Virtual Brush Box

Horses of the outside world. Guinness Book of Records: Largest Equestrian Statue. The following websites picked for pretty pictures, no promotion intended. Escape to Mongolia: Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue in Tuv Province (check out the boot) & Sixt: Behold the Mighty Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue: A Monumental Tribute in Mongolia.

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Optimus
Stepping Stone Farm
9 April 2026

Five months since last ASB ride. [A Lovely Lesson That Will Have To Last A While]

Boogie
Stepping Stone Farm
10 April 2026

Five months since last drive. [Learning My Aids, Driving Lesson]

Riding Lesson

Lovely.

Not the first time I have ridden well after time away. Lower expectations? I’m relaxed because I figure it’s been while & we’ll get what we get? Then, when I’m riding regularly, I try hard – or try too hard – and get in my own way? Would not be out of character.

Driving Lesson

Did you know that you can use the reins to shift the horse’s weight? From the cart? True story.

But seriously folks. Making the gradual progression from passenger to driver.

Before Riding Lesson I

Nerves came roaring back.

I had none with before my lesson with Goldy last week. [Back In The Saddle II, Lesson]

Now that the show is no longer on horizon, I was back to where I was with Razzy.

“In contrast, I was not the slightest bit nervous before my hunt seat lesson with Razzy a few days before. No big deal. Gonna get on, stroll around, have a lovely time with an adorable pony … What exactly do I think I am doing in a saddle seat lesson?” [Lesson and Thoughts Thereon]

What is it with Saddlebreds?

one. ASB ears. One of first things I said about Saddlebreds in a post about my first lesson, aggravated by all the years with the two drama kings, who can pull a hissy fit out of thin air.

“Picture a horse with a high head, bulging eyes and ears so alert they almost touch. In a Thoroughbred this means lift-off is imminent. In a Saddlebred, it means hello.” [Sam I Am]

two. Predictability. With Goldy I know which horse I will be riding. I like certain. I like riding & building a bond with one horse.

three. Maybe I don’t understand, on a deep level, what is going on? In language. I’m good with words. English words. Less good when the same ideas are expressed with different sounds. Perhaps I am tied to one way of expressing riding principles.

Before Riding Lesson II

Fortunately my tie downs were with the jod straps. Would totally have left home without them. How quickly they forget. Other things I forgot. Gloves. Stick. Things I had to remind self. Pinkies in. Stick starts in left hand (swap, rather than stay in right hand all the time). Outside rein, outside leg to canter. This I say out loud. [Side By Side]

Before Driving Lesson

Mildly concerned beforehand. Coaches Courtney and James let me ease into the lesson. Boogie was his usual stellar self.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horses of the outside world. North African Circus Mosaics: House of Horses Mosaics

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Goldy
Rosewood Farm
8 April 2026

Milestones

Cantered a low course. Only 25% trust the horse. Up from 50% last week. [Back In The Saddle II]

Jumped a low, narrow oxer. First oxer in I-have-no-idea-how-long.

Sat chilly. On the second course, we got into a line on an awkward stride. At a certain point in front of the fence, you can’t fix it. You have to wait it out and ride what you get. Waiting is hard.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. BBC: Orbán era swept away by Péter Magyar’s Hungary election landslide, Kirby, 13 April 2026.

~~~

Milton ridden for the third time last week [Back in the Saddle I]

This time, we went on the usual morning walk with both horses, except Milton was being ridden while Rodney walked in hand. Yes, in hand, as in attached to a leadrope. I did not want Rodney hippy-hopping off into the distance and giving Milton ideas. Mind you, there was a 90% chance that Milton would have stood there and watched. Still, if there was even a slim chance of meltdown, I didn’t want to take the risk.

So Rodney was led.

He was deeply offended.

“Rodney has now decided he does our morning pasture walks at liberty, thank you very much.” [Having Opinions]

Seriously, we spent most of the walk marveling at Rodney’s immense outrage.

Way to go, Dude. Milton goes for a group trail walk for the first time in ages and you make it all about you.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Laundry theory. Small load is shorter time, not smaller amount of water (as was my assumption). Furthermore, we should be using small loads/shorter times because fabrics have gotten easier to clean and detergents have gotten more effective. Will investigate. Has anyone heard similar?

~~~

Warm weather is nice.

Open doors & windows are nice.

Beautiful blue skies are nice.

Bugs. Not so nice.

Bought the first fly spray of the year.

Found the first tick of the year.

It was a tiny one in Rodney’s forelock. I found it. Because of course I did.

Maybe a second one on Milton. Not a surprise. Milton is the tick magnet. He sticks his head more places in his quest for eats. He gets ticks in his ears and then gets extremely ticklish and won’t let us touch the ear or even get a close look. Not touchie? No look, you might touchie!

Moving deftly, other barn minion managed a squirt or so of fly spray in the offending ear. A few days later, we could go near the ear. Bug? No bug? The world may never know.

I’ve said much of this before. The entomological obsession with our horses is not new.

Previous Posts

[Magic Fingers] Finding ticks

[Minion! Minion! Attend Me!] Grooming

[Fly Spray For Ear Bugs, Horse Management Hack]

[Let The Barbering Begin] No touchie!

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. CCS: Vermont’s Sixth Cartoonist Laureate Appointed.

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Jobs I have held, as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System.

17-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations
17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians

23-0000 Legal Occupations
23-2011 Paralegals and Legal Assistants

25-0000 Educational Instruction and Library Occupations
25-3041 Tutors

27-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
27-3023 News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
27-3043 Writers and Authors
27-3041 Editors
27-4021 Photographers

35-0000 Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations
35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses
35-9011 Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
35-9099 Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other

39-0000 Personal Care and Service Occupations
39-2021 Animal Caretakers

41-0000 Sales and Related Occupations
41-2031 Retail Salespersons

51-0000 Production Occupations
51-6042 Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

Premise

I love graphic novels. Unfortunately, it is an admiration that is not returned. This project is to see what I can do for a graphic memoir without being able to draw.

Process Notes

Doesn’t stand alone. Need to add the what, when, & where of specific jobs. Would work as chapter opener.

Previous Posts

[I-Wish-I-Could-Draw Graphic Memoir, School Segment]

[I-Wish-I-Could-Draw Graphic Memoir, People & Pets Segment]

Onwards!
Katherine

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

~~~

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.

~~~

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