Happy Retirement, Lava Man!

All over the thoroughbred horseracing world today is the news that it has been decided to retire the fanatasic gelding, Lava Man.


photo credit: Anne Eberhardt

A 7 year-old grandson of the immortal Seattle Slew (whoo-hoo!) - and son of the great Slew City Slew, Lava Man won mulitple grade 1 races over dirt, grass, and the new synthetic racetracks.

He was widely regarded as 'The King of California Racing' for quite a time, and in fact joined only Native Dancer in winning the Hollywood Gold Cup an amazing three times.


photo credit : Blood Horse

In the last year, Lava Man has pretty much made it evident that he is tired. A string of recent losses, coupled with a tell-tale Xray of his ankles helped to make the decision to retire him an obvious one.

His trainer, Doug O'Neill, hopes to convince Lava Man's owners to allow him to be a pony horse (in layman's terms, a pony horse is one that goes to the track - usually ridden by a trainer - and is there when current runners are on the track prior to a race).

Lava Man will also have the distinction of being the most lucrative claim in racing history. He was claimed (bought) for only $50,000 in 2004 and continued on to make over 5 million dollars profit by racing wins/purses. Not bad, eh?

He retires with $5, 268,706 in earnings and the love of a nation of horseracing fans.
Thanks for the memories!

Cats are just funny

"Watch my eyes.... you're getting veeerrry sleepy.......
..now, where are those tuna treats?....."



"That Jay Leno is a real hoot!..."

Garden Tour : Part 2

So here's some more shots of my garden.


White lillies
Have to admit, I think this is a gorgeous photo.



Bee Balm (one of my favorites)



White Coneflowers
I actually like them better than the purple I think.



Purple coneflowers (bit blurry, sorry)
Got a bit too close with the lens...

Peach Daylilly
Unusual color, I thought.

Purple Gayfeather (a.k.a. Liatris) and Paper Lace (behind)
The Paper Lace blew in from who knows where but I just let it go cause it's actually kinda pretty.

Daylillies again - aren't they a striking color?

Black-Eyed Susans (another fave)

Reminds me of the Preakness Stakes.



Yet another pic of Bee Balm
Hummingbirds love these!

Light pink (though you cannot tell) Balloon Flowers
(would have been better without the TAG in the middle, duh.)



An overhead view of one of my garden beds

(from my top deck)
It's a bit wild.

And here's a friend of the garden.
I do believe she is the mom of the babies from earlier this spring.
I love birds.

The new front porch, built entirely by the hubby...
His talents are endless.

I do have some more pictures yet to come, so there will no doubt be a Part 3 at some point.

Garden Tour - Part 1

Thought I would share some photos of our backyard. I have some more on the way, but seeing as how I am behind the times and do not have a digital camera (yet!), I have to wait for mine the old fashioned way... but thanks to snapfish , they are at least posted online.

So here goes:


This is our backyard patio - we have a little fire pit and a barrel water feature.
It is adjacent to our lower deck. The hubby made everything, as usual.

On one side of our lower deck is the newly crafted (thanks to the exceptionally talented hubby) outdoor bar. It even has a sink. It can double nicely as a potting bench. Rock on!

Another view of the "cantina"...
Margaritas anyone?

My columbine from a bit earlier this year. It is very much a spring flower.
I like them very much and have several colors.

My old fashioned climbing rose bush in a very vivid scarlet hue.

Mini daises and yellow yarrow. You wouldn't think so, but those daisies stink to the high heavens! Yuk. And they spread like a wildfire. Pretty cute though.

This hosta always does really well. What a great color!

The basket of petunias on my upper deck on the picnic table, courtesy of my mother-in-law.



On the upper deck, a flower box of petunias.

Two types of Coleus and a Geranium.
The coleus are some of my favorites. I get them every year for my deck and they just get HUGE. The leaves are so striking and different.

Dianthus are also called 'pinks' by old-timers.

One of my Clematis vines. They get these awesomely large blossoms on them. There were many more flowers but I didn't take the pictures in time. My bad.

My magenta Clematis vine. So pretty!

Ok, so that's all for now.
Next time: Daylillies, coneflowers, bee balm, and a brand new front porch. (I like to keep the hubby busy...)

Later :)

Seriously?

This is almost too weird (and funny) to be true.

I recently saw a story on MSNBC 'weird news' about a woman who killed her husband with a fold-out couch. I mean, seriously?

Read about it here .

You just can't make this stuff up!

Smarty Party!!

Since I didn't have my blog back when Smarty Jones was running, it is my pleasure to post the news that Smarty had his first winner on July 11th. His daughter, La Equivocada (out of the mare Dragonada (by Nureyev), won in wire to wire fashion at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico.
Smarty looks pretty happy about the news, eh?

Also in Smarty news, the Kentucky division of the Make-A-Wish foundation recently granted a wish to young Patrick Munro of Greenlawn, NY.
His wish was to meet Smarty Jones - and with the help of Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky (where Smarty stands as a stallion), Patrick spent the better part of a day in April seeing and spending time with the 2004 Champion three-year-old.

photo courtesy Three Chimneys Farm

Patrick suffers from hydrocephalus and is both blind and hearing impaired, but it didn't stop him from petting Smarty, getting a tour of the farm, and doing a meet and greet with several of Smarty's babies.
The governor of Kentucky declared that day 'Patrick Munro Day' across the state!

In the days to follow, he got to go to Churchill Downs and meet several jockeys and listen to some races, spent another day at the wonderful (trust me, I've been there) Kentucky Horse Park and yet another day at Keeneland racetrack where they gave him the key to the city of Lexington.
So it sounds like Patrick had some really cool and special memories to take home to New York with him.

I love heartwarming stories like that, and it makes it all the more exciting that it involved one of my all time favorite thoroughbreds, Smarty Jones.

Love ya, big guy.

The cozier the better.

Those of you who know me, know I have an infatuation with books. I have said several times that I have more books than I will ever have time to read and I still keep on buying.

I found a series of books I want to mention cause they are just fun reads. I guess they are some of the luckier books on my shelves. I've always thought of my books as characters in the children's book 'The Velveteen Rabbit' (one of my faves) -I always assume my books are like the stuffed toys - whereas the toys just want to be loved, my books just want to be read. I am trying my best to make everyone feel loved.

So, anyway, I read obsessively. And I read everything. Horror, true crime, nature, mainstream/popular fiction, chick-lit, history, supernatural, non-fiction of any kind.. I like pretty much anything except straight-forward sappy Harlequin-type romance. Besides horror, my favorite genre is mystery.
I used to read every James Patterson I could get my hands on - but I am done with him for awhile - everything he writes sounds the same now, and he is punching books out so fast I have serious doubts about whether or not HE is the one actually writing these novels. Whatever.

I digress.

Mysteries. I have recently, in the last few years, discovered a whole new sub-genre of mystery - the "cozy". Generally, a cozy is a type of crime fiction/mystery where there is a female lead who works in some other field than criminal justice of any kind, but who might have a buddy/boyfriend on the police force or the likes so she can aquire details about the crimes. She usually lives in a small town where there just happens to be a higher rate of murder than your average small town. She happens upon these crimes and uses her wit and various contacts around town to help her solve the mysteries. She usually has a bunch of friends and family that weave throughout the story causing their own little side-story problems.

Believe me, they aren't curing cancer with these stories - and there's no major violence or blood most of the time. But the mysteries are tight little stories that wrap up in a cute little bow, and usually leave a tidbit or two that will lead to the next story starring our heroine.

Perhaps one of the best known writers of cozies would be Agatha Christie, though she also had a man (Hercule Poirot) as her protagonist as well as the series with the famous Miss Marple.
On tv, Angela Lansbury's 'Murder She Wrote' was a classic example of a cozy, just made for tv.

I have discovered that there are thousands of these types of mysteries all over the shelves at my local Borders and on amazon.com. It's amazing. Because of my interests, I have found series about horseracing mysteries, wine lovers mysteries, cats who help solve murders, bookshop mysteries, and supernatural/witchy tales. But anything you like, there is a cozy out there to suit you.
There are ones about sewing, crafting, scrapbooking, photography, holidays, fashion, flower-shops, vampire hunters, werewolves, tea and coffee shops, herbs, Olde English-style mysteries, Renaissance-era, King Arthur times, dogs who help solve murders, foodies, traveling...etc. They probably even make a NASCAR mystery series -I have never looked (and never will).
There is even a series of glass-blowers mysteries - I shit you not.

Anyway, one of my recent favorites is the 'Bewitching Mysteries' by Madelyn Alt.
It 'stars' Maggie O'Dell, who quits her boring office job and takes a job at a local antiques & things store called 'Enchantments' (a place not unlike the store on Ghost Whisperer). She soon finds out her boss is, quite seriously, a witch. But none of that green face and flying monkey stuff...
Mysteries seem to abound in Maggie's small town, and the murder average is seemingly getting higher. She always seems to get herself right in the middle of things. Classic.

Alt has written an interesting group of secondary characters as well and there is a love triangle of sorts that has been setting up slowly, but there is no major sex in the novels (yet) - just longing glances, kisses, and things like that. Nothing to bog down the mystery too heavily.
And if you need something really quick to read that you don't have to concentrate too hard on (it's not Tolstoy or Dostoevsky here...), these are perfect.
In other words, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to enjoy these novels.

Her next book - No Rest For The Wiccan - comes out in november. That's a long time, but I'll manage. There's alot to read in the meantime...

Happy Independence Day

Ollie's big day!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY OLIVER!

My cat's a rock star.

Seriously, this effect is easy @ http://www.magmypic.com/

*Seems like just yesterday Ollie was living in my basement, growing up with his sisters.
He was so tiny.

He's been with us since he was 2 weeks old, so we're pretty used to having him around.

Now he's nearly 15 pounds and dwarfs his sister Biscuit.

Extra treats today!
Love you O-man.

Shoe Issue

photo credit: Russ Melton / BloodHorse

The Big Brown Belmont loss controversy has heated up again in the last week,
after pictures surfaced showing his shoe partially off right at the break of the Belmont, and another taken right as Desormeaux was pulling him up near the finish line.


Basically what that means is that for some reason, Brown's shoe dislodged at or near the start (which some had thought anyway) but stayed dislodged throughout the race. As you can see below, the nail is protruding and the shoe is partially off.


photo credit: Bob Mayberger / BloodHorse

Obviously that could not have been comfortable- and, feeling something odd, Brown knew it and couldn't get himself into the race due to the awkwardness of the shoe problem.

There is also some feeling that another horse - Guadalcanal - stepped on Brown's right hind foot as they sprung forward from the gate.

Add to that the thought that the official starter at the gate was standing in an unusual place (right on the track basically in front of the field as they broke) when the race began, and you have got all the controversy and explanation that you would need for Big Brown's dismal performance.


It is obvious, to me, that the racing gods didn't like the way Big Brown's name looked right under Affirmed on the Triple Crown winners list, and this was their way of saying 'no can do'.

Big Brown is next scheduled (as of now) to run in the million dollar Haskell Invitational at the beginning of August at Monmouth Park in New Jersey - so I guess we'll see if he can bounce back and if he is truly the outstanding colt most people feel he is.

His trainer (busted this week and serving a suspension for illegal drugs found in one of his horses) is still a stellar jackass. But don't hold that against the horse.

Brown wants to show you that he is still on top. That his name is still worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Seattle Slew or Secretariat.

Well, he's got his work cut out for him.

And a big hurdle on his way to Horse of the Year honors is spelled C-U-R-L-I-N.
Brownie's got to beat the big guns to claim any fame. Don't know if that will happen, as Curlin isn't running in the Haskell that I know of, and I don't think they are even planning on running him in the Breeders' Cup Classic due to it being on artificial surface at Santa Anita. Guess we'll wait and see.

If Curlin wins if they travel to France for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I), and Brown wins the Haskell and the Classic - the Horse of the Year race will be a tough one indeed.

It's been a good year for racing, despite all the negative happenings, controversies, and bad luck.
The horses still rock.

all legal and everything...

A big huge shout out to my brother who turned 21 yesterday.
Now he can finally at least legally do all the things he's been doing for the last several years!
Best wishes, I love ya.

Things I ponder while riding on the back of a Harley...

Funny how my mind works...
When riding as a passenger on the back of the hubby's bike, my mind wanders to the most unusual and ridiculous subjects.
There's nothing to do but think, so that's what I do.
Here's what I think about.

*do horses and cows get along?
*long driveways = nice houses
*roadkill baked in the sun all day = horrific olfactory experience
*some trees look like Ents
*mock orange flowers smell divine
*chestnut trees smell... well... 'er.... strangely erotic
*some people have too many plastic kids toys in their yards
*wonder if we'll stop at the Dairy Queen?
*empty old schools are sad
*potholes in road make for sore rump
*are all Saint Bernards like Cujo?
*why did I think I wouldn't like this?

The Name Game

I was just thinking of all the ways people screw up their kids by giving them stupid or ridiculous names they have to live with and apologize for all their lives. Seeing as how I don't have any kids, maybe I'm not qualified for this discussion, but as usual, I don't care what people think.

So... this bugs me:

People who call their kid by its middle name.
Like if your name is Bertha Louise Jones and your parents call you Louise.
Why didn't you just name them Louise?
WTF?

Or how about when they call you something altogether different than your name.
Parents say something like "Oh, we named her Kathryn Elizabeth but we've always liked Mandy, so we'll be calling her Mandy.
Or your name is Robert Jones and they call you Jack.
Huh?

The "Y" that is added to the end of names just kills me.
I know everyone does it and sometimes it even works, like with Billy, Tommy, Bobby, and Johnny (I mean can you imagine calling Johnny Depp just John? Let me see.... Mrs. John Depp. Nope, doesn't work for me.)
But when you start adding it to names it wasn't meant to be added to, like Scott, Pam, Greg, Nick, George, and (sorry honey) Todd - it just sounds silly. I hate my own name so bad with a "Y" on the end so much that only two people have ever called me that and they are both dead.
Not by my doing, but that's beside the point.

Nicknames.
Too bad for you if you were overweight as a child. You are probably living with Chunky, Heavy, Fatso, Chubs, Tank, Blimpie or the likes.
Eat too many sweets as a kid? Candy, Cookie, Cupcake.... whatever.
Good or poor intellect? Smarty Pants or Dumb Ass. Take your pick.
Liked toys? Dolly, Tonka, or maybe even GI Joe (if you were blessed with the name Joseph at birth)
What's your personality? They probably stuck something with your name like Chatty Cathy, Dopey Doreen, Picky Pauline, Lucky Lenny, Bashful Brian...
Poor kids.

Or there's the ever popular naming your child after yourself - because apparently, even though there are millions of names to choose from, you've run out already and had to choose your own.
So what do you have then?
Robert Jones, Jr. - a.k.a. Bobby or Robby...
Or maybe you'll just get Junior. Love that. It sounds like a big fat dude sitting on the front steps of the redwood deck of his decades old trailer - chewing on a piece of wheat and strummin his banjo.

Speaking of the 'country' life: Could we completely phase out the good ole' hick names like the Waltons' style Jim-Bob, John-Boy, Mary-Ellen, Joe-Bob, Cindy-Sue, Betty-Lou, Bobby-Jo... Ugh.

And all those good Catholic names like Mary-Margaret, Mary-Katherine, Mary-Theresa, Mary-Elizabeth, Mary-Frances, Mary-Agnes...
What is up with all the Marys? Not necessary. Doesn't make them any holier in my book.

And I hate to rag on all the African names, but I don't want to discriminate, so I feel I should pick on everyone equally. If I'm going to offend, I want to make sure to offend everyone.
LaKisha, Levon, Deion, Lebron, Beyonce, Aisha, Tanisha, Jamal, LaToya, Tyrel, Lamont.... we don't live in Africa, correct?

How about no hooker names - No Vanessa, Heather, Destiny, Misty, Sherry, Tiffany, Lacey, Desirie, or even Whitney. At the very least they sound like pole dancing names.

Flat-out bad names for boys: Homer, Ulysses, Phinneaus, Cletus, Clifford, Sherwood, Cecil, Oscar, Ralph, Dwight, Ernest, Ira, and Winston.

Crappy girl names: Bertha, Doris, Marge, Lois, Eunice, Orabell, Willhimina, Betty, Lucille, Loretta, Dorothy, Freda, Henrietta, or Mona. They all sound like old lady names. And a special thanks to the tv show "Mad About You" who were kind enough to bring back Mabel.
OY.

Can you not spell your kid's name different than the norm? You will never find anything personalized for them! Brittani, Crystie, Tifani, Bryan, Tracee, Alivia, Jewelee, and please, no
Tod, Jon, Mat, or Jef! Can't you actually S-P-E-L-L??

Parents: Please think about what your child's first name will sound like with your last name.
That means you, parents of Brandy Wine, Bud Wiser, Holly Wood, Michael Myers, Crystal Ball, Harry Peters, Rod Johnson, Crystal Waters, Harry Ball, Allison Nelson, Dick Peters, or Julia Gulia (wedding singer!)

But I believe all of the above names are still not as devastating to children as some of the names that the stars have named their offspring. Moon Unit, Dweezil, Apple, Moses, Phinneaus, Hazel, Kal-El, Pilot, Moxie CrimeFighter (seriously!), Suri, Peaches, Tiger-Lily, Ziggy, Ky-Mani, Satchel (leave it to Woody Allen!), Scout LaRue, Rumer, Tallulah Belle, Maddox Chivan, Zahara, Pax Thien, Shiloh Nouvel, Rainbow Joan of Arc (!), Leaf, Zowie, Coco, Audio Science, and Sage Moon Blood. Honestly!

Did you know George Foreman named each of his children after himself, adding a Jr, III, IV, V, VI on all the boys, and named the girls Freeda George and Georgetta. No vanity there, eh?

Lastly, try not to be pretentious enough to name your child the same name as someone Uber-Famous. Like Oprah, Madonna, Cher, Celine, Sting, Bono, Shaq, and by all means, don't name your child Jesus. Even if you are Mexican or Spanish. Oh my.

So there it is. My rant for the day. Sorry if I offended anyone that may have used or may actually be named any of the above.
Somehow I think there may only be one Moon Unit, though.
Later.

In the good old summertime...

Best things about SUMMER:

*) hot dogs over the fire
*) flower gardens
*) honeybees (unless they are stinging the hubby)
*) rides on the Harley
*) bats (do you realize how many moisquitoes they vanquish?)
*) the smell of suntan lotion
*) amusement parks
*) drive in theaters
*) 3 legal holidays (not including flag day!)
*) porch swings
*) thunderstorms
*) corn on the cob
*) small town fairs and festivals
*) fireworks
*) the smell of rain on the hot pavement

Summer Breeze...makes me feel whine

The most annoying things about SUMMER.
*) mosquitoes
*) humidity
*) wasps and yellow jackets
*) allergies
*) the smell of roadkill
*) ants at picnics
*) leather car seats
*) road construction
*) brush fires
*) school's out
*) tornadoes
*) hurricanes
*) temps above 85 degrees F
*) air conditioning (most of the time too cold!)
*) TV re-runs