A fun 6-day weekend is just about over. I assume anybody reading this realizes that this was Rolex weekend (the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, if you're a stranger to this site). Since I have some vacation that has to be used or lost, I decided to take a couple of days on each side of the weekend to properly prepare and detox, and have some fun with my own horse.

Or should I call them Palm Sunday eggs, because that's when I found them? I wasn't intending to participate in an early Easter Egg hunt. It was an accidental discovery, and one that presents somewhat of a dilemma.

According to the popular saying, March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. This year, it only got it half right. It roared in like a lion, but at month end, I was wondering what the hell happened to the lamb. Maybe the lion ate it.

Followers of the national news probably expect this to be a rant about the government bailout of failed financial institutions, and the huge bonuses paid to those responsible for the problems. Those in tune with recent events in Kentucky are more likely to guess the actual topic. Although the total overall dollar figures are less, ($6 million instead of $170 million), when it's all going to one loser instead of divided among many, it seems far more outrageous.

I'm neglecting this blog again, mainly due to laziness. I'm also being distracted by Facebook, which is claiming much of my cyber-time. Maybe sometime I'll comment here about the pros/cons of the Facebook format vs. a blog. But I'm too lazy to do that now. I just want to belatedly report on an update to the menagerie. I am no longer dogless, as announced on Facebook about a month ago.

So far, 2009 has not been a good year for hunting. It started off well, with hunts on Jan 1 and 3, but that streak didn't last. Those of us who hunted on Jan 3 congratulated ourselves for carping the diem, because it looked like the weather was about to shut us down for a while. Unfortunately, we were right, even more so than we expected. Between rain, frozen ground, ice storm damage, and other inconveniences, this weekend was our first chance in six weeks. So we made the most of it, with only one minor casualty.

Another chapter already. I know I may be overwhelming my readers, especially after the long lapse in new entries here. And maybe I'm destroying the air of suspense. But I might as well go ahead and write this while it's fresh in my mind.

Kentucky, and other states, were hit by a severe ice storm January 26-28. Electricity is out in Tatertown, and probably will be for over a week. I'll report some random observations here as I can. In an effort to conserve laptop batteries, I won't be online much, and I won't even be able to type stuff offline for later posting. So I'll just post what I can remember as I get a chance, as in this message today coming from the relative comfort of my workplace.

For a week which started out with so much hope and optimism, it sure had a crappy ending. Friday was the first nice day we've had in weeks, and probably the last we'll see for a while. It was a great afternoon to be outdoors. I just wish I didn't have to spend it digging a grave.

The last few days have been an interesting opportunity for hope, celebration, and reflection. Yesterday, I participated in the annual Martin Luther King Day activities. Not surprisingly, most of the speakers mentioned the historic occasion that was going to occur today. President Obama's inauguration is certainly an indication that, although racism hasn't been completely eradicated, our country's attitudes have come a long way since the assassination of Dr. King. It is certainly a wonderful tribute to his life's work to follow his birthday celebration with the inauguration of our first African-American president.