Virtual Brush Box

Writer: Hello, Muse

Muse: Hello. What is on the keyboard for today?

Writer: As usual, using the season to develop ideas for next season.

Muse: Has worked for you so far. So, Mardi Gras. What do you have?

Writer: The big problem is that I have too much. Everyone, at least in the US, knows that Mardi Gras is tossing beads on Bourbon Street.

Muse: Too much is better than too little.

Writer: Well, the problem is that image is not true. There are no parades in the French Quarter, the streets are too narrow. (Trafaglar: The History of Mardi Gras: 10 fun facts about the USA’s biggest festival, 5. The French Quarter doesn’t host official parades.)

Muse, realizing Writer is on a roll: …

Writer: And then, it’s not just one night. The Mardi Gras Festival is weeks long. (“The official start of Carnival Season is Twelfth Night, January 6.” Mardi Gras New Orleans.com: When is Mardi Gras 2026?)

Muse: …

Writer: And then, there is a Mardi Gras for everyone. (“Family Gras is a FREE celebration of Carnival and family that takes place two weekends before Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras Day), and is located just ten minutes from downtown New Orleans in the suburb of Metairie.” MGNO.com: Family Gras 2026)

Muse: …

Writer: And then, the whole idea that Mardi Gras does not belong to New Orleans. There is Mobile, Alabama where the first Mardi Gras was held in the US. (Ibid, #2)

Muse: …

Writer: And then, internationally. Carnivale in Venice. The Rio de Janeiro Carnival. Where do I even begin?

Muse: Again, more material is better than less.

Writer: Yes, but everything will have to be a reeducation. For example, how many people think of Mardi Gras as a religious holiday? It’s Halloween all over again.

~~~ curtain ~~~

Afterword

Abrupt end, with even less plot than usual. Work ate up my time. Then, since this story is tied to this weekend, I can’t reschedule. At least not until next year.

Wishing you a joyful/somber Mardi Gras and Lent, for whatever they mean to you.

Update.  French Quarter info may be incorrect, see comment. Internet agrees.

Update II. Parades are banned. Parades go thru the French Quarter. It all sounds very New Orleans. But seriously folks, I think it has to do with size. A parade ban went into effect in 1973. Appears to mean big, float-heavy parades. Small, walking parades are allowed. Or I remain confused. Good article, paywalled depending on device. NOLA.com: Why are there so few Mardi Gras parades in the French Quarter? Here are the rules. Mitchell 2023.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “It’s a frosted seasonal treat that Mardi Gras partygoers eat between January 6 (otherwise known as Epiphany, Three King’s Day, or Twelfth Night) and Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Southern Living: The Tradition Behind The Mardi Gras King Cake. Darrisaw, January 9, 2026. Misplaced ) and , corrected by me.

~~~

King Cake Bonbons
Elizabeth Moore Chocolates
Pelham AL USA

Technical Details

Today in learning the obvious. When color is the whole point of a photograph, lighting is really, really (really!) important. This did not turn out as dramatically colorful as it was in my head. I could’ve kept at it, but my desire for a brilliant photo ran into my attention threshold of, ‘Close enough. Moving on.’

Food Photography [archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. CNN: Skijoring: The wild blend of horses and skis that was the Winter Olympics’ first ever demonstration sport, Bantock, Feb 2&3, 2026. Appears that they run this article every few years. CNN: Lost Sports, Bantock 2022, CNN: Mastering, Ramsay 2018, CNN: Ultimate in Horse Power, slide show 2015.

~~~

I’ve jinxed myself.
OR
Third time’s the charm.

What have I done?

I joined the local hunter/jumper association.

Why is this a big deal?

Instead of futzing about with membership each year, I paid for a life membership. It isn’t that many years until it prorates.

To repeat, why is this a big deal, aside from being a questionable use of money?

Well, I’ve done this before and it did not go well for me.

“Years ago, when I was young & hopeful, I received a large check at the end of a big job. Instead of having it disappear into the general fund, I splashed out on life memberships for the USDF and the USEA … I have never used them.” [Ambushed By My Mailbox]

Still haven’t.

Therefore,
The curse will continue and I will never use this membership either.
OR
This breaks the jinx on all three and the showing will be epic.

I know intellectually there is no such thing as a jinx. I have the feels.

Why did I do this, knowing what I know?

As with last time, I came into some money. I ultimately decided to donate that particular money, but in the heat of the moment I felt flush and splurged.

I choose to see it as a gesture of faith in the future.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Equine Ink: Budweiser’s American Icons Ad is Soaring, with background info on the commercial.

~~~

Lesson with Goldy last weekend. Got overwhelmed in the middle of a line. I was able to do the same height, perhaps a touch higher, as a single fence.

Best explanation. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve done a line of anything more than crossrails, and not too many of those. A line of two is not two single jumps. Doable but a distinct skill that needs to be dug up out of the muck.

Also, still feeling odd at the canter, this time in terms of my position. In the ASB canter, the rider sits straight up. If I cantered the home team, it was likely a dressage canter, which is also sitting up. Am struggling with working on a two-point that doesn’t feel as if I am falling over Goldy’s ears. [Lesson Question]

Note to self, re position:

One. Getting my hands further up the neck makes me feel more balanced.

Two. Ditto having my shoulders NOT over his forehand.

Goldy continues to be flawless. This mess is all me.

No ears pictures because I have been leaving my phone in the truck. The idea is to focus on the task at hand.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. AL.com: Should ICE, immigration enforcement be reformed in Alabama? Here’s what you said, Smith Feb. 07, 2026. “58% of responses to a recent survey said they “think immigration enforcement is going ‘too far.’ ” I will grant that Alabama remains a deeply red state & that the article ends with the caveat, “The two surveys are not statistically balanced or representative.” Still, 58% is a bigger number than I would have guessed. Access issues, I could read the entire article on my phone but was paywalled on my desktop. YMMV. Hat tip to G.

~~~

Now that we have left Satan’s skating rink, we are back to daily morning walks with the horses. Which means several minutes each day wherein I contemplate how much harder it is to restart a habit that it was to let it slide.

Doing three laps instead of the standard five. I am recovering from my cold last week. Also went cold turkey on my – very minimal – meds to allow my system to recalibrate. I think one can end up chasing symptoms. Arm hurts -> pain med -> stomach objects -> stomach meds -> and so on, all coated with a drizzle of cough syrup. Each with a different half-life and bodily effect. [The Mental Aspect, Wrist Update]

Anyway.

Yesterday morning, Rodney did the entire three laps at liberty! This does not mean this is a confirmed decision on his part. He’ll do something for a few days and then detour. It’s a start. Milton, of course, continued to march along on his own, as he does.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. NPR: A red hat, inspired by a symbol of resistance to Nazi occupation, gains traction in Minnesota, Berger, January 31, 2026. The Guardian: ‘Rage knitting’ against the machine: the hobbyists putting anti-ICE messages into crafts, Wong 29 Jan 2026 (Content warning. I found one image here more disturbing than the general run of embroidery. Which I assume is the point.) Pattern, Ravelry: Melt the ICE Hat. This intro inspired by Facebook: A Mighty Girl 6 Feb 2026, with mention of activism in Bham! On my desktop, I can read the entire FB post without logging in. YMMV. Hat tip to A.

~~~

When Rodney is done after breakfast he walks briskly off into the field, head up, tail swinging.

Places to go. Things to do.

I have no idea what places he has to go. I have no idea what things he has to do. I’m glad he greets his day with enthusiasm.

Milton hangs around the barn cleaning up noms. Eventually he looks up, decides he has to follow his herd, and wanders off.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Out Magazine: Super Bowl 2026: Meet gay male Patriots cheerleader Jeremy Greer, Rude, Feb 03, 2026. First was in 2019, NFL.com: Rams make NFL history with male cheerleaders at Super Bowl LIII.

.~~~

Colors: oyster, (hot) pink, quince.

Process notes

For blackwork, which was the inspiration for this alphabet, one would probably use a consistent thread size, rather than changing for each reduction.

For my reference. Smaller sizes generated by repeat presses of scale button, i.e. scale once, scale twice, scale three times, making each a percentage of the previous size, i.e. 90% of 90% of 90%, and so on. Alternate method would be 90% of largest, 80% of largest, 70% of largest, and so on.

Also FMR, O & Q are, or should be, 20 iterations. P went all the way down until the shape merged with the corner, 31 total.

Project Description [Colorwork Alphabet Introduction]

Project Archive [Colorwork Alphabet]

Onwards!
Katherine