What Can Big Brown Do For You?

So, who else watched the Preakness today? After getting past my sadness over desperately missing the East Coast, I just enjoyed a day of cleaning house and watching the races. I was happy to see how the round-table discussion sparked by the breakdown of "Eight Belles" went...the fact Bob Costas had anything to do with that discussion had me nervous.

But, man, what a race! The more I watch "Big Brown," the more I just shake my head in utter amazement. He just sort of cantered around the track, making his big "run" out of a hand gallop! It's just so easy for this horse. He's done after this season, retiring to the breeding shed (which I actually think is a good idea in his case, due to his horrible feet. I somehow think the feet won't be passed on...guess I've just seen enough of that). The end of his racing career *could* come after the Belmont Stakes in a few weeks. Could we possibly see a Triple Crown winner then? Time will tell....

I finally got the strawberries planted today, too. My friend, Terie, came through when I mentioned that I was going to buy some when they arrived at the stores. She had a bunch of wild ones that she was hoping someone would want. They're now in my big flower bed in the backyard, next to the blackberry and blueberry bushes. If only I could take some of the wild asparagus and get it to grow out there.....speaking of, I need to go pick some more! I'm craving it.

We went to the river walk in Canon City yesterday. I've taken Luke and Red (the dog) out a few times, but this was a family trip. I shouldn't have been surprised at the level of the (Arkansas) river, the snow IS melting, but it made me utter a "wow." Duh. Luke had a ball throwing rocks in the water and a small herd of deer decided to stop and watch the silly boy. As soon as he turned around to see them they trotted off. Luke tried to trot after them, very cute. He was thrilled at the amount of birds flitting around, the squirrels galloping about, and had his very first taste of prickly pear cactus. By that I literally mean taste. The blooms are done and the season's growth bulbs are perfect for snacking. These were the sweetest ones I've ever munched on, and Luke loved it. I love passing on survival skills to an almost 2-yr old!

This evening was a birthday party for the son of a friend in the Springs. At a fun little place called Pump It Up. Basically, it's a big indoor bounce town. We got there about 30 minutes late (due to the race), but Luke had a blast. We did, too, but we're not toddlers. He bounced, and ran, and slid, and bounced, and bounced, and giggled his little butt off. Then it was pizza, fruit, and cake time. Have I ever mentioned how much my child eats? Seriously, I am scared of the teenage years. He's going to need his own fridge and freezer. His appetite as a toddler is that of a teenaged boy, so I'm in big trouble. After two pieces of pizza (mine and his), he had my portion of pineapple, and a huge piece of cake. He actually turned his nose up at the strawberries, fresh beans, carrots, and grapes. Weird, but I'm guessing he can already tell the difference between the organic we buy and the conventionally grown fruits & veggies because those are normally things that are devoured before even pizza. I think his favorite was the balloons. He played with his all the way home, then raced through the house squealing with delight as the balloon bounced off the walls.

Now he is snoring away in what I hope is a happy dreamland. I think he's in a growth spurt, which means I really, really need to get him a couple new pairs of jeans. He's so tall! The ones he has (size 3T) are already a bit too short. He can't really ride ponies in shorts and he doesn't actually have any jodhpurs, yet. Anyway, I think that about the growth spurt because he's been sleeping longer than usual. It's just kind of amazing when everyone already thinks he's at least a year older than he is!

Okay, I'm needing to go to bed. I'm tired!