When I got to Ruby, I needed to know more.

There was this huge, glass-enclosed refrigerator with big chunks of meat hanging on hooks.

When I saw Ruby Faye, I spoke to her and she jumped up and down.

What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who showed up, who stayed in there, regardless. It wasn't just about blood relations or shared chromosomes, but something wider, bigger. We had many families over time. Our family of origin, the family we created, and the groups you moved through while all of this was happening: friends, lovers, sometimes even strangers. None of them perfect, and we couldn't expect them to be. You can't make any one person your world. The trick was to take what each could give you and build your world from it.

She's a great player. When we needed her the most, she was there for us.

Ruby rides most of mine when he can but I'd have had absolutely no qualms with Paul Carberry (who had ridden the mare on her two previous outings) either.