Silence is Golden

I've been quiet lately - and, nobody noticed.

That's been my plan from the start. I use this space to express my thoughts. I'm using this medium to practice the art of writing. And, no matter what, I am having fun doing this.

I know I'm not the most intelligent or astute writer and this blog is proof of that. But, I'm doing what I enjoy -- creating.

I create mostly for myself and for my own pleasure. I honestly admit I would like to get positive reinforcement. Mostly, I have gotten negative feedback on my ambling snippets posted here. (That's been from my children who think I should not be doing this.) Oh well. I can't please them no matter what I do, so I am shrugging that off as a by-product of their current phase... teenage.

I hope I have not offended anyone, but since few people have actually viewed this blog, there's little danger of such. As I already said, I'm not writing this for other people anyway.

So why not just have at it? It's pretty simple, simple!

Hats Off to the Girls Today!

Today, the 134th Preakness Stakes was run and for the first time since 1924 a filly won!

Not only did Rachael Alexandra win the race, she ran it out front from start to finish.

Not only did she own the race the entire way through, but she started from post position 13 - no horse has ever won the Preakness from this gate.

This is truly a remarkable event that occurred in rainy Baltimore today.

So, in honor of this brilliant run by a once in a century mare, I figuratively toss into the air my big brimmed Preakness bonnet and raise in a toast my Blackeyed Susan (a wonderful drink if you've never had one) to Rachael Alexandra.

You go, Girl!

See you in New York for the Belmont Stakes in early June.

Apologies

There's good and bad about being an online author. Until recently, I had kept the address of this blog secret because it's my place to practice writing and to unburden myself. Until recently...

I kept off Facebook because I knew it would upset my kids if I had an account - that they would see this as an invasion of their space. But, then I kept getting invites from my own friends to join. So I did. And, as expected my kids didn't like it. Especially when I friended their friends - hey, some of my kid's friends found me, not the other way around.

Now, I've published the link to this blog on my profile. Why? Because I wanted to see if anyone would come and leave me comments. I'm prepared to learn what readers think about my rants and raves. I'm not embarassed by anything I've written. This has always been out there subject to view and review by anyone.

Some things I've written have caused friction with my kids and that was not my intent. I am just being honest with my feelings and airing my opinions. In person, feelings and opinions don't always get through to others in the room. I'm the type person who has to put these feelings some place, and that's why I write in this blog. Once I put it here, I feel better.

So, if my thoughts voiced in this medium have upset anyone, let me say I'm sorry that was not my intention. But you also need to know that I wouldn't be writing in this blog if I didn't feel strongly. And, my feelings, thoughts, and opinions also matter.

At least here they do!

It's Kentucky Derby Day! Does Anyone Care?

Time to mix up some Mint Juleps, don a big wide-rimed hat, and weep to Stephen C. Foster's tune, "My Old Kentucky Home." Just like in the good old days...

Not!

American horse racing is on it's last legs. Especially in Maryland where I live and where half our family income is dependent upon horse racing.

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 eliminated tax shelters for owning race horses as an investment. That drove down the demand for horse flesh, which put the two leading thoroughbred horse breeding farms out of business. Today, 23 years later, there are not enough quality horses to run 9 quality races each day at live tracks. So, the race tracks have gone to simulcasting -- the sharing of live races via satellite to many tracks for remote viewing and betting.

That would have worked, except the betting demographic also changed -- for the worse. Handicaping was once a respectable past time where one could fill spare time with a mentally challenging and physically appealing sport with the promise of making money. At times, the payoff was darn good. Before the age of simulcasting, horses tended to run at the same tracks and the handicappers could follow these horses, learning about their trends (liked to run on a fast or dry track vs. good on a wet and muddy track for example), following the success of jockeys on these horses, and even knowing about the trainers and their "track records."

All this has changed. Not only is it nearly impossible to keep track of all the horse statistics for races being held internationally every day, but nobody has spare time to visit the track, to keep abreast of their favorate horses, nor is there an abundance of discressionary income with which to play the game.

And, mostly nobody much cares about horse racing these days. Racing horses was a favorate sport of land owners when this country (and others) were agriculturally centered. We humans had a connection with horses -- either as transportation, work tools, or family pets. We have lost touch with horses, so we don't much care if they run fast and can beat the star horse from the next town over.

So, today is the first big race in the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse racing. Does anyone even realize it's happening? It's kinda sad to say probably not.