Virtual Brush Box

Horses of the outside world. U.S. Mint: Kentucky State Quarter. In virtual support of Stepping Stone Farm currently showing at the Lexington Junior Charity Horse Show.

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New Lessons

Boogie
Riding Lesson
Stepping Stone Farm
1 July 2026

Item. Hold is support, especially for a horse who is used to that line of communication. As with Goldy. “Goldy is happier when I ride him his way.” [The Goldy Touch]

Item. Every so often, I need to give an overall release. NOT fling the reins and collapse my body, which I am prone to do. I need to keep all the aids but relax for a stride or two. Let the horse move along on their own for a moment. Make sure I am not rigid or locked or fixated. Then, resume communication. They seem to enjoy &/or appreciate this.

Rocky
Driving Lesson
Stepping Stone Farm
1 July 2026

Big fancy.

Big ego. Is it arrogance if it’s justified?

Big fan of this horse. I’ve always had a soft spot for the arrogant b*stards.

Twice The Fun

Barn heading to Lexington the following week. Packed two lessons into one day. Wow, I thought I was tired after one lesson.

Interlude

Still nervous with the ASBs. As I was getting on Boogie, nerves tried to stage a last minute attack.

Nerves: eeeeeeeeekkk!
Me: Seriously? On this horse?
Nerves: Point taken.

Prior Lessons

I posted these lessons, but I was yammering about my lost pants, which I had put away in a safe location. Eye roll. [A Tale of Two Pants]

Riding

The discipline crossover is going well, although I have a tendency to start off sitting in the middle of the saddle. Once I scoot back, we’re good.

Bubba is 50% Sam, 50% Goldy.

“After months apart, it takes us about five strides for me to say, ‘Hi Sam, it’s me’ and for Sam to say, ‘Oh, you. Well, okay then.’” [The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly]

“To access Goldy’s inner jumper, the rider has to prove they are worthy.” [The Goldy Key]

Bubba needs to be encouraged but also to be convinced that you are going to do it right.

Driving

Boogie was cutting the turn, particular down at the pond end. I tried to straighten the horse, as one does. No. In a cart, job one is to get the wheels to go where want them to go. I got many plaudits for my improvement. No, not really. It was an easy fix once I understood the exercise.

The subtle body shifting that I was doing a previous lesson? Not a sausage. [Back in the Driver’s Seat]

Onwards!
Katherine

World Cup Wednesday. Newsweek: World Cup Abbreviations Explained As Some Viewers Left Confused, Shoaib, Jun 15, 2026. Video is on an unrelated World Cup topic.

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Lately, I’ve had occasion to tell this story several times, so I’m sharing it with you.

Years ago, I was competing at a side saddle show. Side saddle is closer to its fox hunting roots than regular hunters. In one class, we were asked to hand gallop. I was riding George, bless his heart. [What’s In A Name]

George was not fleet of foot. To achieve a hand gallop, I had to persuade him, strongly, with each stride. We got there. When they called for the halt, I simply stopped persuading. George immediate locked all four tires and achieved immobility. I sat and looked smug.

We won the class, the novice championship, and, if memory serves, grand champion. It was an all side saddle show, so it was not huge. Still, it was a good day.

In Other News

No hunter jumper lessons last week. We were being squashed flat under the heat dome.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Never heard this wording. It was for a specific workshop, but I assume it is organization policy. “We leave it to you to choose the rate that is meaningful to you based on your income, wealth, and privilege status.” Minnesota Center for Book Arts: Animated Cards with Kelli Anderson. The workshop page has been taken down. Searching tells me it was February 2026. I did not ettend the workshop.

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{Backstory. Each morning, people & horses go on an unmounted, off-lead, one-mile team walk in the pasture.}

When I walk, my mind wanders.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s always conversation in my head. Apparently, the walk monologue does not include counting. Not to 5. Not even to 3. [Counting With Sound]

We do five laps in the morning. Laps four to five get a bit hazy. Some days I lose track as early as lap two.

After way too long, I have instituted a system. I use five pine cones, a bucket, and a barrel. The plastic bits are ring furniture, from back when we used such things. [Be Careful What You Train]

When I arrive at the corner, I take a pine cone from the overturned bucket and place it on the barrel. Wait for horses. Feed lap cookie. As we depart, I look back to check the number.

Last lap, I go thought the motions. Place pine cone number five on the counting barrel. Feed cookies. As I leave, remove pine cones to storage bucket to be ready for the next day.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Climate.us. “Climate.gov was arguably the federal government’s most accessible, most comprehensive source of climate science information for the public … Climate.us is the nonprofit successor to Climate.gov. Climate.us: About.

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Possibly the most useless piece of equipment in existence. There is no work-around. If the tine were bent the other way, or broken off, one could at least use the rest of the fork.

Mostly likely done while levering a large rubber mat out of the way. I did not feel it bend. I didn’t realized it was sproinged until I tried to shovel a pile.

All better.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art & Awareness of the outside world. Oceanic Society: 2026 Global Ocean Cleanup Art Competition Winners Announced, June 29, 2026. All entries & better picture of winner, The Guardian of Marine Litter by Fundação Tartaruga (Cabo Verde), OS: Art Competition Entries & Results. The winner had my vote.

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Last month’s lettering post was a word instead of individual letters. [Skyscraper, Word Art]

I foresee a break from alphabets for a while. Therefore, a wrap up. Two that I had not posted & a list of the rest.

New Alphabets

Box Dent Alphabet

Egg Alphabet.

Made as a possible Easter post. White spaces are 50% of blue shape. Pink shapes are 25% of blue.

Previous Posts

[36 Days Of Type, scroll down]
[36 Days Of Type 2023]
[Square Alphabet]
[Two No and One Yes]
[Fractal Alphabet & Numbers]
[Square Flourishes]
[On Drawing The Alphabet, Colorwork A to Z, Art]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. YouTube, Obama Foundation: President Obama’s Full Remarks at the Obama Presidential Center Grand Opening Ceremony. In talking about America’s 250th, he does an excellent job celebrating the founding of the United States as an experiment in democracy while also acknowledging that we have not live up to the promise.

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What do you remember?

I hereby invite fellow bloggers above a certain age to tell us about what they have seen over the years.

It could be a small thing. The fact that checks came with the year partially preprinted, i.e. 19_____.

It could be a big thing. In the early 1990s, I was working at a book store that supplied books to local universities. One term, Marx was required reading for Political Science classes. Next term, Marx was being read in History classes.

There is nothing special about my life, other than that every life is special. I’m not talking about socially significant events that get recorded in history books. I want to hear the things that we used to consider normal that have since disappeared. Or, perhaps how historically significant events impacted your life.

Everyone has a story to tell.

What have you seen?

Previous Posts

[Witness to History, Sociology in Joke Form, Non-Fiction]

[Witness To History, Show Memories]

[Witness To History, Years Ago In The Emergency Room, With Apologies]

“Before gay marriage, I was able to quip, ‘It’s okay, my husband can tell the difference.’ The implication being that if I had a husband, I must therefore be a wife.” [Hello Sir]

‘There used to be a place to show Thoroughbreds. It was called the hunter industry.” [Get Off My Lawn, And Take Your Warmblood With You]

[Problems That Younger Riders Have Never Had To Worry About, aka The Boot Jack List]

[Digital Killed the Party]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Short conversation with photographer Shaun Botterill. The Guardian: From developing photos in a toilet to a viral Messi shot: 40 years shooting the World Cup – video, Hosted by Carly Earl, 30 Jun 2026.

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Monthly 5K

Beeswax Creek comes in from the left to join the Coosa River, June 2026.

The road from the parking lot/boat launch to the point is paved but closed to cars, flat, mostly straight, and shaded. Mentally excellent. Superior strolling characteristics. Physically, my joints remind me that I don’t see tarmac much these days.

Took trail loop on last half mile for variety. Surprisingly hotter on path. Close? I had to slow down to watch my footing? Small twiddle at end to complete mileage. I thought about just letting it go at 2.9 miles. But. Well.

Map & numbers from Strava.

Other Activities & Overall Health

Swim, yes. Not often, but did occur.

Biking, no. Wrist ready. Did not have suitable day. Why wrist for biking? That’s the hand that operates the brake. [Doctor’s Appointment, Wrist Update]

Middle of the month taken out by suspected diverticulitis flare. Not too bad, but it killed my energy.

Onwards!
Katherine