April 25

By Liz Lundberg

Monday, April 25, 2005

6:05 A.M.

The boots stay in the closet today...the rainsuit's hanging with them, and I'm still in my shorts on the couch.

No training!! It's like getting a free day off, like a snow day when yu're a kid in school. The last two weeks have been so intense, what with no Jaime, along with the extras I picked up when I got fired. Thank God for rain, rain and more rain!!!!!!

 When I returned to work for Hardhead, one of the boys who works up the shedrow for Mike Baird asked 'are you in or out?'

'don't know. don't know if I'm in or out, comin' or goin', on or off.'

'but you're here.'

'well, not oficially. not till I get back with this horse (Hateya). But I brought some cookies, you want a chocolate chipper? they're in our shedrow'.

'Can't do that. I'm out.'

'Huh?'

'we're on the outs, me n' asshole down there.'

'Oh, no, you're not. He's a hardhead, that's all. Just go on with it and swipe a cookie or ten. That will make everything alright. Believe me, I know this; I've been in n' out for the past three years, and the only thing that gets you back in is being an asshole.'

___________________________

 

The phone just rang. It was Hardhead. He called to tell me there was no training. You know how in you really are when he calls you. Only he would know that Doc wasn't around, and Doc is the one who always calls. So Hardhead calls. That's like getting a love letter from the Pope.

 

 

May 2, 5:40 A.M.

Ever since the time change I have been getting up later.

I realize that my additions to this journal have been sporadic, but the will be until I have the site operating the way I want it to. I may have to move the domain and everything else to another location- one with templates, but I can survive that. I'm in the middle of too many things right now.

Anyway, the Mahans have had two good weeks. Freddy won and last night Stiff won for a tag of 15 K, which is her second win this year, and moving up in class.

They say if a horse isn't sore it probably can't run, and it's true that generally horses that are too slow or unwilling to go above and beyond the call remain healthy  (if useless as racehorses) while those that have talent and try suffer from a host of athletic injuries and illnesses, just as humans do.  Poor Stiff; when I take her out to gallop, she tries to turn around, and loosening up is excruciating for her. She starts off slowly, crabbing her way down the stretch, close to the outside fence, slinging her front end one way and her back end the other, and cocking her head in a stiff display. As soon as she gets loosened up she gallops around as fast as I'll let her go, and bucks when I pull up as if to get all the final kinks out. She hates to train, and often breaks out in an uneasy sweat. But she is a fiercley competitive animal who knows what winning is.

Already Six O'clock. Well, gotta go. Track opens at seven now.