Cold Mountain blues

You may wonder why there have been so few posts lately. The approaching end of the calendar year is one reason; November and December are chock-full of compiling statistics for annual reports that provide taxpayers with an account of where their money is going. (I didn't know this was such a radical idea until I started reading about the Jockey's Guild's troubles.)

However, while work has kept me busy, and holiday shopping is adding to the chaos, the biggest reason for a lack of posts has actually been the weather. Here in Pittsburgh, we're on our 21st day (maybe more, who's counting?) of sub-normal temperatures. And every two days, we get a nice coating of snow and freezing rain to make our lives complete. It's been so bad that Mountaineer canceled races earlier this week, leaving this Saturday, Dec 16, as the last day of racing before Christmas.

Of course there are still two $75,000 stakes races scheduled before the end of the year: the Christmas Stakes on Dec 26 and the New Year's Eve Stakes on Dec 27. I've got my fingers crossed that it'll be warm enough on one of those nights to take a sleighride to West Virginia, grab a hot buttered rum, and play the ponies.

And hey, it's the time of year for wishes to come true, right?