I'LL NEED THESE AND THESE

WELL ITS TIME to go, the lease is up and so is the heat in the valley. There are so many reasons Shelby and I have decided to go back to Snowflake (for the summer ?).

Work is number one; more offers for equine work there, the valley has been more canine - not why I got into this business but a perk (also lower pay per session). I think it would be smarter to follow the horses when (aside from the canine jobs) my ONLY source of income for SHELBY and I is the part time weekend job at the rehabilitation center I work for. Leading me to..

Number two - money of course. It is just cheaper to live there and spending goes waaaaaay down.

Number three - The living situation. Not having to sign a lease, I found an AWESOME place. Some might not think so but it is great to me. It is this super tiny place next to one of the big homes in the Fields by Silver Creek headed out east of Snowflake. Ron is the owner of the property and wants my help with his horses. There is acre after acre of green land backing all the way up to the creek. Allowing/forcing us to be outside most of the day, there is plenty of room for Shelby and Bristol to run around.

Number four - My mom and brother.

Shelby and I tried to move back January 08 and nothing worked; there was no place to live, no jobs, and snow (not the best time to be in limbo). I don't know how long we will be there this time but it is a much better situation, summer time is beautiful and that is as far as I am really allowing myself to look right now.

BRISTOL

(not Palin) THE OTHER DAY we were offered this sweet little English Pointer. Normally I would have all kinds of anxiety about who's going to tell me no and needing to ask permission and OH GOSH I cant because I live in the city therefore must own small poodle or chidoodle or whatever else that comes in mini size. Then I thought who are you and where the hell did Sarah go?! So I just said YES, and I am so glad I did...its fine, she is wonderful and well exercised and house broken and crate trained and sweet to Shelby.
SOMETIMES I FEEL like people, particularly Josh and his family never got to meet me. The girl in the small town who was a more simple person (not so conflicted) who's life revolved around her dogs, cats, and horses. There is a reason I always felt unsettled with Josh (and that's not his fault), I was never at home and he was never going to leave his home.
ALL THAT ASIDE... Welcome to our family Bris!

NOTABLES

MILHOUSE LATELY... IT has come down to this. I think maybe some sort of commitment ceremony needs to be planned pretty soon. Milhouse has to have socks on now when Shelby does and for some reason she has been fiercely protective of his eyes. If I pick him up I cant touch his eyes or she will yell at me to "don't poke Milhouses eyes!". I am so terrified of what will happen if we lose him now that she knows the difference between "regular" Milhouse and Milhouses "cousin" (a #2 I got last year in case he got lost or for when regular Milhouse is in the wash).




SPENT A LOVELY morning with my Aunt Carol last Monday. We ate breakfast at Wildflower Bread Co. and went to Changing Hands Books so Shelby could pick out a few for her birthday from 'Auntie Caywol'.




CAROL LATER RAN me into Jeane Wright who ran Jeans School of Dance who I took from when I was little. She now owns Cherry Street Antiques on University in Mesa. (scanned is May 1986...Holy Geez I was 5)
P.S. Amy you should recognize that tutu; you wore it in one of our Pinedale school plays!




FIRST FRENCH braids...

KENTUCKY DERBY

THE WIN BY Mine That Bird and jockey Calvin Borel brought me to tears. I am so happy about the true Victory! BUT, (you knew that was coming didn't you?) how it was received by most really pisses me off. In 2006 Barbaro with 6:1 odds won the Kentucky Derby on a broken leg then was immediately euthanized on the track (traumatic for spectators but actually humane; most go to slaughter and fetch the owner a whopping $200 [about 10 cents a pound]). And last year runner up horse Eight Belles died on the track just seconds after the race. This year hope brings us Mine That Bird, a young "discount" horse hauled 2000 miles from New Mexico behind an old Ford pick up truck that broke down in Texas (most are flown to conserve energy), the driver/trainer Bennie Woolley, an old rodeo cowboy. Birds odds 50:1, squeezed out of the gate starting out in last place this gelding (race horses that are expected to become champions are never gelded) rode the rail to win the Derby by nearly 7 lengths; the only other horse to beat this record was Assault in 1946 winning by 8 lengths. This was a beautiful miracle!!!
AND BRAVO TO jockey Calvin Borel who was quoted saying "[a horse] can only go so fast, so far" and that he learned to be "so patient with these 3 year olds". THANK YOU!

Borel showing appreciation


SO WHY IS it that the media is calling it one of the greatest upsets in Derby history? Well MONEY of course! The millionaires certainly didn't put their money on a 50:1 horse. Well its about time the rich didn't get richer! Open your eyes people...ITS ABOUT THE HORSE! I hope Mr. Woolley will buy himself a new Ford for the ride home.


quotes from The Arizona Republic
pictures from ClackamasReview and The Washington Times