A Baby Moose

This 75-pound baby moose fell into a 3-foot-deep window well at about 2 a.m. last Saturday.  The home owner heard banging against the window, thought it might be a bear, and closed and blockaded that room's door.  In the morning, the banging continued, so the owner peeked outside - and saw the baby moose.  He tried to use a board as a ramp for the baby, but it didn't work.  So he called the Summit County fire deparment - they came out and removed the baby with a sling.  Its mother was waiting at the edge of the woods, about 20 feet away.  They seemed to have a very happy reunion.

Cats, Dogs, Fires, Horses

Yesterday afternoon we were hit with high winds and lightning storms.  Lightning started two more wildfires to the north of us, near Lyons; and a suspicious fire began in the City of Boulder's Park along Boulder Creek (firefighters think a cigarette started it).  The fire at the park was quickly contained and put out; the Maxwell Fire in Lefthand Canyon is 95% contained; the two new fires at Coffinrock and Blue Mountain are both growing.  Due to our heat and dryness, outdoor fires and fireworks have been banned through July 7.  Gas grills are allowed, and only the licensed fireworks shows will be permitted.  Fines start at $500 for fire and fireworks violations.
I found out that Lucy does not like thunder storms; she crouched against me throughout the three storms that rolled through yesterday.  Lynn Thore's daughter is leaving for the 4th of July weekend, so I will be caring for Maggie May Barrera, Lucy, and all of Lynn's critters (plus the red kids) throughout the holiday weekend.  (At least Lynn has offered the use of her van - especially since I am to take Christine to DIA Saturday, then pick up Lynn and Ed from DIA on Tuesday evening!) I walked Rosie and Remy early this morning (at 8:15); Remy kept on yawning throughout our walk. ... Lovey, Nedi and Mocha were all very happy to see me this morning.  I fed and loved them, then cleaned the litter boxes, and sat down to write the day's blog...  Lovey keeps running back inside and talking to me.
I started reading the first book of Sharon Green's "The Blending" series yesterday evening.  I did not want to put it down and go to sleep last night - but I did.  Now I need to find copies of the next volumes, so I can keep on enjoying the story!  I need to go to the library, too: I need some new books to read to all the "kids" I'm caring for these next twelve days!  ....  And Animal Kingdom, the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, will not race for the rest of the year.  The vets thought he had a small fissure at the top of his left hind cannon - later X-rays show that he has a slab fracture above the fissure. - Ouch!

Molly, a Special Pony

Meet Molly, a Hurricane Katrina survivor.  She had damaged her leg during the storm, and during the several months she wandered loose in Louisiana before being "found."  She was then attacked by a pit bull, who savaged that same lower foreleg.  As she was a "charity case" at LSU, the vets decided the best thing to do was put her down. A visiting surgeon noted her will to live - she laid down frequently to reduce the stress on her other foreleg, she moved from side to side to prevent congestion in her lungs, she was determined to be fed and never missed a meal.  The surgeon amputated her foreleg at the knee, and had a prosthesis made for Molly.  She now travels throughout the South, visiting nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and mental health facilities - helping to give hope to those who have lost it.

Bits and Pieces

While walking this morning, I was happy to note that on Niwot Ridge and on the Indian Peaks, one still sees about 50% of the snow that was there earlier.  The snow melt is going slowly, and that's good news for us who live along Boulder Creek.  The St. Vrain Rivers, up in Lyons, have been closed to any type of recreational swimming, canoeing, or kayaking - the Rivers are just running too strong to be safe.  ...  The Maxwell Fire is 70% contained as of this morning at 9 a.m.  ...  Nedi was having a great time with a common garter snake out in the back yard earlier.  Every time he'd dab a paw at it, it would whip it's body around in a tangle, and try to flick him with it's tail.  It was very interesting to watch.  I put him inside to go shopping (for the kitties), and he hasn't yet come across the snake again.   Lovey has apparently decided that the time to fight with Mocha is between 3 and 6 a.m. on a daily basis. Thank goodness I fell asleep soon after going to bed, because I sure haven't slept much (if any) since 3 this morning. - I'll probably end up napping at Lucy's this afternoon.
Speaking of Lucy's, I'm disappointed in the two young folks that have been/are staying at her house.  I called the girl "taking care of" Lucy three times, and left messages explaining who I was, and why I wanted her to call me back. She never did.  And the young man living in the basement has not returned my calls, either.  So I'm just going to show up in a couple of hours and move on in. (With the owner's blessing.)
I can say that my fistula surgery failed again.  The spot kept bleeding for three days, post-op, when it should have been "sealed." And, since then,  it's putting out it's usual assortment of mucus, pus, and blood.  I'm really getting tired of this. I see Dr. Pohlman again on Tuesday, 5 July, for the follow-up after surgery.  I'll see if he wants to re-do the surgery the last two weeks of July, or wait until September - I'm booked for every day of August, but am free the last 14 days of July, other than dog-walking.  MediCare is paying for 80% of the cost of each surgery,  and I have to pay the rest; you'd think that the government boys would wise up and realize that this surgery is NOT working on my body...  Hopefully, we'll soon get to an approved procedure that will work! (Snarl, snarl!)

Free Adopt-a-Cat Thru June 30!

There are currently 109 cats and kittens up for adoption at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley... any cat or kitten aged 6 months or older, is available for FREE adoption!  This is Isis, she is 7 years old, and she needs a "forever home."

Flooding along the Missouri River reached the 29.15 foot mark at St. Joseph this morning.  Here, a man on a ski jet pulls an aluminum johnboat behind him, trying to gather more of his belongings from his flooded home.

Diamond, after emergency surgery, in Denver.  Her owner is being held on aggravated animal abuse charges after stabbing and slashing the 5-month-old puppy.

Sickening Abuse

Today has been warm  - so far, it's up to 94 degrees and the humidity is 10%.  I've had the window and patio door wide open since I arose this morning (and I've been surprised that Lovey and Nedi are respecting the screen door).  Kathy Sabin just said that Denver is expecting a high of 99 tomorrow - and that the late afternoon cloud cover should keep the temp. below 100.  Firefighters and the US Forest Service hope to have the Maxwell Fire 60 to 70% contained this evening (it hasn't been very windy today, thank goodness).  Mocha spent yesterday evening on the sofa with me, watching Russell Crowe's take on Robin Hood.   Lovey came in and laid down on my other side, and it took her 30 minutes to realize that Mocha had dared to come out of hiding... then I had to break up a cat fight, which was mostly yowls and hisses.
Rosie and Remy are doing well - I walked them early this morning, finishing at 9:30, so we wouldn't have to contend with the heat.  Rosie's itching has slowed, so apparently she had a mite infestation.  Remy's hip was a little ouchy this morning, so we walked slowly and took several rest breaks.  ...  I was flabbergasted when the Chandler family returned home Sunday evening and called to tell me that MeyToch was a female baby.  I told Blair that I was 99.999% sure that MeyToch was a boy - unless the kid was a hermaphrodite.  I spoke with her this morning, and the family is still getting used to the fact that MeyToch is, indeed, a little boy.  They had thought he was a doe kid - but he is definitely a billy kid! (And they had really wanted a girl...)
I'd be happy to take the law into my own hands in the following two cases:  A man was arrested at one of the local King Soopers for beating and punching his dog.  A witness called 911; the man and his girlfriend are under arrest, and the dog is being evaluated at the Humane Society.  The couple left their pit bull, named Hercules, in their van this morning (at 9:30, when police received the call, it was already 88 degrees outside) and went into the store to shop.  One of the large side windows is broken out of the van.  Hercules jumped out through the missing/open window, and followed his people into the grocery store.  The man dragged him out of the store by the scruff of his neck, opened the van's side door, threw the dog inside (this is according to the witness) yelping, and proceeded to beat the dog with his fists, while Hercules trembled, whined, and turned belly-up.  The man was arrested for animal abuse; his girlfriend, who told the police that one of them "probably should have stayed outside with the dog", was arrested on an out-standing warrant for trafficking in stolen items.  The dog, according to the Humane Society, does not appear to have a stable personality - going from being friendly to attack mode without any warning.  - Poor, poor Hercules! -  The owners made  him that way!! ...  The other case is a young man, in Denver, who stabbed his American Bulldog puppy because the man got angry "because the dog bit him."  Police and animal care agents could find nothing on the owner that looked like a bite mark.  The man lost his temper, grabbed a carving knife, and slashed and stabbed the puppy more than 5 times.  Then he got mad because the dog was bleeding on his carpet, so he tossed it out the window.  The puppy was taken, when found by a neighbor, to the closest emergency vet, and police were called.  The puppy underwent 3 hours of emergency surgery, and was then placed in an oxygen tent, as one of his lungs had been collapsed by the knife.  The vets say that the puppy's prognosis is "good."  -  Let me have both of these men.  I'll strip them, smear them with honey, and stake them out on ant beds in the broiling sun.  And even that seems too tame to me!

Mother Nature

The Maxwell Fire is 40% contained, but the fire fighters are expecting it to flare and spread tomorrow with higher temperatures, less moisture, and more wind.  The fire started about a half-mile from a shooting range.  Possible causes of the fire are being investigated.  ...  Mother Nature does not want silly, puny humans to interfere:  a 45-year-old man was body surfing in a white-water kayak area, and has drowned;  a kayaker on the Colorado River wearing both a life-vest and a helmet was killed in white water.  A young lady (in her early 20s) decided to casually hike by the Red Rocks Amphitheater and fell more than 100 feet to her death.  ...  And did you see the video that a news reporter at New Smyrna Beach, Florida caught on his phone?  A spinner shark breaks out of a wave and leaps, spinning, over a man waiting to catch a wave on his surf board. ...  The weather folks said that we would have lots of isolated, nasty, thunder and lightning storms tonight - nothing so far.......

More Chandler Critters

Xena and Victor, 10-month-old pups

MeyToch

Lemony

Maxwell Fire

The Maxwell Fire, as seen from a deck in the Buckingham Heights subdivision, last night.

Maxwell Fire in Lefthand Canyon

Another wildfire started in Lefthand Canyon yesterday evening.  At 8 p.m., the US Forest Service said the blaze covered about 100 acres; evacuations are in effect.  Yesterday the temperature rose to 95 degrees, and the humidity was at 12%, with winds at 15 to 25 mph from the west.  A cold front came through last night, and it's currently 60 degrees, with 85% humidity.  Hopefully, this will help the firefighters contain and extinguish the Maxwell Fire.  -  All I can say is that the sky looks like whipped meringue in shades of pearl and grey, and we have a 50% chance of isolated rain showers this afternoon and evening.  As usual, the YMCA has been set up as the evacuation center.
With the front coming in, all I want to do is sleep - not go and walk Rosie and Remy, not go to the bank or the library - just stay in bed and sleep the day away.  I wish I could. - More news later!

Part of the Chandler Crew...

Topgallant Charlie - I'm pretty sure he's a Sussex Speckled

Cinnamon, Cardamom, Lemony and Nancy - I think Nancy is a New Hampshire Red

MeyToch and my 20-ounce Coke bottle

Home

Home at last!  Mocha is on the love seat, giving herself a bath.  Lovey and Nedi are out in the grass - it's 92 here, but there's a breeze blowing from the northwest, so that mitigates the heat a bit.  The Chandlers are due home any minute - and I just sent both parents a copy of photos from my stay there.  Lynn Thore came to visit MeyToch late yesterday evening, and also to inform me that she doesn't need me to care for her critters this week.  Her daughter, Christine, is home  and will care for the bees, koi, Tessa, Dhisana, Lilly and Lyra.  So I'll begin staying with Lucy on Wednesday, and then move in with Maggie May on Saturday...  Nedi thinks that goats smell intriguing; Lovey doesn't. 
A small wildfire is burning up in Allenspark, in the Roosevelt National Forest, where we went horse riding earlier this month.  I hope they get it under control soon!  I need to remember to call and make a follow-up appointment with Dr. Pohlman for July 5th or 6th.  -  I see Nancy, my therapist, on the 5th.  -  I'm pooped and don't have much else to say, so I'll just stop.

Black Bears Are Out There....

A switchback on Black Bear Pass

A black bear crossing warning sign

A black bear near downtown Boulder



A Lapful of MeyToch

Rats!  I left my camera at the Chandler house, and the photos I took of the menagerie yesterday are on it's memory card.  I did have a fun morning, as MeyToch decided that my lap (I was sitting in a hanging hammock chair) was the place to be.  First thing he did was put his little butt right next to my nose - just like the cats always do. Then he sat down with his rump on my shoulder, and looked out over his new kingdom.  He jumped on and off me, and has decided that the black soles of my shoes are the best things to butt.  That decision caught me off guard, as I was looking at Hazel when MeyToch first butted the sole of my shoe and sent the chair and me banging up against the side of the house! The pups and chickens and bees are doing great - and I'm watering the gardens before 6:30 each morning, so they look fine.
Lovey has decided she does not like the scent of the hen house on my shoes - she keeps trying to cover them, like mess in her litter box.  Nedi and Mocha just want love and attention. ...  Boulder Creek has been closed to tubing, rafting, swimming and body surfing because of the unusually high and rapid water flow.  Canoes and kayaks are still allowed, though.  ...  And we have a really weird guy out here.  He was first spotted hiding in the holding tank of a portable toilet at a yoga festival (in Boulder, naturally) - for some reason, a female user looked down and saw the guy's face.  It was reported, and the guy took off.  He was finally captured in Aspen, still with dried feces on his body.  He claims he started his "potty peeking" when he was traveling in Europe as a college student (he's 30 now), and that he has several permanent places where he "peeks."  The Boulder police have actually found several of his hiding places.  This guy claims that he wants to start a new religion of "woman as Goddess", and that the mysteries of her body are the best way to get to know her....  (GAG!) 
All I know is that it's summer.  It's getting warmer and warmer - and one of my clients, who has already hired someone else to stay in their home and care for their dog, has now asked me to stop by several times a day, too - as she thinks Lucy won't be cared for correctly by the new hire.  This is definitely an "Oy, veh" situation!

Little Goats

Baby pygmy goats caper

Baby goat clambers on Mom...

I Want A MeyToch!

As usual, I have been totally charmed by baby MeyToch.  He is just such a cute little bundle of energy - and I'm sure that if I were his mother, I'd want him to nap all the time.  At five weeks, he jumps on top of his mother's back, butts heads with her, is starting to graze on his own (his teeth are breaking through right now), and delights in running, jumping and cutting a caper.   He and his mom, Hazel, are pygmy goats, and I can carry him under my arm - he weighs about 12 pounds right now.  Hazel seems to accept the fact that her baby gets all the attention - I groom her and make sure that I make much of her, too (but MeyToch is plain delightful!).  ...  Victor and Xena, the two young pups, have very different personalities - Xena is the shyer of the two, and quietly asks for attention; Victor just runs up to you and tries to get you to play with him immediately, without any overtures.  ...  Topgallant Charlie is still going strong as the rooster of the family- he's down to 6 adult hens, so the family has added 10 10-week-old pullets to his harem (I think 3 of them are young cockerels).  Barbara has hatched five chicks, and Nell and Nancy are both brooding on nests that have at least three eggs each....  Charlie pinched the top of my foot so hard this morning that I have a penny-sized bruise - and I was giving everyone fresh water and several scoops of scratch and cracked corn! One would think he'd be appreciative!
After being gone over with a fine-toothed comb (literally), as well as having skin scrapings taken, the vets at CSU could not find a single identifiable source for Rosie's itching.  There was no sign of a mite infestation, but since that is the only thing she hasn't been treated for, they gave her a bath and mite treatment, and sent home the bath stuff and treatment for Remy, too.  ...  Suki has a shaved band that goes from her shoulders halfway down her back, and from mid-rib to mid-rib.  Her skin is a mass of scabs from her itching - but it seems to be slowing down, as she gets more thyroid medication into her system.  ...  Boo is still wearing the "cone of shame".  This is one week after being spayed and having the cancerous growth on her hind leg removed.  She seems to get a kick out of whacking people's legs with the edge of her hard plastic cone.  ...  Mona is doing great.  ...  My  kits were very excited to see me arrive, got loving, ate and immediately ran outside. Mocha is laying in the sun on the patio, while both Lovey and Nedi are out playing in the grass. I don't think I'll get a real response from them until I get all my gear back home on Sunday, and then when I pack it up again on Wednesday.  Well, dirty litter boxes await my vigilant scooper - I'm off and away!
**Photos of MeyToch, Hazel, Victor, Xena, Topgallant Charlie, etc.  are coming soon! **

Churchill Downs & CSU Vet School

A barn on the Churchill Downs backstretch after yesterday evening's tornado

One of the statues at the entrance of the CSU Vet School

Bad News From the Vet

The Equine Herpes Virus 1 quarantine has ended in Colorado...  We can start having horse shows and rodeos and group trail riding again.  ....  But last night, a tornado touched down at Churchill Downs; luckily there are still no reported injuries to horses or people there.  At least 9 of the 48 barns in the backstretch area were damaged.  Most of those barns contained apartments above the stalls for the backstretch workers; and the backstretch Chapel was also damaged.  A few horses ran loose after the storm struck, but they were quickly caught and settled.  Some horses have been moved to stalls at the state Fairgrounds, and Keeneland has offered the use of their open stalls, as well.
~We received unwanted news yesterday that a small lump on Boo's hind leg is cancerous, and as the lump was right next to the bone, the vet's don't know if they were able to get all of the malignancy.  She'll be going up to the Vet School at CSU for consultation on further tests and treatment options.  Suki, who has been itching like crazy, had a level of 0 for her thyroid, and so she has been placed on meds for that.  It's too soon to tell if the meds are working or not.  ...  Rosie's itching has gotten much worse and she is now removing skin.  She has an appointment up at the CSU Vet School today to see if we can do anything to make her more comfortable, and to stop scratching and chewing on herself. - Neither the sour apple nor hot sauce has worked, and as her skin is so damaged, we just won't apply more to her.
I'm getting ready to head over to the Chandlers' to take care of the dogs, goats, bees, chickens, and gardens.  I'll be back here about midday to visit with my kits, feed, and love them.  It's silly, but I miss them already, and I haven't even left the house!

Conditions Around the US

Kansas City Flooding by the Missouri Rivier - 18 June 2011

Wildfire in Palm Beach County, Florida - 19 June 2011

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado Skiing - 18 June 2011

Healing and Resting

Nedi appeared about an hour after Kathy left.  He was very nonchalant about it, nibbled a bit of food, drank some water, and then wandered out onto the patio.  Lovey was funny - she stayed beside me and kept Kathy "at bay."  Instead of my usual 5-mile early morning walk, I only did 3 miles this morning.  More than half of the snow has melted from the Indian Peaks and Niwot Ridge, and Neva's Mount is now turning green with new growth.  I'm staying home and not walking the Irish kids today - I'll just take it easy and fool around with the kits, as I start caring for the Chandlers' critters tomorrow.  Alexy had informed me that the Chandlers had an alpaca - but they don't.  It's just Victor and Xena, the two pups ( a little less than a year old), the rooster and chickens (8 older hens: one who just hatched 5 chicks, and another two are on their nests; and 10 10-week old pullets), Hazel the momma goat, and MeyToch, her 5-week old kid. Plus there are the 3 bee hives and the gardens...  I'll go over early tomorrow and be back to stay at home on Sunday afternoon - of course, I'll be visiting my kits for several hours each day. Then I start at the Thore house on Wednesday - taking care of Tessa, Lilli, Lyra, and Dhisana (not to mention the koi, bees, and the gardens). I must say that I'm rarely bored!
~I haven't yet rejected either the fibrin patches or the glue yet - I hope that means it'll work this time around.~
There are over 400 wildfires burning in the state of Florida alone  -  it's amazing to me that the entire country isn't going up in smoke (except where we have all the flooding, of course).  Is my memory that bad, or did I not pay attention to these things in earlier years?  Because it seems to me that our droughts, wildfires, and floods, the tornadoes, winds, rains, and lightning (and we're just entering the hurricane season) seem to be growing in numbers and intensities...  One of Mother Nature's many cycles?  And then the solar scientists say that the sun will soon enter a cooling trend, and we might well have another "Little Ice Age" coming up. **Sigh** I don't know what to believe anymore.  I'll just have to accept whatever happens!

I'm OK....

Sitting at my desk with the patio door open, as usual.  Had a little more pain and a little more post-operative bleeding than the last time - but otherwise, OK.  Kathy never said a word about my apartment - I guess I cleaned it up enough to satisfy her!  Nedi is still hiding under the bed - he's been there since Kathy arrived with, me at noon.  I hope he comes out soon!

Assateague Critters

A red fox

These eagles have two chicks this year

A bottlenosed dolphin in the Atlantic



Winter Weather Advisory

No, I'm not joking!  There is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for Boulder County today - warning of snow at 8,000 feet or higher. (Boulder sits at 5,300 to 5,800 feet.)  It's 50 degrees out this morning, the humidity is at 80%, and winds are from the northwest at 20 to 30 mph (with possible gusts up to 50 mph).  I'll be wearing a sweater and my raincoat when I leave the house this morning.  I'm due at the Chandler's at 9 to find out when to feed what to whom - two pups, less than a year old; the rooster and hens; momma goat and her 4 week old baby; and the alpaca. (The honey bees I just keep supplied with water.)  Then I will, hopefully, walk the red kids - Rosie scratched at her chest all yesterday, and they might be going to the vet's this morning.  Then I need to pick up a block of cheddar cheese that I accidentally left behind at Tugger and Sasquatch's.  Then home to finish doing laundry and tidying up for tomorrow. - And I have to call the RN and do a pre-op interview this afternoon, too.

~ Unrivaled Belle, who won the Breeders Cup Distaff last year, has been retired from racing.  She reared and fell over backward, breaking her withers, before a race Saturday.  She'll spend 5 to 6 weeks in stall-rest, and will then be vanned back to Florida to become a broodmare at her home farm.

~We had rain, lightning and thunder for most of last night and this morning.  Lovey and Nedi stayed under the bed covers with me during the thunder and lightning.  Then, around 3 this morning, Lovey decided to pick a fight with Mocha, which I had to break up.  Generally, they just hiss at each other and keep on moving - but Lovey cornered Mocha in the bathroom.  No one got hurt, but I'm sure the cries and howls of the cat fight did not endear me to the neighbors!

~Probably no blog entry tomorrow - if I feel well enough, I might post something in the late afternoon or early evening.  We'll just have to see.

Cool!

Had to play a while, but finally am able to blog...  won't waste time and space - just add a photo for today.  It's storming outside and I want to close the PC ....

Want a hot dog?



Can I Publish Now?

Uploaded Explorer 9 this morning; now can't publish....

Maureen on The Phantom

This photo (from MistysHeaven.com) shows the real Maureen Beebe jumping the real Phantom at the Beebe Ranch on Chincoteague.

Breezy Saturday

It's beautiful out - mid-70s, a nice breeze, partly cloudy skies. I've fed and walked Rosie and Remy, taken care of Sasquatch and Tugger, phoned in my morning report to Nancy, and have been home and taken care of my kits. Nedi, Lovey and Mocha are all fine - after I'd been home for a while, loved the kids and fed them, I was working on my PC when I heard a cat crying outside. But all three of my kits were in, even though the door was open, so I looked out. The couple who live on the other side of Chokey had let KitKat out on his leash, and they've also adopted a large dark grey long-haired cat, The grey cat had run outside, met the neighbor's dog, and had gone up a tree - crying the entire time, I helped the young man get the cat out of the tree (and I wanted to laugh when he said he didn't know that it could climb), and then returned to the Rs.

Cats and Dogs

It's cooler than it was yesterday, but there's more humidity... Rosie and Remy have been super. Remy hasn't eaten his breakfast for the past week for his owners - ground rabbit and flax oil - , so this morning I broke the rabbit up into small chunks, then added in a half-cup of his dry kibble plus the flax oil. He ate every bit and wanted more.... Why? Just because I added the kibble? Or because I broke up the rabbit? I have no idea. Tugger and Sasquatch are also doing very well. Both of them enjoy my company while they are eating, and then I read to them and play with them before taking off again. Their folks are due back Sunday afternoon, while it seems that the Rs' folks will return Saturday evening. - It's all fine with me.
My kits seem to be missing me when I reappear at home. I'm not sure if it's because I'm an easy mark for getting treats, or if it's because they get to go outside when I'm at home... But they all want to be cuddled and loved - Nedi, Lovey, and Mocha. I made four large batches of brownies last night, and they are all gone already; the RTD bus drivers devoured them as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. (It was kinda scary...)
Since I'll need a ride home this Tuesday from the hospital, I asked my sister if she or her hubby could pick me up and drive me home. Turns out she's got Tuesday off, so she wants to come and sit with me. That means I'll have to clean the house up to her standards, or I'll have to listen to lectures on recycling, dirt, germs, and how I'm pathologically dirty.... Oy, vey! But it will be an incentive to get things tidy before I get "put to sleep," I guess....

Little Bits

OK... I'll have surgery again Tuesday morning. Here's hoping it works better this time! .... We had a thunder and lightning storm at the noon hour today - and lightning ignited a small fire on Flagstaff Mountain (behind the first Flatiron). It's totally contained and is almost completely extinguished at this time. .... And Animal Kingdom finished the Belmont with a crack/fissure/fracture of his left hind cannon bone. Veterinarians believe that he'll heal well without surgery, and with stall rest.

Assateague Island

This Is "News?"

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am definitely not a "main stream" consumer or news reader. When I read something about J-Lo, I have to think for a few seconds before I realize that the article is not referring to my great-grandfather (his name was James Loren, and the family called him J-Lo back in the 1880s.) I do not watch any of the "reality" or competitive shows on the airways - unless you consider Jeopardy! to be one of those types of shows... And today's situation comedies are puerile pap aimed at teen-aged boys with raging hormones.... Yuck! Other than local news and weather, Jeopardy!, and NCIS, I watch PBS, the History Channel, History International, and (mostly) Encore Westerns. In reading today's entertainment news, I saw something referring to "J-Lo", and after all these years, I'd guess that is Jennifer Lopez; Sly Stallone was a name I knew; and the name Sheen, I would guess refers to Charlie - but those were the only names I knew. I guess I'm really out of touch....
I also saw two items about plane travel: in one, a"well known" author was removed from the plane because he was cussing up a blue streak, and using the "f-word" with great frequency; the other was about a college football player who refused to pull up his pants to cover his boxer shorts, he,too, was removed from the plane. My thoughts? I would not want to be on a plane, for any amount of time, with anyone who cannot speak clearly without using the "f-word." - Please ban that author from all of my flights! And, secondly, the young man who boarded the plane with the waistband of his jeans just above the backs of his knees... Give me a break! The man was asked several times by air company employees to pull his pants up and cover his underwear. The young man's mother states that the young man "had just attended a funeral and was full of raw grief." Did he attend the funeral with his drawers down around his knees? I don't think that is respectful of anyone. The young man should have been approached by an air company employee long before he got on the plane, perhaps as soon as he presented his ticket(?), and informed that "courtesy to all" was a rule, and that other folks might not want to see his undies. If he wouldn't pull up his pants, then he shouldn't have been allowed on the plane, period. Oh, well.... Thanks for reading my diatribe!
And poor Florida has over 300 wildfires burning right now. I feel for all the folks and critters that live there! ** Last night there was a raccoon in the back yard, and this morning, a fox! - The critters are returning!**

Trees

Bloody Fistula

I awoke this morning feeling damp - and when I actually got up, I saw blood all over the bed - well, the middle of it, anyway. My fistula decided to bleed this morning. I see Dr. Pohlman at 2:40 tomorrow and we'll probably decide to do more surgery next week. (Oh, joy; oh, joy!) I didn't feel like walking the Irish kids, so I cancelled that; but I did make it to the meeting with the Mental Health Financial Counselor. Since I've been in Boulder, the cost for me to visit my psychiatrist and/or my therapist has been between $15 to $20 per session. After this new year, my co-pay to see the psychiatrist became $25.81, and the cost to see the therapist rose to $48.78 - and I usually see the therapist much more frequently than the PhD. So I've seen Dr. Shapiro three times this year, but my therapist only once. After taking in my bank statements, bills, etc, I will now pay $5 to see the therapist and $10 for the shrink. That's thanks to all the money I'm paying to Boulder Community Hospital and their MDs for "helping me" with the blasted fistula..... Ah, well; everything in life is interconnected....
The patio door is wide open, and Nedi is sitting in the doorway, while Lovey is having a bath on the top of the cat tree. Mocha is asleep in her bed under the kitchen table. I move in with the red kids tomorrow, and will also be taking care of Tugger and Sasquatch on Redwood at the same time. Both sets of folks leave tomorrow morning and return Sunday afternoon. I'll be baking brownies tomorrow evening for my friendly gang of bus drivers while I'm at the Rs'. Which reminds me, I need to find out when I'm due at Riverside tomorrow.
**Nehro, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby, Louisianna Derby, and Ohio Derby and fourth in the Belmont, had surgery to remove bone chips in his ankle today. ... Shackleford might be running in the West Virginia Derby. ... And the jockey on Isn't He Perfect (in the Belmont), Rajiv Maragh, has received a 10 day riding suspension for "dangerous riding" in that race. The stewards have decreed that Maragh allowed Isn't He Perfect to swerve to the right when leaving the gate at the starting bell; he then pushed Mucho Macho Man into the path of Animal Kingdom, causing those two colts to clip heels. Animal Kingdom, who's jockey was almost unseated and lost his stirrups due to the collision, and was never a contender in the race, after being the betting favorite. ....

Mount Meeker & Longs Peak Views

Mount Meeker with Longs Peak behind it

Moonset over Longs Peak

Sunrise cloudbank resting on Longs Peak

Flag Day

I just had a five minute serenade of fire engine and ambulance sirens - but I have no idea of what's happening. I think they were headed south/east on US 36 - the main road to Denver... It's 77 degrees outside, there's a light breeze (my kitty wind chimes are tinkling), and the humidity is at 20%. We had thunder and hail storms last night, but the kits and I slept through them. Breathing outside this morning was quite a task: you could see swirls of pollen moving with the air currents, and the air was also full of cottonwood seeds. I'm certain that when Rosie, Remy and I finished our walk, if one could have looked at our lungs, all one would see was yellow pollen. It was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen so much pollen flying about in the air in my life! I hope that it won't make Rosie and Remy too itchy!
Sunrise this morning was gorgeous - there were just enough clouds in the east to make a beautiful palette of oranges, reds and golds against the blue of the sky. I took my walk and was picking up breakfast from the bakery, on my way home, at 5:50. The kits are all stretched out on the patio - (there go more sirens!) - and I think I'll have fruit salad for lunch, sitting out there with them. Mocha will go out onto the patio, but, so far, has been unwilling to step into the grass or go exploring any farther. That's fine with me, as I have no idea where Coffeepot will end up, and whether or not Mocha will be allowed out.
The Wallow fire in Arizona and New Mexico is now over 733 square miles - the largest in Arizona history. And we have another fire that started yesterday south of Trinidad, near the Arizona border. That fire has more than tripled in size since yesterday, and the smoke, ash and haze from the fire has closed I-25, the main north/south road. Fun, fun, fun! Boulder Creek is starting to reach the "regular" full height of summer water levels - and we might see minor flooding within the next few days. Hail last night, fire, flood.... all we need (and I am being sarcastic, here) is a tornado!

Greeley Stampede Photos

It's almost time for the Greeley Stampede!

Bareback bronc riding...

Bull riding is not to be taken lightly....

Dog Allergies

It's a beautiful morning - 79 degrees, a breeze from the southeast at 4 to 10 mph, 30% humidity, and visibility is rated at 50 miles. Lovey, Mocha and Nedi are all on the patio, lying in the shade, and watching the squirrels and birds play. I have opened the drapes that cover the window and the door in hopes of catching a bit of the breeze.... Have already taken Remy and Rosie out for a long walk this morning; their owner is still worried about their itching, although Rosie's skin allergy is much worse than Remy's. I really think it's a plain old pollen allergy - they seem to itch more after they have been outside, or if it's damp out. They are going back to the benadryl again. I think that if we use that consistently, things will be OK. I took the kids on a walk over to Palo Park, through Winding Trail Village, and then back north on 26th Street. We spent 80% of our time in the shade, and on either pavement or sidewalks - the kids got into the creek three times for water and to cool off during our walk, so I'm pretty sure they had a good time.
The Wallow fire in Arizona and New Mexico has now burned over 703 square miles - and there are two pretty good-sized fires also burning in Colorado on properties that belong to Fort Carson, not to mention numerous ones in Florida and Georgia. So we've got fires in the southeast, and flooding in the northeast and the entire western half of the state. Mother Nature seems to be a little confused.
***And, 91 years ago today, the US Postal Service ruled that children could not be sent via Parcel Post through the mail system. ***

Devines

Daughter Etoye and son Kevin

Kennedy helping Kevin work... (And Kevin's posture and hand and arm positions are an exact copy of his father!)

Etoye with Kennedy on horseback - Yep, she's my granddaughter! She loves all animals; especially dogs, cats, and horses.

Hobeau, Belmont and Black Tie Q-T

Saying the name Hobeau Farm brings back a lot of memories. They were located in Ocala, and bred both thoroughbreds for the track, and performance Quarter horses. The farm was always a showplace, and the owners and employees were friendly and gracious. In May of 2009, at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Sale, Hobeau Farm had a dispersal sale of their thoroughbreds. A two-year-old colt named Trappe Shot sold for $850,000. Yesterday he made the True North Handicap look easy - he won the 6 furlong race by 8 1/2 lengths. Congratulations to Hobeau for their insightful breeding program!
My picks for the Belmont Stakes were laughable. Only two of the colts had ever run on a muddy track before, and no one had had to run the huge distance of one and a half miles, either. Ruler On Ice stalked the pace, trailing Shackleford for a mile, and finally burst free. The top three finishers were all long shots, and the $2 payoff's were phenomenal - Ruler On Ice paid $51.50, Stay Thirsty paid $19.40, and Brilliant Speed paid $7.90. If you made the right $2 bet on the perfecta, you won $928.00; on the trifecta, $8,268.00; and for the superfecta (the first four horses in correct order), you won $74,052.00. Animal Kingdom was the only colt who had a true excuse for not winning - after clipping heels and almost unseating his jockey, he had to settle in last place, too far back to ever be a factor on the sloppy track. The rest of the colts finished in the following order: 4th - Nehro, Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Monzon, Master Of Hounds, Prime Cut and Isn't He Perfect.
I am also going to tout my son and daughter's new business - The Black Tie Q-T. It's a family oriented, Southern Barbecue catering business. They will bring their catering trailer out to you, or you can pick up large orders "to go" from their home. They are working on a new and improved website, but the current one may be seen at: http://www.blacktieq.com/ If you are in the Washington, DC metro area, or anywhere nearby, please give these wonderful youngsters some business. Kevin and his wife, Etoye, are both graduates of Johnson & Wales University. Kevin's degree is in nutrition, while Toy has a Master's degree in food prep and presentation. If you have them cater and cook on the premises, you'll probably even see my granddaughter, Kennedy Grace. They are superior chefs, and will do their best to supply what you want and like. They are great cooks and good kids. Please help their business grow, if you can.

Ruler On Ice

Ruler On Ice wins the Belmont Stakes, with Stay Thirsty on the inside finishing second. Photo by Rick Samuels, from The BloodHorse.

Results from Belmont Park

It rained sporadically today - the main track at Belmont was listed as either muddy or sloppy, and the turf surface was called good. There was a lot of mud being splattered and thrown by the front runners in today's races. The filly's race, The Acorn Stakes at one mile, was won by It's Tricky by a rousing 3 3/4 lengths. Turbulent Descent was second, Her Smile was third, and my pick, Snow Fall, finished fifth of six entries.
Nobody saw Ruler On Ice as winning the Belmont - he was sent off at 24 to 1 odds, and it was jockey Jose Valdivia's first mount in a Classic race. (But first, let's revisit the 2000 Kentucky Derby, when a lightly raced colt named Fusaichi Pegasus had a surprising victory, then ran second in the Preakness. The Pegasus was then switched to turf racing, where he won a lot of handicaps and Gold Cups.) Fusaichi Pegasus is the grandsire of Ruler On Ice; his son, Roman Ruler missed the Triple Crown races in 2005, due to bad feet and injuries, but returned as a very good distance-runner. So Ruler On Ice really has the breeding for the distance, as well as a ton of Man O' War blood in the females of his family. Shackleford just couldn't keep his speed up for the full mile-and-a-half, while Animal Kingdom clipped heels with the horse to his inside shortly after leaving the gate. The heel clipping incident caused Animal Kingdom to almost fall, while jockey John Velaquez almost flipped over AK's head and neck, losing his stirrups. Animal Kingdom was never a contender in the race after that. Ruler On Ice won the third leg of the Triple Crown, with Stay Thirsty in second place and Brilliant Speed finishing in third. .... More tomorrow!

My Kits

Nedi at 14 months

Lovey giving me the razz

Mocha finally decided she could peek out onto the patio...

Acorn & Belmont Stakes Day

Only six fillies will compete in today's Acorn Stakes, the girls' equivalent to the Belmont; and only one filly has run in either of the previous two races of the series, Her Smile. Her Smile will break from post position 1 today, and is facing Turbulent Descent, Savvy Supreme, It's Tricky, Victoria's Wildcat, and Snow Fall. Her Smile finished 11th of 13 in the Kentucky Oaks. I'm rooting for Snow Fall - she's a beautiful bay filly with *Forli bloodlines. Post time for the Acorn is 2:34 EDT; Versus TV begins live coverage at 3:00 EDT, moving over to NBC at 5:00 EDT. Today dawned grey and dreary at Belmont Park, with puddles of rainwater standing on the track and along the backstretch. If the breeze picks up, and there's no more rain, the track may be dry by the time the Belmont is run.
Today's Belmont features 10 colts and 2 geldings running one and one-half miles. Yesterday, the Brooklyn Handicap was run over the same distance, and the horse that took the lead away from the gate controlled the pace, and went on to win, after leading all the way. Is that a plus for Shackleford, with his front-running style? Besides Animal Kingdom and Shackleford, another chestnut joins the fray - Ruler On Ice, who is also a gelding. The other gelding is the dark bay/brown Monzon. Currently the betting favorites are Animal Kingdom and Master of Hounds.

Birthday Shots...

Mounted on Simon in Allenspark, Colorado

Nedi (left) and Lovey examine my floral arrangement

The giant crab on my door

Yowza, Yowza, Yowza!

Wednesday night we had rain and thunderstorms. When I arose Thursday morning, it was grey and drizzling out; I couldn't even see the Flatirons because of the fog and mist. I hoped the day wouldn't stay that way. (It did, in Boulder.) But I'm writing this with a sunburned face and neck, and I got that burn yesterday afternoon, up at Allenspark, riding in the Roosevelt National Forest. Kathy picked me up at 9:40, and we drove to Longmont, stopping at Barbed Wire Books on Main Street. I got four books, while Kathy chose one. Then we drove over to Wally World, picked up some deli stuff for lunch and some cold water for the ride. We arrived in Allenspark at 12:20; and as we were climbing up the canyon (in the car, of course), we began to see a brighter and, finally, a blue sky.... We pulled up at Sombrero Ranch Stables and ate our lunch in the car. Then the fun began. I had decided to play the complete tourist, and left my boots at home. Kathy changed from her Crocs to her "Daisy Mae combat boots" and I just rode in my sneakers. We both wore riding helmets, although our wrangler, Kawena, and the two men, Ken and Austin (father and son from Ohio) rode in their straw or leather cowboy hats. Kathy wore her baseball cap under her helmet - I just wore the helmet, and therefore got the back of my neck and upper shoulders sunburned, as well as my nose, chin, and forehead. - I don't care. I had the time of my life.
Kathy tried to use my camera to take video of me mounting and riding off on Simon; but somehow nothing was filmed. (Of course, she kept muttering to herself, "Not that button, this button..." and there are no photos or video of me very easily climbing the stairs and stepping onto Simon's back.) I took photos of her mounting, and several as we were riding along, and/or giving the horses a breather after a steep slope. All of the landscape photos were taken while I was on the move - either at a walk or a jog, from Simon's back. We crossed several streams, and there were four or five seeps that spread water across the trails we rode. I'd guess that 45% of the time we rode on a pretty level surface; the rest of the time we were either climbing or descending. The small of my back was up to it, but half the time I took me feet out of the stirrups and just moved with Simon - leaning forward or back, and giving him his head on steep slopes. There was one section of trail that was right at the edge of a steep precipice, and I thought that if I fell off and started rolling, no one would ever see me or hear from me again.
In a way, the ride was odd because we didn't see much wildlife, and very few birds.... We saw one mule deer doe about 100 yards away; we saw a Western Tanager, a Stellar Jay, a red-tailed hawk being mobbed by four crows, and we heard a whole lot of hummingbirds and a couple of chickadees, but we never saw them. We didn't see any squirrels, marmots, chipmunks .... It was absolutely gorgeous, but kind of eerie without wildlife.
After we had ridden for four hours, we arrived back at the barn. I could easily get my right foot out of the stirrup, but it took me three tries to get my leg up and over the back of the saddle to dismount. We all laughed. Then Kathy couldn't get her boots out of her stirrups - and we laughed again. Finally, we were all dismounted, and we gave our horses an apple each - then Kathy and I had to drive back down to Boulder, to pick up Mike and Jim so we could meet Sarah at Applebee's for supper. I finally returned home a few minutes after 9 p.m. and was greeted by indignant kitties. I fed them and loved them, checked the news, read a book until 11, and went to bed.
This morning, when I walked Rosie and Remy, I was presented with a beautiful home-grown flower arrangement, a very funny card, and a fantastic gift certificate by Nancy, Joel, and Max. Then I received many compliments on the flowers (I stopped counting at 14) on my way home. It's been an exciting day-and-a-half. .... And who do I pick for the Belmont? If the track is fast and dry, I choose Animal Kingdom, Master Of Hounds and Prime Cut. If the track is wet and muddy, I choose Shackleford, Mucho Macho Man, and Santiva. Have a happy, happy weekend!

A Wonderful Day

It has been a fantastic day. I made two new friends, and I rode a liver chestnut gelding named Simon for 4 hours. I purchased a first edition copy of Sea Star with the original dust jacket, a copy of a book about Exterminator that I hadn't seen since third grade, a 1967 edition of Andre Norton's Starman's Son: 2250 AD, and the first book of Sharon Green's The Blending series. The friends are the manager of Sombrero Ranch in Allenspark, "Compass", and their new wrangler, Kawena, a student in the equine sports program at Colorado State University. In saying Kawena's name, the w is pronounced as a "v", and her name rhymes with Havana. She's a first year student, and grew up on Kauai, where she rodeo'd from the 5th grade on, and her family breeds and shows reining and roping horses. .... Had dinner with Kathy, Jim, Sarah and Mike; just got home. More tomorrow!! (Including photos!)

Fillies Who Won the Belmont Stakes

Ruthless won the first Belmont in 1867.

The second female winner was Tanya in 1905.

The third filly to win was Rags to Riches (7) by a head over Curlin in 2007. Only 22 fillies have competed in the Belmont's 143 years of history.