Hot

We're supposed to be in the upper 90s today, with a projected high of 99 tomorrow; and we're nearing 90 now. Neddy just ate a tablespoon of strawberry Jello - I'll have to see if he gets a sugar high . Lovey brought in a huge grasshopper and crunched it down with obvious relish - I guess that's because she doesn't like Jello. The students are coming back, and the Farmer's Market this morning was so crowded it was almost impossible to walk through the tents. Since it is so warm, and because Suki and Boo ran 3 miles Thursday and 8 miles yesterday, I took my early walk without them. I was glad that i did not bring them along. I wasn't far from 19th Street when I heard tires squeal, a loud bang, the sound of a vehicle leaving the area, and then a very pathetic little whimper that rose to a wail and went back to a whimper. A half block away from me, a vehicle had hit a yearling doe. It had broken her back; she was lying on the road facing me,with her front legs pointed at me, but her hind legs were facing the other direction. But she was conscious and very, very aware. Luckily I know the folks who live in the closest house, and I went and pounded on their door; they weren't real happy to be awakened at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. They called the police (we were in the Boulder City limits), explained the situation, and an officer was dispatched. I was back with the doe before the car arrived. The officer assessed the situation, agreed with me, and then shot the doe to release her from her suffering. We covered her with a blanket until the Department of Wildlife could remove her body from the scene. This did not make for a good morning for me.
I was cheered however, by the win of Sole Power, a three year old 100-to-1 shot who won the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse yesterday. The heavy betting favorite, Starspangledbanner, came in second, while another 100-to-1 shot came in third... I wonder if they had what we call trifecta betting on that race, and how much a person could have won... It was a very exciting finish, by all accounts. There are 7 graded stakes races today in North America, and 3 tomorrow. Four of today's stakes races are at Arlington Park, including the Arlington Million, Beverly D., Secretariat, and the Stars and Stripes Turf Handicap. - It doesn't seem possible that two-time Arlington Million winner John Henry was retired 25 years ago. Time certainly does fly.