Yesterday, a 20-to-1 chestnut long shot, named Dancing Rain surprised a lot of people at Epsom Downs by winning the Oaks. Today, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II, again had to accept the agony of defeat when her colt, Carlton House, finished third in the Derby. Pour Moi, a French colt, won the Derby by a head over Treasure Chest, an Irish colt. Pour Moi was ridden by 19-year-old jockey Mickael Barzalona - the first time a teen-ager has won the race since Walter Swinburn won on the great Shergar 30 years ago. Pour Moi was the second choice in today's betting. (And will we ever know what truly happened to Shergar after he was kidnapped?)
I returned a load of books to the library yesterday, but only checked out 2 new ones. One is a Gil Cunningham mystery, and the other is a Hugh Corbett mystery. Hugh is the Keeper of the Secret Seal for Edward I (Longshanks), and Gil is a young lawyer in 15th century Scotland - they definitely keep me entertained! I'll have to get over to the library again before the end of this week, or I'll be new-book less! Of course, I have a great many "old friends" that I can read again at any time - it's just nice to be able to have a choice.
The kits are out on the patio. I have told them about Mocha, but I still have no idea what their reaction will be when she arrives. (And I hope Coffeepot finds a place of his own soon!) Brandi misses Kyle, and left me to sleep in his room early this morning - it's nice that they'll return home tonight. Ooch is skinnier than ever - but considering that we've cut away most of his fur coat, and the fact that he's 21 years old, I guess he has a good reason to be thin. He certainly is an old sweetie! But I'm ready to spend the night at home with my kits again - and they get to spend their first night with Mocha without my interference. Hopefully, she is as Zen-ful as 'Pot says she is.....
There are over 20 square miles that have burned down in southern Colorado, along the New Mexico border - the wildfire is about 50% contained. But now the Elk River (near Steamboat Springs) is about to reach a 100-year flood level; the Colorado is running high; and the folks just north of us are having to be concerned about the Big Thompson and the Cache le Poudre Rivers. So far, Boulder Creek is running a little higher than usual, but it is not a substantial amount - thank goodness! .... Hope all of you have a great weekend!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
James Arness
... in Island In the Sky, 1953
... in Them!, 1954
... visiting John Wayne on the set of Rio Lobo, 14 June 1970
... in The MacahansYou just have to love the man and the face!
Adios to a Legend
James Arness passed away in his sleep this morning at the age of 88. He will always be Marshall Matt Dillon to me - a tall man (6 foot 6 inches), who was always on the side of right and justice, but who would meet action with action, if need be. For me, he was another John Wayne. Of course, when the iconic series Gunsmoke was first envisioned, the folks wanted John Wayne to take the roll of the Marshall. Wayne turned them down, but recommended his friend James Arness. Arness didn't want to get typecast, but agreed to take the role. He portrayed Matt Dillon from 1955 to 1975 - and then went on to make The Macahans, How the West was Won, and several Matt Dillon TV-movies. His brother, Peter Graves, passed away in March of 2010. In the opening credits for Gunsmoke, one sees the back of Marshall Dillon going out into the street to face down a gunslinger - it is not James Arness. The real Arness was wounded in the leg at Anzio, and had a distinct limp. The shows producers decided to have Mr. Arness' stunt double stand in for the star in the intro. They were flabbergasted when they saw the film run at the end of the day - the stunt double had limped, just like Arness! They had to re-film and told the double to "walk naturally, not like Jim." I shall miss James Arness. (And now I have to find out just who, of my old favorite western actors, are still with us.)
I spoke without thinking yesterday, and now Nedi and Lovey and I shall have a new roommate for 2 weeks. Her name is Mocha, and she is a spayed Himalayan. Coffeepot, a friend of mine, has been evicted (after 47 years of renting the same property), as the property was sold to new owners, and they are going to re-develop it. As soon as Coffeepot finds a place for himself, he'll take Mocha back to live with him. - And since we have a confirmed case of bubonic plague in a pet cat here in Boulder, my kits are now grounded. I hope that Mocha, "the Zen cat", and my kits get along! .... Brandi's folks will return late tomorrow evening, but I'll spend the night with Ooch and then return home. Ooch's mom will return Sunday afternoon. Rosie and Remy were very well-behaved once we got out of the house this morning, but as soon as I arrived, Remy started barking and wouldn't be quiet until we went out the door.
Next week, the filly counterpart of the Belmont Stakes, the Acorn, will be run on the same day as the Belmont. It looks as though Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, Mucho Macho Man, Nehro and about 6 other colts will be in the field for the third leg of the Triple Crown. .... And the veterinarians for Uncle Mo, last year's 2-year-old star who scratched the day before the Derby (as the betting favorite, no less), have finally decided what's wrong with the colt. He has been diagnosed with cholangiohepatitis, which, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, is a “severe inflammation of the bile passages and adjacent liver, which sporadically causes hepatic failure in horses." This was the final conclusion after a liver and lymph node biopsy had been performed. The owners hope that the colt will return to training in the fall. .... And the cause of death for Michael Baze has been released from the Kentucky Coroner's Office today - an "accidental overdose of cocaine and oxymorphone." When will people learn that recreational drugs can, and will, kill?
I spoke without thinking yesterday, and now Nedi and Lovey and I shall have a new roommate for 2 weeks. Her name is Mocha, and she is a spayed Himalayan. Coffeepot, a friend of mine, has been evicted (after 47 years of renting the same property), as the property was sold to new owners, and they are going to re-develop it. As soon as Coffeepot finds a place for himself, he'll take Mocha back to live with him. - And since we have a confirmed case of bubonic plague in a pet cat here in Boulder, my kits are now grounded. I hope that Mocha, "the Zen cat", and my kits get along! .... Brandi's folks will return late tomorrow evening, but I'll spend the night with Ooch and then return home. Ooch's mom will return Sunday afternoon. Rosie and Remy were very well-behaved once we got out of the house this morning, but as soon as I arrived, Remy started barking and wouldn't be quiet until we went out the door.
Next week, the filly counterpart of the Belmont Stakes, the Acorn, will be run on the same day as the Belmont. It looks as though Animal Kingdom, Shackleford, Mucho Macho Man, Nehro and about 6 other colts will be in the field for the third leg of the Triple Crown. .... And the veterinarians for Uncle Mo, last year's 2-year-old star who scratched the day before the Derby (as the betting favorite, no less), have finally decided what's wrong with the colt. He has been diagnosed with cholangiohepatitis, which, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, is a “severe inflammation of the bile passages and adjacent liver, which sporadically causes hepatic failure in horses." This was the final conclusion after a liver and lymph node biopsy had been performed. The owners hope that the colt will return to training in the fall. .... And the cause of death for Michael Baze has been released from the Kentucky Coroner's Office today - an "accidental overdose of cocaine and oxymorphone." When will people learn that recreational drugs can, and will, kill?
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Free Cat Adoptions at HSBV
As of 15 minutes ago, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley had 75 cats that were aged 6 months or over up for adoption. Any and all cats that are 6 months or older can be adopted at no cost throughout the entire month of June. Lima Bean, the odd looking tortoiseshell that I posted last month, has been adopted, but Murray is still waiting. Of course, I'm a sucker for any cat, dog, puppy or kitten that needs a home. Luckily, I have just enough restraint not to adopt any more than my two. But, if you are interested, felines up for adoption may be viewed at: http://www.boulderhumane.org/hsbv/go.asp?mode=adopt_cats
Speaking of my two kits, they were very happy to see me this afternoon, so I immediately gave them more food and fresh water - but they wanted me to sit down and give them both love. It was nice to feel wanted and needed. .... Brandi has been absolutely super, as usual. She surprised me by finding her toy box and bringing me a stuffed sheep that I had given her several years ago - she wanted to play tug-o-war with it, and I was very happy to oblige her. .... Remy wanted to go home halfway through our walk yesterday, so I dropped him off and continued on with Rosie. Yesterday afternoon, he was lame and would not walk with his owner. Today, as we were discussing this, Remy kept picking his right hind up and acting as if it was sore. We gave both dogs treats, and Nancy took Remy back inside, while I walked Rosie. Tomorrow I'll be walking both dogs, because while Rosie and I were gone, Remy paced up and down the front hallway and barked constantly. We decided he'll get a short walk every day, so he won't feel excluded. .... Zenyatta, my favorite mare, just retired from the track, has just had her 60-day post-breeding checkup. She is in foal to Bernardini, and the ultrasound showed the foal had a very good and strong heart beat. She lost her previous foal, less than 35 days into the pregnancy.
One last thing.... The police in Kansas City were taking no chances when a man called in and reported seeing a large alligator near a pond within the city limits. Police arrived with hunting rifles, and shot the gator in the head twice. When the second bullet ricocheted, the police realized their alligator was a cement lawn ornament. (Hee-hee!)
Speaking of my two kits, they were very happy to see me this afternoon, so I immediately gave them more food and fresh water - but they wanted me to sit down and give them both love. It was nice to feel wanted and needed. .... Brandi has been absolutely super, as usual. She surprised me by finding her toy box and bringing me a stuffed sheep that I had given her several years ago - she wanted to play tug-o-war with it, and I was very happy to oblige her. .... Remy wanted to go home halfway through our walk yesterday, so I dropped him off and continued on with Rosie. Yesterday afternoon, he was lame and would not walk with his owner. Today, as we were discussing this, Remy kept picking his right hind up and acting as if it was sore. We gave both dogs treats, and Nancy took Remy back inside, while I walked Rosie. Tomorrow I'll be walking both dogs, because while Rosie and I were gone, Remy paced up and down the front hallway and barked constantly. We decided he'll get a short walk every day, so he won't feel excluded. .... Zenyatta, my favorite mare, just retired from the track, has just had her 60-day post-breeding checkup. She is in foal to Bernardini, and the ultrasound showed the foal had a very good and strong heart beat. She lost her previous foal, less than 35 days into the pregnancy.
One last thing.... The police in Kansas City were taking no chances when a man called in and reported seeing a large alligator near a pond within the city limits. Police arrived with hunting rifles, and shot the gator in the head twice. When the second bullet ricocheted, the police realized their alligator was a cement lawn ornament. (Hee-hee!)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
June!
The first day of June brings news that ex-CU professor Ward Churchill will have his termination of employment case heard by the Colorado Supreme Court - probably sometime in 2012. "Every judge that has heard this case has ruled that the university acted appropriately when we terminated Churchill," said CU system spokesman Ken McConnellogue. "We believe the Colorado Supreme Court will do the same." (CU's regents voted 8-1 to fire Churchill nearly four years ago because of academic-misconduct violations. Faculty members tasked with investigating Churchill's body of work found patterns of plagiarism, fabricated facts and other academic-misconduct violations they said were deliberate.)
Churchill sued the university, alleging he was really fired because of his controversial speech. The professor's 9/11 essay ignited national furor because it called some victims "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolf Eichmann, who helped carry out Hitler's plan to exterminate Europe's Jews during World War II. Lane expects that oral arguments at the supreme court level -- which have not yet been scheduled -- will happen at the beginning of 2012 and a ruling could be made by that spring. "It's huge," Lane said. "First, they hear a small fraction of cases that come before them. It's more shocking that they've agreed to hear all three issues that Churchill has asked them to hear."
In addition to reviewing whether granting the regents quasi-judicial immunity comports with federal law, the Supreme Court will consider whether CU violated his First Amendment rights and whether Churchill can be given his job back. CU attorney Patrick O'Rourke argued before the Court of Appeals last fall that all of the university's scholars should be able to defend their scholarship should it be challenged on the grounds of plagiarism or findings that aren't sourced. O'Rourke said professors are protected if their work shows a difference of popular opinion or alternative interpretations of data. He said it would be inappropriate for the university to rehire Churchill because he's stated hostility toward the university, and his patterns of misconduct would hurt fellow professors and devalue the degrees of students. - Wow!
Silver Lake Irrigation Ditch has finally opened, and folks who live along the ditch are now able to water their property without using city or county water lines. Rosie and Remy had a super time running in and out of the sprinklers we ran across today. Poor Brandi "lost" me this morning, and stood in the den barking until I went to her. I gave her a treat and loved her, and she was OK again. The kits were happy to see me arrive home - but once I fed and loved them, they have disappeared onto the patio. That's OK - this is the time of year when we start taking our daily siestas in the early afternoon, so we can do more later when it's cooler outside.
I really had to laugh - the Equine Herpes Virus 1 outbreak has been going on since the first of May. But now, at the beginning of June, MSNBC is taking notice of it because of how the outbreak is hurting the sponsors of equine events - not how it's affecting all the local folks who like to trail ride from their home stables, or the deaths of the horses so far... I guess that I really should know, by this age and time, that the old adage is very correct: Money makes the world go around....
Churchill sued the university, alleging he was really fired because of his controversial speech. The professor's 9/11 essay ignited national furor because it called some victims "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolf Eichmann, who helped carry out Hitler's plan to exterminate Europe's Jews during World War II. Lane expects that oral arguments at the supreme court level -- which have not yet been scheduled -- will happen at the beginning of 2012 and a ruling could be made by that spring. "It's huge," Lane said. "First, they hear a small fraction of cases that come before them. It's more shocking that they've agreed to hear all three issues that Churchill has asked them to hear."
In addition to reviewing whether granting the regents quasi-judicial immunity comports with federal law, the Supreme Court will consider whether CU violated his First Amendment rights and whether Churchill can be given his job back. CU attorney Patrick O'Rourke argued before the Court of Appeals last fall that all of the university's scholars should be able to defend their scholarship should it be challenged on the grounds of plagiarism or findings that aren't sourced. O'Rourke said professors are protected if their work shows a difference of popular opinion or alternative interpretations of data. He said it would be inappropriate for the university to rehire Churchill because he's stated hostility toward the university, and his patterns of misconduct would hurt fellow professors and devalue the degrees of students. - Wow!
Silver Lake Irrigation Ditch has finally opened, and folks who live along the ditch are now able to water their property without using city or county water lines. Rosie and Remy had a super time running in and out of the sprinklers we ran across today. Poor Brandi "lost" me this morning, and stood in the den barking until I went to her. I gave her a treat and loved her, and she was OK again. The kits were happy to see me arrive home - but once I fed and loved them, they have disappeared onto the patio. That's OK - this is the time of year when we start taking our daily siestas in the early afternoon, so we can do more later when it's cooler outside.
I really had to laugh - the Equine Herpes Virus 1 outbreak has been going on since the first of May. But now, at the beginning of June, MSNBC is taking notice of it because of how the outbreak is hurting the sponsors of equine events - not how it's affecting all the local folks who like to trail ride from their home stables, or the deaths of the horses so far... I guess that I really should know, by this age and time, that the old adage is very correct: Money makes the world go around....
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