Belmont!

Belmont at Saratoga! Due to massive construction project at Belmont Park (total destruction and reconstruction of the grandstand and several barns) the Belmont Stakes has moved to Saratoga for this year and next. While it was uncertain how the small town a Saratoga Springs could/would handle the crowd (allegedly capped at 50,000) it seems to have worked. All the photos and live shots I saw featured packed crowds all over the place. The weather cooperated, at least for the first 3 days - today's turf races came off and the scheduled 1st - the Beverly Steinamnn Hurdle was cancelled and will be added to a Belmont at Aqueduct card later this month. There were no breakdowns and only a few weird things - Thursday saw Irad Ortiz Jr. come off his mount just behind the gate and due to landing awkwardly, he took off the rest of his mounts and went for diagnostic test, which were negative. he was back Friday and continued his winning ways. Frankie Detorri left before his final mount on Thursday, thinking his horse had been schratched. And Friday he came off just out of the gate. No injury other than maybe his pride. He did win a race so he was able to perform his flying dismount for the crowd. There were some thrilling races - Graham Motion's The Grey Wizard won a stakes race on Thursday and Thorpedo Anna won her race yesterday - minus the fore shoe she lost pretty much right out of the gate. Neither of the winers of the first two legs of the Triple Crown were any where near the front runner - Dornoch - at the finish of the Belmont. In other news, the hits keep on coming - David receieved word a week ago that his high school friend and band mate, Bob Pugliese, had passed away. And just last night was notified that Pete Huck's wife, Veloice, had passed. Pete and David worked at Duplex in Ohio, and we had visited them in Minnesota in the past. We are at that age where our contemporaries are expiring. (Late edit: Bob's wife, Patty, passed away this week. She had been battling cancer for years. Bob's service is the 23rd and D. is flying out for the weekend. Ten years ago he likely would have driven but the years and our planned trip there next month made that unpalatable.) Oh, and TFG was convicted on all 34 counts in the NY case. Has to report to a probation officer tomorrow. He's been out grifting for his campaign this wekend, making his elderly patrons stand out in the blazing Nevada sun all afternoon to hear his diatribes, lies and gobbledeegook.

First Show is Done!

Memorial Day weekend has traditionally been very low-key in my life, save for the town's parade and commemorative ceremony. This year was a bit different. I had a show! The Kennebec Valley Art Association relocated from Hallowell to the Snow Pond Center for the Arts here in Sidney and they combined to put on an Artists and Makers Market on the grounds of the center. Beautiful location and the weather was perfect! I wish we had all had the foresight to reloacte outside! For a first year show the arttendance was respectable. I have some quibbles with the way the show was organized and run but in general, it was a positive experience. I hope to partner with them in the future to tweak some things to make it even better. I had had enough of people by Monday so when the rain forced the town's gathering indoors I opted to stay home and rest in bed. A much better use of my time than standing in the back of the room and then having to help put chairs away and make nice. I understand my librarian shushing experience could have been used at times for a couple of chatty SHS members. Once I arose, I cleared the car and put things away, did my deposit and made chicken soup for dinner. Tuesday was clean and get stuff delayed done day. Today was groceries and buy flowers and herbs day. Tomorrow is gardening day. Someday I'll get back to sewing - I need runners! I didn't realize I was low and I sold 4 this weekend. So there's my emphasis for the coming weeks along with the Acadia throw. Miracle Horse Rescue lost another friend this past week. Sheila, my west coast counterpart, past away on Saturday after a brief illness, although she had been in poor health and declining mental capacity for some time. Last year I contacted Stephanie about sheila's status and she said it was not her story to tell. She passed on a message for Sheila to call me which she did some weeks later. I could tell that she was not the person I remember talking and joking with before about everything from politics to the Giants. So it was not a surprise but still a bit of a shock.

Preakness 100

Triple Crown on the line but Mystic Dan just missed. Not too upset as he was beaten by Seize the Grey, a son of Arrogate (how many great horses will we miss because of his far-too-soon death?). Trained impeccably by the super veteran D. Wayne Lukas, who turns 90 this year! Mystik Dan settled for second with Brad Cox trainee Catching Freedom third. NOTE: All 3 of these horses ran on Derby Day just 2 weeks ago - Mystik Dan and Catching Freedom in the Derby and Seize the Grey the Pat Day Mile.) Baffert's lone entry after the scratch of Muth ran next to last. Sloppy track. Undercard highlights were a series of 3rds and 4ths for Matz trainees. Tequilera led much of the Gallorette but faded to 3rd. Next show is 6 days away. I've been refreshing the scented items and slowly working on another throw. Have to stop to make more sachets this week - Lavender and Balsam. Plenty of trivets. Other than that I am set. Slowly plugging away on yardwork. I did some pruning and cleaning of the central bed last week. Still have the back herb bed to go and just waiting on the PJM to finish flowering so I can prune that and the forsythia. And the Summer Sweet. The daffodils are almost finishe blooming so I can cut them back a bit and transplant the ones that need it. And finally spread the last 4 bags of mulch. Whew. I cleaned the fridge this week - thankless job but glad it's done. Still need to do the counters and, at some point, sort through the cabinets. I'm sure there are some expired things and also some donation candidates. Ordered a new bathing suit - hope to use it in the new pool at Bren's and maybe on our trip to Rochester. Not sure what I', going to do for 5 days there but I'll hopefully have some finishing to take with me. Might be time to start on holiday stuff.

Whoa Nellie!!!!!

BIG excitement in the neighborhood this week. Wednesday morning I had just returned from grocery shopping around 9, sat down to have coffee and nosh and noticed a few State Trooper vehicles parked at the end of Sunset Ridge. As time went by, more Staties arrived, some in unmarked vehicles. I texted a friend who has access to the What's Happening in Sidney Facebook page that I resigned from during COVID after getting threatening posts. She relayed that Lyons Rd. was closed to traffic the entire length. Which was confirmed by the lack of traffic past the house. About 11:00 I noticed an officer in tactical gear walking down from his parked vehicle on Lyons west of Sunset. He was soon joined by more unmarked black vehicles and more guys gearing up, at which point all of the blue trooper cars left. Then the Mobile command center arrived along with a large black van and the armored tactical vehicle. At this point I called the town office but wasn't told very much more than I already knew - Lyons Rd. was closed, it was billed at a "fire and rescue operation" and Pike had been requested to cancel their blasting. Friend texted to say the comments on the Sidney Facebook page had been closed (I can only imagine the conspiracies that group was concocting!) Over the course of the next 7 hours, the tactical vehicle was seen moving down Susnset and approaching the second house in, then retreating and returning to the command center. At one point they installed a ram, another time they apparently installed a camera on the roof. Finally, after they had been at the house (out of our line of sight) for about an hour and a half, some of the unmarked cars returned, one exchanged places with the tactical vehicle in the driveway and the squad members could be seen disbursing to their cars and ditching the armor. They left and the blue trooper cars returned, and finally everyone left. The cause of all this was a member of the family that lives in the house who was wanted for several fairly serious crimes in Penobscot County. He broke into the house (maybe just the garage) Weds. morning at which point the family left after he made some threats. He's now in a more serious pool of trouble - and not the first time. I Googled him and he's got quite the history with the law. Which explains why the State Police were at that house 2 weeks ago on Sunday morning, along with the Fire Chief from Sidney, who apparently is the ranking law official because we don't have our own police. The past couple of nights we have been visited by the Northern Lights, although too late for this early to bed girl. The photos have been spectacular! Below is actually from Saratoga Springs.

Derby 150 +

Yesterday's Kentucky Derby was a joy to watch (stadium-style improvements to Churchill Downs aside!) as a) No horses died or were seriously injured and b) One of the "little guy" trainers acheived the Oaks/Derby double. Kenny McPeek and his filly Thorpedo Anna, colt Mystik Dan, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. and all the owners triumphed over all the super trainers (well, all except that guy from California!). And good guy Graham Motion won a stake race on the undercard. A good day of racing.

Before the races, I joined several others for a session of Forest Bathing at the Snow Pond trails. Interesting experience, not strenuous, and very calming. I loved the sound of the water psssing through the outlet of the marshy containment, and the bird songs - small up to geese! And seeing a beaver swimming. They had been very busy felling and stripping a fairly large tree - interesting. I have committed to try to get out in my own woods on a regular basis - no need to go anywhere when I have my own woods right outside my back door. Finished with the placemats and just need to add to the website. In the middle of a small run of trivets. Then I'll refresh the scenteds and be ready for Memorial Day. Bring it on. The trial is still going on. Hard to imagine any more witnesses before the main event of Michael Cohen. No idea how it's going but I'm not hanging on every update. Too exhausting. Meanwhile the lies coming from TFG keep piling up, the projections grow increasingly transparent and ridiculous. I suspect some of the campus protesters are really plants, sent in the deflect attention from the trial and, more distressingly, to practice for a possible repeat of January 6 if Biden wins.

Come and Gone!

The storm I referenced last post indeed dropped 10+" of mashed potatoes on us. Noah (Brook's son who has plowed for us the past 2 years) termed it "Freakin' awesome" delivered with extreme sarcasm! It is mostly gone now, due to several 50+ degrees days and some rain. But the mountains made out like bandits and the skiing was superb, so I read. And people were so psyched to be able to ski during the eclipse on Monday. Here it wasn't total but the light was very different from the nightly darkening. Very strange. The traffic in the mountains and from Jackman to Showhegan was incredible apparently. Not much here but we did not venture out. Placemats are all finished - 2 sets of 4 and one of 2. The 2 set was a 4 but 2 of them had defective fabric - noticeable crookedly printed - so they are now on my table. I started another set today but just have the star blocks done. I'm figuring 3 more sets and I'll be ready for the KVAA show in a month. I received two UMC show confirmations this week - very low sign-ups for both Rock Row and Augusta so far. We'll see how it all shakes out in the end. I did not sign up for the Bangor show yet, figuring I'll keep that as a back up and use my Facebook credit for that. Another appeal and another slap down for TFG. And, speaking of criminals - OJ Simpson died yesterday. I can still remember sitting on the couch on Quaker Road watching that infamous highway chase on tv. And all the trial bullshit. He should have rotted in jail. In other depressing news, Arizona just outlawed all abortions. I lay the blame at TFG's feet - the lone accomplishment of his was packing the Supreme Court with the justices who overturned Roe. And now we have to spend time and money and emotion to undo what he has done, if we can. Around the house, we had the boiler cleaned yesterday and it's runninglike a champ now. The guy was supposed to do the carage door trim today but postponed until Monday for better weather. I'll be out doing yard work that day. It might be the year to re-mulch, but not sure. `

More Progress

Throw is all bound, just waiting for inspiration to hit to find the right title for it. Log Cabin Semi-Holiday Batik just doesn't do it justice! It will come but for now it waits. And I'm still awaiting a reply from Alliene on the picturs I sent her of her top. Meantime, I have almost completed 3 sets of placemats but dicovered this morning that the last set will be a set of 2 as one of the fabrics was mis-printed crooked and it's very noticeable. Oh well. That's life. And I just received the Kona Solids to turn the Acadia panel into a throw so I'll start on the design this wekend, between shoveling snow! We had a good 7-8" last weekend which is all gone now but we are under the gun for a bona fide Noreaster with 12+" in the forecast tonight into tomorrow. It will be a call Brook kind of storm. TFG's delay tactics are getting old at this point. And his sketchy bond was posted 3 days early with some questions we all want answered, like "Where did the money come from?" Best theory so far is from a foreign source but, of course, it's difficult to trace that because of how he covers his tracks. But totally appropriate that the bond was issued by a bank that specializes in sub-prime auto loans. The entire thing reeks! Meanwhile, he's still edging closer to violating the new and improved gag order put in plce in the NY trial. And he posted a video over the weekend he said was taken on Long Island of a pick up truck, decked in all the MAGA swag, complete with a tailgate panel depicting Biden hog-tied in the bed. There really is no bottom to him or his followers. I do not see this sort of stuff from the Dems, as they are classier than that. (Just 7 more months of this silliness, unless, of course, something miraculous happens.