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!

Hiya Babe!
Woke up a bit early but slept again afterward, got up and did my chores, did some research on gas regulators, only to discover later that it may not be a problem after all. Took Lola for several walks today. I had fully planned to ride today, but then I found some hay not too far away, 80% grass, 20% alfalfa, so I headed over there to pick up enough to last me the next two weeks. By the time I got back and got everything stored, there were a lot of clouds around (in fact, I ran into a little sprinkle on my way back, but fortunately everything dried out before I got back to camp), so I decided not to ride. Had a leisurely afternoon readying and doing some research on the computer, especially learning about Peru, watched a few episodes of my latest binge, now I'm ready for bed! Good night, darlin'! 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!

Hiya Sweetie,
Had a good night sleep, though it rained most of the night, and it was a lake around me in the morning! Called for Wellies for sure! Very glad I moved onto the gravel, which made it much easier getting out this morning. I had breakfast, took Lola for a walk (she seems to be doing well!), finished packing up before loading up the horses, and was heading out of camp by 10:30. I surprised myself and was able to get out of the gate in one pass! I thought I would have to back up a time or two, but I swung wide enough to make it the first time. I had an uneventful drive, although it was interesting. Even though it was pretty much a straight shot east with only a few turns, the road itself kept changing. It was everything from a well-lined, well-shouldered, cats eye road to something so narrow with no markers, it would barely qualify as a farm road, though they were always paved. Fascinating! Arrived safely, and when I checked in at the gate and asked about packages, the woman there was already aware and told me there was one at the office, so I stopped by and picked that up. Got into my campsite very easily (naturally, the campground was empty and there was nobody watching!), and got settled in pretty quickly. My first order of business, even before getting the horses out, was to get out their anchors and replace the old twisted rope with the new braided rope that was in my package. A much better rope! Softer and better built, and it didn't take me long to get the anchors fixed up and the horses out grazing on the grass. Last time I was here, I put up a fence around the whole site, but this time I'm just going to put them on anchors while I'm here. Of course, there's the requisite metal hitch rail, which I'm ignoring, and I put up a highline between a couple of trees for nighttime use. I got out a bunch of hoses so I could reach the spigot across the road, and it took a lot of joints to do it, so I got online and ordered a 100' Zero G hose so I can get rid of all that. Supposed to be here tomorrow, which would be great! Got everything else set up, then settled down to braid some baling twine. The last bunch of hay I bought had a lovely teal colored twine, so I've been cutting it near the knots so I can braid a few more of them. It's amazing how I always seem to have some use for them! Once evening hit, I took Lola for a walk around the campground loop, which turns out to be half a mile, and she did magnificently. Settled down for the evening, binged on a few more Being Ericas, and am ready for shower and bed! I didn't get any laundry done today, I figured it was too late to start them by the time the clouds cleared, but tomorrow is supposed to be a lovely, clear day, so that's my first chore in the morning. Then I'm planning on getting a ride in, then we'll see what else! Good night, babe! 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 Darlin',
Woke up early with the premise of starting my work day at 8:00, but some of the 50 milers were going so fast, they came in at 7:36, and Robin came looking for me just as I was finishing brushing my teeth. When I quickly made my way over to the pulse box, I soon realized that of the two clocks they were using, one was on Eastern and one was on Central, and they had been using Eastern, which would have made it look like I was late, when in fact, I was early. Whatever, it didn't matter, and I went to work. The day passed quickly at a nice steady pace, adding a couple of walks in between. One of the other pulse timers offered to put a special kind of K-tape on Lola's leg to secure her torn ACL, so she came over at the end of the day to do that for me. Then it was potluck dinner and awards, followed by another walk with Lola, and a camper tour for our neighbors Mary and Margaret. It was a busy day, so soon off to bed, because everyone is fretting over the forecast of rain tomorrow. They're suggesting I pack up and move over on to gravel before days end tomorrow, though I don't relish the idea of have to make yet ANOTHER move this week! I'm waiting until the forecast and actual data for tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm exhausted, heading to shower and bed! Good night, sweetie! Love you!

Hey Sweetie,
Had an excellent night sleep, thanks to a very quiet and cooperative Lola-girl! I think moving her bed to the bottom of the stairs did the trick, I hope! We'll see how it goes tonight. She was a bit strange today, I put her on the cable and she crawled under the camper and stayed there for literally hours. She didn't move the whole time I was out working. Had a busy day, lots going on with dozens of trailers coming in during the day. I was all set to go out and work on trails, but then Robin decided to take me along to put out water troughs, which was fine, because Deb had her two sisters come in to help on the trail, and the UTV would have been too crowded. We put up tents and canopies, set out the awards, particularly some five gallon water jugs, which everyone seems to love, and generally kept busy all day. One driver went a bit too close to the treeline and ended getting stuck, so we spent some time dragging her out of there. We had her truck, then Robin tried to pull her out, but that didn't work, then I hooked up in front of her and that didn't work, until we disconnected the trailer. The truck came out easily, then we had to drag the trailer out far enough to hook up on dry land, and my truck seemed best suited, so we did that. Probably took about an hour all told to get that job done, but it was a nice break in the day! Reminded me of my old wrecker days! I finally got Lola out from under the trailer and took her for a walk. Helped a bit getting the volunteer dinner ready, pigged out on that, sat through the rider meeting, took Lola for a walk, did her PT and red light treatment, now I'm ready for shower and bed! I'm a bit afraid since Lola rested all day that she's going to be restless again tonight, but we'll see! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Lola was restless like crazy last night, so my sleep was constantly being interrupted, sorry to say. Still haven't figured out what makes her sleep through the night sometimes, and not at other times. It's almost like when I give her the pills, sometimes they actually make her worse! Last thing I need are sedatives that make her anxious! Decided to cut back her dose this morning just to see what happens. She seemed fine all day, although she was still barking for no apparent reason. Sigh. Anyway, finally met the ride managers today, first Deb, who had to tell me that I was parked in the crew area and would have to move, darn it, and later Robin. I helped put up Deb's popup camper, and unloaded some stuff from her truck and trailer, then went about moving my trailer, which was a bit tricky. The ground is still a bit soft and slippery, and though I managed to pull up on the gravel, I then backed a good ways into the field before doing a circle around to the position I wanted. Then I wanted to back up a bit closer to the treeline, and didn't get far before my tires started slipping, but at least I was far enough off the road in. It took about an hour or more to get everything moved. I put the horses on their anchors, though I tied them off to a tree, and moved their highline to another set of trees that will work just fine. I'm hoping it won't get too breezy, since I'm now broadside to the prevailing winds, but the stairs do fit better now. Getting out will be interesting, since it's supposed to rain on Sunday afternoon, and the turn is too sharp and the bumps a bit too big, which means I may be scraping bottom, etc. Not the ideal situation, unfortunately. The biggest problem is that I had to leave my rain barrel in place, no way I was going to empty that with no way of filling it back up again. Fortunately, it's not too far away from the horses' new highline position, so it's just a matter of me having to transfer some water by hand as needed. Helped Robin put up a fence along the road for security, using her posts and my fence charger, which was great because it meant I didn't have to move all my hoses to get to my fence posts. Finally settled down to a steak dinner, watch the series finale of my Drop Dead Diva binge, then joined Robin and my neighbors for a little group socializing before coming home, doing dishes, and now I'm ready for shower and bed. Good night, my darlin'! Love you!

Hi Darlin',
Had a decent night sleep, only got woken up once by Lola barking, but she settled down and I was able to get back to sleep. The rain came in around 10:00 in the morning, and I was glad I put my portable rain barrel together yesterday. I positioned the awning so all of the rain would drain to one corner, put the rain barrel and another storage box at that corner, and it didn't take long for the rain barrel to be filled! In fact, I didn't realize I had left one of the spigots open, about halfway up, but when I saw it draining and closed it off, it continued to fill all the way to the top. That's about 50 gallons! Then I used a small bucket to transfer enough to fill the horses buckets, and then it rained again and filled it almost to the brim again! So I don't have to worry about water anymore, very happy about that! Did not relish the idea of either using the hand pump or having to take another trip to fill up my truck tank, which still has over 60 gallons in it, so I'm good to go. Spent the day reading, on the computer, or watching TV, a nice, relaxing day. By the late afternoon, the sun came out, mist was forming in the field, and it turned into a beautiful evening. Bodes well for the rest of the week! Ready for bed! Good night, sweetie! 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!