last day of 2011

Upon reflection I think the theme of 2011 has been family. I connected with my sisters and their families more this year than in any past, that is the best part . There were sad times, starting with the passing of my Mom on Jan 2nd, 2011 and two weeks ago, learning of the death of a cousin's wife. But I believe the joy of family will be the best memory of this year. Two weddings brought us together, literally coast to coast. Sarah's in California showed us the beauty of Santa Barbara and why she loves the West Coast, while Sam's in Maryland, down home on the "farm" was a beautiful October day with all the Fall colors of the East. There was something just joyful about having so much family together. Day to day we forget how connected we are, we forget how many people care about us and these two weddings were a huge reminder of the love and joy that we share with family. I want to wish a Happy New Year to all my family near and far. I hope 2012 is an awesome year.  I will stay connected. Love to all. Miss you Mom.

Christmas 2011

Truly the best part of Christmas is family. Having all the kids and spouses !! here was wonderful. Sarah and Kevin go back to LA today after fun making music and memories for all of us. And Kevin did not bring a huge snowstorm for which we were all grateful. Sam and Stephanie had their first Christmas as a married couple and new homeowners and Sam also celebrated his college graduation. We managed to pack a lot of partying in between 3 in-law households. Will also had a lot to celebrate, although we missed his girlfriend Annie, who was home in Indiana. He will graduate and start a new job this summer. We are very proud of him. And the basketball continues with a New Years weekend tournament in Lexington. Mike and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas Day followed by a great foxhunting day on Boxing Day. The hunt at Rosaryville was fast and furious , tho no one ever saw the very wily fox himself. The run was exhausting for horses and riders but very fun! Bob and Red are still lying down.

Sam's Graduation Day!

Sam, my oldest son, graduated today with his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from UMBC. A red letter day. I am so very proud of him. I think that this degree means more than any other because he took a little longer and climbed a lot of mountains along the way. We were all there to watch him accept his               "sheepskin" and we cheered the loudest. Way to go Sam! Tonight we are celebrating with Sam and Stephanie at their new beautiful house. Christmas dinners and cheers are getting stretched out to include lots of households. Tomorrow is at the farm, then the kids share Stephanie's parent's Christmas and Paul and Page's on Christmas Day. We are taking Kevin to the Redskins game on Christmas Eve. Go 'Skins!! There is lots of love to go around and a great deal to be thankful for this year. It is so wonderful to have, Will, Sarah and Kevin here too.

more Christmas heart-warming stories....

Merry Christmas Everyone
CHRISTMAS AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY

Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.
Know the line has held, your job is done.
Rest easy, sleep well.
Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.
Peace, peace, and farewell...

Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine . The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one of the poorest parts of the state.
Please share this with everyone on your address list. You hear too much about the bad things people do. Everyone should hear about this.

12 days of Christmas ...origins of the song...

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.  What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

getting in the Christmas spirit....

A friend sent me a wonderful email about Christmas . I cannot figure out how to post in entirety but will try to add some every day. Joy to the world! I am grateful for all the gifts in my life.

WAR HORSE was great!

I went to the MD jockey Club and MD Horse Industry's premiere of Speilberg's movie, WAR HORSE last night and it was both a wonderful movie and a memorable night of support for our horse industry. I had heard it was an award-winning play, so was excited to see the movie. Tho' it was not exactly told from horse's point of view( like play) it was a really good heart-warming, uplifting movie. The kind I like. The story is very simple but the cinematography and the directing of the battle scenes were awesome, the horse was charming, straightforward and a star. Don't know how you train a horse to jump over a moving tank!! It is a very touching moving and I highly recommend it. Great Christmas Day movie. Must admit Speilberg has a gift for the simple movie that connects us to each other.  It was nice to see Jockey Club President and politicians and Dept. of Ag representatives all supporting something positive for everyone for a chenge. Let's hope Dec 20th that this spirit of cooperation helps end the stand-off in MD racing and we move forward.

Happy Santa Lucia Day

A friend just told me it was Santa Lucia Day and she would have candles in her hair and be celebrating tonight.  Sounds romantic, she has very long, blond hair and I can just picture this long hair under a halo of candles, her in a white dress in a Yuletide setting! Christmas is coming. My daughter and son-in-law are coming from California ( he brought the record snowfall 2 years ago, landed at BWI in sandals just as that blizzard started) and I urged him to wear real shoes this time, and practice his shoveling technique. Just in case, even tho' it has been really nice so far this December. Heavy frost in the mornings but warming to '50's later, perfect hunting weather. The hounds were able to follow several fox last Sunday that were well ahead but scenting was perfect so we had a lovely day and the fields had many views of Mr. Renard. Who was safely in his den at end of day.  My oldest son, Sam and his lovely wife Stephanie will be here before Christmas. Now there is the juggling between in-law homes for holiday dinners and ex's also. Sometimes they eat three times!! But it's all part of Christmas. Will is in exam week right now and home for a few days before next basketball tournament. Finding the right Christmas gift is much harder for adult children who do not need the latest video game anymore! It transition right into Home Depot gift cards!  Happy shopping everyone - I am getting on board with the buy American, create jobs!

galloping toward Christmas

It has been unseasonably warm and I am not complaining but hard to feel like Christmas. Can't believe it is just around the corner. I hope to get tree up soon, I did get the lights up and the Christmas shopping is going OK, but the predominant feeling I have is rush, rush. Too much to do. Lay awake last night thinking of slow two-year old racehorses and vet bills, Hunt Balls and party planning, seeing family at Christmas and who sleeps where, there is no food in fridge, the washing machine is still broken after two weeks and how can I kill GE, how can I stop racehorse trainer from spending too much on vet bills and there is soo much to do for hunt ball, and I have to finish my book project!!   Yikes. Spent day at horse sale yesterday and the New-York breds , WV breds, PA breds sold pretty well, better than last year,   but MD bred horses   were dismal. It is so sad that politicians missed the opportunities years ago to help our industry prosper. It is in bad shape here in MD.
However my farm is beautiful, my horses healthy, so is my family and I have lots to be happy and thankful for. This big year is wrapping up and I am going to take stock of my blessings.  Happy holidays.