Odds and Ends

It's gorgeous here in Boulder this morning!  We're at 61 degrees (F) and 65% humidity.  Cool and nice with partly cloudy skies - much different than the micro-burst winds and thunderstorms of yesterday evening. Seeing a bobcat is rare in Boulder, but it does happen:

This youngster was spotted on the east side of the city, near a hiking trail.

   I recently read that one of the ways to recognize the onset of Alzheimer's is the nonrecognition of current celebrities.  I guess that means I have it with a vengeance - I recognize a lot of the "old" stars , but have absolutely no idea who any of the new ones are, or what they look like.  I know a few actors from current television programs, but in the last ten years, I've only seen four movies at a theater, and, unless it's an actor or actress that I really admire, I have no idea of the person's name.  I have seen headlines about "Honey Boo Boo" for the past year or so, and don't know anything about her, except that she is a child.  Honestly, I don't want to know about her.  I could pick Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, or Morgan Freeman out of a line-up - throw in Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott, too.  But today's glamour boys? I have no idea.

   St Nicholas Abbey, the horse who broke his right fore, and then colicked, is doing very well at the equine hospital.  We've lost five thoroughbred breeding stallions in the last week, most due to the infirmities of old age.  Yesterday, in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Will Take Charge won the classic race by a nostril edge over Moreno; Orb was third and Palace Malice was fourth.  So D Wayne Lukas struck again.  The 17+-hand colt, who ran in all three Triple Crown races, is finally racing to his potential - and he's handsome, too.

  At the beginning of January, I wrote several blogs about the killing of Edward the Elk in the city of Boulder by a police officer.  Friday, the ex-officer's attorney requested a change of venue, stating that the policeman would not be able to receive "a fair trial" in pet-centric Boulder.  I was somewhat amazed.  The ex-police officer, Sam Carter, says, through his attorney, that the citizens of the area have been "brain-washed" by the media, and he's been turned into an ogre.  Fact:  The elk was a long-time resident of Boulder County, and spent the winters on Mapleton Hill, whose residents enjoyed his presence.  Fact:  Sam Carter shot the elk in the private yard of a residence, while on duty, with a BPD shotgun, which he did not report to BPD.  Fact:  Carter then called fellow police-officer Brent Curnow (who had been scheduled to work, but called in sick for his shift) and had Curnow arrive at the site with his pick-up truck to remove the body.  Fact:  Curnow is a licensed taxidermist.  Fact:  Carter reported that he had killed the elk because it was "injured."  Fact:  The Department of Wildlife performed a necropsy on the elk, once it was recovered from Curnow.  The elk had no injuries or illness discernible, other than the fatal wound from Carter.  Fact:  Twenty hours before the elk was killed, Carter and Curnow had exchanged text messages regarding the short amount of time the elk had left to live.  Fact:  The elk was considered a "trophy" animal under the Samson Law.  Fact:  It was not elk hunting season.  -  Now Carter says he won't receive a fair trial in Boulder County.  I think that most people can look calmly at the number of laws that were broken - each man was accused of several felonies and attempting to influence a public official, plus the wildlife offenses - and decide whether or not these men were guilty or innocent.  How about you?