Actually Sunny Out (Now)!

The sun is pouring in through my windows and patio doors - it's amazing. I've already walked Rosie, Remy and Lucy, wanting to get it done before it began raining again. We started May with a rain deficit of 6.25 inches; now we are 1.3 inches over our norm for this time in May. I think that May showers are bringing May and June flowers, this time around. I spent most of yesterday lazing in bed and reading Black Elk Speaks. The kits cuddled and snuggled and we truly enjoyed a cool, rainy day together. Yesterday was also my niece's birthday, and so all 7 of us went out to Efrain's, the restaurant she chose. I had looked Efrain's up on the internet and most of the reviews said that the food was absolutely super - if you like things hot. I checked out their menu on-line, and made my decision once I got there. Kathy and Jim shared a Margarita while we were waiting for our table, while niece Sarah, nephew Mike and Annie each had one apiece. Michael, Sarah's beau, had a Pacifica Cerveza. I just talked... Once we sat down and ordered, we all had a blast. Kathy and Jim had ordered the chicken chimichanga; Kathy with beans and rice, and Jim with a green salad. Jim thought the salad would help cool down the (#4, on a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the hottest) chicken chimichangas. There was jalapeno pepper juice well-sprinkled over the salad. Kathy took her first bite of chicken and turned fire-engine red. After blowing in and out through her mouth a few times, she drank a quarter of the Margarita, and then a glass of water. I continued happily eating my steak and fries.... Michael had a beef and bean burrito - and it was amazing to watch the sweat pop out on top of his skull with every mouthful he ate. It was the same with Jim and Mike, too. So the family provided all the entertainment for last night's party.... It was a good meal and a good evening.
Today is the running of the Black Eyed Susans Stakes, and tomorrow is the Preakness. I'm sticking with the three fillies I chose yesterday - Wyomia, Hot Summer, and Art Of The Hunt. My picks for the Preakness are: Sway Away (because of the *Forli connection); King Congie, because I like his looks; Shackleford, the blaze-faced chestnut; and Concealed Identity, the son of Smarty Jones.
Most folks remember the name of Barbaro. He was foaled in 2003, won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, and broke down in the Preakness. After many surgeries, he was put down in January 2007. Yesterday, Barbaro's owners announced the birth of a fourth full-brother to the Derby winner; the owners want a full sister of Barbaro in their broodmare barn. Michael Matz, who trained Barbaro, has full brothers Nicanor and Lentenor in his barn. Margano, a two-year-old brother, has recently begun training. The new colt arrived on May 18 and weighed in at 138 pounds. He, too, is a bay with white facial markings.