Hi Babe,
Woke up to the chatter of my new neighbors before it was even 7:00, managed to nod back off until I heard the sound of the forest workers coming to empty the manure bins about an hour later, so I got up and put the horses temporarily into the stalls just to be safe. Figured I might as well get my chores done and start doing some housekeeping, waited until most folks had left the camp loop before starting my laundry. Did a pretty thorough cleaning today, wiping down all the walls and ceilings, and vacuumed and mopped the floors. I had a problem with the generator when my second load only had about eight minutes left, checked the oil, changed the propane tank, checked the air filter, let it cool off for awhile, but it still kept cutting off. Finally went back and opened up what I thought was an empty tank of propane which I had just shut off, and that solved the problem. I think I need a new regulator on those passenger side tanks. Got the laundry finished anyway, but not before my new neighbors returned from their short ride. Then they built up their campfire and sat around that most of the day. I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would want to sit around a campfire during the day in 85 degree weather. The result was, unfortunately, that all their smoke found it's way into my clean house. I was glad my laundry was on the other side so it didn't get the full force of the smoke. Sigh. Anyway, the rest of the day I read and watched some more Havens, tired after all that cleaning. It was hot today, so I didn't mind staying in the shade and paddle fans of my trailer today. That was my day! Off to shower and bed soon! Love you, darlin'! Good night!
Sunday, July 27, 2025 – A Rainy Quiet Day in Camp
Hiya Darlin',
Rain moved in overnight, with some thunder and a lot of heavy precipitation most of the night, so it was a fitful night sleep. It finally stopped around 9:00 this morning, got up for chores, but with it being so wet, it wasn't going to be a good day for laundry, so I've put it off until tomorrow. I've decided to stay the week here after I figured out it's less than a six hour drive to Meg's in NJ, and there's no point to wasting time breaking down and moving for a short week. With all the rain, Brookfield is likely to be very muddy anyway. I thought it was going to be quieter, but then a group of women came in and parked right next to me again, so more campfire smoke tonight, oh, well. Spent the whole day reading, then I binge-watched several episodes of The Haven, finally managed to get a decent enough connection to live stream, which has been a challenge here. Not much else going on, just killing time until my next stop! Good night, my sweet! Love you!
Saturday, July 26, 2025 – Another Gorgeous Ride at Otter Creek, Dinner with Friend
Hi Sweetie!
Another late morning, but got some stuff done before saddling Flash and heading out around 12:30. Today we decided to do some trails up north, so we picked the farther loop on Beach Mill and Payne Lake, Frost Pocket and Cleveland and just had ourselves a great old time. He was in good spirits today, and we did a lot of gaiting. When it came time to head south again, he decided to become an endurance horse and we galloped, cantered and largoed most of the way back to camp. We did nearly 15.5 miles in less than four hours, so we made some good time. I think I finally have my left stirrup in the right place now, back to pre-surgery levels. I had lengthened it because it was more comfortable, but it has been a bit long, putting me a little out of balance, but halfway through the ride, I pulled it up another notch, and I think it's perfect now. I also tried out a new saddle pad I bought for the Yellowstone trip, and it certainly did feel comfortable! Not taking any chances after that hard saddle on the Red Rock Ride last year! I also took my new (old) camcorder, it was wonderful to get back to one handed photography. I put in a 128 gig micro SD card, and I have another 32 gig, which I trust will be more than enough for all the pix and videos I want to take in Yellowstone. Got back to camp around 4:00, relaxed for a bit before heading into town to meet Karen at her favorite restaurant, Tony Harper's, a nice little Italian joint. I had a calzone with sausage and pepper, but there wasn't very much in there, mostly just lots of ricotta cheese, so not the best I've ever had. Need to order pizza next time! But I ate half, which was more than I needed, and of course, I couldn't drive home without stopping at Mary's for a mini twist frozen custard cone, so tomorrow I'm going to pay for it on the scale for sure! Well, gotta indulge every once in a while! Got back to camp, did my chores, then sat with the neighbors for awhile at their campfire. Looks like it's going to rain overnight, so I'll be closing up before going to bed, which will be soon! Good night, babe! Love you!
Friday, July 25, 2025 – Shopping Day
Hiya Babe,
Took a long time to get to sleep, woke up a couple of times during the night, finally dozed off and slept until almost 9:30! Usually the horses would be nickering for their breakfast, but since I've started using these big hay bags, they're a lot happier since they're not running out of food! After chores and breakfast, I headed out to town, first to Tractor Supply for propane and some washers to modify the hay bags to make them easier to use, only to discover that they're propane was empty or broken or something, and I had to make do with washers that weren't all the same size because they didn't have enough. This is the worst managed Tractor Supply I think I've ever been to. Anyway, I went next door to the coop and they filled up my tanks, though they did it by the size of the tank and not the gallons put in, but it was still pretty reasonable. Managed to pick up some additional hardware I needed, and was sorry I got my washers at Tractor Supply because the coop had a much better inventory, plus they had them individually instead of packets, so they were cheaper. Oh, well. Went to Walmart for a few things, then stopped at Mary's Dairy for a mini twist, just because I can't resist frozen custard! At least I got the smallest one... Stopped at Karen's for my final package, got back to camp, put everything away, fixed the hay bags, fixed a bad fuse in my solar panel, and finally settled down for the evening. Shared dinner with my neighbors (they cooked my steak with their hamburgers, so less dishes for me!) and we chatted into the evening around the campfire. Won't be long out of bed, though I'm hoping I'll get to sleep early enough so I get both a good night sleep and to not sleep so late in the morning! We'll see! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!
Thursday, July 24, 2025 – Visiting Day with Friends
Hey Darlin',
Got up with the alarm to get an early start, was done with chores and breakfast and out the door by just after 9:00, heading down to Camden to visit with my high school buddy Steve and his friends at his little cabin. Spent the day chatting away, with time just flying by! Of course, I came back smelling of cigar smoke (though I didn't imbibe myself!) and Buffalo wings. Left around 6:30, stopped at Karen's to pick up a package that came with my video camera (still in the original box, amazingly, even though it's refurbished) before getting back to camp. I was happy to see the horses still had a little bit of hay left, so these new giant hay bags are doing the trick! I had new neighbors move in right across from me, and I ended up going over and chatting for a bit before coming home, having a little ice cream treat with my tea, soon off to my shower and bed! A lovely day! Good night, sweetie! Love you!
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 – Hay Day and Ride on Apollo
Hiya Sweetie,
Getting back into my theatre schedule, late to bed, late to rise. That's what happens when I'm parked in deep shade rather than a wide open field! The horses are loving the new, giant hay bags I bought, even though they're slow feeders, and they're lasting all day, as planned. I finally decided to give up on fixing my camcorder, so I ordered the same kind, though refurbished since they don't make them anymore, at twice the price I remember we paid ten years ago! But that one gave us good service for a long time, and I need a good camera for my Yellowstone trip. The newer models are much bigger and heavier, so I wasn't interested in those, even though the pix might be a bit better. Not printing them up, so it doesn't really matter. Once I got that decision made, I then made arrangements to go pick up hay from the Mennonite family that Karen recommended, aka Tim the Hay Man. He had just baled his second cutting yesterday, and for $4 a bale, I got as much as I could hold in my trailer and use until the end of the week. Green and lovely, just as you would expect! Haymakers have been having a hard time this year, it's been so rainy, but the last few days have been perfectly dry, so fields are buzzing with activity. I picked up an extra three bales for Karen and dropped them off at her house, to replace the three she gave me a few days ago. I also stopped at the meat market for more garlic cheese curds, some lemonade, and a pigs ear for Lola. Got back to camp and put them all away, with a few under the gooseneck to finish off. Finally got around to saddling Apollo for a gorgeous four mile ride, starting on Shady Trail, then Hiawatha, Glenwood, Twin Ponds, Icicle and Blue Jog. Lola came along, and I figured she's head into one of the Twin Ponds, but I couldn't persuade her to go in. Apollo stumbled a lot, there are a lot of pine roots out here, but mostly I think it was his arthritis. I've started him on a MSM/Chondroitin routine, but it hasn't kicked in yet, I'm hoping that will help. Gotta keep this old guy moving whenever I can! Got back to camp just after 4:00, trimmed his front hooves, then settled down for the evening. My phone has now been charged four times with one of the battery banks I bought, so I'm gaining confidence that I can make it through Yellowstone with enough power to keep things charged up. Meanwhile, I've been having trouble livestreaming today, though I don't know why. I'm seriously considering a Starlink once I come back from my vacation, it gets so frustrating not being able to get online when I want. Anyway, time for my evening ablutions and bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – Another Fabulous Ride at Otter Creek!
Hi Babe!
Had a fitful night sleep, until I pulled out my extra throw blanket! I was too cold to be comfortable, even with my wool cap on, until I did that! I slept fine after that. It's so shady here, it's hard to get up at the crack of dawn, so it was more like 8:30 when I finally got moving, though I did do some PT exercises and read for awhile. Spent some time taking apart my camcorder to see if I could fix it, not sure it's doable. I'm missing a screw on the door spring hinge, and don't have one to replace it handy, though I think tomorrow I might pull out one of my many old laptops and see if I can find one that fits. There might also be some damage to the electronics band that moves with that hinge, which is keeping the monitor from working. I can actually record video, which I tested from the SD card, but not photos, apparently, and the monitor is blank, so I may have more problems that that, but I'll try anyway! I'd really rather have a separate camcorder rather than do everything with my phone, so I may have to buy another one. Oh, well! Finally saddled up Flash and hit the trails about 12:20, on a gorgeous day! A bit cool in the woods, but finally warmed up by late in the afternoon. Had to wear my Red Rock denim jacket to stay warm! I decided to do the Blueberry Trail clockwise (so far, I've only done it counterclockwise once before), and it is truly a stunning ride. We took Fletcher Trail, Florence Pond Trail, Crooked Creek Trail (we had two creek crossings), then picked up Blueberry after a short stint on a road. We came across signs for Trailside Restaurant which didn't look like they were that old, so I thought maybe they had reopened it (I had heard they shut it down), and Google said they were open, so we took a detour just to see for ourselves. Sorry to say, Google had it very wrong, not open, empty, and looks like it has been for a long while. I think they shut down during Covid and never reopened. Anyway, we headed back, took a wrong turn and ended up meandering along a lot of private roads until we finally had to just about go cross country to get back on track. No worries, Flash is a bulldozer! We ended up going over 14.6 miles, and we cantered the last couple of miles, except one stop to let a couple of kids say hello, though Flash had his adrenaline up so he wasn't standing as calmly as usual. As soon as we finished there, we took off again. What a rush! Love that horse! Got back to camp, put him away, then went to visit with the gals at the end again, who then came down and had a tour of the trailer and bought a book. Went back to chat for a bit, then got a text from Karen that she had my special order Sweigels white hots (six pounds!) and a package, so I ran down there and got that, came back and had dinner and settled down for the evening. Got involved with trying to solve my camcorder problem again, there's still a couple of things I want to try tomorrow. Anyway, tea time, shower and bed soon! Good night, darlin'! Love you!
Monday, July 21, 2025 – Busy, Productive Day
Hiya Darlin',
Had a good night sleep, woke up a bit later than I expected, about 8:30, leapt out of bed to start my first load of laundry. Strange hours here for generator use, supposedly limited from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., but I had laundry to do, so I overextended that by about an hour. But I got my laundry done and hanging by 10:00! Did a little housework, then in the afternoon, I headed over to Karen's to pick up three bales of hay she left out for me, and to pick up my packages. They hadn't been delivered, but I was expecting them shortly, so I hung around until they came, not really that long. Once I got back to camp it was like Christmas in July, opening all those packages! Of course, most of it was for various repairs and improvements, so I started fixing things with each box I opened. I got a new connector for the hose filter, something more direct than what we had previously had which had started to leak. I got new extra large, slow feed hay bags, a new Cavallo boot for Flash to replace the stretched one that keeps falling off, and two new batteries with a charger for the old camcorder. I wasn't sure, but I was hoping a new battery would do the trick, and when I put the new battery in, sure enough, it powered up! So I put them both on charger and did a little duct tape repair on the camera, but I haven't seen anything on the monitor screen yet, so I'll have to do a little more digging tomorrow. Kept busy for awhile, watched a sweet little movie with Pierce Brosnan as an old man returning to Normandy for the D-Day memorial, then went over to the ladies camp to visit for awhile. The day flew by! Quite ready for shower and bed, so good night, sweetie! Love you!
Sunday, July 20, 2025 – Lazy Rainy Day
Hey Sweetie,
Well, the rains came early, before 9:00, so I got up earlier and got the horses fed before it started. Since I couldn't do my laundry, I decided to have a nice relaxing day, so I read a lot, watched a movie, tried to watch a couple more but had to abandon them due to bed acting or stupid and predictable plotlines, ended up bingeing on some Havens. I charged up my new power bank and waited until my phone discharged to use it to charge up again. I'm supposed to drain and recharge the phone fully 3-5 times to maximize the new battery, so I'm doing that, and testing the new chargers as well, to see how many times a single charge can recharge my phone. I want to have a good grasp on how much power all these items can handle before my trip. Thought I'd have the place to myself after everyone left by 10:00 (and I was actually woken up by my neighbors hooking up at 6:30 this morning!), but more moved in by early afternoon, ladies here to celebrate a birthday tomorrow. We had a nice chat and they welcomed Lola to the group. Other than that, a pretty quiet day, though we did take a nice walk around all the loops just to get some exercise. Something shifted in my surgical knee, which seemed to free it up a bit, so more progress is made! Anyway, not much else going on! Good night, babe! Love you!
Saturday, July 19, 2025 – Lots of Little Jobs
Hi Babe,
Spent most of the day going through my mail and packages, then a couple of hours replacing the battery in my phone. The old one was still working, though it didn't seem to be holding a charge as well, but it was only 1420 amp hours, so I found a better one, they claim 9000 amp hours, which I'm hoping will mean I won't have to charge it as often on my Yellowstone trip. At least, that's the plan! This wasn't one of those easy ones where you just take the back off and replace the battery, I had to go through a whole process of heating it up to soften the adhesive, carefully taking it apart, unscrewing about a dozen tiny screws, heating it up again to get the battery out, and finally, the most tedious part, getting the adhesive off before putting a new back on (my old one was already cracked somewhere along the line.) Difficult, but I got the job done! Looks like new! Thank good ness for Youtube, where I looked at half a dozen different videos just to get it right. I also unboxed a couple of battery charger/storage units, also many amp hours, with a solar capacity, so I'm hoping I'll have enough power to last 12 days in the wild. Put a lot of stuff away, then settled down for a quiet rest of the day. Warmed up nicely, started out around 50, up to mid-70's, but only getting down into the mid-60's tonight. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I guess I'll put off laundry until Monday. Karen came by with another delivery, my micro towel, also for the trip. I think I've got myself pretty covered for the trip, not sure what else I'm going to need, hopefully not much! It will all come in handy for other things, too, so it won't be just a one time thing. Anyway, it was a nice, productive day, and I'll be headed to bed soon! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!