Worked at a country club once that had a big 'ol doin's to celebrate Derby Day- the first Saturday in May.

The club always had a huge buffet w/ carved ham, hot browns, mint juleps, derby pie, bourbon bread pudding- the works.

And like the Royal Wedding there were foo-foo HATS galore!

Is anyone here a horse fan? Do you do anything to mark the occasion?

BTW- '60 Minutes' did a wonderful profile of the greatest filly in horse-racing history- Zenyata, this past Sunday... Is she beautiful or what?

Kevin, I grew up with working horses. Never was much of a race fan of any kind. Although we boys used to race each other, just for fun. Worked and rode several mules to. Yeah, it was a long time ago. CF:)

Nice story CF! Horses are lovely creatures... almost as lovely as Janie's cutey-pie l'il bunny-critters!

Kevin, another thing. We can learn a lot from watching animals and birds. Both domestic and wild. We have lots of wildlife around us here where we live. They are so much enjoyment in just watching them, and the things they do. CF:)

I agree CF.

I was raised in central Illinois farm-country (where I have returned to live today to be near aging parents- after being elsewhere for long years), I was raised w/ every pet you could think of from dogs/cats to coons and peacocks. Also came up learning to hunt- roamed woods, fields and riverbeds in search of rabbits, squirrels, coons, pheasant, deer... and part of the magic I loved about Alaska was the bountiful wildlife... When I left Illinois initially, I was a little bored w/ the terrain and life here. But time in Alaska taught me that ALL regions hold magic and charm... and that the geography of even the flat-land holds value and mystique. I am SO grateful for that lesson. Now I love the Mid-West! Whudda thunk that Alaska could make me change my mind about boring mundane cornfields?

Have you ever read the "All Creatures Great & Small" series of several books by the retired English vet James Herriot? It was also a long-running PBS series. He's written several books telling the tales of his 50+ years of doctoring animals across the English countryside in an era before modern conveniences such as penicillin. I just read "The Good Lord Made Them All" and another volume of just cat stories. I highly recommend for all nature/animal lovers. Such fine, fine charming reading told w/ a kind, caring, English voice! All his books are in libraries and also available used and cheap at Amazon.