. I'm not likely to keep it hooked up anyway, not with the freezing temps they're forecasting! It's safer to just fill up the fresh water tank in my trailer! At least with a working spigot I can keep the horses' water full. Finished my bing of Departure and started an old mini-series based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, pretty dry but it'll do. A productive day, though I'm looking forward to once again crawl into my lovely flannel sheets! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – Computer Day with TOG Meeting
Hey Darlin',
Had a pretty good night sleep, laid in for awhile waiting for the sun to warm up things a bit. Despite having the electric fireplace on all night, when it got into the 20's, it couldn't quite keep up, so in the morning, I ran the furnace for a bit, just to warm it up a bit. Spent most of the day on the computer, working on Taste of Goethe stuff. Chelle is having to help her Mom look after her ill dad, so she delegated some of her usual work to me, so I had to try to get up to speed on that today, which I managed to do to some degree. Still a bit of a learning curve ahead, though! Meanwhile, I revisited the signage to update that from last year. Jo has agreed to make signs again this year, as well as let us borrow her trail markers. We seem to be on track, though I'm not involved with the food portion of it. Anyway, I was hoping to attend the meeting, scheduled for Meg's house, via Zoom so I wouldn't have to go out in the cold, but Dina asked for a ride, so I braved the chilly temps and made do. My Alaska parka is getting a lot of use this week! Meeting was about what you'd expect, progressed a few things a little bit, got assigned more stuff to do, so it will be a busier couple of weeks. Got back around 9:30, tea/shower/bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Monday, January 26, 2026 – Rest Day, Sort of
Hi Sweetie,
Slept late, but still felt tired most of the day, not surprising after all the energy spent over the weekend. Got involved with a bunch of stuff happening at the campground. One camper and his wife, regulars here at BP, came over to chat, while in the meantime, a very large family of apparently homeless people were being moved out by the FWC, the law enforcement end of the Forest Service. Apparently, they have been camping here over three weeks, well past the 14 day limit, and haven't been paying. According to the camping couple, they were in their spot when they arrived last Wednesday and they had to wait quite awhile for them to move out to another site. It took hours for them to move out, with two FWC cars waiting for them to move. They drove off with their slide-out still open, apparently it didn't work. While I have some sympathy for their situation, there must be services that can help, especially since there were two young kids and a teenager in the group. Apparently they've been making a mess in the bathroom every day according to the ranger, and before FWC arrived there was a screaming match at the bathroom door. Not to rehash old news, but I can't help but think these kinds of problems would have been avoided if they had a camp host here. Anyway, Art came by and took Lola for a walk, then he went into town and tried to get the elbow joint I needed to make the spigot repair, but the Ace person gave him the wrong size, so later in the day, we went back to exchange it, as well as to pick up Art's truck from the repair shop, before heading back to Canada in his car. It was supper time by the time this was all over, so I didn't quite get the restful day I was looking for, but I did relax in the evening, so hopefully after another good night sleep, I'll be thoroughly rested and ready to tackle a busy week! As predicted, far from having to put on the AC tonight, I've had the fireplace on for the last few hours (and will keep it on all night), and put the winter blankets on the horses, since the forecast says it going down below freezing tonight. Glad I have electric! Looking forward to getting into my flannel sheets, though! Good night, babe! Love you!
Sunday, January 25, 2026 – Final Ride at FL100, Travel to Black Prong
Hiya Babe,
Had a good night sleep, not surprisingly, and was up early again to do the final marker retrieval ride today, the white trail, with sections of orange along the way. Woke up to some fog and a flock of wild turkeys wandering around in the campground. Hit the trail, but something was really off with Flash today, he was moving like a slug, so unlike him, but I figured he was tired, until about the last five miles, when I rearranged all the stuff I had hanging off the saddle horn. I realized that my aluminum grabber was at the bottom of the pile against his leg, and I think it was bumping his elbow or causing some other distress, because a few minutes after I moved it, he perked right up! I thought maybe it was because we were so close to camp, but usually he gets excited as soon as we turn for home, so I really think it was the grabber. He still slowed down occasionally, but nothing like the majority of the ride, when he was doing barely 3 mph! All of those delays meant that even though I left camp by 9:30 and we only had to do 15 miles, we didn't get back until about 2:30, much later than I had anticipated. Anyway, I got him rinsed off, packed up my trailer, hooked up my truck at a 90 degree angle to avoid the soft sand and holes I dug when I arrived, and managed to pull it straight out, thank goodness! I finished loading up the horses and all the last minute stuff, said my good-byes, and headed out just after 4:00, arriving at Black Prong just after 5:00. Then the real fun began. I don't know, sometimes I can back right up into this space with only a couple of course corrections, but today I because the entertainment for the campground. It took me better than half an hour to get it right! I just kept overcompensating, and it's tough because there are so many trees and so little space. I really screwed up when I ran into the water spigot and broke it, so I had to turn the water off (thank goodness there's a bypass for the back spigot and camp host site!) after I filled up the horses' water buckets and my fresh water tank. That will hold me over until I can fix the pipe. Grrr! This is what happens when I get this tired, I guess. Anyway, I finally settled down for the evening, heated up the leftovers from the Indian Restaurant the other night just because it was the easiest thing to do, and chilled out for awhile. I actually had to put the AC on to cool it off before bed, which is going to be ridiculous after tomorrow, when the temps drop down to below freezing tomorrow night! Crazy weather! That's it, I'm done, tea, shower and bed forthwith! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Another Great 21 Mile Marker Retrieval Ride
Hi Darlin'!
Had a great night sleep, once again getting my chores and breakfast done in a leisurely manner before saddling up Flash and heading out, this time to do the 20 mile Green trail that was used yesterday as the first loop of the 35. Got off to a bit of a rocky start when I thought the trail started up the driveway, but it turned out they were coming in that way, not going out that way, so when I finally figured out I was leaving from the same gate as yesterday, I had already clocked a mile going back and forth up the driveway! No worries, we finally got started on the right trail and this time, we headed more northeast, into sections of the Greenway I've never done. What beautiful trails! Some of the live oaks were absolutely huge, and stunning! Absolutely breathtaking. I only had one bit of confusion that was quickly cleared up by trailmeister Madelyn, but the rest was fine. This is truly my favorite endurance ride volunteer activity, taking down trail markers. I get to ride the trails without any stress of designing them or putting up markers. Even though I enjoy doing that, it can be taxing, but taking them down is utterly brainless and delightful! I even saw a pair of coyotes out and about, which surprised me in the middle of the day, but apparently they are so abundant here now, daytime sightings are becoming quite common. Flash wasn't quite as rambunctious today, but we still maintained a steady pace and got back into camp before 3:00, despite not getting off the property until 10:00. Lola got to spend the day with Art again, same as yesterday, so she's a happy camper, being able to get walks in throughout the day. After putting Flash away, I went over to our Cracker hostesses and chatted with them awhile, letting them know that there was a possibility I may need help getting out tomorrow. They went about making sure they had a key to the big tractor that sitting in the pavilion, just in case. It was a lovely chat. By then, dinner had arrived, so I went back to pavilion, and stayed through dinner and the ride meeting. Settled down for the evening, and once again, am up to teatime! Heading to bed shortly, of course. Tomorrow we will be doing the 15 mile white trail, so hopefully Flash will be good with that. Must be reminding him of the Shore to Shore Ride, when we were doing 20-25 miles a day, so tomorrow should be a breeze! Anyway, good night, sweetheart! Love you!
Friday, January 23, 2026 – Fabulous 24 Mile Marker Retrieval Ride
Hiya Sweetie!
So glad I had earplugs last night, as this place is practically right on I-75, so loud traffic was the rule! That's okay, though, because I always sleep sounder when I use them, so it's all good. Woke up to my alarm, fed the horses and did morning chores and breakfast, and was saddling up Flash by 8:45, and heading up to the pavilion just after 9:00, just a tad behind schedule. We headed out going west, following and removing all the markers for the yellow/lime trail all the way down to Ross Prairie, about 13 miles. We took a very short break there (I tried to rinse Flash off at the wash station, but he wasn't very interested in that!), then headed back out on the blue trail, removing markers for about 1/3 of the way back, stopping at the 484 underpass. Once Flash figured out we weren't stopping to pick up markers any more, he took off, quite happy to canter and gait at high speed, winging his way through the woods like a bat out of hell! We did that off and on for the remaining ten miles, arriving in camp almost an hour before I had calculated, which was fine by me! What a blast! I love this little horse, he is just SO MUCH FUN! I rode over to where Art was acting as timer at the gate, and he took a minute to check Flash's heart rate (I was curious), and couldn't believe it was already down to 40 bpm! Amazing! Once I got him rinsed and settled, I sorted out the various ribbons and signs, then drove them up to the pavilion and hung around up there until dinnertime. My friend Jo arrived in the afternoon, and we chatted for a bit, then we all had dinner and the ride meeting. I left before the awards, though, because I had received a form from the horse safari outfitter and had to fill that out and get it back to them asap. Settled down for the evening, tired by happy after our 24 mile speed ride, won't be long out of bed! Good night, babe! Love you!
Thursday, January 22, 2026 – Travel Day to the Florida 100 on The Greenway
Hi Babe!
Not the best night sleep, but I was in no hurry to leave this morning, so I took my time doing everything. Ended up taking so much time I left later than I had originally planned! Always the way. Still, I was leaving camp at 11:00 and arrived at the Cracker Horse property where the ride is being held at 12:30, which was good timing. There were a few trailers here before me, but not many. The gentleman coordinating the parking managed to find me an electric spot (yay!), so that was a good sign. Unfortunately, despite all the grass around, it was soft sand underneath, so despite being told that all the ground here was solid, I ended up getting stuck trying to back my trailer into site 19, where I had been assigned. There was just enough of a little dip to slow me down, and that got me stuck. I was far enough out of the way, though, so I just unhooked to make it easier. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to get me out of the hole at that point, so my new neighbor Maris was kind enough to bring her truck over and pull me out of the rut. I'll have to hook back up at a 90 degree angle to get out again, hopefully. I noticed a big tractor in the pavilion, though, which I imagine will be put into service on Sunday when folks (and me!) are leaving! Hopefully it won't come to that, but at least they're prepared. My vet friend Art had
perfect timing, and remarkably was pulling into the road that leads to this place right behind me, though he let me settle in before making his way over to me. After I finished getting set up, with a highline on posts that were provided (though I have plenty of room to set up a fence if I like, just not sure it's worth the trouble for just three days,) starting a load of laundry, and confirming there wasn't much for us to do yet, the two of us decided to go to a lovely Indian restaurant for which I had seen a billboard on the way in, and it was a delightful dinner, with lots of leftovers! Our task after that was to stop at Publix and pick up some pre-ordered fried chicken (200 pieces, most of which was leftover after dinner, but will undoubtedly be munched on throughout the weekend, though I understand there's another event that it may be going to), and got back just in time for dinner at 6:00. We stayed through the ride meeting, and then I got my assignment for tomorrow, taking down the markers on the lime/yellow trail, and part of the blue. That will take Flash and I all day, as the distance is over 13 miles each way! He's certainly fit enough, and the weather will be great, albeit a bit on the warm side (the way I like it!) We'll head out around 9:00 and hopefully be back before dinnertime. I've done most of these trails before here on the Greenway, though we came in from the west side heading east, instead of east to west like we'll be doing tomorrow. Love this kind of volunteer trail work! So back to the trailer by 7:30, managed to get in an hour of TV (my new binge is a very compelling series called Departure, which follows the equivalent of NTSB investigations of transportation crashes), and manages to leave every episode with a cliff-hanger. Good stories, good cast, really enjoying it. Anyway, tea, shower and bed for me! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 – Two Horses, Two Rides!
Hiya Darlin'!
Had a lovely day today! The weather finally warmed up enough for it to be comfortable riding, so after spending some time in the morning trying to figure out how to transfer money for my vacation (STILL not worked out yet!), I saddled up Apollo, put on Lola's orange vest, and away we went! By noon, the campground was empty, so I wasn't worried about Lola on the trail. We went exactly two miles, at an average of 2.1 mph. Lola got way ahead as usual, but did keep coming back to keep us company. We did some lovely trails, though the last bit was along the road. Once we got back, I did a little more work on the computer, then started saddling up Flash for a ride as well. Another camper came in by the time we left, so I left Lola tied up at the trailer. She'd never be able to keep up anyway. Even though we only did about 7.25 miles, we only took an hour and a few minutes, so you can tell, he was really booking! We got lots of cantering practice in today! The only practicing I got on Apollo was my patience! But Flash and I made up for it, speed demon that he is! All cantering and gaiting after the first mile. Gorgeous! Gave him a nice bath afterward, since he had worked up quite a sweat. The trails were all nice today, none were tilled up, and only a few area showed pig sign, so it was a gorgeous ride. Put most everything away before days end, settled down for the night. Quite a few more campers came in during my second ride, evidently ready for the hunt starting tomorrow, but no rangers came around to kick me out, so i guess all is good. Going to try to get to bed early, though I'm under orders to not arrive at the Florida 100 before noon, and it's more than 90 minutes away, so I guess I won't worry about rushing out of here in the morning! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Tuesday, January 20, 2026 – A Little Shopping
Hey Sweetie,
Cooler than it was supposed to be, but what else is new? Took my time getting out of bed and doing chores, then got online to wire the funds for my vacation. Took a quick trip into Lakeland to pick up a few items at Walmart, fill up two propane tanks at Tractor Supply (I've been going through a lot with all this cold weather!), and a final stop for fuel just to top off my tank. Then got a notice that my wire couldn't be sent from one account (after I had transferred it from another!), managed to transfer it back, tried to wire it again, only this time the problem was on the receiving end! Didn't think it would be this complicated, but I'll be trying again tomorrow. Settled in for the evening, finished the first season of All Creatures and started another series called Departure, about a plane getting lost over the Atlantic. Probably not the best show to watch prior to flying to Africa! Anyway, it was a quiet evening, only two other campers here now, so I've been letting Lola wander a bit, which is making her a much happier camper. Ready for tea, shower and bed! Good night, babe! Love you!
Monday, January 19, 2026 – Another Chilly Rest Day
Hi Babe,
Woke up to another chilly morning with no real plans today, being a holiday. About the only thing I did today was chat with my neighbors Jim and Sherry from Michigan before that packed up and left, read, and watched a few more episodes of my TV binge. Too cold to do much else today! It's getting nicer later this week, though, so I'm looking forward to that. Rest of the evening, the usual repeat! Good night, darlin'! Love you!