Virtual Brush Box

Art of the outside world. Artst: 10 Most Famous Square Paintings.

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Dunno if this is of interest to anyone else, but I am fascinated.

First row. Reduce square by 50%. Place side by side. Fill in from there. Repeat, adjusting for 1/2 squares.

Second row, Reduce square by 50%, Place in corners. Repeat.

Third row is first row turned 90o.

What I find interesting is how differently the eye – at least my eye – takes in the panels in column two. In the second boxes of the first & third rows, I see a two-toned square. The middle box in that column is all about four blue squares. The differences are there in column three, but less noticeable. By column four, I need to search for the differences.

Also, interesting. Originally, this was just going to be one set of four panels. Since I was rough drafting with pen & paper (I do occasionally), my first iteration of the second square was by drawing an X from corner to corner, then filing in the result. An X is the easiest way to manually divide up a square. Had I been on the computer, I would have reduced the square by 50 and duplicated it, as in the second row, and then left it at that. I would never have realized how much the results vary between the two methods.

Same gallery, with edges around the boxes. Not as much effect as in prior design. [Nine Patch Redux]

Inspiration, “Draw your first panel.” DAY 1: FOUR-PANEL JUMP START!

Given the color choice, this was probably drawn around the same time as previous blue squares in 2024. The original plan for today did not eventuate, so I called up one from the vault. [Nine Patch Redux]

Same prompt as used in 2026. This four-panel must be the one I couldn’t remember over on that post. [Sunrise Sunset Cartoon]

Onwards!
Katherine

Fiction of the outside world. Interesting Literature: 10 of the Best Science-Fiction Short Stories Everyone Should Read, Tearle. The stories Omelas & Nightfall get no argument from me. OTOH, the list could stand to be expanded by several decades. My list would include Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge, which was published in 1994, which means 32 years, which probably counts as old school by now. I’m definitely of the 90s was when?! mindset. But I digress.

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Box of books. Unidentified Funny Objects #1-10, Funny Science Fiction, Funny Fantasy, Funny Horror. Edited by Alex Shvartsman.

I ordered these books with the specific intent to submit a story when the window opens for the next anthology. I have read several of these as ebooks. When the Kickstarter for #10 launched, I chose the backer level that had the full series in codex. Plan is to read each one cover to cover.

As a way into fiction, short stories are an obvious place to start. However, I have trouble reading from the standard magazines and websites. I never know what I’m getting. Three people in the woods. Is it cozy? It is horror? Will I fall in love with the characters only to have the author drop a safe on them? Good flash fiction is amazing. Mediocre flash fiction uses the literary equivalent of a jump scare. As I’ve said before, I don’t need angst. I have the news for that.

No previews on the blog. They do not accept previously published submissions. “Stories posted on your personal blog … are considered published.” Alex Shvartsman’s Speculative Fiction: UFO Series, FAQ.

Last year, the submission window was in December. I’m assuming a similar window this year. However, the previous series, #9, came out in 2022. So there is no guarantee that there will be a submission window this year for #11 in 2027.

That’s okay. If no window, at least I will have a story.

Meanwhile, reading counts as research.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. NASA: A Guide to Smartphone Astrophotography. Free, 192-page PDF. Found while preparing this post. Will read report & report back. So far, so good. Your tax dollars at work.

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Night sky
June 2026
Alabama USA

Estimating by the star chart in the Sellarium app (all errors mine), I’m guessing the bright center star is Arcturus. Left or top, regular mode. Right or bottom, night mode.

With my blessing, husband has taken over/inherited/reinherited all of the fancy photo equipment. I’m seeing what can be done with phone camera snapshots. Is it photography? Ehhh. Technically, yes. Am I in control of my tools? No. Is it amusing? Yes.

He wanted to try astrophotography. I went along to enjoy the company and to look at stars.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horse treats of the outside world. Peppermint fix. Saddlebreds run on peppermints. The stores sell two kinds. Round flat discs, which horses like, people like, but get sticky. OR. Orbs, which horses like, don’t melt, but taste weird. However. I have discovered that if you put sticky peppermints in the fridge, they harden up & release easily from their wrapper.

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High-point trophy for 2025 saddle seat season. Repost [Back in the Bling, ASHAA Banquet for 2025]

My current glasses are inexpensive bifocals, ordered online. They work great. Unfortunately, the computer screen is just the wrong distance, not far away, not reading distance. So I ordered a second pair of medium distance glasses. I have to switch between the two pairs to work on my desktop. And then remember to switch back when I’m done.

Stick with me, I’m going somewhere with this.

I ended up here from my previous glasses. They were a fancy, pricey pair with snazzy progressive lenses ordered IRL from a optometrist. Maybe they were okay when I got them. By the end, the correction was so bad that I had to take them off for distance viewing. They were basically very expensive readers.

This is why my current arrangement of two pairs of glasses feels like an improvement.

This is also why I have gotten in the habit of taking my glasses off when I’m not doing closeup work. I’m far-sighted, so it’s not a big deal. The new glasses offer a slight correction, but I do fine without them. Taking them off has become automatic. Heading to barn. Take off glasses.

Of course, if you take off your glasses, you have to remember where you left them. The bling from the banquet, pictured, had not been put away. So, the high-point tray sits on a shelf as a place for my glasses.

There is an inadvertent bonus effect. Every time I put my glasses down, I get a little boost, a little reminder of something I am good at.

Reality dose. My high point awards – yes, plural – did not arise out of my inherent brilliance. The rest of the academy adults compete in one division, riding OR driving, I compete in both, riding AND driving. More classes equals more points.

So, maybe the thing I am good at is showing up.

I’ll take it.

Onwards!
Katherine

World Cup Wednesday. “Brazil has the distinction of being the only team to qualify for all 22 past editions of the World Cup (the country will extend that streak in 2026).” Encyclopaedia Britannica: Which National Teams Have Participated in the FIFA World Cup? Gosner, June 4, 2026.

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Goldy
Rosewood Stables
19 June 2026

Head position. Good. Shoulder position. Good. Wrist position, i.e. straight. Better. At least, I heard about it less. Coach Deana add “tall”, especially in two-point. Seemed to go well. Pleased noises emanated from the coaching corner.

I looked good. The riding was less good. I had been two weeks since my last h/j lesson. I was despondent that my riding had deteriorated so quickly. [The Goldy Touch]

It was my own fault.

All things being equal, Goldy will loiter in grandma mode. This makes him priceless as a school horse. To access Goldy’s inner jumper, the rider has to prove they are worthy.

I know this.

The day was hot. Goldy dialed up the Convince Me knob. Meanwhile, I was coasting on my laurels from how well my last lesson had gone. On this day, we never really got in gear. I figured he’d perk up when the jumping started. He did. But the flat work between the jumps remained mediocre.

I need to ride the horse the way I know the horse wants to be ridden.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Local Folks. James Spann has retired from TV (I assume) and has started Alabama Weather Network. Non-local folks, Spann has been the face of Alabama weather for years. New venture appears to be a 24/7 resource covering the entire state.

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

Rained out of our walk last Tuesday. Interesting how rarely this happens. Even on weeks when the world is wall-to-wall mud, we usually get a break in the rain during the initial daylight hours.

Rain science says I am not imagining it. “Over land, thunderstorms are most likely to occur at the warmest, most humid part of the day, which is usually the afternoon or evening.” NASA, Global Precipitation Measurement: Is there a specific time of day that a thunderstorm is most likely to occur?

North Carolina had – probably still does – gentle, all-day rains. Alabama is prone to boom-sploosh.

File this under, things you notice when you do an activity at the same time each day.

Onwards!
Katherine

Everyone’s fine. I don’t feel like yapping on about feed scheduling or bucket dynamics. Have a cat.

Nugget
Stepping Stone Farm
December 2025

Onwards!
Katherine