Virtual Brush Box

Blogs of the outside world. A Collection of Madcap Escapades. The monthly recap posts end with a variety of interesting & amusing memes.

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The fiction I had planned for this post was even less story than usual. As I typed, I realized it was just a series of rants masquerading as dialogue. They weren’t even my rants. They were imaginary rants from a character who was an expert hiker, drawn from stray thoughts that wandered through my mind during last month’s walk. [Scenic Hiking]

I had no idea if the rants were even true. Seriously, what do I know about hiking?

Instead, a thought from this week.

You know you’re old when.

A family member was expressing dislike about my over-consumption of soda. I argued that it is pretty much my only bad eating habit. They said, essentially, You do you. It’s gotten you this far.

True.

But.

I have said this about OTHER people. This was the first time it has been aimed at me.

You know you’re old when.

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography of the outside world. Photo Workout: Artemis II First Moon Photos: Every Camera Aboard and the Stunning Images Coming Back, De Rosi. NASA: Artemis II Multimedia.

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Screenshot.

Live image of the Earth last Tuesday. From my phone. My phone!

In Other News

“Shot” also = “show” when I type. Sigh. [Sustaining The Shoeing Record, scroll to end]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. NASA: Artemis II: What’s on the Menu?

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ASHAA 2025 year-end awards
Reserve Academy Driving
Reserve Academy Showmanship Adult WTC
Champion Academy Equitation Adult WTC
High Point Academy Adult

The Awards

Academy Driving – reserve ribbon
Academy Showmanship Adult WTC – reserve ribbon
Academy Equitation Adult WTC – ribbon & fuzzy blanket with association monogram
High Point Academy Adult – trophy

The Calculation

Another adult rider and I swapped reserve and champion in the two riding divisions. Which means our scores must have been close. Which means winning the Eq Championship may have come down to winning the second class on the second day at Chattanooga. Which means I owe huge hat tip to Coach James for giving me just the right speech to send me back into the ring ready to rock. [Trip to Tennessee, Riding Day Two]

As for the High Point, I imagine that was due to the four driving classes at Chattanooga. Which hereby makes Chatt my favorite horse show.

The Barn
Stepping Stone Farm
High Point Academy Adult
High Point Academy Rider Juvenile
High Point Performance Rider Adult
High Point Performance Rider Juvenile
High Point Barn Performance

We won everything but High Point Barn for Academy. Go Team Us!

The banquet was late in the year due a weather delay back in January.

The Shows

[How To Spontaneously End Up At A Horse Show] Optimus

[Summer Showing, July 2025] Optimus & Bubba

[Notes from a Semi-Successful Saddle Seat Show, August 2025] Optimus

Skipped the last fun show. Ran out of enthusiasm. Then Chatt, “This one is new. Eight classes: four drive, four ride. Two of the driving are pattern classes. I couldn’t resist, especially when new faces showed up, all of whom can ride & drive.” [Watch This Space]

[Trip to Tennessee, Show Report, Southeast Academy Championship 2025] Rocky & Boogie

Update. Dunno why I decided to use the wrong name for the show. I did the same thing during the banquet. The show was in Cleveland TN, which is in the Chattanooga Metro area but a separate city. Not going to change the post, but will use correct designation going forward.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Coffee cup in space. RIT, Vignelli Center for Design Studies: NASA: Capillary Cup.

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Back on a horse!

Goldy
Rosewood Stables
1 April 2026

Lesson with two littles. I got to be the demo rider. Easy peasy.

Coach Deana: Okay, now do a counter canter.
Me: What? On purpose?
Goldy: NBD

Went over the rose jump in the photo. Approximately the same height as at the show, back at the beginning of March. [The Ride, AHJA Kick Off Show 2026]

Would have liked to have ridden stronger at the jump. It was 50% riding, 50% telling myself to trust the horse. However. I did approach the jump at a canter, which is harder for me right now, and I was able to enthusiastically ride at a grid of poles and crossrails in order to make the distances. So, progress.

My illustrious groom reminded me that my previous jumping escapades might be touched with glitter in my memory. It’s possible.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. BBC: First stop, the Moon. Next stop, Mars? Why Nasa’s mission matters, Morelle & Francis, 2026. I have heard the argument that human crews are a PR stunt, and that we would learn more for less money with uncrewed missions. Here are some thoughts, SciAm: Robots vs. Humans: Who Should Explore Space?, Slakey & Spudis 2008. Short answer, there are reasons for both.

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Riding occurred on the property!

Milton went for a ride! Twice!

Not me. With his main minion.

I was there to hand out cookies and to hold the phone in case of emergencies.

There was strolling, a few light steering exercises, and some sauntering over a low caveletto. All at a walk. All calm and quiet and lovely.

There may have been elevated pulse rates at the mounting block on day one. A bit. Among all of us. Milton visibly chilled out when he realized he was simply walking back and forth, as we do.

The idea is work on Milton’s fitness and, perhaps, have the two of them do the morning walks mounted.

Had to dig up the cookie song video as a refresher, YouTube: Sesame Street: Cookie Monster Sings C is for Cookie. [C is for Cookie, C is for Costume Class, Halloween 2022]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. The Artemis II mission prompted me to look up the Europa Clipper, wherein my name is being sent to one of the moons of Jupiter. Launched 14 October 2024. Still going. Arrives in 2030. Mission, NASA: Europa Clipper. Names, NASA: Europa Clipper Vault Plate. [A Pair of Space Haikus]

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Horses shod at 9 weeks, 2 days!

They probably could have lasted 10 weeks, but I have made the executive decision that 9 weeks is as far as I want to push our luck.

I’ve said all of this before. I continue to be astounded at the improvement in the horses’ feet, particularly Rodney’s. He went from being shod every 4, maybe 6, weeks with post-shoeing booties to being shod 9 weeks with no issues.

I thought there was no way to change what we had.

“Life with a thin-soled, flat-footed Thoroughbred.” [Back In Booties, Fixing The Future] 2021

I thought of horse hooves as solid, immutable objects, determined by genetics.

Their feet have changed so much. We credit pine tar, good hay, & walks. I have already yapped on about this. [Setting A Shoeing Record, Again] 9 weeks, December 2024

I will probably yap about it again in the future. That’s decades of experience with horse hooves overturned in the last few years.

Previous Posts

[Yet Another Shoeing Record] 10 weeks, February 2025,

[Shoes That Last] 9 weeks, 3 days, April 2025

In Other News

The words “shoe” and “shod” continue to come out as “show” when I type. “Shod” did just now even though I was paying attention.

Onwards!
Katherine

Holidays of the outside world. Amateur At Large: Thursday’s Threads: Peeps Edition 2025. Also discusses holidays at barns. Needless to say, our horses don’t see much difference.

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From an online presentation by Paul Jackson as part of The Paper Year by Helen Hiebert.

Onwards!
Katherine