Daily Blues & Views

 There was a time, not all that many years ago, when you wore your politics like clothing.  If your hair was  or wasn't a particular length, then it could be assumed that you supported or didn't the U.S, war in Vietnam.  If you wore beads around your neck, or shunned button-down  shirts or suits, then you must think this way.  Even your age, or there appearance of maturity would cause people to assume things about your values or beliefs.   This is still true in some ways, especially for younger folks  sporting tattoos, or piercings, or wearing certain styles of clothing.   With age, though comes liberation.  Case in point.  A couple of weeks ago I came to this realization on a freezing cold morning as I traveled alone across Oregon and on down to the Bay Area.  I'd spent the night in a cozy mountain lodge of a motel in Shasta City, the small town in the shadow of breathtaking Mount Shasta.  Anxious to get going the next mo...

 "It's in the blood."  That's what a horseman once told me when I asked how he got started training race horses.  I knew exactly what he meant because it's in my blood too.  Now, I don't train horses but my interest and enthusiasm for them is certainly far beyond the norm.   People often find that mystifying when they learn of this strong interest of mine.  "I wouldn't have expected that you'd be into horse racing,"they frequently say.  People make assumptions, don't they? I think, too, that many of their assumptions about horse racing are wrapped up in stereotypical beliefs and the tab ops of gambling.  For many folks, you can't be interested in race horses, unless you gamble on them.  Not so.  But then, I do bet a few bucks from time to time.   "If there were no betting on horse races, I'd still watch them," I tell them.  I don't really think they believe me, but it's really true.  My interest in horse racing a...

 Community is a word with mostly positive connotations.  Despite the fact that its root also produces such loaded words lime commune and communism, people generally feel good about belonging to a community.  A sense of community is regarded as a good thing.  We all belong to several communities.  I suppose there is a community of bloggers, just as there is a community for most subcultures in this world.  I know people who work in the horse racing community have a strong sense of their shared values.  It's an alternative universe and like most communities, they take care of their own.  Most people only see the frontside of a racetrack, that is, the grandstand, turf club, bleachers, and apron in front of the racing surface.  But over in the barn area is the "backside" aka "backstretch" where dozens of grooms live and work alongside vets, trainers, exercise riders, and vendors of feed, tack, and even food.  Clearly a small town.   In t...