Category Archives: animals

The Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports!

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The Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports

The Kentucky Derby is the premier thoroughbred horse race in the United States. Known as the Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports or the Run for the Roses, it is the first leg of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby has been run every consecutive year since 1875. The horses are not the only stars of this race. This is more than a horse race.

This is steeped in Southern tradition  from the over-sized hats the ladies wear to the gallons of mint juleps that are consumed on race day.

A Little bit of History

If you are not a fan of horses or of horse racing you probably don’t understand all the fuss. But The Kentucky Derby is a Big Deal! The excitement starts 2 weeks before the actual race with the Kentucky Derby Festival. The actual race is always the first Saturday in May.

The race is restricted to 3 year old thoroughbreds who can sustain a distance of one and a quarter miles.

What is the Triple Crown?

The Kentucky Derby is the first race in the American Triple Crown and is followed by the Preakness , then the Belmont Stakes. For a horse to be a Triple Crown winner it must win all 3 races.

Traditions Pay A big Role

The Mint Julep is the traditional beverage of the race often served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup. Women appear in fine outfits lavishly accessorized with large, elaborate hats that  alone can cost $500-$2000! So much money just to have a hat like Audrey Hepburn!

The Derby is frequently referred to as “The Run for the Roses,” because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year.

Final Thoughts and Observations

I love horses and seeing them racing down the homestretch takes my breath away. Unfortunately horse racing still remains one place where women are facing extreme discrimination. It seems counter intuitive because every girl I know loves horses and recreational riding is embraced more by women than men. Also  the weight restrictions would seem to be more typical for women than men yet the few women that have tried to break the sexual barrier have been ridiculed, harassed and heckled.  Male jockeys still outnumber Female jockeys 7 to 1! I’ll still enjoy the race but I wish more women could or would break the all male barrier.

Congratulations to Almost Dreaming and his team!

(Photo: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)

 

It’s Raining but Its not Raining Men

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Its Raining Men – NOT!

Its raining and the prediction is rain for the next 10 days! I guess that even though we left April behind we didn’t escape the April Showers! The flowers, trees, grass, weeds and all the other spring things are definitely blooming. Now if the rain would just stop for a day or two…on the weekend.

What’s been happening?

Aside from the rain I’ve been working. I clocked 67 hours this past week.

I was so looking forward to doing something fun this weekend and then sharing it here but mother nature had other plans. Saturday it poured until about 2 pm. Then the sun did come out. You know that yellow thing in the sky? But where could I go with only a couple of hours? Its  Kentucky Derby Day and I love to catch that race.

I’ve been watching it for years and hate to miss it. Someday I plan to attend in person. Now that would be something to write about!

More Than Work!

Ok I did more than work. I enrolled in a class that runs 5 Thursdays in June. Its how to set up and design a blog. Maybe I’ll finally get the instruction I need to Tweak this baby! I can’t wait to start the class. And one other thing happened. I got my renewed passport back, not that I’m planning any overseas trips.

I’m still fixated on the good old USA. I also picked up a renewal of my motion sickness patch so I’m ready to get out on the ocean. Look out whales and sharks!

Captain John Boats

Speaking of chasing whales, I usually go out of Plymouth, MA with Captain John. http://www.captjohn.com/ I follow them on Facebook too. https://www.facebook.com/CaptainJohnBoats/ His feed has been filled with great whale sightings already this spring. Even the humpbacks have started to come back. Right whales, white-sided dolphins…I can’t wait to get back out there!

Rain, rain go away

All right mother nature. I’m all for rain. Its good for growing things but can you make it rain when I’m at work or asleep at night and give me some sunshine on the weekends? Please?

 

 

Its been a Long Week

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TGIF!

Sorry I’ve been missing posts. I’ve been worn out from work. My goal is to get back on track on Sunday. Saturday I hope (weather permitting) to explore a “waterfall trail” in New Hampshire. With all this rain they should be really full.But it won’t give me any time to write. Plus I have some news I’m really excited to share but you need some background before I do. So see you again on Sunday!


Thanks for your patience.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

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Be Careful what you wish for!

Friday was about as wet and dreary as it can get in New England in the spring. The prediction was that it would rain all day. As I drove to work I thought what a great day it would be to stay at home and cuddle with the cat. (oh oh , be careful!) Saturday was supposed to be cloudy but dry so I planned another venture into Boston. I thought I could ride the hop on hop off trolley around the city collecting lots of pictures and ideas for future blog posts. I would then spend Sunday drafting those posts for those days when I didn’t have time to get to my computer. Well, I got my wish a day late; on Saturday.

The job that lets you be wrong

I was up early Saturday to bring you up to date on my conflict between my beloved blog  and the job that pays the bills. It was still raining but the weather folks continues to  predict a dry day. Oh yes, its raining now they said,  but it will dry out. It will be cloudy but dry.

Saturday Morning TV

At 9 am I put on the morning lineup of children’s programming. Its a whole series of nature programs starting with Jungle Jack Hana and wrapping up with Rock the Park at noon. I do enjoy Saturday morning TV. I settled into my recliner and was immediately joined by Rocky. He curled up on my lap, nice and warm. I could feel more than hear his purr rumbling away. It wasn’t long before I was sound asleep with him. I’m quite sure we had a duet going with both of us purring. When I woke up I checked the weather again. Same forecast, cloudy and dry. A glance out the window showed the wettest “dry” I’ve ever seen. I’d like to have a job where I could be wrong like that!

Still Raining

After lunch I ran some errands and did the weekly grocery shopping. By the time I left the store it was raining even harder. I could get the camera out and try to take some storm photos but I really didn’t feel like trying to keep the camera dry. As 4 pm rolled around and it was still raining I chalked the day up as a total loss. Hopefully the weather will be better Sunday. I can’t help but remember my wish Friday morning to have a dreary, wet day to stay home and cuddle with the cat. Just goes to show, you have to be careful what you wish for.

Alien Abduction Day

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I was thinking about the alien abduction phenomenon. You know the one. It all started back in 1961 with the abduction of Benny and Barbara Hill in my back yard of Lincoln, New Hampshire.

I saw the spot when I was on vacation there a few years ago. I never realized it was New Hampshire just a couple hours away from me until I saw the plaque marking the spot.

Anyway, now everyone who is abducted seems to be in bed and asleep, not out driving around like they were.  Abductees describe feeling a heavy weight on their chest and when they open their eyes they are staring into large oval shaped ones. Then they are whisked away to be probed and prodded.

Well I’ve solved the mystery or so I think.

I would ask if these abductees own a cat.

The other night I was in a deep sleep when suddenly I found it hard to breathe. As I struggle to wakefulness I found myself staring into a pair of huge glowing, oval eyes. For a moment I was stunned and almost in a panic. Then slowly my eyes focused and I was staring at Rocky, my cat.

He was curled up on my chest nose to nose with me. Thus the difficulty breathing and the weight on my chest. In the dark he looked just like those aliens everyone describes.

Yup, abducted by kitty cat. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!