Archive for February, 2008
A day away
Nope, I didn’t run off to a spa. Or hit the mall. Or catch up on all the Oscar films.
I honestly thought I had posted yesterday. Yeah. Have you noticed how close together “Save” and “Publish” are? This time, it worked to my advantage. Does anyone have a horror of releasing a post before its time?
So, yesterday, I went to Weight Watchers (I feel like I’ve set up permanent camp on this plateau), then to Costco and then back to where I dug into the long-awaited taxes.
Am I done with those yet? Nope. Probably about 2/3 done, though. I just had to make some progress with that. I plan to ship off stuff to the accountant on Monday. But I hope I’m done long before that.
After all, today’s an extra day. A gift. But, considering it’s a gift, though, I should find a better use for it than taxes.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Visiting an Old Friend
The horse with his eye on the ridge ahead is Creator. (Let me know if the picture is too big and too slow to load. 
He lives at the Old Friends thoroughbred retirement farm. He’s handsome, egotistical (horse people call that “studly”), territorial and cheerfully willing to bite the hand that feeds him. Of course, anyone who visits Old Friends falls in love with him immediately.
Old Friends has moved since I took this photo. The farm had leased this property but now has its own farm in Georgetown, KY. I haven’t been to the new farm yet. What you see is from a previous location.
But the purchase of the farm has helped with the plan of offering a destination for horse lovers to visit with retired champions. Tours, of course, are offered. And a house on the grounds serves as a B&B. But the best reason for the new property was to expand. Old Friends is now the home to about 28 horses.
Creator was one of the first horses to retire to Old Friends. He’s a former European champion who stood at stud in Japan. Now in Kentucky, he greets adoring visitors to who long to pet that handsome head.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )Not just words anymore
I’m still wrestling with the images issue. I’m doing okay with the writing part of blogging, but I’m not used to illustrating my own work. Or editing my own work. Or doing the layout for its presentation.
I used to be a newspaper reporter. Sometimes, I shot my own photos, too, but that didn’t sit well with my newspaper’s organization.
So, I became accustomed to having a photog assigned with me. My bureau chief would be the first reader, who’d also point out logic and flow issues. Then, my story would go on to the main office, where other eyes and hands worked on it. Several would proofread it. Someone else wrote the headlines. Someone picked the photo from the two or three I’d print. Then I’d see the finished story-photo unit the next morning with coffee.
Now, as a blogger, I do all those jobs. I’m now my own assignment editor, layout, copy editor, photo editor and reporter. Not to mention that I’m now expected to insert myself into the story, which is a big journalism no-no. So, I’m not sure that I do anything well. But the process is exhilarating
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )The Tax Preparer Waiteth
Two bags full of receipts and bank statements have been waiting for me for weeks now. Usually, I prepare taxes via “the dump and sort” method. Pretty self-explanatory. And, yes, it’s true: I’m blogging, a very New Mllennium activity about sorting paper receipts for taxes — an activity that is very Old Millenium.
I didn’t say it had to make sense. But isn’t that the way of the tax code anyway? It doesn’t have to make sense.
But it still must be done. All must render unto Caesar. Nothing is certain but Death and Taxes. Yadda, yadda, yadda. With two bags full of paperwork, you’d think we had more money. Some ratio formula must be apply concerning the number of receipts. If so, what size container would Donald Trump have – boxcars full of receipts? No, probably skyscrapers full of accountants and money wizards at his beck and call. His fingers probably never touch a receipt.
My fingers haven’t touched these receipts since I stashed them in the bags. I wonder if I can use QuickBooks for next year?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 6 so far )Learning blogging
I’m gonna give the horses a break for a few days, so I can work more with this “variety blog” concept a little more. I’ve been editing some of our old stuff here — primarily re-writing the link to where you can click on the name which is writing hyperlinks in WordPress. I’ve still got a couple of entries more to convert.
And thanks to Lyndi , I’m now signed up with iStockPhoto and about to sign up with Dreamstime , which has a large library of free photos.
I have to say that I’m really enjoying using WordPress. I may even use a WordPress template for my author website.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )Homes of the Stars – Part 3
As promised, here’s Part 3. If you’re reading this, then you’ve seen my question to Suzanne about obtaining photos. This kind of blog needs photos. So maybe I should just give the horse topic a rest and move on to another topic, until I get this snag solved? ;->
Anyway, I promised a Part 3, so here it is. Enjoy!
So, you just found out that tours of Three Chimneys Farm where the popular Smarty Jones lives are booked up for The Entire Time you’re in central Kentucky? 😦
Never fear — other fabulous horses live here! 🙂 But where are they? And how do you find them?
Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can find out. First, if you’re looking for an individual horse, Google his name and see which farm site has him.
But let’s say that you would like to visit a farm on your own self-guided tour. A Bluegrass thoroughbred breeding farm is a beautiful place to see, kind of like a historic house tour. What visitors usually see on a farm tour is the stallion complex. The facilities often show distinctive architecture and beautiful landscaping. Each one has a different style.
To get an idea, as well as some ideas of where to tour, the website for The Blood Horse is a great place to look.
The Blood-Horse Magazine is a trade journal for thoroughbred racing and breeding. If you love pretty horse photos, you’ll drool over some of the ads on this site. But right now, you’re looking for horse farms to visit.Scroll down the page and keep an eye on the right hand column for the Farm Directory. Heck, you’ve probably noticed that the whole right hand border is ads for stallions and farms.
Click on any one of those ads or listed farms and look for the “about the farm” page. The magic phrase that you’re looking for is “Visitors Welcome” or, better yet, a link to contact for tours.
The farm websites are so pretty that you can almost save yourself the plane, hotel and car rental fare with a virtual tour. Plus, the virtual tour can take you everywhere.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Homes of the Stars – Part 1
Let’s say that you’re a fan of Michael Jordan. And let’s say that you find out that he offers “calling hours” every so often in his home. Wouldn’t you like to know more?
Well, if you’re a fan of champion thoroughbred race horses and if that horse is retired in the Lexington, KY, area, you just might be able to go visit him. Some of the farms, although fewer and fewer, accept visitors by appointment. After all, these are still working farms. And breeding thoroughbred horses is big business.
But so is equine tourism – to the tune of $8.8 billion dollars a year, according to the Kentucky Equine Education Project. The Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau offers tourists a page of info on touring the farms. Visitors have a variety of options, ranging from group tours to independently arranging tours with the farms themselves.
Even if you don’t have a favorite horse to see, visiting the farms is a wonderful experience. Many farms are distinctive architectural wonders in themselves. Plus, the farm employees tend to be appreciative of their charges and happy to see interest in them.I tend to prefer calling individual farms myself. My next post tomorrow will cover ways to set up a tour.
(Bear with me. I’m still finding photos and learning this photo isnertion thing. 🙂 Thanks for your patience.)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )Me ‘n Luke
Let’s see if I can upload an image …
Luke is one of the Budweiser Clydesdales based out of Merrimack, NH.
Luke and his trainer/handler Bill Madson 
drove down to CT one fine May morning to headline at the H.O.R.S.E. of CT spring open house. H.O.R.S.E. of CT is an equine shelter and farm in
Luke is about 10 years old and stands at 17.3 hands. I stand at 5’3.” Never you mind my age. 😦 I’m just glad I’m still here. Ya know?
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