The year ends

I'm failing as a blogger. 3 months weren't supposed to pass. Keebler is well and is down in Alabama at Debi Crowley's Cotton Meadows Farm (www.cottonmeadowsfarm.com). I'm sure he wonders why he is in dressage boot camp, but is enjoying lots of turn out and the warmer weather. Meanwhile, I've been riding Del. It is a lot of fun doing dressage on such an easy horse.

Shanyn Fiske bought the lovely mare Greta, so we're looking forward to seeing them out eventing in 2009.

In October, I took the final exam for the TD's license. Due to odd timing, my application won't be reviewed by the committee until April, so I'll be doing some other things in the interim. Look for (more regular) posts about the goings on.

In November, I spent a weekend down in Florida at the Ocala event. Lots of fun, and got to spend some time with Andre and Hilda as well as lessons on Isabelle and Helari, too very nice young mares down at Ashmore.

December was the end of teaching, a quick trip to Santa Fe and a slightly longer trip to California where we did cookie party 22! Then visited Ojai and had a wonderful dinner with new friends Tanya Bentley and her husband Alex at Upstairs2. We highly recommend this restaurant if you are in L.A.

There was also very sad news. John Pryor, one of our great trauma surgeons here at Penn was killed in Iraq on Christmas. It has been a long time since I've lost someone and then it was AIDS, the killer of my times. I'm just too young to have had friends in Vietnam and old enough that most of my friends are too old for the more recent wars, but trauma surgeons are needed in battle and are making remarkable strides to saving lives. John knew how needed his skills were and chose to serve with a forward team. http://www.drjohnpryor.com/index.html