fall is coming

Foxhunting preparation 101.  I have oiled all my tack, dusted helmet off. I am cleaning my gun ( my 'rat' shot gun for whipping -in), recharging my radio, pulling out stock ties and deciding if I need to polish boots. I am getting there. The dew is very heavy in the mornings and the sun does not break my horizon until almost 7AM. I saw my first V of geese yesterday, truly early birds but honking and in formation already. That is the sound of fall- the geese calling overhead. The cicadas are still humming so it is a transition but I love these cool mornings. The blacksmith put borium on all my foxhunters yesterday and the horse dentist gave them all a 'float' checkup. Some were pretty bad but hopefully they are all set now too. So, another season begins. We are roading hounds tonight on horseback and I am back in the mood.  This season is going to be wonderful. Actually every season is wonderful.

post Irene

Monday morning is beautiful. Spent Sunday cleaning up after Mother Nature. Michael worked so hard, we were dead by afternoon. And why is it always cherry trees, that have to be picked up right away. Many, many trees down. I think a mini tornado went thru the bottom of back pasture during Irene's worst because 6 or 7 big trees were laid flat, all along my fence in a neat row! Moved all the horses in that field to the back. Will have to wait on weaning for a bit. I think it may be too big a job for our chainsaws, best if I could let it wait through winter and all the sap descends. Then it is much easier to cut up, but I need the field so we will see. The cherry tree, that I inadvertently poisoned, lost all its leaves, so does not look quite as sad anymore just into early fall! Now it is cool and a beautiful sunrise, feels like California. I was just there and remarked on how blue the sky was. Well it only took a hurricane to duplicate here. Gorgeous. Mother Nature sure is multi-faceted, but I like the sunny side best. May try to ride thru the back today and see the extend of tree damage in the woods!

feeling safer in LA!....

Yesterday was a trip. My plane was delayed 5 hours because of a lightning strike earlier ( had to change planes) and while waiting at BWI, we had a 5.9 earthquake in MD. I thought a plane had hit the terminal, Michael thought it was a terrorist attack, Will thought a very large hay truck was too close to the house . It was over as soon as everyone realized it as actually an earthquake. A woman from LA standing beside me in airport said," Crazy, I leave LA and find an earthquake in the East."  Everyone's sentiment- crazy. And now I hear a hurricane is aimed for MD just when I am supposed to fly back this weekend. Too much.  The funny thing was I sent my son down to check on farm manager, who was mowing back horse pasture during quake. He said he never noticed or felt a thing, tho he thought the field was bumpier than usual!  I was afraid the big John Deere might have dumped him, but nope- not a thing!!! I wonder what it would have felt like if we had been riding?
I am now sitting in a Starbucks in Santa Monica, about to go to Rodeo Drive and window shopping with Sarah, like Pretty Women. It is beautiful and very Californian.

misty morning

After fierce storms last night with lots of lightning and thunder, it is a cooler misty morning. The dew fog is low on the fields as the sun comes up. All the broodmares are quietly at the stream at the bottom of field, in twos, lazily scratching each other's withers. It is very peaceful, the hawk was by earlier and is now silent too. It is Sam's batchelor party tonight. He and Will bought all the stuff for a great BBG cookout and his friends are going to spend the night cooking and playing poker. Mike and I are decampng to another wedding and his fiance is wisely going to friends. All he has to remember is fed the dogs!  Next week I am going out to LA to see Sarah. I miss my daughter and will be happy to spend a few days roaming Hollywood!! Stephanie gave me a beautiful locket with family photos, for my birthday: a picture of my parent's wedding, myself and my Dad hand-in-hand at the Calgary Stampede and my sisters and I as teenagers. She found one of my brother and I to add also. My first thought was to show it to my Mom and the second was to realize I could not. That brought a heart pain for a moment. So as I sometimes miss my mom, I am happy to go see my daughter and  make sure we have lots of memories to share. Thanks to all who sent me birthday wishes. Facebook friends are wonderful and it is so nice to know others think of one.
Connections are everything.

August 16th

It is a beautiful dawn after lots of rain the past couple of days. Everything smells wet, kinda moldy almost but after such record heat this summer I appreciate the cool. I am blessed to enjoy another birthday and to begin another year. A friend wished me a Happy BirthYear  and I intend to take his advice and have a great year. Everyone is healthy, people and horses both. Fingers crossed, knock on wood, say a little prayer, thank you God. I love my life, my family, friends, animals; everyone enriches me and I cherish it all. I have another wedding to look forward to, when all my family will come to visit. I am going to do both the Field Hunter Championship and Virginia Hunt Week this year. This is about 15 hunts in about as many days. I can't wait. It is my birthday present to myself. The Virginia Hunt week only happens every two years and is an awesome two weeks of the baddest Virginia hunts. I decided to do it this year, just because I have 4 horses that can now and I am physically able to- doesn't always coincide so, taking Nike's advice I am just gonna Do It. I will regale you all with my adventures as they unfold in October. Love to all.

Football, foxhunting and.....

Football is back! I love football, I love the sound of the announcer as I have a game on the TV that I am not really watching, just for background noise. It is comforting and a sound I associate with the coming fall and the start of foxhunting. When I hear football I know I have to get back in the saddle and start legging up, even if it is hot.  I am so glad they solved their differences, if not, my whole rhythm would have been off, I would have been out of whack for weeks. Fall means football and foxhunting. I love cubbing and then having a Sunday football game to watch. The best kind of day! I watched the Eagles and Ravens last night, just checking out new players, gasping when one took a bad step or fall, hoping no injuries so early. It is a little like watching 2 yr old racing, testing the new talents and you hope everyone stays sound. Who will be the new superstar? Who will return? Who didn't make it?  I am a diehard Redskins fan and even tho' I am not very excited about Beck or Grossman , I hope we do well.  My Friday night date is in front of the TV tonight and I am happy. Sore from riding 4 lazy, fat foxhunters too.

Back from Saratoga

Saratoga was fun. We peopled watched, saw the best looking yearlings in the country and hobnobbed with the rich and famous. It is one long two-day cocktail party, and that is if you only go for two days! We went over to racetrack in the morning and watched workouts. It is a truly lovely spot, having nice weather makes it even nicer.  Long drive but a fun break from the normal routine. Don't know that it helps me pick stallions for next year as the ones represented are the same few, very top ones. I saw many Bernardini's, Malibu Moon's, Hard Spun,  one Curlin, etc.   The prices were definitely propped up by the Sheik, who bought all the Bernardini's, but it was still a good sale I believe.

misty morning

It is a misty damp dawn. At 5:30 AM there were a couple of little bats flying around. Catching mosquitos I hope.  Fog is slowly lifting and I can see the mare and foal at bottom of field. We have had enough rain this summer to keep the fields green, they look great actually. Now the crepe myrtles are really blooming. I love these trees, a sign of August. They always remind me of going to the beach because we always went the first week of August! The roads south through Virginia towards Nags Head are lined with huge magenta tipped crepe myrtles. Fruit stands, football practice camps, fireflies, all F's that mean August. Has anyone else noticed that the flies are not very bad this year. Lots of horseflies but not so many regular flies. Strange. I have wondered if the extreme heat did them in, wouldn't that be nice. Maybe killed the stink bugs too, fingers crossed. We do not do the beach trip any more 'cause little kids are all big with own families and all over country. Will is going to visit girlfriend in Chicago again, and Sarah is in LA. Speaking of LA , I get to visit. Can't wait .  So, now instead of beach, August means Saratoga!!  Going to make it after all. Love those high priced horses and hobnobbing with the uber -rich. The best cocktail party in the East.

Mom would have been 87 today...

August 1st. Mom would have been 87 today. Ian would have had his 62nd birthday on July 1st and the baby of the family, Patti, has a birthday on September 1st. I always liked the symmetry of these summer birthdays. Every month began with a party! Well I hope Mom, Ian and Dad are having a scotch  and a beer to celebrate together. They are missed by their three girls. It is a cloudless, beautiful day to begin August. I hope it is not as hot as July though. I am ready for the early part of Fall and another wedding. August always seemed to go by fast. Years ago it was getting school clothes, now it is getting horses ready for hunting . Yay!!  I do feel the urge coming back. I am so ready to stop riding by April and closing hunt, but August rolls around and I am ready to get back in action. Happy Birthday Mom.