Cat's To Do List

Buy hot chocolate (the good kind)
   (yes, it is hot outside, but what is life without hot chocolate?)

Search house and remove all of Hank the beagle's sticks
    (will the record of seven hidden sticks in one week be beaten?)

Ask new roomie Darcy to stop chewing gum so loudly
     (love the new roomie part, but the gum chewing is driving me nuts!)

Get Jon to switch feed shifts with me on Tuesday
     (date night with Brent, make Jon an offer of two of his AM shifts for my Tues. PM shift?)

Talk with Sally Blue to see what is going on with Gigi
     (can a horse like Sally even be psychic?)

Why does Gigi trot in place when ground driving?
     (do NOT lose more sleep over this question. Gigi is a yearling filly and is entitled to be quirky)

Find a new restaurant to take Agnes to when she visits on Thursday
     (be sure wait staff at new restaurant does not hang out with wait staff at old restaurant)
     (remember that Agnes is still the best owner any trainer could have)

Prepare for riding lesson with Keith Carson
     (how did I get so lucky, such a hunk for a neighbor?)
     (still can't believe he chose me to be his instructor!!!)
     (until he learns to keep his heels down I get to touch his ankle!)
     (my crush is platonic, really, it is.)

Woof!

Cold, cold damp weather lately. Love it!!!! Lots of mud and way cool smells! Especially in the barn. Wow! And the pastures. And the creek bank, too, but don't tell Cat or Jon that I go down there. They are afraid I will fall in the river. Silly. Beagles are good swimmers. Mostly.

Fan mail. Thank you!!!!! I'm actually getting some. Especially after The Magnum Equation came out. People wondering when I will get my own book. Or, books. Flattered. Thanks. Sounds like fun, but  I will let Cat find the bad guys for now. I like being her support system. Maybe later alligator.

I bet you didn't know Beagles could type. Or know even know what a blog is. I don't understand it all myself. I just think the words and here they are. Amazing. At least to me.

I'm not supposed to tell, but Cat has news, news, NEWS! She isn't ready to share it yet, even though it involves all of us. I know what it is, though. I've got a secret and it is big! Huge! Exciting! I've actually been howling the news to the treetops, but I guess not many people understand the true meaning of hound dog howls. Shame, that.

Cat will tell soon, though. Stay tuned.

––From Hank the Fabulous Wonder Dog

Validation

Who knew my life was so interesting? The Opium Equation, the book that was just written about us, is up for a SECOND award! This one is from American Horse Publications, which is exceptional in my mind because I know some of the journalists and publications who belong that that great organization.

This is all so much validation for me. You might not realize it from reading the book, but I suffer from a teensy amount of low self esteem. All that breaking into my neighbor's houses is just a front. And my mouth, it's just my Irish temper getting the best of me. Inside I am still a motherless little girl lost in doubt. So these awards are especially nice. Nice too for the horsewoman who wrote about us, Lisa Wysocky. You should check her out, she's pretty cool.

In other news, we are headed to a bunch of horse shows. Bob, Gigi, Petey, and Sally Blue, along with a few new horses will travel in the trailer, while Jon, Agnes, Darcy, Hank, and I get the cab of the truck. Even with front and back seats it gets pretty crowded, especially when Agnes swivels around to hang her head out the window so she can wave her pom poms at passing cars. I keep telling her she's going to get us all arrested, but that's another story.

Until next time,

Cat Enright
Owner/trainer, Cat Enright Stables, Ashland City, Tenessee

Mud! (From Jon)

Wow, we have had rain and more rain here in Tennessee this winter. In fact, the entire property is one big slimy mass of mud. Have been rotating turnout in the indoor arena but I can't wait until the paddocks are dry enough to turn the horses out more regularly.

We have a few new horses in the barn, one of which shows a ton of promise, but I'll let Cat tell you about him. We also have an ebook! The Opium Equation, the book that was written about one of Cat's adventures is now in Kindle format. Hope you check it out.

Agnes has been around a lot lately. She is driving me crazy. On the other hand, we haven't seen enough of Darcy. She has a BOYFRIEND. I haven't seen enough of him to form an opinion. But rest assured. I will.

From Sally

Gigi is an idiot. I'm just saying. But that's beside the point. All of us horses here at Cat Enright Stables are so excited that the book that has been written about us will be available in a few days. Zowie! This is (almost) as exciting as my winning the world championship last fall.

Some humans think I "know" things, that I can sense the future. Maybe that's true, or, maybe it is just that we horses are smarter than humans. In any case, I predict that if you read The Opium Equation, that you will LOVE it. After all, I am a big part of the story.

In the meantime, I need my beauty sleep. No matter what anyone says, it is very tiring for a horse to type more than a few sentences. Later, y'all.

Sally Blue (the true heroine of the story)

From Jon

It's been a hot summer. Really hot. Hard to keep the horses cool. Especially when we are on the road or at a show. Going through lots of electrolytes. Cherry flavored. Mix it into the horse's water and its like Gatorade. Keeps them hydrated.

Cat has been after me for weeks to get this blog post up. The heat, though. It affects everything. Our yearling filly Gigi has been most affected. She's definitely a diva, that one. Doesn't want to eat when it is hot. Found if we refrigerate her grain so it is cool, then she'll eat. What I'll do to keep a horse happy. :-) Getting lots of wins at the shows though, Gigi is. The other horses, too. And the riders. It's been a good summer. Just hot.

Only downer is that Cat and I are still a little distant. She got involved in a murder investigation last Spring. Didn't communicate with me as well as she could have. I care, you know. She's my boss, but we need to talk. Geez. Can't believe I actually wrote that. But we do. Need to talk. Cat, if you read this, call me. I know you have my number so let's lay this on the table and move on.

Oh, and you HAVE to tell Agnes to stop bugging me about being president of the Sally Blue fan club. Not interested. Don't have time. Besides, why does a horse need her own fan club? Some people (Agnes) have too much time on their hands.

Jon Gardner, barn manager
Cat Enright Stables

From Darcy

I have to say that Cat is like the most backwards person there is in the entire world when it comes to computer stuff. The previous blog was signed by her, but the fact is she dictated it to me and I posted it. No matter. Payback will happen in due time and when it does, I guarantee it will be a lot of fun! Cat is like way too serious sometimes and Jon, well, he’s all down to business, too. Someone has to stir things up around here. It might as well be me.

Cat doesn’t know that I am leaking a little bit of The Opium Equation to you in advance, so don’t tell her it was me. It will be our little secret. She’ll never know because she will never get on to check this blog. Besides, it’s just the cast of characters and that will help you learn a little about those of us who DO blog here. Think of it as a public service. Here you go.

Darcy Whitcomb (extraordinary youth kid)


Cast of Main Characters

Cat Enright:  A horse trainer near Nashville, Tennessee. She is twenty-nine, single, impulsive, vulnerable, a tiny bit rude, and the owner of a small stable.

Bubba Henley:  Budding juvenile delinquent and ten-year-old son of a neighboring trainer. Cat worries when no one can find him.

Hill Henley:  Bubba’s no-account father and fourth generation Tennessee Walking Horse trainer.

Glenda Dupree:  Retired movie star and neighbor of both Cat and the Henley’s. She’s the kind of person everyone loves to hate.

Adam Dupree:  Glenda’s nephew. He is a failed actor, a songwriter wanna-be, and likes Cat very much.

Opal Dupree:  Glenda’s aged mother. Opal knows a terrible and ancient secret that may help Cat, but her mind wanders.

Fairbanks:  The ancestral antebellum home of the Henley family, now owned by Glenda Dupree.

Col. Sam Henley:  Long dead Civil War era builder of Fairbanks, and Hill’s great, great grandfather.

Agnes Temple: Ditsy woman of a certain age with electric blue hair. She owns two horses in Cat’s barn.

Hank:  Cat’s incorrigible Beagle-mix puppy.

Martin Giles: Local cop. Young, but smart.

Jon Gardner:  Cat’s stable manager and right hand. No one, Cat included, knows exactly where he’s from, which is the way he likes it.

Darcy Whitcomb:  Seventeen-year-old daughter of a prominent dot com entrepreneur. She’s a little spoiled, but Cat loves her like family.

Carole Carson:  Riding student neighbor of Cat’s, and the wife of country music super star, Keith Carson.

Keith Carson:  A neighbor and country music super star. Keith is out touring and has only a very small part in this story, which is too bad as he’s really quite a hunk.

Robert Griggs:  Quiet hospital nurse and a riding student.

Frog:  A trouble-making punk friend of Bubba’s.

Brent Giles: Martin’s older brother. A small animal veterinarian from Clarksville.

Buffy Thorndyke:  Young reporter with blue blood in her veins and air in her head.

Sheriff “Big Jim” Burns: An election is looming and the sheriff wants an arrest. Any arrest.

Sally Blue: Young, possibly psychic, red roan Appaloosa mare owned by Agnes Temple. Sally is very loyal to Cat.

Peter’s Pride: Tall, older black gelding owned by Darcy Whitmore. Petey is a calming influence on Darcy, but he also likes to play.

Hillbilly Bob: Bay, aged gelding owned by a local orthopedic surgeon. Cat swaps training fees for treatment of broken bones and has won several championships on Bob.

Glamour Girl: Dingbat yearling filly. Gorgeous, but brainless.