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.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am happy and thankful to be alive and to be part of my wonderful family. I wish you all a happy turkey day. eat, drink and be merry. Give thanks for all you have and be compassionate to the less fortunate. My filly lost her race, trailed actually,  but son, Will, won his basketball game and life is good. I am thoroughly enjoying watching his last year playing college ball and cheering madly. I will really miss this after graduation. The filly hopefully runs again soon and will "wakeup " to the racing game .    Have a great day  with all your families. My turkey is in oven and I am going hunting.

basketball and maiden races....

My two year old filly, Pia's Hope, races today in her maiden start. Ever hopeful I will be there to cheer her on. She is a very cute, very "testy" filly and I hope she races better than she works in the morning. We will see. My youngest son is playing basketball again tonight at Shenandoah College, never heard of it but love the name. So after watching my youngest race horse I will head out Rt. 66 to see my other youngest!!  He may be the faster one! Can't believe it is already Thanksgiving and I have seen lots of Christmas light already. Too much already! I had hoped that something might  have been resolved about Maryland racing dates but it still does not look good. I am waiting before making any breeding decisions. I believe next meeting is Dec 20th.

November routines: basketball, and foxhunting

It is still rainy and cold out. Second day of wet. Hunting cancelled, I stayed in all day working on my book for hunt club and plans for a Diamond Jubilee Hunt Ball. The house feels emptier now than when the kids left first time, so I talk to the dogs! Basketball has resumed and it was an awesome game on Wednesday at Dickinson College. The Washington  and Lee Generals ( and son Will) gave a nail-biting performance that had me screaming encouragement and pulling hair in frustration in equal measure. They won by the skin of their teeth! I was the only Generals fan sitting in the 'visitor' bleachers, but I yelled enough for a whole group of parents. This weekend we are going to Amherst, Mass. to support team. Never been, looking forward to weekend with hubby, walking around a little university town in Northeast. In other picture, Will cleans up very well, looking very handsome with Annie at a formal at W&L. Meanwhile, back on the farm, horses have  settled into winter routine, broodmares expanding, yearlings playing, foxhunters playing hard -to-get on hunting mornings!

Zen and the art of foxhunting....

It is a month ago that Sam and Stephanie had their beautiful wedding here on the farm. They have now moved into their new, "first" home and that whole adventure starts for them. I told Sam the first time you cut the grass or shovel the snow from driveway is when home ownership will really hit.  Two kids married, the youngest has a job offer and is graduating from Washington & Lee in May.  He is planning to be in Charlotte NC next summer working extremely hard. He tells me this job will be like a "financial" internship- 18 hours day- on call all the time etc. They are all grown up!! I do miss telling my mom about all the comings and goings. She passed away in January and I still reach for the phone sometimes. Trying to keep in touch with my sisters instead and the weddings helped to bring us closer.  The house is back to being very silent but the weather has been so beautiful that I am giving in to the urge to go foxhunting all the time. I went out with Howard County yesterday and although warm it was fun to say hi to my friends there and watch visiting Kimberton's PennMaryDels hunt their territory. Today we travel across the Bay Bridge to a member's farm and it should be another lovely day. The full moon had Jupiter as a starry companion this morning, very spectacular. Such a full moon means that the foxes will have been up and about all night which means there will be lots of night lines and hopefully some beautiful hound music today. As the new chapters begin in my life, I think riding and foxhunting, in particular, are a Zen-like meditation. One must be present in all your senses to hunt. It is quiet mostly as you walk through the woods and the rhythm of body and horse in unison is soothing. Then there is a terrific gallop through fields or fast tree dodging flight and suddenly it drops back to a relaxing walk. I know nothing better to feel peaceful and alive at the same time!

the rhythms and ripples of life....

I am back to my "real" life, after the fun of hunting in Virginia. The weddings are done and Sam and Stephanie have moved into their new house!! Life on the farm is slowly resuming its old rhythm. I need to start planning a few matings, check the broodmare stall camera, finish my book on the Hunt Club.  I am prepping a yearling for the December sale and watching the broodmares 'grow'. All important things, just not as exciting as the past few months. Christmas promises to be fun with Sarah and Kevin visiting and we are all looking forward to seeing Sam and Steph celebrate in their new home. I had dinner with Stephanie in the new house last night, sitting on one of the two pieces of furniture, listening to her plans for decorating and watching the delight on her face. They are at the beginning of such a great adventure and I couldn't help but compare where I was 25 years ago, buying that first house and thinking about kids etc. Now two of those kids are married and the youngest  is looking forward to living in Charlotte NC, starting a great job after graduating. Some much happened in those years and the joy is in seeing the dream in your children come to fruition and ripple outward for another generation. Amazing!