We now have a hanging scale to weigh Milton’s hay. Rodney doesn’t need it. He’s in a diet of ‘As much as he will eat without wasting it.’
Milton’s hay is already served in clean muck buckets set aside for the purpose. Now all we have to do is hang the bucket handle from the scale. This removes the problem of variable flake sizes.
This winter, I took an online class on the fantasy genre, taught by Jo Walton & Ada Palmer, FFAC10106, The Anatomy of Fantasy, Graham School, U Chicago. It was a companion to last year’s science fiction class. [Winter Protocols]
My plan was to have the class serve as two-months of inspirational chorus leading to a short story. Didn’t happen. Partly, my continuing inability to think in a fictionally-compatible fashion. Partly, feeling punk when I was supposed to producing purple prose.[Leaping Around The Swamp]
What did happen is that the plan leaked all over the rest of the non-equine posts: photography, non-fiction, art. Bottom line, no story, but lots of other fantasy posts.
Speaking of being sick, I would have liked to do more with many of the posts. There was a lot of ‘Okay, good enough. Gets the idea across.’ For example, I would have like more than six examples on the fantasy book map.
This was the hardest section to come up with ideas. Well yes, fiction but I always have trouble with fiction. This was the hardest one to tailor to the topic at hand. What is fantasy in photography? How do I find it before next Friday?
That’s one reason I used two posts from one place, even though that contravenes my basic premise of ‘Go somewhere, do something’. I was discovering that it was difficult to ‘Go somewhere, do something, AND find a theme.’
The last was the one that was supposed to be the fully realized short story. As of the Wednesday before, I had nothing. I admitted defeat and went with the link fest.
Upcoming book Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Jo Walton and Ada Palmer (Macmillan scheduled for 2024), AP: Trace Elements.
In the dragon museum video, one of the speakers points out that dragon is combination of lion, eagle, & snake, which are three of the four Hogwarts crests. [DragonCat]
At least two people in class had never read The Lord of the Rings. Me, first thought: How is it possible that a science fiction & fantasy reader could NOT have read this? Me, upon reflection: Back when I read it in the mid-70s, we didn’t have much choice. We all read the same books because there were so few. The fantasy genre is different now, thanks in no small part to TLOTR.
Awareness of the outside world. Virtual medal benefits The Leapfrog Group, a health care safety organization.
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Daily Walks
Early last month, I undertook an outing among the general public. Since I have the exposure level of a toddler at the beginning of day care, I spend the rest of the month under the weather. (Not Covid. I tested. Just garden-variety grot. Which is still with us. But I digress.)
I got out for a walk each day, sometimes in the morning with horses, sometimes later in the day, although, for a while in there, the walks were pretty short. [Walking Virtually NYC]
Back in January, I missed the IRL race. I wondered why bother with a 5K walk on my own. What does it help? What does it prove? I know I can do it. If I want to get fit, there are so many other exercises that would benefit me other than more walking. As I said last month, I came down on the side that movement is good. Having that dangly bit of metal gave me the little extra boost to get it done. [Month of the Dragon]
This month, I could have talked self out of it easily. The thermometer had taken a nosedive. I was still (still!) recovering. OTOH, I had run out of month and I had a medal dated 29 Feb. If I hadn’t walked yesterday, I’d have to hold onto the thing for four years before I could use it again. It would not be my best walk, but it wasn’t going to send me into a relapse.
Walk went well. No down segments. More enjoyable having things to look at. Note, the tracker said 5K when I hit the finish button. Dunno where the 4.9K came from. Plus, it’s 4.99K on my phone. For the record.
Other Exercise
Tai chi. Stretching.
Trying to work in a second exercise session each day. Obviously the project took a hit this month.
Logistics
When I signed up for the NYC Virtual medal, I was planning on using it as a way to record 5Ks. It wasn’t working. Getting to 114 kilometers was going to take forever at 5K per month. I knew that when I signed up. More importantly, the set-up wasn’t motivating me, vide January. [Step By Step]
So I’ve gone back to 5K virtual medals. For preference, attached to an IRL run, but that is not always possible. (Maybe if I were getting horse show bling, I would not have my head turned by the shiny. Funny how it always comes back to horse shows, or lack thereof. But I digress, again.)
Current plan. Daily walking & weekly biking posted to NYC virtual, then resume Mississippi River virtual walk. Each 5K gets its own medal.
Photo proof that I was elsewhere looking at a horse. Watched a local OTTB have a lesson. While we are a long way from having to set out a third feed bucket, it was activity, if not progress.
What do I want? The daydreaming part of me still wants that fancy horse midlife-crisis horse who can do everything. Another part of me, the tired part, just wants to show & jump around & have fun.
Changed post titles to “quest” because finding the right horse is starting to feel like a grail quest. Had previously changed the titles from hunt to search for similar reasons. [Horse Search Start]
Milton has consented to being ridden occasionally. Emphasis on occasionally. This qualified. Pretty day. Warm weather. He was good at the mounting block. He walked on a loose rein, with a pleasant, relaxed shimmy to his tail. Everything you could want in taking your horse for a stroll in the sunshine.
Rodney less so.
Rodney was astonished to find out that riding still applied to him. I told him that actual retired superstars often go for actual walks. Sometimes they even keep competing, dropping down a few levels to show the ropes to less experienced riders. [Imagining Rodney]
He wasn’t buying it.
Yes, he did what was asked. He stayed at a quiet walk the entire time. He had a few good moments. Mostly, he was tight and quick-strided. A come-apart was never off the table. He made astoundingly heavy weather of a simple task.
Afterward, Milton was smug about being number one horse for the day. Rodney, as always, wondered why the world doesn’t see things his way.
Awareness of the outside world. Why is Haley staying in? IMO, shes making a bet that circumstances will clear the field. Is it a longshot? Sure. Is it for the brass ring? Also yes.
~~~
Tack!
Was worn!
By horses!
Granted they only did a few introductory circles on the longlines, but still, work! Was done!
Virtual Brush Box 