Blind Luck by a Nostril

Blind Luck was the 6 to 5 favorite at the beginning of the Kentucky Oaks today. She was running in last place for a good part of the mile and one-eighth; then she exploded and won the race by a nostril over Evening Jewel. It was a thrilling race, worthy of the Oaks history. My other two picks, Beautician and Amen Hallelujah finished in fourth and sixth places. Blind Luck is a daughter of Pollard's Vision (her name tickles me because her sire was named after Seabiscuit's jockey, Red Pollard, who rode, illegally, while sightless in one eye). Rachel Alexandra, last year's three-year-old filly and Horse of the Year, raced today; she was defeated, and has yet to rise to the heights of my current favorite mare, Zenyatta (who is undefeated).
And Lovey decided to live dangerously this afternoon. I received a phone call around noon, and had the back door open at the time. Aiko, Yoshi and Lovey were out playing in the backyard. After I finished my call, I realized that (a) I couldn't see Lovey and (b) I couldn't hear her either. So I stepped out and walked the perimeter, calling her name. I was shocked when she appeared, by climbing the cottonwood at the Rs house, and hopping the fence back into Yoshi and Aiko's yard. I guess it was a good thing that I tired out both Rosie and Remy on our morning excursion!

Horses

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas mounted on Pancho at Saratoga
Amen Hallelujah, by Montbrook, out of Sarah's Success by Concorde's Tune, breaking from post 13 in today's Kentucky OaksPaddy O'Prado, by El Prado, out of Fun House by Prized, breaking from post 10 in the Kentucky Derby tomorrow

A Fall, and Lovey

It's always embarrassing when you fall off a horse. Donna Brothers, the ex-jockey/sports analyst for NBC, was dumped this morning at Churchill Downs while doing a live segment for the Today show. Al Roker was riding Pancho, D. Wayne Lukas' stable pony, and Brothers was mounted on Cowboy, Bob Baffert's pony; Cowboy shied as a group of horses approached them on the training track, and Donna bit the dust. She was on her feet again within 5 seconds, but Cowboy had taken off down the track. Pancho and Al just stood/sat and watched in disbelief. They finished the interview with Donna on foot, then moved into the winner's stand for a follow-up. Rain is predicted for the Derby, and Donna Brothers states that a muddy track will favor colt Paddy O'Prado.
Lovey has had a super time exploring the back and front yard here. She's really funny... If she's out of my eyesight, she talks constantly to let me know where she is and that she's safe. She's made several excursions outside, generally in the back, but seems to be comfortable - and she loves the huge cottonwood tree that has the side fence built around it; it seems to be perfect for climbing. I keep telling her not to hop the fence because Remy and Rosie next door will think she's a squirrel, and, therefore, prey. It's partly cloudy this morning, and snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow night. Doesn't Mother Nature realize that tomorrow is May Day? Vail, Breckenridge, Snowmass, etc. are expecting one to two feet of new snow by Sunday morning.

Richard Stanley Francis

Jump jockey Dick Francis and the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch
Francis and Devon Loch clear Becher's Brook in the 1956 Grand National at Aintree (horse and jockey closest to the camera)
Devon Loch inexplicably collapses under Francis while in the lead on the way to the finish line (the 1956 Grand National)
Dick Francis and wife, Mary, after being awarded the CBE by Queen Elizabeth II

Snow!?!

The weather folks said that it would be cooler and rainy. Lovey woke me up at 6 a.m. to a view of snow falling on the patio and the skylights. And since it was a glorious 76 degrees yesterday when Lovey and I journeyed here, I forgot something important - like a sweater or a coat. The snow stopped by 9, and I took the Rs out walking at 10:45. We stayed on the sidewalks and paved street and met 6 new dog buddies, and the Rs never barked once. The only time they pulled was when a doe jumped a fence in front of us, less than 4 feet away, and then took off across an open lot. Lovey has been having a ball exploring the house - all three floors - and looking out windows and French doors. I took the little guys, Yoshi and Aiko, out for a walk around the block and then, since all the snow had melted, I let the boys and Lovey go out in the back yard. Aiko is currently snoring on his inhalations and squeaking on his exhalations, and Lovey finds this extremely intriguing.
Lovey pretty much ignores both Aiko and Yoshi. Aiko stuck his face in Lovey's when she arrived and Lovey gave a very small hiss. Aiko whimpered and neither he nor Yoshi have approached Lovey closer than 3 feet since then. - I have to take that back. This morning, Lovey was draped around my neck and I had Yoshi and Aiko sleeping on both sides of my legs. But I'm not sure the boys were aware of her presence; she knew they were there. I was also surprised to find that the tropical fish don't interest her at all - she took a glance at them and then ignored them.
Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky. The Bravo TV network will carry live coverage of the Kentucky Oaks tomorrow from 5 to 6 p.m., EDT. It still appears that all 14 fillies entered will be in the starting gate. The Oaks post time is 5:45. Saturday, ESPN will broadcast the morning and pre-Derby races; NBC will pick up coverage at 4 p.m. EDT and follow through until 7 p.m. The Derby's post time is 6:24. Nineteen colts and one filly will compete in "The Run for the Roses"; Devil May Care will break from the number 11 post position, and carry 123 pounds to the colts' 126 pounds, over the mile and a quarter. Who do I like in the Derby? Well, first, I have to root for the girl, Devil May Care (post 11). And then I like three colts - just because of their bloodlines: Super Saver, a dark bay, by Maria's Mon out of Supercharger, by AP Indy, breaking from post 4; American Lion, a brown bay, by Tiznow out of Storm Tide, by Storm Cat, breaking from post 7; and Mission Impazible, a blue roan or grey, by Unbridled's Song out of La Paz, by Hold Your Peace. ... I have no idea who will win either race, but from yesterday's and today's blog, you know my choices.

More of the Shell House

Outside the Shell House in the evening...



Shell House bathroom



Shell House interior garden and living room



Shell House TV and video room

Oaks and Derby

Devil May Care will run against the boys in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. In Friday's Kentucky Oaks, there will be 14 contestants, barring scratches. I've looked at photos of the fillies, and read over their pedigrees and race histories - and found that I like three of the girls. Breaking from the number 5 post is Blind Luck, a chestnut filly; from number 6 is Beautician, a grey; and from number 13 is Amen Hallelujah, a dark bay/brown girl. They all carry 121 pounds, and will race a mile and one-eighth (9 furlongs). And it looks like there will be a full starting gate of 20 for the Derby; gate positions will be drawn today.
Lovey and I huddled and cuddled for 12 hours when I returned home yesterday. She is currently sprawled on the edge of the patio, soaking up sunshine. It's predicted that we'll hit the mid-70s today, but a front will bring in rain and cooler temperatures (50s) through Sunday. I'm out to walk the Rs shortly, and then I'll come back home, pack up and go back to Aiko and Yoshi's, with Lovey. I spent yesterday evening doing genealogy research on the web, with Lovey in my lap, after we watched NCIS. I was able to find several additional relatives and relevant dates, so I was pleased with the time spent.

Lifestyles

Don't fence me in!



Shall we storm the (Irish) battlements?



A delicate shell house...

With Lovey, and Memories

At home, with Lovey in my lap. I need to go pay a bill this afternoon, watch NCIS and then I can collapse in my own bed with Lovey. The red kids were super today - we ran into Rio, and I had had Remy and Rosie sit and listen to me, and Rio passed within ten feet of us, and the kids ignored him. That felt good. Aiko and Yoshi had a skip around the block this morning also, which made Yoshi take a long nap afterwards. A neighbor in Githens' Acres asked me in to see her new chicks - she's got ten babies, aged 1 to 3 weeks; now she has to hurry and construct the chicken coop. And this person's next door neighbor has also made inquiries about raising her own hens, too.
Feeling nostalgic, I looked up the house I spent 20+ years in on Google maps. I felt lost. I recognized the house's street position from the satellite view, but freaked out when I got the street-side view. That wasn't the house I grew up in! It was the wrong color! And most of the trees in the yard were gone - it looked .... naked. I finally took in the fact that an owner (later than my mother) had enclosed both the porch and the carport; that there was now an HVAC unit under what had been my bedroom window, which explained why the propane tank in the back yard had disappeared; I saw that the big pine in the northeast corner of the yard was still there, as was one of the magnolias and the bay tree we had planted as a family; and that a row of gardenia bushes along the back property line was still there. But there was a palm tree in the southeast corner of the yard! And all of the carefully tended rose bushes were gone, too.... Then it struck me as funny that I had expected the house and yard to stay the same after a 30 years' absence. I certainly have changed in appearance in those 30 years. Why should a house and living items in a yard stay the same? But I still remember the absolute ... shock ... of seeing something different from my memory.... It was weird.

Got'cher Tail!

Aiko, Yoshi, and Lovey

* Sigh * I have no access to the internet at Aiko and Yoshi's. At the moment I'm visiting Lovey at my place - we've spent two hours cuddling, and now she's on a mission to catch a bee that's visiting clover flowers outside. I hope she doesn't get stung. - I'm still having repetitive nightmares about critters suddenly pouring blood...
Aiko and Yoshi weren't thrilled with their first walk yesterday - until I turned them loose with Suki and Boo. Yoshi was still a little timid, but Boo made the classic "Will you play with me?" dog bow, and Aiko had a blast chasing her. Then Suki got into the game, and was chasing Aiko, who was chasing Boo. Yoshi just looked concerned and sat at my feet. I hadn't looked at a weather forecast since Friday morning, so I was surprised when it snowed last night. It started out as rain, then changed to snow and placed a nice coverlet of about an inch over everything. It's all gone now, except the mud Lovey keeps tracking across my chest.
Have a good week!

Lighthouses

Byron Bay Lighthouse, New South Wales, Australia



Block Island SouthEast Lighthouse, Rhode Island



Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Island, Washington

Off Again

One of my clients has had a family emergency, so I am off to Aiko and Yoshi's house as soon as I get this posted. I'll be there for two nights, come home for one, and then back at the little boys' Wednesday thru Saturday. I spent Friday evening and yesterday confirming dates and places in Mom's family tree; and yesterday, one of Gimpy's kids showed up for a meal of nuts and rattled the door until I let her in. Lovey has been stuck to me like glue - it's going to be tough leaving her behind this morning.
Calvin Borel won five races yesterday, the opening day of the meet, at Churchill Downs. His fifth win was aboard Hurricane Ike in the Derby Trial. Ike may be pointed to The Preakness for his next race. Borel won the Derby in 2007 on Street Sense, and in 2009 on Mine That Bird; this year he is scheduled to ride my personal favorite (so far, anyway), Super Saver. Super Saver is one of the many Todd Pletcher hopefuls that are pointed at the Derby on May 1; one of the others is Devil May Care, the only filly that has been named as a possibility in running against the boys this year. Super Saver is by Maria's Mon, out of an AP Indy mare; Devil May Care is by Malibu Moon, out of a Red Ransom mare. - Eskendereya, the Derby favorite, has been scratched from the race, due to a swelling in his left foreleg after a light morning workout.
Denver is still bubbling over the Broncos drafting Tim Tebow. I had to laugh tonight when the local sports coverage included an interview with Garth Brooks opining about the impact of Tebow being a team member of the Broncos. (By the way, the opinion was positive.)
And, many thanks for you call last night, Kathryn. You were my personal lighthouse for the night.

Little Ones

Goslings



Itty-bitty baby squirrel



Fox kit

Lovey and I

Lovey is sitting in the sun chair, looking out the patio door. The only trouble is there is no sun, but at least it's stopped raining... and all the outside world is wet and cool and Lovey is not happy about it. She and I continue to "hear" Banichi, and we are both having nasty dreams when we sleep. We just finished watching Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under, and I'm trying to get motivated to do something. I've been working on my Mom's genealogy, and am slowly adding more people to my list of Chincoteaguers and Scandinavians. Gimpy has finished off the peanut pile from yesterday, and I need to replenish it. Lovey keeps sitting on my mouse and clicking it - I think that she is having fun at my expense. - And the Derby Trial will be run this afternoon at Churhcill Downs.

My Shots

Flowers at Alexy's - Sept 2009

Shadow Prewitt, and Honeybun Prewitt in the background- clients

Me at the Colorado Horse Trials in Parker - Oct 2009 - wearing my 20+year old Court Jester dressage sweatshirt, carrying a Scottish-Irish Festival courier bag, and with my hair mashed flat from wearing the big floppy sun hat that's dangling from a cord around my neck....

So Happy I Cried

It's seemed like Silent Spring around my apartment - no birds, no bunnies, no squirrels, and no Banichi. Lovey wanted to go out this morning, even though we have a mixture of rain and snow falling, so I left the patio door cracked, and sat here at my desk. Lovey ran back and forth a few times, then sat on the corner of my desk and stared at the door. I looked, looked twice, and then again. Gimpy, the scarred-up squirrel that I've been feeding, was sitting at the base of the cat tree, looking at me. I was so happy that I cried. Then I ran to find the unsalted peanuts for the little booger, who moved outside the door while I placed a pile of nuts on the rug. He's sitting there, contently consuming them, and Lovey is going in and out through the door by leaping over his head.
We are still having wild weather - the DoT snow plows were out again yesterday, moving piles of hail off the roadways. The precipitation here is a combination of rain and snow, but if you look westward, you can see that Flagstaff and the tops of the Flatirons are covered with snow. Up on Sugarloaf, at Grandma Anne's house, they're expecting 6 to 12 inches of snow by noon Saturday. At Caribou Ranch, where I took all those green summer photos, they are expecting 12 to 28 inches of snow by noon tomorrow. We expect 3 to 6 inches overnight.
Josh McDaniels is the "new" head coach of the Denver Broncos. "New" means he's been in charge for less than 2 years - and he follows his heart in a lot of things. That's why Tim Tebow is changing from the orange and blue colors of the Florida Gators to the ... orange and blue colors of the Denver Broncos. After hearing Josh talk about Tim last week, I suspected that I'd see Tebow in a Denver uniform; and I felt more than a twitch when Josh traded Brandon Marshall, Denver's infamous number 15, to Miami last week. Now the number 15 jersey is free and clear for Tebow's shoulders......

Photos

Hiking Caribou Ranch - Aug 2009

Boulder's first snow, Utica Circle - Oct 2009

Shady Pendle, a client

Rain!

We had a tremendous thunderstorm last night, and I'm happy that we didn't receive the four inches of dime-sized hail that some communities did. The DoT trucks were out plowing the hail off the roads for motorists for 4 hours. Lovey and I did some genealogy research, after talking with Kathryn, and then finished reading Foreigner. An hour ago, it was still very cloudy and grey outside, with rain blowing in the gusty winds; the sun is now shining, and Lovey is curled up on the patio wicker chair, catching a few rays. We are supposed to have scattered showers through Saturday afternoon, then clear up for the beginning of the week. ... Devil May Care, a 3-year-old filly, may race against the boys in the Kentucky Derby. She is a beautiful bay, with a blaze, and has the dished face of the thoroughbreds' Arabian ancestors. Todd Pletcher is her trainer; and, yes, he has 8 colts also in contention for the Derby. If Devil May Care does not run against the boys, she will be the morning line betting favorite for the Kentucky Oaks on April 30.
... Rosie and Remy have been wonderfully behaved this past week; I didn't walk them this morning due to the rain, but if it stays clear, I'll take them out this afternoon. Lovey and I still continue to hear sounds that we attribute to Banichi. It sounds like he's "talking" in the bathtub, or dragging his favorite shoe string across the floor, or there are little rustling sounds, like he's trying for a sneak attack on the occupants of the bed... *sigh* He is missed.

More, My Photos

Flower Garden in Alexy's back yard

Walt Kreugel, a client

Cottonwood at the kitchen door

View from Flagstaff Mountain - Feb 2010

Izzy???

I didn't sleep well and finally struggled out of bed at 9 this morning... It's afternoon and is still in the lower 50s outside, and is also quite damp. Lovey is sitting on the edge of the patio trying to decide if she wants to go out and run or not. I started new meds yesterday (for my depression - the psych says he wants to make me feel "like it's Spring time inside" me. Yeah, right.) and had nightmares all night and throughout the early morning hours... I don't even know if I want to go to sleep again because the dreams were so disturbing. The red kids and I had a long walk and then a quick stop to check out the fox den entrance. I met and spoke with Izzy and one of her owners' yesterday - she's the dog that Remy knocked down this past summer, and who's owners tried to get the Rs declared too vicious to live. What's scary is that I've known the owners for 5 years, knew their previous dog, and had no idea it was them Joel spoke about.... Izzy is a silver gray Bouvier des Flandres puppy, not quite a year old now, and rather spooky about other dogs and people. After her previous experience with the Rs, I can understand why.
The day after Banichi died, I was in pretty poor shape; Larry, the bus driver on my way home from walking the Rs, decided to distract me. He pointed at the top of a roof at the corner of Pearl and 20th , and asked why in the world would someone place an old-fashioned (circa 1915) gasoline pump on top of a building. The building is currently occupied by two businesses - Four Star Realty, and Color Me Mine (a paint-it-yourself ceramics shop); they have no idea why the gas pump is there. I contacted Silvia Pettem, the Boulder historian, and she is stumped as well. So, once we find out the reason for a gas pump on a roof, we'll let you know....

Some of My Photos

One of Alexy's special roses

Boris Prewitt, one of my clients

Maggie Mae Barrera, one of my clients

Cloudy Pendle, one of my clients

Pretty Scenes

This group does not contain photos that I took...



Catching a wave at Ombak Tujuh, West Java



A French sailing vessel - "...So, hoist up the John B's sail..."



A beautiful waterfall near Banff, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

Garage Door Ooops

I again have Ooch settled in my lap while I write. His Mom is due home this evening, so I'll just be walking the Rs and spending time with Lovey until the 28th, when I head over to Aiko and Yoshi's house. The sky above the mountains is blue - what can be seen of it -this morning, there is fog clinging to the top of Flagstaff, and to the east everything is grey and dreary. We're not expecting rain until late Wednesday night and early Thursday, however. - I didn't feel well last night, so Kathy came over from next door and fed and loved Ooch for me (I was at home, in bed with Lovey). I had also asked her to open the garage door and roll out the recycling bin for early trash pick up this morning. She called me last night, and her voice dropped low, and she sounded very serious, so I braced myself for her to tell me that Ooch had died. Nope - he was fine, but she couldn't remember how to open Connie's garage door, and had disconnected it, instead. Ooops. She also told me that her daughter, Sarah, had just called, looking for automotive advice, as her little astroturf-covered car had died up on the Peak to Peak Highway, as she was returning home from work. Jim just came over and showed me (and Kathy) how to re-set the garage door opener, so I've learned something this morning.
I found out from Sarah, herself, that her radiator had cracked. I was surprised to find her already on the 204 this morning when I boarded to head up to north Boulder. We chatted about the wedding she had been a bridesmaid in on Saturday (she was asked on April 1st if she would be a "fill-in", and thought it was an April Fool's joke), and about the car, about Missy and Barry still helping out in Haiti, and about the partial spinal column I had found in Kathy and Jim's backyard. Then we arrived at Riverside, and I departed, leaving her heading up to Broadway and Yarmouth, so she could catch the bus to Lyons.... For my sports note of the day, I'll just say, Go, Avalanche! Go, Nuggets!

Miscellany

Three Legs, the Githens Acres 10-point buck, sharpening his antlers - he was hit by a car 3 years ago and has use of only one hind leg, but can still jump a 5 foot fence with ease - Oct 2009

My Thanksgiving berry platter - Nov 2009

Caribou Ranch (Nederland, CO) hiking trail view - Aug 2009

Lovey, the Explorer

I'm back on Topaz, with Ooch in my lap. Lovey and I returned home yesterday evening, but had a restless night; we both woke up several times, thinking we heard Banichi talking to us and playing. Lovey went out and played in the backyard at Kathy and Jim's yesterday - I kept her away from the garden and Banichi's grave - and when she discovered the (now dry) irrigation ditch, she ran at full speed up and down the length of it several times. The fox den intrigued her, but she did not approach it; and she was unimpressed by the seasonal creek chuckling away beside the back fence. I'll post photos for the blog when I return home later today, and have access to my prints.
She Be Wild, the 2-year-old (now 3) champion filly, was pointed at the Kentucky Oaks, but broke her pastern while jogging on the track. She will be able to race again, but the Oaks (and the Filly Triple Crown) are definitely out of the picture. Tiz Chrome, a son of Tiznow, shattered his left fore sesamoid when changing leads at Churchill Downs yesterday in a morning workout, and had to be put down. Several Kentucky Derby contenders have also had sprains, splints, and fractures and have been scratched from the starting list. It's hard to believe that the Derby is only 13 days away....

Lovely Sights

Rainbow at Niagra Falls



Bonnie, an Irish Setter



A familiar sight on Assateague: Chincoteague ponies and an egret

At the Snow House

Lovey and I spent our first night together, away from home, without Banichi. She stuck to me like a leech. We were at Kathy and Jim's house, and Suki and Boo were in great evidence, finding Lovey of supreme interest. She slept either on top of me, or under the blankets, glued to my left side, during the night. And she wasn't too thrilled when I left her yesterday evening and this morning, to visit with Ooch. But she is eating and drinking well, so I have no complaints. - The collection of items at the fox den entrance haven't changed in the last week, but there there was a fresh pile of dirt off to the north of it yesterday.
Yesterday was grey and drippy, but the sun is shining this morning, and the forecast is for isolated thunderstorms this afternoon (and every afternoon through Thursday). I finally down-loaded my photos from my camera, and will begin to share them in this blog starting tomorrow. There were no photos of my cats, but there are photos of most of the critters I've cared for recently. And I think that a couple of photos taken up at Caribou Ranch, north of Nederland, came out very well. Enjoy your weekend!

Critters

A new bulldog litter



A black fox



Wha's dat?

Fox Den

When I returned home from walking the Irish kids and seeing my therapist yesterday, I was surprised to find that Lovey had removed the afghan from the bed, taken it across the room, and had pulled it up onto the loveseat to create a nice little nest. To my knowledge, this is the first time she's done something like this. .... I've been monitoring the entrance to a fox den while out waking the Rs: I don't know if a single fox, or a couple, inhabit this spot, but since January, it/they has/have been busy collecting. Since the beginning of the year, the resident(s) of this den has(have) collected two pairs of leather work gloves, one pair of cotton garden gloves, and the latest addition is a black leather shoe (the left one). Recently, the gloves have been disappearing, one by one, almost in the order they appeared; yesterday there was one pair of leather gloves and the shoe at the den entrance. What I find interesting is that the Irish Setters don't react to the den at all - even though they want to chase squirrels and deer.
The seasonal spring streams are running like mad with snow melt. This morning the clouds are hovering on the tops of Flagstaff Mountain and Mount Sanitas. The weather people say that it might rain this afternoon - they forecast thunderstorms for Thursday night through Sunday, but so far, it looks like the rain is staying in the southeast corner of the state. It's 42 degrees outside, but the humidity is 89% - which is weird for Colorado.

Avalon and Me

This is Avalon and me at his first show in the late 1980s. Return to Avalon was by Bagatelle, out of Promise to Return by Return to Camelot. - He's checking my pockets for carrots....

'Nichi-ji

Lovey brought me Banichi's shoestring yesterday afternoon, and I had to cry. Jeffrey, my husband, always said I was more critter than person - it's definitely showing up more clearly as I grow older. I'll be off to walk Rosie and Remy in a few minutes, and then I'll go see my therapist. When I stopped by the store this morning, I noticed that no one won the Powerball Lottery last night, so maybe my wild and grandiose idea has a chance on Saturday night... Then Lovey and I can travel without worry as much as we wish.
The huge hornets nest has been removed from my patio ceiling. The apartment complex just started a newsletter for the residents, and Banichi's death was the lead story in the first edition that arrived yesterday. Not much else is going on... I started re-reading C J Cherryh's Foreigner yesterday, and am again delighted with the exploits of an assassin/lawyer named Banichi.....

Critters

A seven month old Shiba Inu



Kagoza Red Robbie, a Maine Coon cat



Mare and foal, East Riding of Yorkshire