Books, Fires and Critters

St. Patrick's Day was a quiet one in Boulder - and I read and relaxed a great deal of the time. I finished reading Bernard Cornwell's Excalibur on Saturday, and yesterday I read Bloodlines by Felix Francis; last night I started a new Clive Cussler novel, The Striker, and was immediately submerged in the world of coal miners in 1902 and the struggles of unionization. It's fascinating.

   Nedi's eye is back to normal, and was fine yesterday; so I'm assuming he was poked in the eye on Friday. Both kits had a ball over the weekend, as I kept the patio door open for most of the daylight hours. Last night, just as Vikings began on the History Channel, Lovey screamed bloody murder in my ear, and made me jump. The fluffy white cat with small calico markings (I call it the Harlequin) had appeared on the back of one of my wicker patio chairs and was glaring at Lovey, face to face - but, luckily, with the window closed in between them. So I had a cat-fight serenade going on while I watched TV for an hour. By the end of the program, the other cat left, and Lovey settled onto my shoulder in her Guardian position...

  The Galena Wildfire is now 75% contained, but high winds are expected today, so the fire may jump the lines. We're expecting an up-dated number on the amount of acreage burned around noon today. There were also several other wildfires scattered across Colorado yesterday. .... There were two more suspected arson fires in Accomack County, Virginia over the weekend. ... And, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee a cabin caught fire and spread quickly throughout the area - multiple cabins and homes are destroyed, and I believe I heard that 250 acres are in flames.

  On the horse front, Rachel Alexandra is continuing to recover from her post-birth abdominal surgery. Rachel's filly is doing well on a nurse-mare. ... Zenyatta fans are still awaiting the birth of the Queen's second foal. Z12, her colt from last year, is growing in leaps and bounds. .... Black Caviar, the undefeated Australian mare, is looking to tie the world record for record straight wins. She's racing on Friday, March 22, down-under, to make another historic win.