Forest Toes!

For being in the Forest Billy and I have been extremely busy for the last few weeks. Lots of doctor appointments so we can head up to North Georgia in April. We spent one night last week with Marianne in Tampa while Billy had a VA appointment. That was not enough Jackson time so Marianne and Kevin are bringing Jackson to visit us this weekend! We had lots of wind over the weekend with very little rain. Billy and I went to the OHV Center yesterday to help cut down trees that had fallen on the trails. We tried EVERY chain saw and couldn't find one that worked so we went out on the trails armed with two hand saws. Billy went back to the OHV Center today while I cleaned and went to the laundromat. He planned to stay in the shop and attempt to fix the chain saws! We have three new campers with the promise of many more Escapees to arrive this week. With that said I need to wrap this up and walk the campground for trash and trimming! Thanks for stopping in and as always "Life Is Good Today!"

A Quiet Week of Meetings and Dr. Appointments

We finally received about 2 1/2 inches of much needed rain on Monday. Billy and went to the OHV Center on Tuesday for the February Safety Meeting. Not much happening there except to be cautious going around blind curves on the trails because the foliage is beginning to grow faster and a few small bear cubs have been spotted, so we must look out for Mamma Bear! JC and Kathy cooked three fantastic breakfast casseroles for everybody to enjoy, so a good time was had by all. Maggie had three days of diarhea followed by a bloody hemmorage on Thursday. Billy was at a Drs appointment in Gainesville so thankfully Sandy and Carl (our Forest neighbors) drove Maggie and I to the Vet in Palatka. After performing a few tests the Dr. determined that Maggie had Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (HGE). http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesh/a/HGEindogs.htm It was scary for us but we chose to bring her back home with us as opposed to leaving her at the Vet's office on IV's. The doctor supplied us with the phone numbers for four emergency vets to call if she should hemmorage again in the middle of the night. Thankfully, we shot a few syringes of Pedialyte down her and she slept peacefully through the night without hemmoraging. Wow! What a scare! The doctor asked lots of questions about what she could have gotten into. We are stumped because she is on the leash 99% of the time, and we try to watch carefully what she sniffs and eats in the forest.

Friday found us making a trip to Palatka to have the truck serviced while we walked next door to enjoy a lunch of Chinese food. I was surprised that the lunch was extremely good, because I had some reservations after seeing the sign outside that advertised SUSHI and BBQ. Really? Tomorrow is my Concealed Weapon Class that Billy signed me up to take. This will promise to be a new experience. Thanks for stopping in to visit. "Life Is Good Today!"

At Home in The Forest

Just realized that it has been a REALLY long time since we have checked into our blog.  Last weekend we were in Tampa for a few days for Billy to have a routine VA appointment.  Most of all we were able to play with Jackson for a few days.  We so wanted to bring him back to The Forest with us, but he appeared to be coming down with a cold, and I had laryngitis (Billy was happy about that!)  Marianne and I took an afternoon to visit Ikea.  Wow!  Lots of nice organizational and useful items for the motor home.  They had the knife, spices, or bathroom sundries magnets to attach to the underside of the cabinet; however, they had a sign on them that said "over sold."  I'll get some next time!   Billy and I went shopping with Marianne, Kevin and Jackson to help them decide on buying a gorgeous new sofa just in time for the Super Bowl.  Billy and I don't have plans for the Super Bowl other than going to the Sunoco Station for pizza to eat while we are watching the commercials!  It's the little things that count.

We enjoyed a day of riding The Forest Trails with JC and Kathy on Friday.  It was disconcerting to return to camp and see a couple of ambulances and fire trucks around the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Center as we were approaching.  Seems there was a bad car accident on the dirt road and one of the ambulances transported a victim to the helicopter pad at the OHV Center for transport to Tampa General.  Billy and I tried to go out to the firing range this past week to shoot some targets, but found it closed because of a fire that had started nearby there a few days ago.  Classes!! Classes! Classes!  Billy took a week of the Chainsaw Class and the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) Class.  We both took the Bear Management Class, CPR Class, First Aid Class and Defensive Driving.  Next weekend I am signed up for a Concealed Weapon class so we should be educated for a while anyway.  I'll have to catch up with Billy and take the ATV Class, but I'm not so sure about that Chain Saw Class.  Shanty Pond Campground has emptied out except for four campers and our neighbors, Sandy and Carl who work at the Ocala National Forest Visitors Center in Salt Springs!  Not enough hours in the day to visit with our neighbors, hike the trails, take all of our classes, start a campfire, read a book by the campfire, ride the trails, sew on an Easter Dress I have started, or just sit and do absolutely NOTHING!  Where does all the time go?  "Life Is Good Today!"