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11/19/08, Norton, OH - Well, I’m back in Ohio, after a great week in New Hampshire. The rented Cherokee never learned to respond too well to voice or driving line commands, but it did get me where I wanted to go.
The house sale is a done deal. I got a chance to visit some great friends and pick up a lot of supplies, including plexiglass for the front cabin of the wagon and a couple of Biothane harnesses to replace the old 80 lbs harnesses that Dolly and Deedee were wearing.
I also had a chance to see Doc’s old teammate, Duke. Duke is owned by Skip Smart of Chester, NH and was a very close match for Doc. Interestingly enough, Duke still misses Doc. He looks in the horse trailer for him whenever it comes back to the farm. He got real excited when he smelled Doc’s scent on my coat. On the other hand, Doc fell in love with Dolly and never looked back.
Beth and I got a chance enjoy each other’s company during the time off, including a nice horseback ride. The pictures to the right show Beth riding her Holsteiner Warmblood, Chance, while I’m on her Quarterhorse, Buckley.
It was a great week, but on Monday the 17th, I was back in the rental and headed for Ohio. Yesterday, was a snowy day and I spent most of the day straightening out the new harness, bringing in the horses from the back field and putting plexiglass in the front of the wagon.
This morning the roads were icy, so I decided to stick around one more day and let things thaw out while I finished out some work with the wagon and horses. I got a kick out of watching my host, Dale Adams work his Border Collie, Rocket on the sheep. Dale and his wife Fay have been fantastic hosts and have treated the horses and I like kings - Thank You!
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’m headed south towards Wooster, OH. The team looks very well rested and have noticeably picked up some weight in the past week.
This unusually cold weather is suppose to continue for the next few days. In many ways, life in the wagon has become a little more Spartan. I’ve drained the water tank to keep the pipes from freezing. I’m now carrying my water in four, six-gallon water jugs in the cabin. As long as it stays below freezing, I have to keep either the propane or electric heater (when I’m plugged in) going all the time. The drain lines for the sink and tub are now frozen. When they thaw out, I’ll have to do a little plumbing to keep them from freezing in the future. IN spite of these minor inconveniences, my morale is high and I’m glad to be back on the wagon and anxious to get traveling again.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’m sure it will be a great day!
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