Chinook Sunday

It's in the low 50s already, with partly cloudy skies, visibility of 70 miles, and a Chinook from the west is blowing at 35 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. There are 8-foot high windows facing west here at Lucy's house... the wind is blowing melting snow and water sideways, so that when you look through those windows, it seems that it's raining and/or sleeting. Got up at 6:30, and fed Suki, Boo and Mona, and took them for a stroll. Returned to Lucy's, fed her, and then walked her, too. Finn and Skippy's people are going to stop by and drop off a vehicle for me, so I can run over there a couple of times this afternoon, as well as feeding them both supper. - Maya just ran in and out, grabbing her backpack for school tomorrow. Lucy surprised her by barking at her when she arrived...

If you've ever read a few of Dick Francis' English racing mysteries, it will seem that Newbury Racecourse is very familiar. Yesterday, just before the first race for maiden hurdlers, two of the horses scheduled to race died in the walking ring. They apparently died from electrocution - the current passing through the ground and the wet grass up through their racing plates. The first race was run, but the favorite was very "worked up", jumped poorly, and finished last. That horse was still in "an excited state" this morning. All following races were cancelled. It is thought that an underground electric cable in the walking ring is to blame... I am so happy that I wasn't there!