TARGET

About 10:45pm I got into the house after giving this horse a bath in the grooming room.  He is covered with hives from his barrel to his head and it seems to be a reaction to something.

I have given him two rounds of Benedryl and will go back out to see if it has started to work.

Thoroughbreds are so thin skinned.  He was not too excited about leaving the other horses but I did get through it. When I give a horse a bath, I prefer to do it with a sponge and usually only hose them when they are very hot and sweaty after a ride.  When I finished rubbing him down with a couple of towels he went out and rolled in the dirt to dry himself off.  I hope I don't need to call the vet.. don't need one more bill at this time.

THE MONEY PIT!

Here it is!  My bomb of a PT Cruiser. Yesterday I couldn't shift the gears!  Today for $1150 I got a new clutch...gee, they had to remove the transmission to find out what was wrong. This car is a 2001 model (that I bought new) and it only has 51,000 miles on it.  Not too many months ago I needed new rims as my tires kept losing air (a characteristic of this vehicle)...I went to get hub caps and they were all made of chintzy plastic!  Guess what, I am going cold turkey and plan to keep this car until it rots.  It gets great mileage, has a perfect leather interior and I love to drive it.  Most people do not like a 5 speed standard transmission, but most of my cars have been that way. For years I had trucks so I could pull my horse trailer (now I use Gary's truck).  

When I was a kid, my Uncle Shine (who owned a used car dealership) would let me come down and pick out a car that I wanted to drive around for a day.  I would always take convertibles. You won't believe what my first car was...an Austin Healey 3000.  Italian Racing Red with a black leather interior...wire wheels and Michelin tires.  The deal was this...I would live at home when I did my student teaching (in Warren, Pennsylvania), and I would use my housing money to by a car.  Of course Uncle Shine found me the best thing anyone could ever ask for.  Going to teach was like driving on a Grand Prix course.  Hills, through the woods, fabulous scenery....  Cars used to be a big deal to me...I have been through a Beetle, a 4 passenger Thunderbird Convertible (uncle Shine again), a 67 Mustang convertible,

a big old woody Jeep Wagoneer, a 1/2 ton Dodge truck, a 3/4 ton Chevy truck, and a few ordinary vehicles.  Now...I could care.  I want something practical that gets good mileage.

My dream car, if I won the lottery, would be a White Jaguar Sedan with a natural leather interior.  If I just had a lot of extra dollars at this time, I would get a hybrid.  This information I am giving you says a lot about me.  But what does it mean?  I would even like a tractor.

DIFFERENT SETTINGS

One with a flash, one without.  That afternoon sun. I think the dark one is more interesting.

TWO MINUTES OF LIGHT

Once again, for a very short period of time the sunlight comes through the library window and spotlights my wall of photographs....what else, horses.

JUSTINE AND WINNIE....

Home by sunset...photos by Dad.  Check out that posture.

BLOSSOMS GALORE....

Rich colors....

THE GLEN DARACH GARDENS...

Love the lilly pads....

WHERE DID PHOEBE GO TODAY?

First we drove through the countryside on our way to Higbies (a feed store) where I bought a big bag of beet pulp for the horses.  Then we hit the Clover Pool store where I got a container of Renew for the hot tub...what a rip!  $31.00!!!!  We weren't too far from Glen Darach Farm, so we continued North and dropped off 4 CDs that I burned for Andrea...fine tunes.  One of the kids who rides at our indoor happened to be taking a lesson.  On the way home we stopped at the Welcome Center to see if there were any new boats docked, and Phoebe went in for a drink of water.  Things went downhill after that.  As I headed for home, I started having difficulty shifting gears in the car...then it would not shift at all.  I turned it off, put it in first and was able to coast into a repair shop (interestingly enough, it is the place I always take my car).  What are the odds of that happening?  I asked for a ride to the farm, as my car was not going anywhere, and Gary was long gone to Bemus Point for the auction.  So, a kind young man loaded my 50# bag of beet pulp into a truck, I got all my bags and Phoebe, and we were driven home.  Now I am stranded!!!

THE SCENE THIS MORNING...

Started out sunny and turned to light rain.  Nice and cool.  Phoebe and I have lots of errands to run this afternoon.  

TAKE A SEAT AUCTION....

Gary is off to Chautauqua for the auction that will take place tonight in Bemus Point.  He was

working on his chair yesterday, when the decoupage application turned everything cloudy and he ended up painting over it.  He redid the flowers with acrylic paint, finishing up at 10pm.

ANNIVERSARY DINNER...

Today was our anniversary and we planned on going out to dinner.  Those plans changed when my friend (and student, and photographer) Tina invited us to join her and her husband Roger for what turned into a spectacular meal.  Ribs, German potato salad, green salad and a dessert of fresh peaches and blueberries with cream.  We ate outside under an umbrella and had a chance to walk around the property.  This is what we saw.  You have seen this "gentleman's farm" before....it is one in a million.  Miss Phoebe was invited also, as she and DJ are best buds.  He was very happy to see her (they are both part of the same therapy dog team).  By the way, Roger and Tina have an anniversary coming up the first week in August...we celebrated together.