Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. When I talk about other people or other people’s horses, I like to keep the intro positive. I was searching for perky Alabama news and found this. The search results page of the Good News Network says, “If you’re not happy with the results, please do another search.” What an inviting sentiment. That’s how to walk the walk.

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Last week, I was offered two lesson slots. One was solo. One was part of a group. It was a situation where there was no right answer – or both answers were equally correct- but I still fussed over trying to decide which was optimal.

Close enough in time that weather was about the same.

Solo Lesson, 7 am

More fun.

More expensive.

Undivided attention. Individually tailored instruction.

Feed plan. Get up. Serve first hay. Leave. Lesson. Scamper home. Resume with breakfast & second hay. Not that much later than when we get a late start on the morning walk.

The meal spread is so that Milton does not inhale everything at once. For Rodney, we would simply served everything and go.

Group Lesson, 8 am

Less expensive.

Divided attention. Not a problem. Coach Deana is an accomplished instructor who can juggle differing agendas in the same class.

Divided attention. Ditto. At this level, I am self-starting enough that I do fine with the instructor checking as I waft by. At least, on the flat. Jumps are done individually in either case.

Rest breaks while others jump.

Other riders. My ground crew thinks a group lesson takes some of the pressure off.

Other riders. In this case, four littles. I rode with two littles in an earlier lesson. That was fine. Here, I was concerned about staying out of the way of four riders. Clearly, I was gonna be the one with steering capability.

Ground crew thinks I show off for the kids. Not consciously, but it’s possible. I’ve always done better with admiration than confrontation. [Milton’s Missing Lesson, tough love]

I think Goldy (slightly) prefers other horses in the ring.

Feed plan. Get up. Serve first hay. Wait. Breakfast & second hay. Leave. Turnout when we get back.

Questions

Which would you choose?

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Which did I choose?

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I went with the later lesson. Figured it was better for the home team.

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And then …

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I ended up with a solo at 9 am. Hey! If we are feeding before the lesson, why not see if Coach Deana is free after the munchkin patrol?

Verdict. Even 9 am was starting to get hot. From now on, as earlier as possible, at least for the rest of the summer.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. When did candy bars start costing over $3? While I am a fan of fine chocolate, sometimes ya just want a Hershey bar. Yesterday, a standard 1.55 oz bar cost $3.48 with tax, I even went back to confirm. Either the convenience store massively overcharged or I’m old. Or both.

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Last week, I wrote about Milton saying no to lungeing. [Milton Opts Out of Lunging]

At the time, I thought he was saying no to work. Yet, if we had put on a halter and leadrope in the barn and led him to the ring, he would have lunged just fine.

Last Tuesday – the day it was posted – I got to pondering the situation during our walk. It’s possible that he was saying, ‘No. That’s not how we do things. In the morning, we walk.’ He is enough a horse of habit that this would been a plausible response from him.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. First rides! Share the joy! Raincoast Rider: A Very Good Day.

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Milton is a tick attractor. Two ticks in your mane?! Twice?! Time for the buzz cut. Well, technically, the scissor cut. Clippers and Milton would not be a good mix.

Also tails. Keep the ends from dragging along the ground.

Rodney retains his long, luxurious mane. Granted, it’s a bit hot. But I think it suits him and he has never minded being warm.

Yes, I did send pictures to my favorite Saddlebred people.

Last year’s post, with link chain to previous years. [Let The Barbering Begin]

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. National Gallery of Art: Flowers.

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#3 in the series Don’t Quit Your Day Job. I call this – Processing Error.

Class #3
Acrylic Painting with Anthony Best
Shelby County Arts Council
23 July 2026

This time, it looks better IRL. The pinks are richer and the flower looks more textured. I don’t hate it.

Model photo supplied by instructor. Posted with permission. Resized and watermarked for storage space and traceability. Bordered for consistency. [Watermarks Theory]

Of course, my flower bears only a tangential relationship to the model. Pink flower, five petals, leaves, got it. Otherwise, I was flinging paint at the canvas. Instructor kept giving what I’m sure was excellent advice on how to paint what was in front of me. All I could think was, ‘Dude, not happening.’ My brain simply doesn’t process that way. I could see the shading he was pointing to. I could understand what he was saying about it. Taking the next step? Blank space.

Continuing to have fun.

Start, mainly to admire the pretty wooden easel. Once I began painting, I didn’t notice a difference with the metal ones from previous classes, except that I was more concerned about smearing this one with paint. Kid’s art blurred out in background. An overabundance of caution? Shrug. In a parallel universe, I became the lawyer my father wanted me to be.

Tables at start.

Tables at finish.

Previous Posts
[Landscape, Acrylic Painting Class #1, Art]
[Seascape, Acrylic Painting Class #2, Art]

Onwards!
Katherine

Wording of the outside world. At the Mobile Museum of Art, tickets for programs are priced $X for MMoA Members and $Y for Not-Yet Members. Clever.

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A Time You Had to Act like Someone You’re Not

We were in college at a frat party. My roommate had been cornered by a fellow who mistakenly thought himself charming. She was too kind to walk away. I am not as nice. I sailed over and inserted myself into the conversation. I ended up explaining in painstaking detail the life of a debutante. I dominated the conversation long enough for my roommate to slip away. The thing is, I had no idea. I did not have a debut. I have never been to a debut party. But, for a few minutes, to save a friend, I was a debutante.

Afterword

My submission to Micromemoir Marathon, contest #26. A Time You Had to Act like Someone You’re Not. Requirements were personal experience, 100 words, and short period of time. I had plans. In the end, this was the only one I submitted. The ideas failed to appear, except for post ideas, see below.

Entry was not accepted. I was invited to resubmitted as part of their regular program. Not gonna. Decided to post & move on. Posting counts as prior publication for this outlet.

In the bio, I described myself as a semi-retired freelance writer, then gave the blog name & address, which are different for boring historical reasons. [State of the Blog, Introduction].

Previous 5 Minute Posts

Fiction [The Arrival]

Non-fiction, non-format, [Pieces of My Past]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. A photographer worth following, AK Dragoo Photography. Truth in advertising. Professional acquaintance. Unsolicited PR. I just think you would enjoy the pix and might care to follow on the social media of your choice.

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Each week, #Bluesky Art Show selects a theme. On Saturdays, folks post their photos. Here are my entries from February to May 2026. Screenshots with links.

#Two

 #BlueSkyArtShow #Two. alt text: Close up of the textured wood of a outdoor ballfield stadium seat with two metal boltheads, VBB: Feb 21, 2026.

#Edge

 #BlueSkyArtShow #Edge, alt text: Top of stone wall against blue sky, VBB: Apr 18, 2026.

#Odd

Pylons of a fountain. #BlueSkyArtShow #Odd, alt text: Five large wooden poles upright in water, with spray coming down, VBB: Apr 25, 2026.

#Tall

A path thru the trees. #BlueSkyArtShow #Tall, alt text: A paved path thru leafy trees, taken in a way that emphasizes the height of the trees, VBB: May 23, 2026.

Process Notes

Probably done with this adventure. My criteria was photos not used on the blog. Since I tend to take pictures towards a specific purpose, I don’t have a lot of extra photos lying about. I’m not convinced this habit is a good thing, but it does seem to be a thing I do. [A Conversation About Fiction, Photography]

More importantly, I try to limit side quests. While a single weekly photo doesn’t sound like much, I know how much mental energy I gradually invest in any given project. My control point is to stop.

Previous Post

[Elsewhere On The Internet, A Round Up, Bluesky]

Onwards!
Katherine

One last World Cup moment. BhmLegion: Chris Richards talks about his Alabama roots and the journey to World Cup success, Hammond, June 23, 2026. Video, FOXSoccer: Chris Richards on Choosing Soccer Over Basketball and His Journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Video & article, WAFF: Chris Richards Competes in the World Cup, Prather, Jun. 30, 2026.

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Tilly
Riding
Stepping Stone Farm
16 July 2026

New horse. New to the barn. New to me. A sweet, sensitive mare who was brought in to be a nice, quiet kid’s horse. I kept telling myself that – quietkidshorse, quietkidshorse, quietkidshorse – as I got on. Once aboard, I was able to speak kindly and gently, at least for the duration of a lesson.

Mostly.

Occasionally, Tilly would come to a halt. The message I got was confusion. Too much energy. Too much hunt seat. Balance in the wrong place. “What in the name of all the saints has dropped on my back?” We talk about the rider getting used to the horse. How much do we think about the horse having to get used to each rider?

Overall, I was pleased at the extent I was able to adapt. That was me working hard to be quiet and tactful.

Onwards!
Katherine