Image from the captured and mirrored "Majestic Farms" Koenig blog, published under First Amendment criticism and commentaryWord comes through the grapevine about a NoMi resident's little adventure with Paul "Pamiko-gate" Koenig last year. Here it is, straight from the horse's mouth:
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In the summer of 2008, I had organized a bunch of neighbors to file impact statements in order to get Paul Koening's property at 3025 Clinton Avenue (South) onto Karen Notch's problem properties caseload. I told Karen that it had gone into foreclosure and some of what has been coming out now regarding Mr. Koening.
I just received a reply from Karen in which she told me that every time she had to address a complaint with Mr. Koening regarding the property that he would immediately contact the Mayor to make complaint that the city
problem properties system was corrupt! Isn't that laughable?!
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JNS answers: Laughable, indeed! This is a man who wrote bad checks to Mystic Lake and then listed the checks on his bankruptcy. Oh, how I wish the long slow holiday season would end...our city government would ramp up to full speed...and this man would be staring at some kind of indictment or, at least, an invitation to come and answer some pointed questions. Heaven knows he won't answer MY pointed questions.
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In the summer of 2008, I had organized a bunch of neighbors to file impact statements in order to get Paul Koening's property at 3025 Clinton Avenue (South) onto Karen Notch's problem properties caseload. I told Karen that it had gone into foreclosure and some of what has been coming out now regarding Mr. Koening.
I just received a reply from Karen in which she told me that every time she had to address a complaint with Mr. Koening regarding the property that he would immediately contact the Mayor to make complaint that the city
problem properties system was corrupt! Isn't that laughable?!
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JNS answers: Laughable, indeed! This is a man who wrote bad checks to Mystic Lake and then listed the checks on his bankruptcy. Oh, how I wish the long slow holiday season would end...our city government would ramp up to full speed...and this man would be staring at some kind of indictment or, at least, an invitation to come and answer some pointed questions. Heaven knows he won't answer MY pointed questions.
And for your reading pleasure today, we have a horsey-set lifestyle musing from Mr. Big Time himself:
ReplyDeleteSaturday, October 10, 2009
'Lead On' {commentary- that's the horse's name}
Richie and I were just talking this morning about the wonder run that we have been on with him. his placing in the last several races were 1st, 5th, 1st, 4th, 1st,3rd, 1st, 2nd, 1st then This. From that pattern there was nowhere to go but to heaven it would appear.
Richie and I were talking about how healthy and happy he was. He was doing so well. Lead on usually gets nervous before races and he was finally coming into his own and appearing more relaxed on race days. Richie schooled him in the paddock and he was so much better. He was our top horse and we were dreaming of what he could do and how we would chart out his hopeful path. We were likely going to run him in an 2nd level allowance race at the Fair Grounds race course. Tons of big time horses go there and the movie Dreamer was filmed there. I can always remember standing in the beautiful paddock watching our horses circling the very same paddock that Sonyador did in the movie. Lead on is the type of horse one hopes to have that gets into this business on a budget.
We claimed Lead on for $16k I think. I did all my research and thought this one was a good one so Richie put in a claim. Richie later told me that we claimed him from an older couple with friends that were wearing Lead On hats. I kinda felt bad...so did Richie...but that is part of the game. So we got him, I was pretty excited.
Lead on went on to score a second and a 3rd I think at awesome Arlington Park. He did okay here and there but kinda struggled in races. I forgot to add that our good friend, Bill Callery, owned him with us so we could share the ups and down together. Back to the story. Lead on was improving and showing a thing or two so we progressively entered him in harder and bigger races. He just could not get it done, yet proved he belonged. I think he learned how to lose and forgot why he was out there. Eventually we dropped him into a claiming race for $10k (where anyone can buy him for the claiming price). He won! Finally! and he was claimed. 2 claims were put in and the one who won the shake made it possible to let us buy him (for a small profit). This was almost a year ago to the day. So we got him back and the next race out he breaks his shoulder and goes to the far for 3 months to heal. Richie felt bad and so did we. I simply said that is just part of the game....cuz it just is.
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ReplyDeleteLead on made it back into training and was ready to run. So we entered him in a long awaited race and the race comes up with all tough horses, I mean really tough. I think we were something like 20-1 and everyone else was around 5-1. So off the bench from the farm and no races in a long time we go out on the lead....heck it is his name so why not. He looks great on the grass on the lead at the half he is still leading at the 3/4 still the same. We are thinking, he will simply tire and finish last just like every other off the farm long shot. Lead on just leads on and on and on and just keeps moving and he wins. I have to say that we were all so shocked that we almost felt disappointed and confused...it was weird! All we could say was WHAT??? It felt so good to have this unexpected surprise. Instead of nothing, we had something. Lead on came through. Could it be that lead on finally was having some fun?
In the next few months it became very obvious that Lead on was having fun. I loved seeing Lead On over the next few months. He was looking so good and muscular and confident. He always tried hard from that race on. He was a machine racing up a serious win record. Along the way Richie and us became partners in the horse and that created a further vested interest for Richie both financially and emotionally.
The race went off with Lead On as the favorite on a very wet and sloppy track. Lead On can lead or follow, it doesn't matter, he can win from either was. Some horses went out fast, so he was a few lengths of the pace into the first turn. From what I saw, or at least think I saw, Lead On started to fall back from 4th to 6th then appears to make one attempt to get moving and in that step forward he immediately slowed up. He went to the outside of part of the track and was out of the picture in a split second. That was the last I saw of him on the TV. It was the same for Richie who was at the races. When you are there, you pretty much watch the far side of the race on TV. Richie raced to his car and got on the back side. He called me while running to his car and said from what he saw it does not look good and he would call me back.
Unfortunately back at home, both of the kids did not get it that Lead On was out of the race, they were cheering for Lead On so hard and we had to tell them that Lead On got an owie and had to stop running and the Richie was going to check on him. C******** and I said a little prayer together and C******** even asked God to help him out. C******** is a very emotional and feeling type and will chime in on his own when someone really needs Gods help. I was proud of him.
Richie called. I knew it before he even said anything. Lead On broke both front ankles and was immediately put down. Ugh!!! Richie was devastated. I felt pretty bad myself. All the good dreams we just had earlier in the day....done! I was so glad the Jockey was fine. Lead On slowed down with little problem from what I saw and the jock is fine. What a good horse to stay up with two broken ankles and keep the Jockey out of harm. Richie said when he got to the back side he saw the van (they had to take Lead on off the track in the Horse Van) going the route that is not towards the barn and Richie knew Lead On was put down. The State vet told Richie there was no shot for him as he broke both he sesamoids (ankles).
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ReplyDeleteThat is when Richie called me and I told Michelle. I told C******** and Michelle wanted to say he was just sick. I just had to tell him. I was so proud of Lead On and all that he had accomplished for himself and all the humans involved. I told C******** that Lead On died tonight doing something that he figured out that he loved. C******** asked a few questions and started to get a little sad (he takes things pretty hard most times). I just said, C********, you know what? Lead On is pretty lucky because today is his first day in horse heaven. It is right next door to People Heaven. I bet you did not know that Horses get to talk in Horse heaven. I think it will be pretty cool to be able to talk to Lead On and play with him when we get there. He thought that was pretty cool. So did I. He went on to play with his toys and that was pretty much it for him. Michelle and I were still pretty bad.
Richie sent me a text and was mad at himself for running in the crummy weather. I called him and told him that he had run before and won in the slop and it is no one's fault. No matter what I said Richie was not going to feel any better. I have learned from both Richie and my wife, that some people just need time to get over things and trying to cut that time short only makes things worse. But I just had to say a few things to him as he is really hard on himself when everything is not perfect. I had to tell him that a year ago we lost him and through a lucky break we got him back only to have him break his shoulder. He racks off all these wins and we are dreaming all these dreams even this morning in a conversation that we had. We got a whole exciting year out of him that we should not have had. I guess that is why it is that much harder. It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.
I pretty much think the whole Shakespeare stuff is so dumb, but I think that pretty much sums it up for me. What a wonderful last year we had with him. I will miss him. Lead On died tonight doing what he loved to do. He found that love at age 5 and not really before that. C******** is 5 also and learning to fall in love with things he likes to do.
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Thanks for the memories Lead On. My children love the horses and you were pretty much the first horse they learned to cheer on and expect to win all the time.
I guess this is part of the game, I don't like it though. Lead On, you will be missed by the 5 year old in all of us.
Paul
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Comment rejected which is just the word "dork" repeated numerous times.
ReplyDelete