This 'n' That Miscellany

The three-year-old colt (actually, he's a ridgling) Catholic Boy ran away from everyone in the Mid-Summer Derby - otherwise known as the Travers Stakes, run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga.  Bravazo, the D Wayne Lucas trainee, who ran in all three Triple Crown races, was coming up hard to finish in third place behind Mendelssohn finishing second.  It was a really great race.
 
The President is complaining because he Google-searched his own surname plus the news, and found that most of the news stories listed ran toward negativity about his leadership.  He is swearing that Google needs to be investigated because they only list "Fake news."   -  The man is an idiot.

There were voting primaries in Arizona and Florida yesterday.  I grinned when I saw that ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio finished last of three candidates where he ran.  I was very happy to see the ex-Mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, won the Democratic Gubernatorial nomination. I could only sigh when I saw that DeSantis, the President's Republican pick, won that race.  DeSantis is such a suck-up to the man in the Oval Office - his advertisement for running was creepy, showing him reading a book supposedly written by the President to his son, and then helping his son build a wall of wood blocks, while chanting, "Build that wall!  Build that wall!  That's right, son, let's build that wall!"  And then his statement this morning, telling voter's not to "monkey up the election" by voting for Gillum, who is African-American.  That really set my teeth on edge.

I am still working on identifying a bunch of older photos of ponies that lived on Assateague Island - both in Maryland and Virginia.  Trying to match body markings on pintos is fairly easy - but when you're looking at anklets, socks and stockings when the ponies are either in sand, water, or grass and bushes can make it hard.  Most of the bays, chestnuts and sorrels on the north end of Assateague, in Maryland, have few distinguishing marks, and with the life in the wild, their coat colors can change dramatically between high summer and the dead of winter...  I've gotten half of the photos identified, but some of them are single "shots" and no other photos of that particular pony are posted elsewhere.  It's like working on  a family tree and/or a locked-door murder mystery.  Fun, but puzzling.

I've been reading quite a bit recently - still have five Tony Hillerman books to find and read to complete his series.  Then his daughter, Ann's, three books.  Have read about half of the C. J. Box books so far.  I've had several series recommended to me that are only available as electronic books that I have to download to my PC...  I might be tackling them soon - but I love to sprawl in my chair in the living room or on the balcony and read...  Being tied to the PC is not something I particularly want - and I positively hate reading on a tablet or Kindle or whatever...  I want a real book in my  hands.

I start eleven days of walks at 7:30 a.m. with the owner of 5 King Charles Cavalier Spaniels on Friday.  His wife is visiting family, and he needs help with the furry scurries.  On Labor Day, Monday, I start 3 to 5 weeks of cats, chickens and fish sitting while the owners go play in the Canadian Rockies...  They'll return when they feel like it, or the weather turns too cold.  That means fresh eggs on a daily basis and tons of fresh veggies and grapes from the garden, too. 

Bits And Pieces

Monday is our Memorial Day, when we are given a paid holiday to honor our War dead.  Volunteers have been placing American flags in cemeteries, on graves of military veterans, all this past week.  We, as a country, actively honor all people who served in our Armed Forces, offering their lives in protection of our beliefs of justice, freedom, and democracy.  My Father was a career US Navy service member, my Uncle was a career US Army service member, and a brother-in-law was a career US Marines service member.  Our family has served in the armed services back into the times of Roman Emperors.  I am extremely proud of all of the men and women in my family who have ever served their country in times of need.
   In horse racing, it has been decided that Always Dreaming will not run in the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of the Triple Crown.  In today's 2,000 Guineas, Thunder Snow will be meeting Churchill...
   On the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island, there have been 46 foals born so far...  The latest, seen this morning was out of the mare Chickadee and sired by Ace.  No photos yet.  Considering that the ponies are "wild," having lost only two foals so far this year is very good.  The first died from a massive infection that apparently entered through his umbilical cord; the second was lost to the thick marsh mud.  We're having a very good foaling season, so far.
    Then we come to the administration of the orange snowflake - His trip to the Middle East and beyond started out well.  He was very obsequious to the Saudis and signed a deal for another $110 billion in armed support for their country.  He then made a brief visit to Israel, where his performance was very uneven.  Then he was an unwelcome visitor to the Pope in Vatican City.  Francis looked extremely relieved and happy when the tangerine bigot left the premises.  In Brussels and then back in Italy, he was a complete and total boor.  He pushed the Prime Minister of Montenegro out of his way, so he could be at the front of a photo opportunity.  He yelled at the other members of NATO, saying they hadn't paid enough for US protection (which is NOT what NATO is about); never spoke of the 5th NATO Clause that states if you attack one of us, you attack all of us (and the only time that has been used was for US protection after 9/11); and he called Angela Merkel's German government "very, very bad."
    Now, with the Special Counsel appointed to look into any ties, connections, collusion, and monetary exchanges between the President and anyone remotely tied to his campaign, things are going to get very interesting.  Especially since the President has now hired a personal lawyer.  And then there's the new investigation into his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who reportedly asked for a "private channel of communication" to be set up between Putin and members of the new administration, which could not be "overheard" by US listening services.  They are all idiots.
   And, finally, the unprovoked attack on a British journalist who was asking a Republican running for a US Congressional seat...  The reporter, Ben Jacobs, from The Guardian, was trying to get a comment from man about the CBO score on the Republicans new health care plan, which had been released that afternoon.  Greg Gianforte, the candidate, grabbed the reporter by the neck, threw him to the ground, straddled his body, and began punching the reporter.  He broke the reporter's glasses and injured his elbow.  The candidate was charged with misdemeanor assault, and won the election, which took place the next day.
   The venality and callousness of the Republican party, and the seemingly calm acceptance of this violence by the American public, is very disturbing to me.

Bits and Pieces

I had an appointment for 90 minutes in the dentist's chair yesterday, and ended up in there for 150 minutes instead.  I was not happy. The dentist office scares me witless anyway...  I had two cavities to be filled - the two upper rear molars.  During the procedure, which took 8 Lidocaine injections, a wedge that was placed between the two teeth shattered.  The dentist had to dig the pieces out, after trying to flush them out with air and water.  One piece ended up jammed against my jaw bone, and had to be surgically removed.  I have to go back again on 10 March for more work and X-Rays...
   I am very disappointed that Betsy DeVos was voted in as the Secretary of Education yesterday.  The vote in the Senate was tied at 50, so the Vice President got to cast his vote as the Senate President.  Of course, he voted for the nominee.  I still can't believe that the person in charge of education has never attended a public school, nor gone to a university or college, and that her children haven't either.  And the craziest thing was her support of teachers having guns in classrooms so they could protect the students from grizzly bear attacks...
   I just read several entertaining and revealing articles about how practicing psychologists view the newly-elected President.  The term malignant narcissist keeps floating around in my mind - along with the nine points of displaying such a mental illness.
   One of my clients passed away Monday.  He was a 19-year-old cat with thyroid problems.  Two years ago, he developed a small swelling, the size of a pea, on the point of his left hock.  It was, essentially a small hernia and a major vein dropped into it.  Over the past two years, the pea became the size of a large grapefruit, with a huge explosion of capillary growth.  This last four weeks, he began to have trouble with his balance, because the grape-fruit sized tumor wobbled back and forth as he walked.  Because of his age, and the huge amount of blood flow, an operation could not be done.  Monday morning, the tumor/hernia ruptured.  He suddenly began to cry.  Susan, his owner wrapped that leg up in towels and took him to the vet.  He was bleeding out, so he was put to sleep.  I'm gonna miss that guy sleeping on my head when I'm at his house...  There are still two dogs and another cat for me to care for, but Pounce was special.
   Then, on Monday night, Tessa, one of my (client) dogs, had a seizure.  Tessa is an 11-year-old mutt. and other than having stinky feet, and one bad reaction to a rabies shot, has no problems.  He owner called me in a panic - but, by that time, the seizure was over, and Tessa was, pretty much, back to normal.  We discussed the fact that most dogs with epilepsy usually have their first seizures when they are between 3 months and 5 years old.  But, Tessa was inside (and unrestrained) for a double-roll-over car accident.  She was stiff and sore for the next few days, but otherwise checked out OK at the veterinarian's office.  Tessa, was, however, thrown from the rear,open area of the rear of the vehicle into the backseat - against the ceiling and over the seat backs.  We wonder, now, if she had a nasty head bump that might have caused this seizure...