Wow! Lovey let me sleep until 7 again this morning; of course, it was snuggle weather, as it was 27 degrees outside at that time. (It was 17 in Alamosa this morning.) We're supposed to warm up to about 60 today, 70 tomorrow, then 50s on Thursday and Friday, and low 40s during the weekend, with snow possible. The kits are chasing each other in and out right now, as I have the patio door cracked open. It took me awhile to get my hair to cooperate this morning - Banichi sat on my left shoulder during the first half of the Vikings-Packers game, and groomed the left side of my head last night. It's amazing what kitty spit, a rough tongue, and teeth can do to one's hair! I had mini-dreadlocks all over ... Currently reading A Breed Apart by Pierre Davis, and find that I don't want to put it down. As I haven't been home a lot recently, I haven't seen Gimpy, but I set out a fresh supply of nuts for him by the door. Getting ready to make a last run to see Ooch before Connie returns, and then over to Rosie and Remy's for their walk. Then I must go grocery shopping - or the kits and I will have to do without food - and I can guarantee that the kits won't go hungry!
Sea the Stars won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this weekend, and it is possible that he'll skip the Breeders Cup, like Rachel Alexandra. Mi Suerta, a two-year old Graded (I) Stakes winner, has had to be retired due to a condylar fracture in her foreleg; plans are for her to become a broodmare next year. ... The cool weather is affecting me, as usual. I want to be outside. I want to visit places. I want to see old friends. I feel it's now time to start re-reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I want to start doing needlepoint and counted cross-stitch..... I'll be lucky if I can just make some headway doing genealogy research, because my mind will be all over the place.....
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Three Day Eventing
Day one - Dressage (Second Level Test 1) at Fair Hill, Maryland
Day two - Cross Country - Yellow Creek taking the corner
Day three - Stadium Jumping - Charlie Jayne riding Urbanus (USET)
A Damp Day
It was cloudy earlier, but the humidity intensified, and we've had mist and light rain all morning. Lovey is laying across my chest and purring, while Banichi is looking at me from the bed while kneading the pillow. I had a good session with Jed this morning, then headed over to the Rs; it was raining then, so their walk was canceled, and I wandered over to take care of Ooch. Finally returned home, paid all my outstanding bills, and am now blogging. The kits demanded a lot of love last night, and I was more than happy to oblige them. I have to admit that I turned off the TV at 8 p.m. and snuggled into the flannel sheets, and knew no more until this morning. - The weatherman just said we're at our highest temperature for the day (56) and that we might reach 60 tomorrow; our usual highs for this time of year are the low 70s. The weather this past weekend was sunny and breezy but nice on Saturday, while yesterday was cloudy and cool. I will not be house-sitting for the trio of dogs and Frippet the frog again. If the owner contacts me to do so, I will nicely tell her that I'm already booked. I cannot stay sane and keep those three dogs separate and penned up all of the time - Jack Russells and Irish Setters need to be outside and to get plenty of exercise. (I'm not surprised that they're picking fights with each other, having spent 4 days and 3 nights with them!) I will miss the dogs as individuals,and I will miss Frippet, too - but it is not worth my sanity to continue to care for them.
Saturday, Jim looked in on the dogs for me, while Kathy and I traveled down to Parker. Neither of us had been to the Colorado Horse Park before, so it was a new experience for us both. The Mapquest directions were incorrect, but since I remembered the street address of the Park, we made the correct turns and finally arrived. The Park is huge and it took us quite a while to find the Cross Country course, which was separated from the main area by a paved road - but, oohh, what a Cross Country course! It covers a space two miles long and one and a half miles wide; there are at least two water features available for use; and the terrain is rolling hills with a couple of dry (this weekend, anyway) creek beds. We arrived at 8, and left about 4; then side-tracked over into old downtown Parker. There we enjoyed a Rio Grande caboose outside a dentist's office, walked over to a jewelers' who sent us to an Italian bakery (where we both succumbed and purchased sweets), and then into a fly fishing shop. Then we finally headed home; me to the 3 dogs and Frippet, and Kathy back to Jim and Suki and Boo. Hopefully I'll be able to upload my photos soon, so that I can share them.
Saturday, Jim looked in on the dogs for me, while Kathy and I traveled down to Parker. Neither of us had been to the Colorado Horse Park before, so it was a new experience for us both. The Mapquest directions were incorrect, but since I remembered the street address of the Park, we made the correct turns and finally arrived. The Park is huge and it took us quite a while to find the Cross Country course, which was separated from the main area by a paved road - but, oohh, what a Cross Country course! It covers a space two miles long and one and a half miles wide; there are at least two water features available for use; and the terrain is rolling hills with a couple of dry (this weekend, anyway) creek beds. We arrived at 8, and left about 4; then side-tracked over into old downtown Parker. There we enjoyed a Rio Grande caboose outside a dentist's office, walked over to a jewelers' who sent us to an Italian bakery (where we both succumbed and purchased sweets), and then into a fly fishing shop. Then we finally headed home; me to the 3 dogs and Frippet, and Kathy back to Jim and Suki and Boo. Hopefully I'll be able to upload my photos soon, so that I can share them.
More Later...
With this cooler weather, Lovey and Banichi just cuddled up with me and didn't want an early rising. I just woke up and have to be at an MD appointment in 70 minutes... Will blog when I return after seeing Jed and walking the Rs!
Friday, October 2, 2009
New Shoes
Oh, what a night.... Sadie alternately barked at nothing, went upstairs and whined at the door that Rusty and Coffee were behind, and came to my bedside and tossed toys upon me. I didn't get much sleep. While Rusty and Coffee had the run of the house last evening, Sadie sat at her door and barked and whined and scratched. I could not live with this situation if the dogs were mine. Happily, I return home Sunday evening. My kits were all cuddly and loving yesterday when I stopped by to see them. I had to purchase new walking shoes, sneakers, cross-trainers, whatever you want to call them yesterday. My toes had gotten a little damp wearing my sneakers back in September at the Scottish Irish Festival in Estes Park. Yesterday, after walking Rosie and Remy, my feet were down right wet. I looked at the soles of my Reeboks and found that the cushioning gel patches had worn away from the rest of the sole, and every time I took a step, the bottom of the sole opened wide. So I'm wearing a new pair of New Balance 407s today. It was 26 degrees this morning, and I wore my burgundy knitted hat and scarf this morning. I'll be taking them with me to the Cross Country in Parker tomorrow as well. Don't expect another posting from me until sometime on Monday - and have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Critters
A peacock at Cardiff Castle, Wales
Allied Powers being exercised at the Newmarket gallops (he's a yearling here)
Roe buck in the Black Forest of Germany
Bronte, a Siamese in Scotland
Separate the Pets
I'm blogging from Suki and Boo's this morning, prior to walking Remy and Rosie and before I move my overnight stuff to Quince Street. The wind picked up yesterday afternoon - blowing at 20 to 35 mph and it grew a little chill by sunset. Monarch Pass recorded a wind gust of 83 mph, while Boulder's highest was 57. Suki and Boo were quite happy to be inside last night, as was I. I'm sure the kits curled up together in the bed and kept each other nice and warm. I read over half of the book Origins of the Specious, which is about myths and misconceptions surrounding the English language (both American and British English). It's very good, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. While the English language is always evolving and changing, did you know that the English we Americans speak is closer to the English the Colonies spoke when they came over from England, rather than the current British accent which developed in the 19th century? And there are still pockets of British English speakers who pronounce "ask" as "ax".... This is a fun book (for me, anyway).
When I move over to Quince Street this morning/afternoon, I'll be taking on Coffee, Rusty, and Sadie. Each dog is very easy to care for; but currently, Rusty and Sadie must be kept apart from each other at all times. These two have a true love/hate relationship: when separated, they sit outside the other's area and whine and whimper and try to paw the door open; when they are together, they get along well 99% of the time - but then something will set either Rusty (a Jack Russell terrier) or Sadie (an Irish Setter) off and they attack each other viciously. As Sadie outweighs Rusty by 50 pounds, she is always the winner. Rusty has had 4 surgeries under general anesthetic this year - 1 for cancer, the others due to Sadie savaging her; and she just had 48 stitches removed last week after the last attack. You can be sure that I will keep Sadie and Rusty separate and apart from each other! I can't forget Frippet, the African clawed frog, either; he's a very jolly and friendly soul, who loves the live flies that I catch for him.
When I move over to Quince Street this morning/afternoon, I'll be taking on Coffee, Rusty, and Sadie. Each dog is very easy to care for; but currently, Rusty and Sadie must be kept apart from each other at all times. These two have a true love/hate relationship: when separated, they sit outside the other's area and whine and whimper and try to paw the door open; when they are together, they get along well 99% of the time - but then something will set either Rusty (a Jack Russell terrier) or Sadie (an Irish Setter) off and they attack each other viciously. As Sadie outweighs Rusty by 50 pounds, she is always the winner. Rusty has had 4 surgeries under general anesthetic this year - 1 for cancer, the others due to Sadie savaging her; and she just had 48 stitches removed last week after the last attack. You can be sure that I will keep Sadie and Rusty separate and apart from each other! I can't forget Frippet, the African clawed frog, either; he's a very jolly and friendly soul, who loves the live flies that I catch for him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)