Saturday 3/15 - We had storms with high winds and rain overnight. I had to drag Maggie out of our bedroom closet to get her to go for her morning walk.
The rain let up and it cleared off for a bit, so I went down to the pond to get a few photos. The water level is high so it doesn't look as swampy/mucky as it really has been this past year or so.
The drainage ditch I built ten years ago was full of leaves washed down from as far up as the church yard actually. I need to get them out of there.
I went to the ranch at 11:15, as the rain of a late morning thunderstorm was starting to peter out. Thankfully, the rain did what it needed to do to the lime application so the horses were able to go back out on the pastures, so I opened gates. We were meeting a potential renter at the house at noon. I swept and then mopped the bedroom floors and then at 12:03 got a message from the person that they were too scared to drive in the stormy weather.
Ugh, I was so excited about showing the house. Now at this point, I am wondering how reliable this person actually is. And are they being completely open and up-front with us. I was suddenly having all these doubts.
I finished up more cleaning at the ranch and headed home. The Lenten Rose in our backyard has not suffered from the storms but most of the daffodil were flat out on the ground.
As always, this time of year, Carol’s flock of ewes are lambing. She sends photos of these cute little babies.
My sisters and I have a fun little game, guessing which order the ewes are going to lamb, and how many and what gender their lambs will be. Carol keeps track of, and posts our scores each time more babies are born. 
I went to the gym, but had a mediocre two hour workout because this whole rental
business with Moe had really taken the wind out of my sail. There was no spring or bounce in my step.
Once home, I had to really hustle to get my packing done.
Joe and I had a video chat with Britney and Juan Carlos. We got an update on life and then talked wedding plans.
This is the announcement they have designed to e-mail.
We had a tornado warning around dinner time. Once I had finished packing, Joe and I watched last week's 90 minute Survivor episode. The winds and storms made the house chilly. Babe sitting in the hearth basket, but I had not turned on the fireplace.
Sunday 3/16 - Going down Chestnut Hill at 4:20am, after a tornado had been reported (the next day by FFG Community Club) to have touched down last night at the Water Treatment Plant, near where we were driving. It was a little scary because there were trees down on the road. Of the three trees we had to avoid, one big one we had to squeeze past, driving in the opposite lane and shoulder. There were lots of sticks and debris and a few deer to also keep our eyes out for. I was so worried we might get blocked in and not be able to get to the Knoxville airport on time. But we made it!
Patty sent these two photos a day later to show us a small tree down in our front drive entry.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time.
There was turbulence at takeoff and again at landing. Our pilot said he took us up above the storm. 
Jim and Debbie were quick to pick us up at the airport. We grabbed sandwiches at Publix for lunch. Beautiful azaleas at their house. 
A storm blew in after lunch and we were under a tornado watch. Joe and I had basically got ahead of the storm system, and then got to watch it all over again. I took a nice long nap.
I had a cup of hot tea to wake up as we played cards. We had just finished watching Tennessee get beat by Florida in basketball and then watched The Player’s Championship golf tournament while trying our luck at bridge.
Sometimes the discussions about the bidding got a little heated between both pairs of partners. 
Debbie made a
fantastic crock pot dish of corned beef, cabbage, potato, and carrots; along with
her soda bread and apple cake. 
The meal was absolutely delicious.
After stuffing ourselves, we had a few drinks and played more bridge. We were up fairly late, past our bedtimes at any rate.
Monday 3/17 - Happy St. Patrick's Day. During an early morning walk in Deb's backyard gardens I saw this ripe key lime, no longer green for the Irish holiday.
After a leisurely breakfast, we packed up and hit the road for Jim and Debbie's 'Canal House' in Satsuma, about a 90 minute drive.
We quickly unloaded everything into the house and were out on the pontoon in no time. The first photo shows the narrow canal we pass through from Jim and Debbie's boat dock behind their house. It empties into Dunn's Creek (seen in the second photo) which leads into the St. John's River, but we didn't go that far.
It was a beautiful sun shinny day but the air temperature was cold and there was a brisk breeze.
It felt refreshing, and besides, we got to see lots of wildlife.
I was trying to get a photo of turtle(s) but they were just too shy and would hurdle themselves from their perch on their log before we got close enough for a good photo.
We saw probably eight different gators sunning themselves but I hadn't thought to get a photo because I was too busy with photographing turtles.
So on the way back I was going to get an alligator photo. But apparently they were all done sunning and back in the water. Jim shared this photo he took a few weeks ago of this BIG gator we did spot earlier. They have named him 'Man Eater.'
After sitting in the sun for a bit and having a beer with lunch, we headed to Crescent City to golf. I don't know the name of the course, but Debbie called it the Cow Pasture golf course. It was a very unpretentious and a rather old course that did feel a bit like an old cow pasture.
It was perfect for us... uncrowded, low key, reasonably priced, and everybody was laid back, casual, and very friendly. And look, it was right beside a cow pasture.
We only had two sets of clubs because Jim and I didn't golf. He was recovering from knee surgery and my right shoulder was still bothering me. Plus I wanted to walk for the exercise.
I was fascinated by these rocks that sort of look like coral (have shells in it), but they were rough like lava.
And I was also wondering why they had holes in them.
Debbie said it is coquina - a sedimentary rock, type of limestone, formed from cemented fossil debris, mainly shells and shell fragments.
These coquina rocks were everywhere. And not all had holes in them, as seen below.
This one had little plants growing on the upper part of it.
The course was fairly easy to play, and it made for a nice walk (very flat). There were some long sections between holes and I jogged ahead on a few (taking this video) but rode with Debbie on one, taking the photo below.
Joe said he had fun playing the course (he got four birdies). Note - no birdie juice or other alchol was consumed. I really enjoyed walking the course; getting exercise, sunshine, and fresh air.
It was all fun and games until...
...we were done on the course and I was taking Debbie's clubs to the truck while she ran into the restroom. While driving the cart, one handed and holding a few things in my other hand, I tried catching a water bottle that was slipping from my left hand. And BAM, I crashed into a post.
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Jim was standing at his truck in the parking lot, watching me drive toward him. He said when I hit the pole, my body flew forward and then out of the cart (flung as in spring fling?) I don't remember, but he said I landed flat on my back, also hitting my head. The first thing I remember after the BAM, Jim was at my side as I was trying to get up, asking if I was okay. I'm sure I smacked into the steering wheel with the right side of my chest and it knocked the wind out of me. I was light headed, had strained my neck, and the right side of my chest hurt a lot. I was so embarrassed, and basically fine, so got up and moving, brushed off the sand, and tried to suck-it-up and not wreck the fun we were having.
I guess I did not have the luck of the Irish... although maybe I did... I could have sustained worse injuries.
We stopped for dinner at a quaint Mom & Pop restaurant somewhere between Crescent City and Satsuma. As was the case so far this vacation, the food was great and I ate too much.
Once back to the canal house, again as usual, we had drinks and snacks and played bridge late into the night.
Tuesday 3/18 - We were 'up and at-um' pretty early; packed, and out the door before 9am. Now we were headed for Jim and Debbie's 52 acre ranch/farm in Alachua. Joe is standing by a huge live oak just inside their front gate.
First things first, Debbie fed the two cattle on their property, whom her good friend and near-by neighbor has kept there for a few years. 
This is Buddha, a Gir bull. 
The white one is a Brahma cow named Chondrika. She was really enjoying her feed. .png)
Chondrika has had one beautiful calf with Buddha and may be pregnant with another. 
The cattle are both Hindu devotees and live a very blessed life. And they are gentle giants.
Jim and Debbie are still trying to come up with a name for their acreage. They recently purchased it from family of the friend with the cattle. They have already moved an RV beside the pavilion that was there, and bought a tractor with bucket and bush hog, as well as a RTV.
The next order of business was to tour the property. Debbie and I sat in the back of the RTV. It's a good thing we couldn't see where we were going because there were a few scary creek crossing and some real muddy areas.
We got out at one spot to check the trail cam, which, come to find out, was not working correctly.
The 'boys' proceeded to figure out the bush hog attachment to the tractor while we 'girls' cleaned inside the RV.
Deb and Jim's neighbor friends (Laura and Tim) dropped in with Tim helping get the bush hog hooked up and Laura using her phone app. to help Deb and I identify various flora and fauna. Before we knew it, Jim was out cutting the front pasture.
When we got to a good stopping place, we broke out beer and snacks and enjoyed the refreshments and conversation. It was nice to get to know Laura, whom Debbie has told me so much about. We are kindred spirits. She loves animals and nature too.
Some more projects were tackled and Deb and I got a little nap in, trying out the RV beds.
By 3:00 we were all in Jim's truck, headed to our Air-B&B Tiny house 3 miles away in LaCrosse. We were greeted by several very friendly dogs.
After unloading our suitcases and settling in, we took a look at the cattle and donkey in a paddock next to our tiny house.
They too were all very friendly, and I think looking for a tasty hand-out.
The tiny donkey in back is last year's baby. The small one on the left is the dad. And the fat one on the right is expecting.
These two guys were miniatures and looked similar to the big cattle we saw earlier.
We freshened up a little and had time for some bridge before heading back five miles, to Jim and Debbie's neighbors', Tim and Laura. 
Not only did they have four dogs, there was a menagerie of other animals. 
We had a walking tour while Laura fed everybody. Much time was spent telling us about each and just chit chatting in general. 
The baby goats were a lot of fun bouncing around.
The mama was used for milking and the babies were currently for sale. 
No, no; Bad goat, don't eat that tree. 
Tim taking hay to the equine.
A draft horse, donkey, and appaloosa. 
The pigs were ready to eat when Laura got to them with the food.
Pigs are one animal I just don't have a fondness towards nor do I find them as being irresistible.
We toured other parts of the property, including Tim's sister's house that was being built on a small parcel right next door. She had owned the acreage Jim and Debbie bought.
We ended up in the camp area where they rent out sites for RV and tent campers. And we waited there for 30 minutes hoping to see the bats leave their house for the night.
Bat sightings never did happened, so we figured they were a colony of migratory bats and had moved on. Tim had counted twelve flying out the night before.
The campfire was going and Tim was cooking brats by the time we got back to the house. 
Some more beer was drunk and many stories told around the fire. It was a lovely evening. And we didn't get home to our tiny house until after 10pm.
Wednesday 3/19 - Happy St. Joseph's Day.
It was a chilly (38°) morning and our tiny house was freezing because the wall unit was set on cooling instead of heat. The four of us were basically sleeping in one large room and we each took turns scampering in and out of the bathroom to change.
The thought of swimming in the hot springs (only 72°) and tubing down the creek was the last thing I wanted to do. We played a little more bridge waiting for the day to warm up and then checked out of the Air B&B at 9:00. The cattle were getting a drink as we left.
We arrived at the Ichetucknee State Park near High Springs about 10:00. It had warmed up a lot, was in the 70's, but I still could not convince myself to go in the water (I was too cold and I didn't want to aggravate my chronic shoulder pain and the recent rib injury). I tried to talk the others into going without me, but they decided not.
So we hiked instead, which was hard on Jim's new knee and Debbie's sore hip. Dang, we just ain't what we used to be. Joe got in the pool while we chatted with a young man (with this dog) and we enjoyed the sun.
Joe had me take his photo while he struck a pose. Notice there was a young family also braving the cold water.
We continued with our hike, following the creek for a ways.
After we'd had enough walking, we loaded back into the truck and drove about 90 minutes (stopping for lunch on the way). We returned to Jim and Debbie's Jacksonville house with time to sit out at their pool and play some more bridge. All three of them had gotten into the pool for a very chilly swim... but not me.
Oh, here are the skeletal remains we saw while hiking, of a dead armadillo that someone stuck on a tree. A little gross, a bit sad, but kind of interesting.
We ate out dinner at an Outback Steakhouse that had really slow service, but were still home with plenty of time to play several more hands of bridge.
Thursday 3/20 - It was our last day with Jim and Debbie. We had a leisurely morning. Debbie and I took a nice long walk. We also dropped in on their son Jeff who was home with his daughter. Walking to the end of his street, he took a photo of the four of us by the river. After lunch we played more bridge, until it was time to head to the airport.
We had a blast with Jim and Debbie, eating too much and playing lots of bridge. The pontooning, golf, hikes, walks, and so much more, were so enjoyed. I tried to keep up in spite of my hurting rib cage, but was moving slow the rest of the stay which I feel bad about. I still had a great time because they are so much fun.
The flight and shuttle to our car went well and I took this photo of the redbuds blooming along the highway as we drove home.
I had twisted earlier in the day (actually while playing bridge) and got an immediate stabbing pain that wouldn't go away, so decided to see a doctor Friday.
Babe asleep in the cat hammock. There was still daylight left when we got home, but not for long. I quickly unpacked, got ready for bed, and continued reading the James Patterson novel that was exciting.
I finally was able to get fairly comfortable in certain positions, but could not lift anything or bend or twist my body without a stabbing pain. I feel like I’ve lost strength and range of motion, so was moving kind of slow. I took a pain sleep aid, as I have the past three evenings, and was out for the night.
Friday 3/21 - These photos, of two ducks on our pond at the ranch, were taken late afternoon.
My doctor doesn't have office hours on Friday, so I set up an appointment for 10:30 with Linnea, nurse practitioner friend, who works at an urgent care clinic.
Below, the brown duck is right beside the white one.
Linnea asked me where all I had hurt myself, and looked at my left knee, my right shin, my neck, the back of my head, the back of my right shoulder, and of course the right side of my rib cage. All had bumps, bruises, or scrapes. A few of my ribs were very tender and really hurt when she pressed in certain places. She didn't think they were broken, but ordered an x-ray to be sure. 
I drove to the diagnostic center, was x-rayed in short order, and then headed to Walmart for needed supplies. I also hit Food City on the way home because I like their produce better.
I ate a late lunch once the car was unloaded and the cold stuff put away. And then I was off to the ranch to do chores. My phone rang and went to voice mail while I was driving. Another tree 'down' out at the ranch.
I listened to my voice mail once parked.
I did not have any broken ribs. That was good, but now I felt like a wimp. Why did it seem to hurt so bad and I get these weird sensations of stabbing pain, a cracking knuckle kind of feeling/internal sound, and muscle popping/catching while moving? It's what had me thinking a rib might be broken. Probably I had strained/bruised my pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles and a few ribs.
Here's a third victim of the wind, but we should be able to save this one. I managed to get chores done without too much pain. Thankfully, I didn’t have much manure to pick up. I just moved slowly and lifted manure and hay in small quantities.
I did have troubles catching Red to clean her back end because I can't bend and twist without pain, or move fast. Patty reported Thursday that we had 'lost' the black hen due to pasty butt, probably causing vent gleet and/or egg binding. When droppings stick to the vent area, it can prevent proper waste excretion and egg laying.
Once home, I declared the next two days as a complete time of rest. I started taking ibuprofen and massaging icy/hot menthol cream onto my sore ribs and muscles to help with the pain. And I was going to take it easy.
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