Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. The Strauss Center: Strait of Hormuz – Geography.

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Morning walks with the horses are not the same as strolls in the park. Physically yes; mentally, not so much.

Alone. I walk. I think. I don’t think. I use GPS to count the laps.

“I simply kept walking until the phone said stop.” [Splash of Color Dash Virtual 5K]

One horse. Mathilda or Milton. A little more focus. Check over the horse. How are they walking? What is their attitude? Everything seem good? Always on quasi-alert because even the quietest horse is half a ton of hysteria waiting to happen. With that, plenty of time to air the brain.

“I look forward to the time to amble and ponder. I talk to myself. I swat flies. I rewrite troublesome text. Mathilda trundles along behind, snorting, stretching, and occasionally hocking bits of chewed carrot against the backs of my legs.” [My Two Horses]

Two horses, especially if one is Rodney. Eyes up. Eyes on the horses. Twice as much to evaluate. Twice as much to monitor. Plus the keeping an eye on the interactions. Is Milton getting annoyed with Rodney tailgating? If Rodney goes on alert, will Milton agree? In general, Milton tends to chug along. Rodney might chug along. Might frolic. Might dramatically reverse course and go back to the barn. I can fit in a short bit of strolling if both horses are at liberty ahead of me.

Team walks are all about the team. Not good or bad. Just different.

Onwards!
Katherine

Weather of the outside world. MnDot: Name a Snowplow Class of 2026 & Chicago.gov: Chicago Shovels.

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We are moving out of blanket season around here. No blankets since Monday night, a week ago. As with many things, the transition periods are the most work.

Cold weather. Blankets on. Perhaps swap around. Occasionally remove to check that there is still a horse under there.

Warm weather. No blankets.

Cold/warm weather. Blankets at night. No blankets during the day, which give the horses plenty of time to acquire blanket-incompatible layers of dirt.

With apologies to my northern neighbors who are still digging out. You will have your day when you are enjoying lovely summer weather and we are melting.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. Haus des Papiers.

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Hand Embossed Star

Inspiration. Online presentation by Carol DuBosch for the Washington Calligraphers Guild.

Process Notes

Not so much a design as trying out the technique.

For more. DuBosch offers a online recording that is probably similar to what I saw. Price seems reasonable for those who wish to pursue. If you quest online, hand embossing is also called dry embossing.

Previous post with past WCG links [Square Flourishes]

Onwards!
Katherine

Words of the outside world. Inky Fool: I Am Engaged. Derivation of the term. Amusing as always. [Christmas Gift]

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Script for the page to a graphic novel. Follows previous fragment. [Moonrats, Fiction Fragment]

🌚✍️🌚

Setting. Three people in a lunar habitat on the dark side of the moon. Person A is trying to get person B to take the situation more seriously. Person C is also present.

Layout. Series of ever wider frames. Either stacked in a pyramid, justified to left margin, or arranged in a serpentine, whichever looks best. Backdrop of page is lunar landscape.

Purpose. Visually convey where they are & what that means. Emphasize the distance & isolation.

Last frame of previous page. Person A says, ” … I want you terrified.”

New page. Or perhaps two-page spread.

Close up of person B, looking surprised, scornful, superior.

Medium shot of two people sitting at a table, body language says combative conversation.

Pull back to show entire room. Person B has turned head as if contemplating what is outside the walls.

Pull back to show habitat from outside. (Person B looking out window would be good visual but they do not have porthole-like windows. Too vulnerable. They use cameras & video feeds.)

Pull back to show habitat in middle of lunar plain.

Pull back to show dark side of moon in space.

First frame of next page. Close up of person B, stunned, beginning to get it, contrite.

🌚✍️🌚

Afterword

Flash from the past. I wrote several Moon Rats posts and then stopped. [Posts: Fiction, Moon Rats, 2020 – 2022]

Flash forward to now. In an effort to stir up ideas, I updated my fiction archive page and reread past fiction posts. [Posts: Fiction]

Discoveries.

Plus. There are some fictions that I do not hate.

Plus. The above was from back then, that I had never written out. At least I don’t think I did.

Part of a potential graphic novel. [Moonrats, Fiction Fragment II]

Other mention of Lunar Liaisons. [Email from the Moon, Where Moon Rats Work]

Minus. Despite that, I remain stuck. I still wish I knew what to DO with any of this.

Minus. While I enjoyed the walk down memory lane, it did not fill me with new ideas. I will pause redoing the Personal Narrative assignments. At least for now. They are not sparking joy. [Why I Write, Fiction Fragment, Afterword]

Fully plotted stories remain a stumbling block for me. I will go back to leaving the field wide open. See if that works.

Speaking of bailing. I am also bailing on reading Agatha Christie this year. [Pondering Backstory, State of the Blog]

The point of mysteries is a sense of delectable tension in wondering whodunnit & how. I find I do not require more tension in my life. I am perfectly capable of generating my own supply. I will keep Christie in mind. May try again later.

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography of the outside world. The negative is the score. The print is the performance. Ansel Adams.

~~~

Slideshow. The other in-house photographer has taken up shooting film.

Onwards!
Katherine

Metallic Horses of the outside world. Sculptures from scrap. CTE: Alumni, Jenny Horstman, Welding & In Stride: Turning junk into elaborate designs, Navarra, July 14, 2014.

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When I posted this photo, I said …

Previous Horse showed with a red ribbon in his tail. I would so have used this.

In It For The Bling, Dog Show Ribbons

Would I really?

Back then I was deep in hunter/jumper/etc land. The only place color was allowed was on cross-country. Even then, the strictly h/j people thought the eventers were a bit much. Glitter had not yet invaded the dressage ring.

No bling dared show its sparkly snoot.

Saddle seat has its own conventions, of course. But they have far more color and dazzle. I like to think I would have been avant garde & daring, but probably not back then.

Saddle seat must be rubbing off on me.

Onwards!
Katherine

Metallic horses of the outside world. Atelier blam: Zeus & Sanofi: Zeus, the Metal Horse: The Highlight of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, 2024

.~~~

I think I confuse Goldy. [The Progress Continues]

Goldy has two ways of going. Rider ready? Let’s do this. Rider discombobulated? Activate care-for-grandma mode.

My skills are inching back. Sometimes I remember to ride. Sometimes I’m a hot mess. Sometimes I switch back and forth erratically. Sometimes it’s both at the same time. Plus a collection of bad hunter/jumper habits that Previous Horse would simply ignore.

The problem for Goldy is that my progress is not linear. My aids send conflicting messages. Goldy can’t decide if I know what I’m talking about or I need to be taken care of. In all honestly, I’m not sure I know either.

It’s tough to be a schoolmaster.

Onwards!
Katherine