Bad Banana!!

My mother and I may share a rather peculiar habit....

Or at least I think it is peculiar!

It is the point of this post to find out if it is or not!

I ask you this....

Do you have an item in your refrigerator in unnecessary multiples?

For some inexplicable reason I buy an onion almost every time I go to the grocery store. At any given time I have a half dozen more onions than I could ever expect to need. I like onion and use them often but not so often as to need to buy one every single time I go to the store!

I really cant explain it.

Thank goodness onions don't go bad nearly as readily as my other bad habit...

Bananas. I do eat a banana almost every day but I do not like them when they are fully ripe (the skin must still be thick and the color all yellow with just a tiny hint of green at the top.) So I always have a large assortment of bananas in various states of ripeness... when a banana turns to brown for me or DB to eat, I toss it in the freezer to use in Banana Bread at some later date ... I hate feeling wasteful!

.....But I don't make Banana Bread often so there are usually a few dozen brown bananas clogging up my little freezer.....

My mother shares my banana habit but her big one is....... Feta cheese! I would bet my last dollar that she has two or more containers of Feta in her fridge at this moment!

So.... are we peculiar?

Or do you do something like this too?

Phar Lap for Real!

Phar Lap for real!...

For anyone who hasn't watched the movie Phar Lap, I highly recommend that you do! While you might not be disposed to trust my judgment after last night's posted video (of Katty Perry) *ahem* I can promise that this movie is worth watching.

Phar Lap is the true story of the legendary Australian race horse, Phar Lap (who is often referred to as "the Aussie Seasbuiscut" because he went showing little promise in ever winning a race to being nearly unable to loose one!) The movie highlights the love between his groom (Tommy Woodcock) and this great red horse much as Seabuiscut highlighted the love of Red Pollard for his little bay.

The movie's ending is no secret but I will still issue a ***spoiler alert! ***

Phar Lap was shipped to US to race in the high states world of American horse racing but never saw a race there (he did race once in Mexico). It has been long suspected that he was poisoned to death by the American Mob (who wanted to protect their bookkeepers from the threat Phar Lap posed.)

(photos: Phar Lap's stuffed hide!)

Phar Lap, for his great race record and dramatic death, became a national icon (quite literally as he is actually featured in the Australian Citizenship test and his mounted hide is on display at the Melbourne Museum, his heart at the National Museum of Australia and his skeleton in a New Zealand!!) The curiousity over his cause of death remained a topic of interest even some 75 years afterward. Many tests were done on his hair and tissue but researchers were unable to separate the chemicals used in preserving his hide and heart vs. those that actually killed him. Also, it was common for race horses to be given small doses of Arsenic (as a blood thinner) a practice Phar Laps trainer was known to employ and so the actual dose of Arsenic (not just the presence of it) would be needed to determine it as a cause of death.

It was not until June 2008 that researchers were finally able to put this mystery to rest! Using some new high-flutin' technology they were able to test six hairs from Phar Laps mane and determine that 30 to 40 hours before his death Phar Lap ingested a massive dose of Arsenic! How cool is that! (that they figured it out...not that he was poisoned...*sheepish grin*....

(How can you tell that I am a fan of Cold Case Files.)

(photo: Phar Lap's heart)

I actually caught a program on TV that told of another interesting fact about Phar Lap and the great American race horse, Secretariat. Scientists have shown that they both carried the same genetic condition (that increases the size of their heart to almost double that of a normal horse) called "X-Factor"! This gene was passed down through a female line that traces back to a racehorse named Eclipse (foaled in England in 1764). While Phar Lap and Secretariat are the extreme cases (there is much debate about the actual weight of Secretariats heart because it was never weighed at his autopsy but the vet, on seeing a sixteen pound heart, guessed Secretariats to be around 22.) Other enlarged "X-Factor" hearts have been found in many other great race horses since.... actually some famous AQHA legendary racing sires like Easy Jet, Azure Te, Dash for Cash, Go Man Go, Three Bars, Top Deck, Leo and many more!

(Photo: Secretariat winning Belmont Stakes by over 30 lengths!)

One last little tidbit... did you know that both Secretariat's jockey (Ron Turcotte) and Red Pollard (Seabuscuits jockey) were good ol' Canadian boys!!

THERE!!! NOOOOOO youtube videos! Whew! *wipes brow* That was difficult. I was going to post some actual footage of Seabuiscut, Phar Lap and Secretariat... but I shall resist!

Its really NOT funny!!!

I know that we shouldn't laugh at the below video but Miss Katy Perry seems to take it all in good humor! There is just something about a practically perfect celebrity been lowered to the grade of mere human that makes for good humor! I don't know why but this video sent me into quite the fit of giggles!

Hmmmm... maybe it is time to lay off the marshmallows again? *wink*



I promise that tomorrow's post will be free of any youtube videos! Actually, tomorrow I had a few planned....! But Saturday will be free for sure! Only... well... Yes, Saturday. No youtubes. Promise. *fingers crossed*

Jetstream Sunset

Don't you wish that you were on this plane (heading South)?
*photo is straight out of the camera....(DB wants credit for calling me out on to the deck to take this pic! lol)*

Movie Horses Cont'd...

Thank you Water_bearer (and BECG) for writing in and clearing up the "Cisco" debacle! I was a little confused on the subject myself as I found it reported that "Cisco" from Dances With Wolves had retired to the Redstone Ranch in TX but also found no account of them....so when I then found a half dozen blogs and random tourist pictures that showed this "Buck" horse (that I think looks right) as being in 1800 Town SD (listed as Justin) I figured he must have been sold there at some point. (I imagine that the rumors BECG heard of his passing were correct).

Heather- I cant believe that I didn't watch Alexander the Great!! How did this happen! It has Colin Farrell (my old fav) and Jared Leto (Hello!! Jordan Catalano!) and horses...all in one movie! Are you kidding me!

I found this clip from the movie that illustrates what is probably the first and now oldest horse story ever told- of when Alexander (age 12) managed to tame the wild black stallion and showed the first promise of becoming one of the greatest rulers and conquerors of all time. Upon returning with the horse, it is said that Philip (his father) told him, " 'O my son, look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee.'"

The clip:




Mr Ed- (Bamboo Harvester) was an American Saddlebred (with a little Arab thrown in for good measure:) died at the ripe old age of 32-33.

Havent we all heard this song from our horses? I know I have.....Mr. Ed said it all!!



*I am sorry but I could not find any info on the horse from Ever After and have never seen the movie myself. I will have to rent it now that I know there is a pretty horse in it!! *

- I looked up info for Dollar but it was a tough search on Google (with a name like that and the amount of stuff on John Wayne.) Did you know that John Wayne or "The Duke" was actually born with the name Marion Robert Morrison! Yikes!!


I did find this clip featuring a classic scene with John Wayne *sigh* and his horse Dollar from the movie True Grit wherein some poor woman is getting quite the spanking! And.... she does not look like she's enjoying it much either! Now....if The Duke were the one administering it... that might be a different story all together! *evil grin*




Cndcowgirl- I loved the Phar Lap movie!!! I am going to do a post on him tomorrow. So stay tuned for more on him. As for Zorro.... Is this the scene you were talking? It is really cool!

Alright, I am sure we could all, given enough time, continue to come up with a hundred more beautiful horses that we admired from TV and the movies. I mean, we’d watch an infomercial for hours if it featured a pretty enough horse, wouldn’t we?

I am sorry that I did not have time to get to all the horses you mentioned.

But I’d like to mention one last movie that stole my heart right from the first moment- the first time I ever watched the trailer even.

Legends of the Fall anyone?

Horses, ranch, mountain sunlight, mustangs….Brad Pitt, horses… Brad Pitt on horses….

I still remember sitting in the movie theatre, barely able to breath, madly gripping the armrest, and blushing scarlet when I watched the following scene for the first time. I don’t think I’d ever seen anything so beautiful in my life….

A music video (I recommend turning off the volume) that features some of the best horse shots from the LOTF.

Movie Horses

Finally, we get back to movie horses!

My favorite movie horse of all time has to be Cisco (Dances With Wolves buckskin) who was an AQHA gelding named "Justin" (Plain Justin Bar).

When I went looking for a picture of "Cisco" I found the above photos with the title "the horse Kevin Costner rode in 'Dances With Wolves'" beneath which read:

mauntainmaus says:

"Lucky horse!"

Hmm.... I'd have to agree! But also found it kind of sad that this horse was being kept as a tourist attraction in Mitchell, SD along with other props from the movie!

My favorite scene from Dances with Wolves would have to be when he gallops across the field in front of the opposing army with his arms in the air....I get choked-up just thinking about it...

This is kind of a long clip but you can scroll over to the 2min :30second mark to see the action!



...or maybe my favorite is when the native kids come to steal Cisco but as they are galloping away and glorying in their achievement, Cisco slams on the breaks and runs off- breaking the arm of his captor in the process.....

Or was it when they hunt the buffalo together.... *sigh* there are just to many to choose from!

And of course who could forget another movie in which all the joy and heart wrenching glory of our love for horses so beautifully comes to life....

As in The Black Stallion.

In which an horse named Cass Ole plays the Arabian stallion we all know and love.

Of course there is more than one famous black horse worth noting...

the horses that played "Beauty" in the movie Black Beauty. Docs Keepin Time (AQHA) had a few other note worthy parts.... as "Black" on The Adventures of the Black Stallion television show and as "Gulliver" in the Horse Whisperer.

Speaking of The Horse Whisperer....

....this movie featured more than its fair share of QHs.... my favorite being Robert Redford's horse Rimrock (Rambo Roman) who was owned by Buck Brennerman, (the inspiration for Tom Booker).

One other horse that stood out in my mind was the bay horse ridden by Chris O'Donnell in the movie The Three Musketeers. Now that is a luck horse! Here is a scene that I love wherein D'Artagnan leaps onto the back of his faithful stead while his foe is forced to do what we have all had to- once or maybe even twice before-chase after his own horse! .....

Click here for it!!!

And guess what!? Our good friend Gabrielle Anwar (who played Sonora in Wild Hearts Cant Be Broken was in that movie too!

And then there is the great Denny!!! ( from the Man From Snow River)....

I dont know about you but I ran down many a mountainside on my make-believe horse trying to re-enact the above scene!!! I think this movie has some of the greatest shots of equine action ever filmed. Check it out.....

More to come....

Golden Globe Dresses

I dont know about you but I just love the glitz and glamour of the red carpet. I could care less about who wins what.. I am all about the dresses baby! So lets check them out, shall we?

***
I have been sitting here watching the red carpet on TV and posting but there are too many dresses to keep up with. So... here are a bunch but not nearly all!

My Thoughts on Emotion-

For those of you who dont want to read the below essay I offer you this.....

A Silent Saturday photo.....



On second thought, the above pic is a little to cliche for my liking....I think this suits much better...


Holy Dyna!!! Check out this broad!

**Btw, My Mom was very surpised when yesterday I refered to a woman as a broad. "There was this broad on TV," I said, much to my Mother's amusment! We were actually both quite taken aback that I would use such a term.... **

But the woman in this pinup is most certainly a "broad", dont you think? I mean, check out that eye shadow and blush! She looks like my Auntie MiMi! (... if I had an Auntie MiMi)

I Love her boots though! And I always wanted to be a red head.

....... And that is my 139 word Silent Saturday (that is now actually Sunday).

**********************

To those of you who dare read on.... be forewarned!!!! The following is a long and rambling pseudo-intellectual post that wrote this evening..... (Surprisingly) I did not write it while under the influence nor had I recently eaten any mushrooms of a suspicious origin !!!

Here it goes....

******
My Thought's on Emotion
******

Two sides of myself exist in a perpetual state of war. The first side being conscious Thought and the second being conscious Emotion. There is in each such a force and divergence of character that they do not often find a common opinion nor seek a mutual goal. My vessel contains two governesses, whom create such angst and inner turmoil within their realm as to never leave me short on drama or humility. For my Emotion finds my Thought shallow and my Thought finds my Emotion foolhardy and each battles for the ultimate control of the action that thought and emotion must together or independently inspire.

Often I feel within, a third- by which I now speak and to whom I most often address as Myself. I am a diminutive spectator sitting between these two bold personalities. Like some arbitrager I seek to find the balance between each without the sacrifice of either. While Emotion provides conviction to Thought’s opinion and Thought tempers the rashness of Emotion, they are not quick to acknowledge such compliments and it is I who most often bears the assault of their conflicting opinions and must find their common ground. It is also I who must suffer the tempestuous waves created by their war, and bare the battering wake of indecision such conflicts inspire. Despite this, for having them both within one harbor I am grateful as I depend on them both, though not always in equal measure.

I am emboldened by the height and range of my Emotion- that within one day she may spawn Rage, Lust, Humor, Adoration, Indifference, Distain and many others. But for all its good Emotion would fetch me little peace in life if it were not for the temperance of having Thought as her counterweight. Thought tends to look loftily and dismissively down upon Emotion- only addressing and reasoning each of Emotion’s minions in order to steer them away from their impetuous course. Judgment, Reason, Introspection, are just a few of Thoughts many working allies. She is strong willed but too often overshadowed by the abundance of my Emotion.

And so I am known as a ditz or a dreamer because Thought is often indisposed with the demands of keeping my Emotion from any brash or illegal action. I am sure that people often find it surprising, much to the chagrin of Thought, that I can be quite intelligent, sharp witted and eloquent in speech when set to any task lacking Emotional hindrance. Those that find me cool or dispassionate are likewise surprised to find such strength of emotion- when either Thought fails to reason Emotion to temperance or when Thought agrees and therefore strengthens the conviction of Emotion. For when that happens, the object of my consideration is often blasted with such strength and force of Emotion as to wonder at the sanity and stability of its bearer.

This story of mine is written by Myself, that objective anchor on which Thought and Emotion’s storms must pivot and whom endeavors to navigate their common vessel to the temperate harbor of her destined future.

Hold on! There's more!

I have to seriously rethink the time of day that I post!

Be forewarned- This post does not contain "Good Morning Sunshine!" content. You may want to come back a little later..... maybe after you've had a nice glass of wine...

or a relaxing Irish Coffee....

or maybe even a swig from Grandpa Lee's moonshine canteen.... whatever floats your boat!

Either way.... Hold on!.... 'Cause there's more where yesterday's came from!

********
So... I may be just a wee bit addicted to youtube. Teeny... tiny... bit. But bare with me, k?

Does anyone recognize the horse in this video?


Oh man! Dont you just love that song?!!

There is nothing sexier than a man singing in lispy high pitched babydollvoice! ....

... or not.

I think we need to cleanse our palettes (so to speak) don't you?

How about checking out one of my favorite performances of all time?

I am not a huge Pink fan but she freakin rocks this version of Janis Joplin's 'Me and Bobby McGee'! Dont you think?


"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know, feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee"

Speaking of "FREEDOM!!"

How about the horse in that video?

No takers?

(Arent you impressed with my ability have a two sided conversation all by my lonesome...? Me too!)

Ok... A hint....

The horse in the video was ridden by an A list actor in a major film!

As a matter of fact... by an certain actor infamous for getting caught on tape as he drunkenly spewed off an antisemitic rant to a few police officers (after getting pulled over for a DUI).....

Hollywoods fallen Angel.....

Ok... one last hint....Does this ring a bell?

Why it was Mel Gibson of course!

And the horse in the video is the very same one that "William Wallace" rode while giving his famous "Freedom" speech in Braveheart.

I overreached a little on this one, didnt I? Damn! I always go one step to far.

But I challenge you to not feel impassioned by this speech! And that horse!

Though I have to say that I have always preferred the blood bay he rode when he stole his future wife away for a ride through the rain... and heather.... *sigh*....

I have always been fascinated with movie horses. Not just the famous ones like Black Beauty or The Black Stallion, Hidalgo or Seabuiscut...but the thousands of nameless horses that have appeared on the silver screen without mention or merrit.

Like these horse from Lord of the Rings. My favorite beings Shadowfax (on the far right).

Did you know that .....-"Demero, the Andalusian stallion who played 'Shadowfax' in LOTR, died in July 2003 from a melanoma on his stomach. Owner Mark Kineston-Smith of Otaki, NZ, bought Demero knowing of the condition. The stallion served only three mares, and one didn't take, another took but she broke her pelvis and had to be put down, and the third is unconfirmed to be in foal. However Mark is hoping she will drop a lovely Andalusian x Welsh-English Riding Pony, which will hopefully grow to 14.2hh. The dam's name is Moonshine Abbey, she's a 13hh liver chestnut mare, about 10-12 years old. Just thought I'd give you an update."

Now that is the kind of useful information you can only find here at....

Adventures of a Horse Crazed Mind!!!

More movie horses tomorrow. Be sure to comment with your own favorites (horses that were only "extras" but that struck your fancy!)

B-b-b-b- Benny! B-b-b- Benny and the Jets!

Click play then scroll down.....

YAYWO!!!

WHAAAAAHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

What was that for????

Who cares!!!!!!

YOW!!!! YAYAYAY YOW!!!!!

Wait for it now!

"Bomp! Bomp! Bomp! Bomp!....

Wait!

Now sing along!

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather"


Come one everyone *evoking my best enthusiastic aerobics instructor voice*

Hoooot it up with me now!! ........

Why do I have a sneaky suspicion that you'll are sitting there staring at your screen with a "poor dear, she's lost her marble" look on your face?

Come on! I am trying to kick the winter blues (and this nasty cold) but thinking of things that make me feel all jacked up and like shakin my sheeeeet on the dance floor! "

** "B-b-b-b- BENNY!!! B-b-b-b- Benny!!! and the Jets!" **

No? Not doing it for you? Hmmm.... Alright, scroll up and click the II (pause) button on poor Elton!

How 'bout..... (hit play with me!)

WHOOOT!!!

Catch that intro! Bomp! Bomp! .......

"She was a fast machine
She kept her motor clean
She was the best damn woman that I ever seen
She had the sightless eyes
Telling me no lies
Knockin' me out with those American thighs
Taking more than her share
Had me fighting for air
She told me to come but I was already there...."

YoWW !!!!

*tap tap tap* Is this thing on?

I give up. If AC/DC cant get'r'done.... (hit pause on them too!!)

Now! If THIS guy doesnt get to you- nobody can!!! (give it a minute...it gets better as it goes in! I think this guys is BRILLIANT!! )

"Put on your shaggin' shoes! We're goin' dancin'"

Does anyone remember this movie?

About 4 teenage girls that escape to Myrtle Beach, SC one weekend in the summer of 1963 and discover a love of SHAGGING baby!! (As in a certain kind of dancing made popular in that town!!! *wink* )

I couldnt find any clear footage of the dancing from the movie but it has some fantastic choreography that looks like this....

And it was done by the same choreographer as Dirty Dancing. *sigh*

Oh, dont you just love Dirty Dancing?

And the soundtrack is the best!!!

"Sylvia?
Yes Mickey?
How do you call you're loverboy?
Come here loverboy!
And if he doesn't answer?
Oh loverboy!
And if he still doesn't answer?
I simply say!
Baby, oh baby, my sweet baby, you're the one...."

Here is a great link to a youtube video featuring scenes from the movie with the soundtrack (it had the embedding disabled)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Kho3qfrms&feature=PlayList&p=BE6E4AD99B45E67B&playnext=1&index=5

What about Swing Kids?



Or Footloose?

Dont you just love a good dance movie! It makes me want to jump up and shake my booty!

What is your favorite dance movie?

******

Thank you to Bigsky Farm for this award!

Gala

I decided to pick up a meme... a little late! But better than never, right?

The rules are:

1) Go to your picture folder, or wherever you store your photos on your computer

2) Go to the sixth folder and pick the sixth picture.

3) Post it on your blog and tell the story that goes along with the picture

4) Tag five friends to do the same thing, and leave a message on their blog that they have been tagged

I am going to be naughty and not tag anyone.... or actually... tag everyone!

Tag.... tag....."Tay-gu" ..... Its kind of a funny word! Tag? Don't you think it sounds like the name of some hunky soap-opera star?... "Next week on Days of Our Lives.....Tag finds Victoria in bed with Gage!" Gage! Now there is a hunky name!

Yah....so...

Here is my picture....

This is Gala in Tiaga, TX.

Gala had a much better set up to her hind quarter than shown in this picture! Her face... errr....as advertised.*sheepish grin* Sorry Gala!

One day, while scanning the ads of a local horse magazine, I found an advertisement that read- "2003 Bay mare, unbroke. Dam: Miss Zan Freckles (Colonel Freckles) Sire: Dunnit In Hollywood"

I thought I recognized the name Miss Zan Freckles so looked her up and found that she was an own daughter of the great Colonel Freckles, had NCHA $$ earnings and produce earnings of $50,000+ including Top 50 NRHA Sire Zan Freckles Hickory.

The listed sire was a nice son of HDI, owned by Dell Hendricks. I was impressed by this mares bloodlines and by her price.

So I called up the owner, Berry, and asked him about his filly. His sales pitch was, " You dont want her! She's ugly. But I have two other nice colts here that you'll be happy with so why dont you come on by!" I took him at his word and went on up country to check them out...

And this is what I found... Gala

He did have two very nice little colts to show me but I insisted on taking a look at his "ugly filly" dispite his protests! She didn't have a name and she wasn't pretty. She didn't like to be touched much and she wasn't broke. But boy oh boy! Could she ever move!

And so I bought her for a song and named her Gala after my favorite kind of apple (grown in the region where she was born).... and/or for the last name of the man who bred her.... and/or as a shortened version of the word Singhala.... which I thought meant "lion" in some strange language.... you take your pick!

I put Ghala in training with a man that I knew to be a very good hand at starting colts and thought I would just see how she shaped up before making any plans....

(Gala after first 30 days)

And shape up she did. So much so that after three months I decided to step up to the big leagues! I sent her to train with Million Dollar Rider Dell Hendricks down in Tiaga TX *shout out to Leah Fry*

Why?

Because I was naive. Naive? "Ni- eve" Another weird word!

Yes, I was stupid! And I thought I was cool to have a horse in training with some big name trainer. Gala was put in to a "program" and did fairly well for a while but eventually bottomed out and it was determined that she wasn't going to make a Derby horse after all. "Gul-i- bull."

I never did bring Gala home as I had intended. Are you noticing a trend? So am I.

Gala was sold to a nice young lady in Illinois that planned to show locally and trail ride. I sincerely hope that she is happy, wherever she is.

I realize now that I made a very serious mistake in sending Gala to Texas. What is done is done but I hope that my horses will never have to suffer for my mistakes again. I am sure that Dell Hendricks is a perfectly nice person but I know now that the big leagues come at a price I am not willing to pay (morally not financially). I am sorry for sending Gala and wish that I had kept her with the trainer here at home... though, it must be said, that shorty after she left for TX my local Guru fell of the wagon and disappeared into the hinter lands of Alberta.... *ehem* So maybe Gala was doomed from the start.

So....That is the very brief story of Gala.

Now! I am going to tell you something you will never believe!!!

Did you know that one of the worlds richest men, a billionaire! "Bill-yon-air!" actually has the name, Anurag Dikshit.

No joke.

Above is a video of Gala before I purchased her- when she was still a little rough around the edges.