Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. I remain appalled by the news. The news keeps requiring me to be appalled by the same things. That is appalling in its own right.

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Not a horse hunt. A hunt implies a mighty hunter. We are poking noses out of our burrow like a pair of alarmed meerkats.

Emails were sent.

Conversations were had.

No candidate horses were examined.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Your Dressage: Prepare to Be Humbled, New para-dressage docufilm, Paragold, spotlights four athletes’ journeys as they strive to make the US Paralympic team, By Jennifer O. Bryant, June 20, 2023.

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Photos of Milton’s tail trim which were sent to taunt the Saddlebred people.

[The Unbridgeable Abyss That Shall Eternally Divide Them] 2020

[Mane Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow] 2021, explanation, with a side order of feghoot.

[Mane and Tail Time] 2022

Can’t stop now.

This year, trimmed Rodney’s mane when he had a big, shallow, goopy scrape on his neck. Photo taken for reference. Neither sent nor posted.

Trimmed Rodney’s tail. No photo. Do I really need to send this picture every year?

Yes.

Yes, I do.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world, from our guest contributor, “May I recommend ‘generative art’ as a technique (which predates the recent spate of AI ‘art’), which consists of writing computer code to generate a series or continuum of art pieces that explore a specific visual space designed/chosen by the artist while holding the potential to surprise them.” He goes on to recommend, ‘Data Imaginist’ or Thomas Lin Pedersen as a particularly good example, Generative Art by Thomas Lin Pedersen. “I am especially fond of his ‘phases330033’ or his ‘folding flow 41’ both available at that page.” MG

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Back text

Toulouse-Lautrec
Cheval blanc <<Gazelle>> (1881)
Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
Albi

by Apa Poux, Albi

Mathieu Glachant, my friend and classmate from Graham School classes, was visiting Albi, France. Did anyone want a postcard?

Yes, please.

Et voilà.

Thank you so much, Mathieu. Mailbox treat & blog post in one!

Links

“If Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec could not ride the horses, he showed them his affection by fixing their attitudes on paper or on canvas.” care of Google Translate. TLM: Cheval Blanc Gazelle.

“Thanks to a bequest from the parents of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the museum houses the largest public collection in the world devoted to the famous Albi painter.” Toulouse-Lautrec Museum.

Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa. Every museum has an opinion. Pick one.

The Toulouse-Lautrec Museum is located in the Bishop’s Palace in Albi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “On the banks of the Tarn river in south-west France, the old city of Albi reflects the culmination of a medieval architectural and urban ensemble.” UNESCO: The Episcopal City of Albi.

“A feminine icon symbolizing the citizens’ attachment to a republican France, Marianne is an emblem of liberty, fraternity and equality … stamps bearing her image are called Mariannes.” Canadian Museum of History/Musée canadien de l’histoire: Marianne, Symbol of Liberty in France.

Postal Posts [Archives]

Update. Added, see comment. Linn’s Stamp News: New French definitive series presents Marianne the Engaged. “(as in, engaged in social consciousness or political action).” Baake 2018.

Also, with photo of mural, ArtNet: Emmanuel Macron Picks a Street Artist to Render Marianne, the French Symbol of Liberty, for a National Stamp. Rea 2018.

Onwards!
Katherine

Blogs of the outside world. Scalzi is posting more often on his blog, Whatever. Cat photos have moved to Instagram, @scamperbeasts. Good news for those of us who enjoy his writing but did not follow his Twitter adventures, Whatever: Preparing My X-it.

~~~

I almost walked away from the blog last month.

This was after Milton had thrown yet another fit. [Lecturing Milton]

I am so over it.

Drafted the sine die post. “Without any future date being designated (as for resumption) : indefinitely. the meeting adjourned sine die” Merriam-Webster: sine die.

Scheduled the post. Twice.

Decided close to August was not the time to make major decisions. [Here Comes That Month]

I will stagger along for the rest of this month with photos and brief posts. Maybe September will bring a new, uplifting breeze.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. News Mix channel yesterday. Three networks talking about the arraignment. Fox talking about the credit downgrade. Color me not surprised. [Bridge Bling, Blankets Are Back]

Truth in advertising. They did eventually switch over.

~~~

Daily Walks

Memorial Park
Birmingham AL

One new place. The rest were in the pasture, mostly as morning walks with the horses.

Monthly 5K

Sulky Sprint 5K, Breyerfest
IRL Kentucky Horse Park
Virtual, Oak Mountain State Park
Sunday 16 July 2023

Since there is no local horse park for me to mill around, I went to Oak Mountain State Park, in honor of Milton’s trail ride a while back. Chose the easy, level people path instead of the goat track that the horses use.

[Camp Report, Hittin’ The Trail]
[The Canadian Horse & The Red Queen] The rest of the story

Other

No other types of activities this month.

Last month [In Which I Go To A Foreign Country and Walk Around In Circles]

You think I was kidding about goat track?

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. And I thought time zones were hard to deal with. Julian vs Gregorian calendars. “So you had the odd situation of a ten day gap between England and Europe.” Inky Fool: Today is Mayday, 11 May 2023. This lasted for 170 years! “Because of this discrepancy in the date of adoption, documents written on the same day in different countries may carry different dates.” Univ of Nottingham: Julian/Gregorian Calendars, with chart showing year of adoption by country.

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Updated Now Page

+++

August 2023

I hate August. [Hello September]

That is all.

No. Wait. Let me try again.

I am opening myself to the energies of a benevolent universe in order to use the days of this month to follow a path of joy and service.

That’s better.

… hate … hate … hate …

+++

Last Month [Sunny Days, State of the Now}

My antipathy toward August is not new.

[Hello September] 2016

“Or it could just be August.” [Milton & Me, Redux] 2017

“Plus, it’s August, Not my favorite month in any year.” [Mood On Monday, Same Same] 2020

“It may be a month where simply getting to the other side is a victory.” [On A Related Note] 2021

“I shouldn’t have bad feelings about an entire twelfth of the year. Yet here we are.” [The Illustrated Month, August] 2022

Have I mentioned recently how much I hate August? [Rodney’s Foot Saga Continues] 2022

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Refutation of the alpha male nonsense. Imgur: Bullsaint: ALPHA MALES SAY NO BARBIE HURR DURR. 27 July 2023. Hat tip to C.

Reminder of the arguments, in case the text disappears someday. 1) Why do you care so much about a two-hour commercial for a toy company? 2) Alpha vs beta versions in software development. 3) Scientist who coined the term disavows it. 4) *IF* you accept the term, then caring for your pack is your highest priority. You’d go see the movie, “purely because they wanted to.”

~~~

Milton

Milton’s abscess blew out on the top of his heel. [It’s Always Something, Milton’s Turn]

Yay for pus! Yes, it’s a weird thing to be happy about. Anyone who has had a horse with an abscess knows what I mean.

We were 90% sure it was an abscess, but nice to see. Definitely shorter duration than last time. We went after it as an abscess immediately.

Poor dude. Rodney’s go back out the sole. Milton’s travel thru the foot & come out the heel.

No photo. Looks about like last time. [Milton’s Foot Diagnosis Develops, scroll down for heel photo]

Rodney

Rodney is back to what passes for work these days. We do our morning walk. He does a few trot circles on the long lines.

Frankly, I can’t see that it’s going to lead to anything much at this point. However, consistent, light work is good, even for the retired superstar Rodney thinks he is.

To be clear, Rodney is neither retired, nor a former superstar, no matter what he says. Well, he may be de facto retired if not de jure. But I have wandered into the weeds.

Whatever work gets done, it gets done in the morning. The rest of the day is suitable only for hosing them down.

Me

Speaking of heat. I am not handling the heat well this summer.

Partly, the weather is nasty. Hot and really humid.

Partly me. I don’t feel any different. I’m not sweating unduly. I’m not enervated by the heat. After a while, I realize that I am not cooling off, even with air conditioning. It’s as if my down regulator is broken. Weird. Last year, I showed in the summer. It was hot, but I didn’t melt. This year, I am curtailing activities that leave me out in the sun. Never had to do that before. Not hormones. Those are long gone.

Onwards!
Katherine