Personal Photos

Rosie, 3 March 2017, almost 15 years old

                            

Comanche, the only  US Army survivor of Custer's Last Stand

Chincoteague Channel view

 My grandchildren, above, and my son with his children

(my other grandchildren) below

One of the Githens' Acres bobcats

This and That

Two months away, the Kentucky Derby is already getting a lot of news coverage.  It is the best known race in the United States, and this is the normal hyperbole, but it seems that this year,again, the Derby is a wide open race...  El Areeb, Irish War Cry, and Beasley have recently been in the headlines surrounding the Derby, and there are 9 stakes races at Gulfstream Park today.  There have also been a spate of stallion deaths, including the 11-year-old Giant Oak, a son of Giant's Causeway.
   The Chincoteague Pony Spring Round-Up will take place on April 7 and 8 this year.  The ponies of the north and south herds will be rounded up and checked for any problems, plus they'll get blood drawn for testing, annual vaccines, and the equine veterinarian will give each and every pony a check-up and evaluation.The buy-back ponies from last summer's auction have been staying at the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague, and they will be released back onto Assateague on Saturday, 8 April. Hopefully, my filly, Surfer Princess will be taken back to the north end of the island to be separated from her full-brother, Riptide.  She managed to get back down to the south end of the island after Christmas, and joined her brother's herd.  (I wouldn't worry if she were running with Maverick or the Don Leonard Stud II - but she's with her brother.)
    Rosie continued improving yesterday, and wandered around the back yard on her own when I took her for her daily outing.  I got some really good photos of her.  I wasn't sure this past Tuesday if she'd survive until the end of the week, but it looks like she'll definitely hang on until next weekend, when the son of the family will return home from College for his spring break.  That will make all of us humans very happy.
    Had a great time playing with Tipsi last night and again this morning.  His people went cross-country skiing and took the two dogs, so Tipsi is at home by himself (since Pounce passed away last month).  We played with the laser light, and tossed catnip toys, watched birds and squirrels in the back yard - and he ate like a little piglet.  He's tangled with other critters (cats or raccoons) three times in the past year and ended up with an abscess and surgeries each time.  He is now an indoor cat, and does not like it.
    And now the idiot "45" is claiming that President Obama tapped all of Trump Towers during his, 45's, run for office. What a hoot!  As Nancy Pelosi called him, he's the "Deflector-in-Chief" for trying to get folks to stop asking questions about his and his associates ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin.  As a top United States Security man stated, a wiretap cannot be directed at a U.S. facility, without finding probable cause that the phone lines or Internet addresses were being used by agents of a foreign power - or by someone spying for or acting on behalf of a foreign government. "You can't just go around and tap buildings," the official said.  -  And any wire-tapping must be approved by a Federal judge...
    Hope you have a great weekend!

Horse Artwork

Rosie, Tipsi, and the US Government

Let's see....  Rosie is doing much better since her Tuesday morning incident.  The carpet cleaners were at the house most of yesterday afternoon to remove stains.  She astounded me yesterday by walking, on her own, from the back gate to the far corner of the yard, then she wandered around a bit taking in the scents.  After a short rest in the sun, she got up by herself and played "safari" in the spruce boughs for ten minutes, then walked around the garden.  After another rest, she walked back to the gate; I had to turn her around and guide her back to the open area of the yard, but she walked without my assistance.  When it was time to leave, she was only a few feet from the car when her hind legs gave out again.  But she walked inside her house, drank water and then went to her bed.
   Last night, she ate a whole chopped chicken breast that I cooked for her, and she got up and drank water several times without assistance.  We went out back and she cruised around her back yard three times during the two hours I spent with her.  It made me feel good, even though I realize that she is nearing the end of her life cycle...
   I visited Tipsi this morning, and took in the mail from yesterday, as well as today's newspapers.  By the time I had emptied a small can of food in his dish, it was almost gone... and then he attacked the bowl of dry kibble I was putting out.  One would think he hadn't eaten in days - and not since yesterday afternoon.  And I know his Momma hid dry nibbles all over the house for him to find....
   I can't say that I was surprised that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from any investigations into contacts between "45", his staff, and Russia.   He needs to resign, however.   -  And, after all the fuss over Hillary Clinton and her e-mails, it's very funny that Governor Michael Pence of Indiana (now the Vice President) used an open, un-secure AOL mail address and server while he was serving as the leader of his state....   Can anyone say "double standard?"

The United States Presidential Succession

If the President of the United States is either impeached or resigns, what is the list of succession?  This is the current list, keeping in mind that it was just reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied to the Senate Committee that investigated and approved him; the nominee for Agriculture, Governor Sonny Perdue, has not yet been approved; and that the man for Labor, Alex Acosta, is not yet approved...
1.   The Vice President   -  Mike Pence
2.   The Speaker of the House  - Paul Ryan
3.   The President Pro Tempore of the Senate  -  Orrin Hatch
4.   Secretary of State  - Rex W Tillerson
5.   Secretary of Treasury  - Steven Mnuchin
6.   Secretary of Defense  - James Mattis
7.   The Attorney General  - Jeff Sessions
8.   Secretary of Interior  - Ryan Zinke
9.   Secretary of Agriculture  - Sonny Perdue
10. Secretary of Commerce  - Wilbur Ross
11. Secretary of Labor  - Alex Acosta
12. Secretary of Health & Human Services  - Tom Price
13. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development - Dr. Ben Carson
14. Secretary of Transportation  - Elaine Chao
15. Secretary of Energy  - Rick Perry
16. Secretary of Education  - Betsy DeVos
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs  - David Shulkin
18. Secretary of Homeland Security  - John Kelly

The only person on this list with any real governing experience, to my knowledge, is the Vice-President...  and he has such close ties to the President, that I think if "45" goes down, so will Pence.
The thought of any of the others as President of the United States chills my blood...
   We'll have to see what happens with tonight's investigative reporting....

Fantasy Horses Artwork

Rosie - and the 45th

Well, Rosie had a very bad day yesterday - she had a bout of diarrhea that woke her owners up around 4 yesterday morning - and the mess was spread all over her bed, the master bathroom,the walk-in closet, the master bedroom, the entrance to the stairs, and the stairs themselves.  Her folks were exhausted from caring from her and doing their regular jobs; she awoke them, barking on the stair landing.  They didn't finish getting her cleaned up, and cleaning as well as they could until it was 8:30 yesterday morning.  I took her for a walk at my sister's as usual, and then went back yesterday afternoon so one of the owners could take a nap.  I got her up and down the steps, and supported her to use the bathroom, but she couldn't stand on her own at all.
   I went over this morning, expecting the worst - but she was very happy to see me, shaking with excitement, as she's done for the last year.  Got her in the car, and over to my sister's back yard as usual.  I supported her hindquarters most of the way across the yard, until I got near where we usually sit in the sun; then I let go of her rear support handle.  I was amazed, and extremely happy, when she remained standing by herself for a few minutes, and then walked over to the spruce trees  and began to "play safari."  She poked and nosed under the low growing branches for about ten minutes, then walked back to me, gave a sigh, and laid down.  The last time she did that was around Thanksgiving. I reported that when I took her home this morning, and we all watched, amazed again, as she walked out into the den, drank some water, and then wandered through the kitchen.  I left while she was still standing - astounded by her resilience....
   Apparently "45" stuck pretty much to his teleprompter last night when addressing our joint Congress.  But I was greatly saddened by his use of the widow, and horrified by his following crass remark about how long the applause was.  The man continues to prove he's an uncaring, unthinking idiot.  Following his teleprompter, he actually spoke in complete sentences.  My only question is:  where is he going to get the money to do all of the things he's proposing?  He wants to increase military spending by $54 billion per year.  Hes says he'll get the money by stripping the State Department, Foreign Aid, and shutting down Environmental Protection Agency programs.  Maybe, if he totally closed all of those departments and agencies, he could save that amount.  Then there's his "great, great wall" along the Mexican border; that's supposed to cost $20 to 30 billion - where will that money come from?  He's going to deregulate industry and banking, and give them a 30% tax cut.
Where will the revenue for all of his expenditures come from?  He states he's going to rebuild the nation's infrastructure - with what?  How is he going to pay for 15,000 more border guards? - And what about the Canadian border?  Will we get more guards for the northern border as well?  What about Alaska's border along Canada?  Having lost more than 48% of our manufacturing capabilities over the past 30 years, along with almost 60% of those people trained to do those jobs, how is the circus peanut going to jump-start manufacturing inside the United States again?
   I am just wondering how he's going to pull a miracle out of his.....