Who said there is no excitement in the Hamptons in the winter. Take the following case of the mischievous Beagle mix known as Russell. This morning as I was finishing my final cup of coffee before heading out the door and emergency arose. NO, it had nothing to do with Ann Currie saying something inane again on the Today show. It involved a loud bark coming from the back yard.
As I went outside, I saw my trusty and well behaved girl Boo digging away at the side of the pool house! What was she doing?? Wait there’s another bark coming from… GASP…. underneath the pool house!!! Oh my god, I had visions of Jo Beth Williams somehow working her way into a TV version of what could be a truly tragic event!!! “BABY JESSICA 2; RUSSELL’S TRAPPED!” The air was filled with tension and suspense. But as often is the case in times of tragedy, the spirit of man causes him to rise to the occasion. WE ARE ALL HEROES DEEP DOWN INSIDE (cue David Bowie song)!
Luckily my trusty house manager Daniel Strohmeir was there with crow bar in hand. If you know me well, you know why I often owe mine, Boo, Peter and Russell’s very survival to Daniel. This morning all of our lives came crashing together in what could have been a tragedy!! In all seriousness for a second, I got scared when the little guy stopped barking for a few minutes. I actually got a shiver thinking what if somehow Russell really got himself hurt down… choking or suffocating! Yikes, maybe I should have called the fire department. I mean they rescue cats out of trees right?!
No, never call the fire department or the police in the Hamptons unless it’s an absolute emergency. Because knowing my luck Russell would pop out the minute I did and I would end up being disgraced in the community fire/police blotter as the neurotic crack pot who called over his dog chasing a rabbit under a pool house. Read the Hamptons police blotters and you learn so much about the community. My favorite of late was the gentleman crackpot on Georgica beach who called 911 after a dog owner forgot to pick up some poop! It’s a true story and no it wasn’t me. I was on a cruise and have proof to back my claims. Now back to the rabbit chasing Russell. Did I say he was chasing a rabbit before?! Well that’s my theory anyway. 
Anyway, after about 90 minutes of tension, tears and fears. Russell was liberated thanks to a quickly kicked and pulled hole in the floor. Russell didn’t say much about his ordeal after the liberation. But I have noticed he’s all of a sudden taken an interest in the New York City Marathon website. Is his surfing of said website an indication he’s planning to run like a certain Chilean Miner next fall! ONLY TIME WILL TELL!! By the way, I think I want Doug Savant to play me in the TV version, don’t you think that’s good casting?! (photo of a concerned Boo, eager to help-she did actually start digging a hole and ripping shingles off the house)
Finally some quick Almond update gossip. Rumors are floating that Eric Lemonides will take almond into… ta dah… BOBBY VANS. While I really doubt that scenerio big time. My bets are going to COPA around the corner. The School Street restaurant has been kind of quiet lately. It’s just my theory anyway!
It’s about the horses… insert Madonna joke here! This Saturday The Amaryllis Horse Rescue is hosting a Country Fair to benefit their horse sanctuary. It will be from 12:00-3:00 pm at Amaryllis Farm Equine Rescue’s Educational Barn, 93 Merchants Path off Sagg Rd, behind Wolffer Vineyard, Sagaponack. 100% of the proceeds benefit the Amaryllis Horse Sanctuary! In case you don’t know, Amaryllis Farm has rescued 90 horses from the glue factory and is devoted to educating the public about horses. Best thing is if you go to the fair you can actually meet some of the lucky horses. 631-537-7335 www.HamptonsHorseRescue.com.
Finally some news about the real estate market and another tale to reassure you that you really do know more than most of those financial whizzes on Wall Street. An oceanfront house on Meadow Lane in Southampton Village, seized by the federal government after its owner was indicted for fraud, was sold recently for $25.9 million. It’s the highest closing price for a house in the Hamptons in nearly a year.