November 18, 2023 WILD HORSES

 I think I've finally lost it. Got up this morning--bright and early. Super excited. Going to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Show. I'm all showered--make up applied--dressed--bag packed. READY TO GO. And I find out it's NOT TIL TOMORROW. What a DOPE. How did I mess that up???  UGH. There's nothing worse than being ALL DRESSED UP AND READY TO GO---AND THERE'S NOWHERE TO GO. So I did what any reasonable person would do--changed--went to yoga class--followed by a 4 mile run. Didn't tell you the best part--my partner in crime--thought it was today too. That makes me feel A LITTLE BIT BETTER--I think??? SO--we will wake up bright and early again tomorrow and get it right--At least we will already know what we're going to wear. This one will definitely go in the record book. Just read an incredible book based on a true story about a horse named Lexington who was a record breaking stallion, Geraldine Brooks novel Horse. This saga flips back and for in time between 1850 and 2019. As the story unfolds, Theo, an art historian, finds a painting of a horse in a garbage pile near his house. He decides to take it to a friend at the Smithsonian to see if it's valuable. Meanwhile, Jess, an osteologist, discovers bones at the Smithsonian, that she thinks belong to Lexington, the greatest racehorse of all time. Theo and Jess meet one afternoon after a bike mishap and realize they are both interested in discovering more about the horse and their friendship develops from there. Meanwhile, Martha Jackson, an art gallery owner, is given a painting by her maid. It is a painting handed down in her family and she wants to know the value because she needs money. Back in 1850, Jarrett, a slave on a plantation, forms a life-long bond with a newborn foal, who turns into the greatest racehorse of all time.  He also forges a long friendship with a painter named Thomas Scott, whose subject is horses. This is historical fiction at its best. It's a story about American horse racing in the deep South before the Civil War and during the Civil War. It's also a story about slavery, art, greed, love and horses that I found super interesting and well written. It's about 400 pages of reading that's worth your time. Enjoy.