red rover red rover send october on over!

I scream summer.
Everything about me screams summer.
boo to wearing socks.
YAY TO GOING BAREFOOT.
boo coldness.
YAY HOTNESS.

But every cloud has a silver lining.
and Kentucky turning a wee bit colder has a silver one called KEENELAND. Keeneland is both a world renowned race track and the world's most prestigious Thoroughbred auction company.
This week I got oh so excited when I realized that I get to wear my Ralph Lauren Ginnie Silk Sash Riding Blouse (say that fives times fast!) that I purchased in Chicago many moons ago (this past August) in less than two weeks when I go to Keeneland. Wow, that last sentence was most definitely a run-on sentence. Jeepers Creepers. It doesn't matter though. Why? Because it's Keeneland season and all is well in the bluegrass!!

"I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." -Abraham Lincoln

hereeee horsey horsey

The quote on the left really describes being a Kentuckian. Just when you think you can't take another cold, wintry day, the sky opens up with sunshine and everything starts blooming most recklessly once again.

When I left work yesterday, I knew what kind of day it was.
It was the horseback riding kind of day. So i called my friend and said "Let's carpe diem! Let's carpe diem!" She agreed. We set out to go ride horses at her fiances family farm.

So there we were.
Boots on.
Saddles ready.
Weather perfect.
Just needed our transportation.

But here's the thing about horses: they are not like a dog where you are like "hey, i wanna go for a walk" and he/she's like "me too, here my leash, let's go!". Or a friend who you call up and say "hey, let's go for a run" and they're like "yeah! got my running shoes on, meet you there!" No, my friends, horses are not this way.

It really is comical looking back but in the midst of trying to manipulate the horse into coming up to you, it's reallyreally frustrating. It's this game of cat and mouse, where the mouse usually wins. The horse saunters up, hesitantly...may lick a bit of sweet feed off your palm...but usually backs up...or in a fit of anger if she just caught on to your intentions, will swing her butt around, reminding you who's ass (literally) is in charge here. And let's just say, I am not one of those horse people who doesn't fear being kicked. No, I fear it. So I usually back down and end up saying "Look, you're right. You're in charge dude." But my friend is the opposite. She's brave and is hellbent on convincing the horse that she is the master. She is right, I know, but it never fails that when she says "i'm going to get the whip out, because this just can't continue" that I will scream back at her "No! Don't! There's GOT to be another way!" Then I get the reminder that they're not like human friends, they are animals who need to be disciplined. So usually I let my friend do the talking with the horses, since they take her more seriously. I just horse around (no pun intended) with the dogs (see picture) while I wait to see if she can get the ropes on them. But yesterday, there was no chance of her being the master.

After 1.5 hours of sweet talk and sweet feed (lots of both), neither horse was game. They had probably remembered being ridden the day before and wanted no more of that work nonsense. In the final 15 minutes we had alloted to be out there, MaggieHorse warmed up to us. We ended up just grooming her though because we were running out of time.

So my friend and I spent 15 minutes not talking , just brushing the horse's coat. And believe me when I say that it was one of those times in life where you thank God for unanswered prayers. Because as much as I wanted to ride down to the creek, I realized I was glad it ended up this way. Deep down I think MaggieHorse was pleasantly surprised that we weren't only using her to ride. This was like a surprise day at the spa for a horse (and LilHorse was standing at the fence wishing she could have an afternoon at the spa like her daughter). I think it helped in the efforts to build her trust. Trust is what you need with horses. It really is a friendship that must be formed and cultivated.

After we put Maggie back in the pasture with her mom Lil, I turned around. And I swear to you I saw a hint of regret in her eyes. I think she wished we would have stayed for just awhile longer to go for a ride.


"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." --Winston Churchill

eulogy for a tree

So here's what happened...
God created Kentucky.
He decided to make the weather weird.
Sunshine, sunny, give me a swim suit, one day.
Snow, icey, puddles, give me a ski suit the next.
And because of His desire to make Kentucky colorful-
Those of us living in the bluegrass are always on a rollercoaster.

Which leads me to tell you how the Kentucky weather killed my tree.

I went outside after the ice storm and I gasped.
There was my hammock, in a sad state.
Between branches and sticks and leaves.
I tried to pull it out but the weight was too much.
So I had to call the people that deal with this for a living.
Well, I waited a few weeks to make the call (prostination=bad).
And then came the call that delivered the shocking news--
Left Tree that perfectly balanced out my yard was DEAD!
as in no life, no blooming this spring,
"there's a chance it may fall on your house sometime
in the next few years if we don't remove it, DEAD"
So tree people had to remove it.
(for the price of 650 bucks, this was apparently "a good deal?")
And I have felt extremely sad about it all week.
My friends and family have said that I can just get those metal posts
so that I can put my hammock back up.
But it just won't be the same.
Have you ever lied in a hammock that was perfectly positioned between
two giant 50 year old at least oak trees? You look up and see the light
come through the tree branches and leaves.
It's bliss.

"Sensing us, the trees tremble in their sleep,The living leaves recoil before our fires,Baring to us war-charred and broken branches,And seeing theirs, we for our own destruction weep." - Kathleen Raine, London Trees

if today were a fish...

I'D THROW IT BACK!

let's just say i am sooooooo ready for pretty weather or at least some snow if it's going to be cold.