Kentucky - Day 24

Taylorsville Lake State Park
Thursday, 24 October 2019

There're a lot of deer in this campground.  Late yesterday afternoon when I was walking the dogs for the last time, Dexter and I saw a deer, who saw us at the same time and went racing across a field into the nearby trees.  After Dext finally settled down and we kept walking, I saw the deer peeking out from the trees and told it that yes, we were still here.

Instead of turning back into the growth, the deer started racing back across the field straight at us, and I was stunned to see him and wondered if he (it had antlers) were suicidal, when he suddenly swerved and went running at an angle behind us where we'd just walked past - and went running into the growth there.  And fortunately Dexter noticed nothing at all until he heard the crash into the bushes, but by then there was no deer to be seen.  And for some reason, Gracie reacted not even a little bit to this deer, though I think she must have seen it in the beginning.  The whole episode was odd.

I've seen several at a time at other times during other walks, so I think there must be a whole herd around here.

Earlier today I saw what I think must have been a weasel crossing the road ahead of us.  Fortunately, neither dog saw that. 

But walking them early in the morning before it gets light is a real challenge.  We can never go any real distance without them jumping around and pulling on the leashes - and even almost barking one morning - all of which terrifies me and I have to take them back to the RV.  After so many times of being dragged and having my shoulders wrenched by them wanting to chase things, I'm extra sensitive now.  Terror isn't really too strong a word for what I feel, wanting to avoid more pain and inconvenience, and I can come back from some of those walks just shaking from repressed fear.  Maybe one day they'll grow out of it.

Many of the campers at this campground are enthusiastic about Halloween and have lots of decorations up.  People with a corner campsite have multiple blow-up decorations that are wonderful dragons.  I've never seen anything like them.  All the ones they have are different, and they have at least a half dozen.  They're all at least 6' tall and their wings move.  Some have bright red eyes, one has (apparent) flames coming from its mouth.  They're just amazing.

We've been having very chilly mornings but very warm afternoons, which is nice.  And I'm very thankful my heater's working.

The nice couple who are now next door to me (I've changed campsites twice now) came over this evening very concerned about my coughing.  I apologized and told them I'd close up the windows so they didn't have to hear it so much, but they were mostly concerned about my health.  The woman also has asthma and thought that might be my problem, and said she too has an uncomfortable reaction to the inhaler she's been prescribed.  I told them I just won't even use mine and turned it in to one of those drug deposit places because I couldn't risk feeling weird from it when I was traveling alone - the dogs not knowing CPR and so forth.

But they suggested I might also be allergic to one of the many pollens floating around Kentucky right now - that she and her daughter both have trouble with them - and suggested I keep the RV sealed up for a while.  Good advice, though hard to take when the days are so pleasant.  But better than bothering the neighbors.