Breaking News! Girl Power in My 40s

Here are some fabulous photos of two amazing girls, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. I found these on the images center of google and one is taken by the talented Vanessa Ng and the others by unnamed sports photographers. After Rachel won the Mother Goose Stakes handily this past weekend, news reports came out that the trainers of the two top girls are thinking about having them race against each other in some mix-up in the future or a match race.

Zenyatta is the 2004 filly by Street Cry with the astonishing record of 11 wins out of 11 starts. She won the Breeeder's Cup Ladies Classic last year and she also gave the "moment of the year" in one sports tally. She ended up earning the 2008 Eclipse Champion Older Female award. She has an obviously impressive record for a girl who didn't start racing until she was 3!

And, of course, our Rachel Alexandra is a big old powerhouse herself. She is the 2006 filly by Medaglia Doro and has a 12: 9-2-0 record. She's a machine, a big beautiful powering machine! This year, among her victories was a string of mind-blowing races. She won the Fairground Oaks, the Kentucky Oaks, the Preakness Stakes, the Martha Washington, the Fantasky Stakes, and then this past weekend the Mother Goose. She scared off the competition in the latter, and only raced against two others who she soundly beat. The Preakness hadn't been won by a filly in 86 years, so this girl is a big deal.

It makes me happy to see that in 2009, when I am 45 years old, racing is acknowledging the coolness of the fillies and focusing on these champion feminine athletes. The trainer and owner of Rachel Alexandra even have her signature color as pink and are donating part of her winnings to the Susan Komen cancer fund. They were giving out pink Rachel Alexandra rubber bracelets at the race this past weekend. Sure would have loved to get one of those!

Anyway, as always, here's to the girls! Violet, Hailee and Renny are so proud!

The Boys and the Box

Here's Arcangelo when I first got my new Kodak camera. I took it out of the box and my sweet boy immediately stepped in and struck a pose. So, here's the first shot of many from my newest camera! Darling goofy cat!

Violet and the Chiropractor

Here is a photo and video of Violet, taken in March when she was freshly learning how to pull a cart. She's so wonderful. On this day, she was being a real trooper, moving all light and elegant. I am writing this note on March 30th and I had just returned from Chicago. I spent the morning at the stable and Lisa Busch had found an equine chiropractor trained in British Columbia. Violet had her first chiropracty appointment and I was pleased because the young woman knew where Violet's hot spots were. She said that her left shoulder was forward and that her right hip was tilted. Plus Violet had some distortion in her axis right by her poll which is why she crinkles to the right rather than willingly curves and bends. You should have seen my girl's face when she was worked in her neck. She just licked her lips and yawned and jawed and put her head right down in a lazy way. You could tell she felt better. I am very pleased, so I am going to bring that chiropractor back in a month to continue working on her misaligned shoulder.

A Day of Happy Home Tours!

On Thursday and Friday, June 25th and 26th, two sets of good friends closed on their first homes. So, that Friday, we went on a double home tour and celebrated at lunch. I can't tell you how happy I am that these good people are putting down roots in Bowling Green. My roots are strong here too.

Driver Training, A Relaxed Outing!

My beautiful mare in Mid-March with fans galore. Namaste.

Driver Training, Getting Better

Here we are in Mid-March, taking a drive with the relaxed sensible and talented Violet. It's hard to believe that inside of a week, she was harnessed, hitched, and trotting along in a happy relaxed fashion. She aims to please and I just love her to pieces!

Spring Scruffy

Here they are, looking beautiful, looking great, looking superb. But also looking spring scruffy. I am writing this note in mid-March, and let me tell you, Renny has become a little furry madman. He rubs rubs rubs rubs everywhere in his stall, trying to take off his winter coat. He leaves big piles of hair in his waterer. And he is as patient as an angel when I groom him, he's so desperate to get down to his glossy summer coat! Spring is here!

Violet Cutting Up

Here is a mid-March photo of Violet, the most intelligent, kind, funny, sweet, and caring little mare. She just got done working hard -- lunging, riding, driving, grooming, chatting --

and now she is chillin' out,m relaxing, jawing, and making funny faces. The faces are adorable to me because this is the girl who is closely related to royalty. She's a close relative to Rags to Riches. But in this photo, you see the sweet goofy girl that I love dearly, Miss Chompers!

Girls in a Lull

These photos were taken in Mid-March on a cold morning. I am working with my girls. Violet is getting ready to pull her cart, and Hailee is getting a grooming to get rid of her winter coat. How blessed am I to own two such beautiful creatures. I am writing this on Sunday evening, on March 23rd, and yesterday, Barbie was talking about trying to rent a pasture for this summer to turn out those who would benefit -- Chippy, B, Hailee. And maybe even my little rotten dirty shedding wild boy, Renny. He is such a dear boy!

Skippy Jon Jones Loves his Mama

I am writing this note on March 22nd. You can see in these photos that SJJ loves his mama. Reminds me with complete clarity the past summer 2008 when little baby Renny showed with complete satisfaction that he was a mama's boy! And Hailee, she just thought Renny was too cool for words. Here's a little funny thing. For two days this week, I was really busy with work and with family demands, so I saw my herd on Thursday morning and gave love, but then didn't see them until Saturday morning. So, then on Saturday, I was busy lunging and riding and working with Violet, and each time I would look over, I would see my darling Renny standing and bussing and fussing and bumping and standing with his mom, Hailee, as she looked over the gate in the indoor ring as Violet and I rode. I'd give a shout out to them and they would look at me with happiness and recognition. Little Renny would lift his little face high, so that he could put his little muzzle over the top rail. I have a beautiful joyful happy herd. Namaste.

An Amazing Day to Trust Instincts and Friendships

So, I am writing this entry on Monday, June 22nd and this photo is from June 18th, of my little Renny. Things are sort of shaken up at Showgate with everyone gone. So, I spent the day cleaning my house, balancing my checkbook, blanching and freezing greens, and then went out to the stable to visit my herd.

They were in their stalls resting in mid-afternoon to get out of the heat. So, one by one, I spent alone time with them. I took Violet down the long aisleway so that we were standing in front of a giant barn fan. She knew I meant for her to rest, so she just relaxed with her nose hung low. I sat between her front legs and we played with each other, or just rested, or she visited quietly with Chippy. At one point, she put her head down and gave me a big kiss on the lips all quiet and sweet. We then went out to the tree on the lawn for shade and I unhitched her from the line. She thoughtfully ate big mouthfuls of grace and grass and clover all close to me. And at one point, she came swirling in slowly to touch me quietly with her head. I did this with all three of my equines. And they all followed the same pattern. Graze near me, keep me happily in view, and swirl in for a brief touch or just to breath on me briefly and then graze on. They all let me come up to them when I was ready and collect them. We are a happy herd together.

And here's what's cool. I took Renny to the new roundpen, just to very slowly start his training. He is just so smart, he's amazing. I meant to play friendly game with him and just hang out, but at one point, he burst into a natural trot along the rail, so I called to him trot and he circled a few times around. Then I did a big slow turn with the carrot stick in hand and he (as smart as his mom) turned back on his haunches and went the other way. And when I lightly brushed him with the string and said trot, he burst into another trot and stopped when I said whoa. He was praised and praised and praised for his goodness and smartness. We had fun with this task. He is truly such a smart boy.

And so that's my amazing quiet alone, but not lonely afternoon at the barn. I trusted my instincts and knew that my friendship with my horses would mean that they would graze with me quietly, keeping me in sight, happy for a visit and some clover. I knew they would let me collect them. I knew they would be glad for a conversation and brief grooming. That they would let me fuss over their fly spray and suntan lotion. They love me. I love them. And I am just so grateful for Renny. What a funny, smart pony.

Oh! And get this! Yes, he's only 13-months old, so I just let him naturally trot in the round pen for two circles each direction, more focused on getting him to enjoy the feel of his body, the sound of my praising voice, and the small insight of a voice command to task. But! When he started to trot, he turned from cute fat round 13-month old to a sexy hunter pony. He looked spry, lively, athletic, lean, quick, bright and alert. He looked wonderful. Just a slice of perfection on a lovely June day.

Breaking News! A Relaxed Monday after Busy Weekend

So, this weekend was very busy. I caulked seams on my patio, repaired a crack in my foundation, repaired cement on my driveway, garage floor, and steps, put up bird houses, butterfly feeders, bird and hummingbird feeders, weeded the garden, visited my horses, and worked around the house. By last night, I was pretty tired. But it was very relaxing to lay on my bed and listen to the birds getting settled for the night as dusk settled. And now this morning, I can hear their calls and songs and watched as a robin, and a pair of chickadees and a pair of cardinals, ate from my feeder. I have lots of work to do this week, but I am definitely in the home maintenance mood too. Plus my garden is growing very well and looks so healthy and happy. Namaste from all of us!

Skippy Jon Jones Relaxes with Mom

Here are photos of Skippy Jon Jones relaxing with his mom in his straw-filled stall! He has been a happy boy over the past week or two, spending long warm sunlit days in the side pasture with his mom. It's fun to see him either trotting along the fenceline with his sweet mom or sleeping in the grass, dreaming little foal dreams! I am writing this note on March 23rd and I'm telling you, the past few weeks with SJJ have made me really remember vividly my darling foal Renny!

Mom and Baby Grazing

Hailee is so funny. She is so happy with her foal. She watches him closely. She likes to stand by him and touch him gently with her muzzle. She makes sure that no one hurts him. When he's acting like a cut up and blazing around the pasture, she looks on approvingly and steps away from the herd to get a better view of him. She thinks he's top notch. I am writing this post on March 9th and today early in the morning, Hope had her foal -- a bay colt with white star. Just seeing that little thin scrap of new foal made me remember what a good mama Hailee was and how much she enjoyed taking care of her little guy. When he would take a nap, she would just stand quietly and happily over him, and every so often just caress him ever so gently and softly with her muzzle. I hope I can breed her again someday!

Full Celebration! Very First Photos

Here is how I am going to end my tribute to the Full Celebration in Kentucky -- a wonderful wonderful vacation experience. I am closing with my very first photos at that place -- a photo of that adorable Welsh pony who got me excited for teaching Renny and the host of the place, this very bossy cat!

Scruffy Pony Eating Dirt Patch

Here he is in early February, chewing on dirt in the late afternoon sun of one of the last snowy days of the year!

Full Celebration! Blessed Morning

Namaste.

Breaking News! Some Ecological Observations

When I first moved to Bowling Green, my cute little house was so different from my New Orleans one, so I was learning about the new things to like. And here's one of them. The evenings and nights in May and June were so cold, even when the day had been warm, and at twilight the front yard would be alight with the glow of many fireflies.

This year, I only saw two in my front yard so far, and just a smattering for the past few evenings in my backyard. I can definitely say that the firefly population decreased considerably since I moved here. And another observation I have is that the butterfly population is horribly off as well. When I was a child living in Detroit, I remember clearly many butterflies arriving at once to float across the lawn of our rental property on Antoine Street. And I remember vividly letting Monarch butterflies alight on my fingers. Now, the only butterflies I see are the cabbage moths that like my, yup, cabbages. The world is measureably noticeably discernably different. The same goes for birds...I don't see anywhere near the number of birds.

Sabbatical Musings! Pain and Joy

Here's a photo Barbie took as a Christmas present for me. You can see my charming foal cantering happily across a winter pasture. What a good good boy. Okay, so what's been going on over the past few days. The most important news is that two days ago, a severe lightning storm in Florida caused the accidental death of two of Renny's half-brothers. I feel so badly for the grandma of those ponies, she's such a nice lady.

As for me here, Violet and I continue our driving and on some days we are better than others, but mostly good. Hailee looks beautiful and healthy and fat and happy in her own serene way. And Renny is loaded to charm. He is just turning into the most elegant sweet small pony. On the home front, I am moving forward with my plans to get chickens, but am in a slight stall while I regroup and think through how to get/make a coop and run. I think Tim is going to help me. I put up two birdhouses, a bird feeder, a hummingbird feeder, and a suet block yesterday, and also made a butterfly feeder. I ordered foxglove and columbine seeds, so that I can make that back bed I cleared into a butterfly garden. And I bought some home supplies to repair cement in my garage, driveway and front steps, caulk the strip between the patio and garage, and stain the front entranceway. I priced out getting a new screen door for my kitchen into the garden, but am holding off on that job until the price of installation goes on sale. And this evening, I'm going to buy what I should have bought long ago, a tall ladder, so I can clear out my gutters.

What else do I know? For the past 9 years, every day that I would drive to Showgate, I would see a big beautiful Appaloosa -- the kind I like -- grey with a big white blanket and then huge black dots. Just a beautiful old girl, I've posted a picture of her before on my blog. Well, after Christmas, I noticed that she was very shaggy and much more weathered-looking than usual. I noticed that she had Cushing's. And it was a very, very, very hard winter of snow, ice, cold. She doesn't have any run-in shelter, she just must brave the cold. But now her body can't recuperate well from the heat and Barbie and I have noticed that she's very often laying in the creek on the farm property, obviously foundered as well as with Cushing's. Barbie is trying to speak to the owner, so we can get permission to trim that mare's coat and get her some care.

What else do I know? We had a big rolling slow fat thunderstorm this morning which started shortly after 5. So, all there was to do was lay in bed in the dark and listen to a few brave morning birds singing their song, the grumbling thunder and the rain as it shifted between sprinkles, earnest drops, and downpour. It was a wonderful 3 hours of wonderful sound, and I knew that all along, my birdfeeders and birdhouses, my gardens, my dreams were all dancing in the backyard. I felt happy.

So, I got up and did my morning chores and then made snickerdoodle cookies, worked on my Hostess Basket for the Fair, and puttered about. But now I'm getting ready to do research.

Please as always, I pray for the help and strength to fulfill the social contract with my creatures. Much love, namaste.

Glancing at Grandma!

See that blaze? And you can just make out that freckle at the end of that cute pink muzzle. Seconds after this February photo was taken, I had my hands on each side of that little face and was kissing that freckle! Much to Ren's impatient satisfaction!

Full Celebration! Early Mornings

The driving center has the most wonderful tobacco barn converted into a showplace quality facility. It was like being in a cathedral or temple to spend early morning with the happy snuffling chomping horses.

The Squabblers Snacking

Sedona and Renny are taking a break from scuffling and nipping and shoving to have a cozy companionable snack.

Full Celebration! Mornings in Kentucky

Okay, I can truly say that it was an amazing transformative experience to spend the nights and wake up in the mornings at Gayla. At night, I would have all the windows open to the Kentucky breeze, and I could hear the horses snuffling and nickering and talking to each other. Happy tired sleepy horses. And then in the morning, I would wake up, step out onto my patio, and see gorgeaus horses all happy with their lives! Amazing. One morning, I had a cup of coffee and a yummy chocolate mousse as a little breakfast with this fabulous Dutch Warmblood.

Renny with Hay

Here's my seriously scruffy little guy, getting serious about a hay snack on his snowy morning. He's a charming happy pony!

Full Celebration! Fantastic Rolex Jumping Day

You can't imagine how wonderful it was to sit in the stands with a yummy margarita and the glorious Kentucky sunshine and watch this event come to a close with two mares in the first two spots!

Full Celebration! Pony Club Finals!

Namaste.

Sedona and Ren's Big Snow!

Here's a photo of Renny and his girl, Sedona, out in the baby pasture, enjoying a snowly sunlit day in early February. He and Sedona are a good team, always wrestling, pummeling, chewing each other's halters. She gets so fed up with him and likes to do the buck kicks, and he likes to bite her forearm and then dash away from her fake (sometimes not so fake) kicks! Happy squabbling friends!

Full Celebration! More Jumping at Rolex!

Can you believe the amazing prowess of these creatures? They really give their best heart to their work.

Full Celebration! The Pony Club Finalists!

One of my very favorite things about Rolex is that at the same time Rolex is happening, they are wrapping up the National Pony Finals competition. The National Pony Club requires teams of kids and their pony companions to compete at several different kinds of gaming events. And each year, they honor the winning teams by letting them take a spin around the arena in a victory gallop before the jumping. It's a complete crazed rodeo!

http://www.ponyclub.org/

Renster with Gram's Shoe

Here's a photo taken on a beautiful sunny snow-covered February 8th day of my handsome strawberry-blonde pony taking a little snuffle of his grandma's shoe. Such a cute little foot, he's thinking, maybe I should bite it!

Full Celebration! The Final Event!

Here are a few photos and video from the final day of the Kentucky Rolex competion. The stadium jumping was amazing in their new arena. The ground is made of this very fluffy material -- it looks like paper thin sawdust. It was obviously pretty chic ground for these super star athlete's footing!

Full Celebration! Team Fredericks

Here's a photo of the first mare to win all four four-star events on earth, right after she won her fourth jewel. She is groomed impeccably and she seems calm and happy. And why shouldn't she be? She's with her cute adorable sharp bright groom who clearly loves her and shows her affection galore. This mare knows she has a special place in the universe.

Ma and Baby

Here is a proud Hailee, standing next to her baby Renny, during the week of his 9-month birthday celebration and a handful of days before I left to help Elena before Melvin's birth. You can see her satisfaction with her little guy.

Full Celebration! The Olympians!

I thought it was very exciting that they honored the Olympian equestrian competitors at Rolex, gave everyone a chance to see them, including the medalists. Very cool!