Having to take a shower BEFORE you exercise.
Seriously. First thing I do in the morning is feed. It’s possible that manure is involved. I don’t notice anymore. Therefore, I try to tone down the barn odor as much as possible before spending an hour in a closed room with muggles.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
In August, my mother went to the 100th anniversary of her summer camp.
At the age of 7, my mother began attending Camp Nyoda, an all-girls summer camp. She acted in plays. She did arts & crafts. She took riding lessons, briefly. She stayed at the camp for thirteen years, eventually becoming a counselor. In college, she rode in her one and only horse show. She won a ribbon. She rode a handful of times on vacation or with relatives. She has not ridden in decades.
At the age of 7, I began attending Fireplace Lodge (now defunct), an all-girls summer camp. I acted in plays. I did arts & crafts. I took riding lessons, briefly. I rode in a camp show. I won a ribbon. I left the camp after three years to attend a horseback camp. I went to a dude ranch for one summer. At 15, I leased my first horse and disappeared into the horse world.
Same start; different paths.
At the age of 7, my mother began attending Camp Nyoda, an all-girls summer camp. She acted in plays. She did arts & crafts. She swam. She swam throughout camp, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. At college, taught swimming and was on the Water Ballet Team, now known as the Olympic sport of Synchronized Swimming. These days, she does water workout. One of her spirit animals is a seal. She gets cranky if she does not immerse herself in water on a regular basis.
At the age of 7, I began attending Fireplace Lodge, an all-girls summer camp. I acted in plays. I did arts & crafts. I swam. I passed the Red Cross Advanced Beginner swimming test. I went to a new camp. I passed the Red Cross Advanced Beginner swimming test. I went to college. I passed the two-lap swim test. Soaking in a bathtub makes me feel like a stewbeast marinating in its own gravy. Until recently [Spring Fitness], I had not been in a pool for decades.
Same start; different paths.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Y is for Young at Heart. If you are joining me from Blogging A To Z, welcome! Since the blog is already daily, with topics for each day [About: Schedule], there is no specific A To Z theme. I may even skip a few letters. Gasp. Clutch the pearls. The goal for this year is less crazy, more visiting. [Ze State of Ze Blog 2014]
~~~
Five women who will put the joie back in your vivre.
Lorna Johnstone, Dressage Rider
At the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, British rider Lorna Johnstone became the oldest female Olympian: She was 70 years old when she entered the dressage competition. Johnstone is also the second oldest female Olympian, competing in the 1968 games at age 66.
National Geographic: Meet the Olympians Who Prove Age Really Is Just a Number
Dara Torres, Swimmer
Dara Torres is arguably the fastest female swimmer in America. She entered her first international swimming competition at age 14 and competed in her first Olympic Games a few years later in 1984.
At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, Dara became the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympic Games.
Wiki says she was 41 in 2008, Dara Torres. Torres has be a lifestyle idol of mine for a while [Quote, Cover].
Katherine Switzer, Runner
The 121st Boston Marathon included the first woman to officially run the race 50 years ago, ABC News, By Kaelyn Forde.
Katherine Switzer Marathon Woman: Latest News
In 1967, Switzer finished in 4 hours, 20 minutes. On Monday, at 70 years old, Switzer finished in 4:44:31, wearing the same bib number — 261.
Boston Globe: Kathrine Switzer finishes Boston Marathon again, 50 years later
Dahlov Ipcar, Artist
(emphasis mine)
It’s with great sadness that we announce Dahlov’s passing, yesterday, February 10th, 2017.
She spent the morning at her easel; fielded a few calls with her son Bob pertaining to a sit down interview for a publication; worked with her son Charlie on any number of projects related to upcoming exhibits. In the late afternoon she bid good day to her home health aide but early in the evening she was gone.
At age 99 she worked right up to the end, doing what she loved. We should all be so lucky – but it hurts just the same. May she forever be with the wondrous beasts of her imagination, that magical realm that knows no beginning or end. She left us a remarkable world to remember her by.
The World Of Dahlov Ipcar
Barbara Harmon, Traveler & Blogger
Across Country with a Horse, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Minimal Income: Enjoying the ride! Living in the moment; coping with obstacles; on and off a horse. (http://raandahorseandnomoney.com/)
A few days ago, Barbara Harmon (I’m guessing the name from the contact address) packed up her horse and took off for a cross-country trip.
I am now leaving in two days for a solo drive across the US to the Bay Area in CA, a four-month stay at my friend’s horse ranch, a return drive to Florida by very roundabout way of another few months visiting Cape Cod and New England. I will be pulling a horse trailer with horse and belongings for 2-3 stops in the earlier portions of the trip.
My friend jests: “must be nice to be independently wealthy”… but I am not. I am 56 years old, single, female, have had RA for 20 years, and am financially …”challenged”.
This is gonna be awesome!!
I hope you’ll tune in!
Across Country with a Horse, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Minimal Income
As of Thursday, she’d written nine posts and had gotten as far as North Carolina. There’s a lot of the US to go. Who knows what kind of correspondent she will turn out to be. If she stays with the blog, we will get to watch the trip unfold in real time.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
A few days ago, I heaved my ass out of the house earlier than usual. When I walked into the locker room at the Y, I encountered a horde of grey-haired, old ladies. Seriously, it was like the rec center at a retirement community. Yes, I have grey hair. Yes, I have been qualified to join AARP for 4 years. But that’s not ME. I don’t belong with these people.
Do I?
Is this what the kids at the barn see when they look at me?
Then, the shortest, oldest, most wizened of the women turned around … and … holy crap, I want arm muscles that look like hers.
Judge not.
(Why does judgment have a negative connotation? “You are wonderful.” is as much of a judgment as “You are horrible”. Yet when we say, “Don’t be judgmental.”, we mean the latter. But I digress.)
Do you agree with what you see in the mirror?
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Current exercise regimen is swimming on days that I do not lesson. Two people have recently extolled to me how much exercise has energized their lives. Mostly, I feel tired and out of time. Endorphins are a myth.
~~~
2016 Alphabet
R is for Reins
Q is for Quote
P is for Polo Wraps
O is for Opinion
N is for Nature
M is for My Missing Motivation
L is for Leadline
K is for Knabstrupper
J is for Jenny’s Jodhpurs
I is for I Love You
H is for Halter
G is for Ghost Gallery
F is for Fence
E is for Eventing
D is for Do
C is for Carrot
B is for Brush
A is for Apple
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Doing more biking. Still on my pitiful, proof-of-concept, 5.5 mile training ride [Nowhere, Winner]. It’s coming more easily. I’m able to lever my own ass off the couch during the week and not rely solely on joint rides over the weekend.
Whenever I am heading into the wind (or flapping through one more lap in the pool), I think of Gran Moff Tarkin’s words to Vader on the Death Star after the Millennium Falcon has “escaped”:
This had better work.
All this effort had better show up in my riding. A bolder jump cross-country, fewer seconds in a jump-off, a more sparkling pass in saddle seat. I want results and I want them yesterday!
Note to self: do NOT watch Criminal Minds reruns before a solo bike ride. Every harmless passing car becomes a haven for a skanky unsub who will run me off the road, inject me with exotic drugs, and perform weird and ritualistic violence on my person. My imagination does not need the help.
Note to everyone else: Follow a Criminal Minds episode with the recap on Castle Vardulon. Plot holes, factual errors, and continuity problems served up with generous doses of snark.
How is your exercise resolution going?
~~~
Gratuitous Skyline: Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Greg had to attend a fancy business dinner. I got to stay home, confer with horses instead of people, and still enjoy the view. Win!
Taken at The Club.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
The Tale of the Vest
Motivation
Diet Progress
Alphabet 2015
U is for Unguent
T is for Tweet
S is for Stepping Stone
R is for Rodney
Q is for Quilt
P is for Peppermint
O is for Outstanding
N is for Nail
M is for Mathilda
L is for Longe Line
K is for Kopertox(R)
J is for Jump
I is for Irons
H is for Hay
G is for Green Grass
F is for Feed
E is for Eventing
D is for Dressage
C is for Caesar
B is for Boot
A Is For Appaloosa
Designed by Catherine Strachan
