Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world.

I thought the number of traffic lights only increased. I did not realized they could be removed. Seen in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Light was blinking. Stop sign on side of road.

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Source [Painting, Mixed Media Class #1, Art]

Similar [Paint Mixing, Photography]

Onwards!
Katherine

Horses of the outside world. This. I want this. Complete with trailer camping with husband. Lyrical Equine: Kentucky Part One: Travel and First Jog. Although with less horse theatrics. I’ve had enough of those to last a lifetime.

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Goldy
Hunt Seat Lesson
Rosewood Stables
10 October 2025
Coach Deana, different barn [Checking Out Another Hunter Barn]

Goldy has the old campaigner’s ability to size up his rider. He spent the lesson humoring me.

Me: Trot?
Goldy: No.
Me: Trot?
Goldy: No.
Me: Trot.
Goldy: Okay.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Freedom Forum: Today’s Front Pages.

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Nibbles sent to several Standardbred rescues.

Why a Standardbred?

Why not?

Horse needs a second career. We need a horse. Sounds like a plan.

But seriously folks. We’ve heard good things from folks who have adopted jugheads, excuse me, Standardbreds.

Driving preinstalled? Plsthx.

Detoxing? We’ve had off-track horses. Previous Horse was straight off the track in his racing plates.

Cantering? Overrated. CDEs and starter events can both be done at a trot.

We’ve gone the athletic and talented route. Maybe this time we can get try.

“Standardbreds are often highly regarded for their willingness to learn, their enjoyment of work and their generally laid back natures.” Standardbred.org (UK): Standardbreds Off the Race Track.

“On the up side, there’s lots to like. Standardbreds are tough, athletic, intelligent, eager to please, and temperament-wise I have to admit they are way more tolerant and sensible than your average off-the-track Thoroughbred.  (As a lifelong owner of OTTBs, I say that with love.).” Writing From the Right Side of the Stall: A Soft Spot for Standardbreds

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. The Catholic Herald: Vatican Library grants Muslim scholars a prayer room.

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Horse

Walked to barn. Rodney around. Fed treats. Called for Milton. No sign. Called again. Still no. Minor amount of concern. We don’t expect anything to be wrong, but … twitch … horses … twitch. Although, not as much as when the 26-year-old is late.

Suddenly.

Thunder in the distance. Milton comes down the path at warp speed. Someone, somewhere is having cookies without meeeeeeee!!! Seriously, given his race record, I don’t think he moved that fast on the track.

His foot is fine. [Foot Fiesta Advances Into Autumn]

Human

My foot started to ache over the weekend. Weird, because it healed up tidily and on time. [Foot 2025]

I think I know why it hurt. In spring, we had rain & my foot was in repair mode. In summer, it was dry and & my foot was done. I have not had an intersection of rain and healed foot. The outside of my right foot can now tell the weather.

It’s going to be one of those injuries.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Attended a No Kings rally on Saturday. AL.com: ‘No Kings’ protest draws large crowd in Birmingham, Whites-Koditschek 2025.

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Anti-Static Fleece Coolers
Weatherbetta

We lucked out. The horses needed wanted light jackets for autumn. The store was selling these as end-of-season summer sheets.

We have one in black but a) it has holes and b) Milton kept giving us the eye that Rodney had a blanket and he didn’t. [Horse Sweatshirt]

Blanket static hasn’t bothered Rodney for years (crosses fingers) but we’ll take the anti-static feature as a bonus. [ZAP! 2013 & Blankets Are Back 2021]

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. “What is the difference between mixed media and multi-media artworks? … multi-media is generally used to define an artwork that uses or includes a combination of electronic media, such as video, film, audio and computers.” Tate: Mixed Media

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Part Two: Posca acrylic markers, alcohol markers, Crayola, Sharpie, gel pens, pastels, colored pencils, graphite, charcoal, erasers.

Start.

Practicing with various media.

Using those media to draw on the results from last week. [Mixed Media Class #1]

There are additional marks on all three sheets. They are most obvious here.

Left pastels, right pencils.

We were charged to produce two works that were only drawing. I deeply dislike pencils. So smudgy. I opted to work with these because I don’t like them. Cheer for my artistic bravery. What did I discover? I can see how both pencils and pastels would produce interest effects. I still dislike working with them. They never dry & they get everywhere.

Previous Mixed Media [Class #1]

Update. Turns out I have mentioned my aversion previously, “Hate pencils. I hate how they smear. I hate how graphite gets everywhere.” [Free To Good Home, Pens, Pencils, Notebooks 2021]

Onwards!
Katherine

Fiction of the outside world. I was this many years old when learned about the Magic Pony genre, “Where powerful magical beasts selflessly serve the whims of their human masters for no clear reason.” The Turtle Moves! Discworld’s Story Unauthorized by Lawrence Watt-Evans 2008. Chapter 3 The Color of Magic. Extensive preview available thru Google Books.

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Hunters

In the mid-80s, I remember trotting out into a pasture at a local show to jump a course. What we called an outside course. It was a lap or two around a contained space. It wasn’t quite cross country. You were definitely being judged on smoothness and style, but there were solid coops and terrain.

Hunter/Jumper

Jumps were measure in feet & inches. I still think that way. Haven’t jumped enough under the new system to make the conversion.

Eventing

My first event, in 1980, was at Pretraining, what is now called Novice. That was the lowest level. There were no beginner novice or starter levels. OTOH, there was more time & space for running around like idiots. By the time I got on course, I’d done enough trail riding to feel ready.

There were more backyard, unrecognized competitions. I recall jumping a few skanky fences. The were probably safe because they would have disintegrated in a crisis.

Saddle Seat

I have no back-in-the-day memories for saddle seat. I started in 2012. Academy began in 1989. There are many folks out there who watched the changes, to Academy in specific and to saddle seat in general. Wanna tell me about it?

The beginnings. Saddle & Bridle: Whatever Works: The genius of academy, Layos 2017. I had to laugh “It became a joke that all the utensils would need to be removed from the table before we got into the meeting” ibid. I think we’ve all been in those meetings.

Overall

I have less to say than I thought I would. I expected material for this post to roll out like a kitten with toilet paper. But no. Meager pickings, much of which I’ve already said elsewhere. I guess I would have to be more involved in the current (non-saddle seat) show world to see what has changed.

Previous Posts, Show Memories

“Never used a boot jack to pull off their tall boots.” [Problems That Younger Riders Have Never Had To Worry About, aka The Boot Jack List]

‘There used to be a place to show Thoroughbreds. It was called the hunter industry.” [Get Off My Lawn, And Take Your Warmblood With You]

Previous W2H Post

[Witness To History, Years Ago In The Emergency Room, With Apologies, Personal Non-Fiction]

Witness to History. There is nothing special about my experience, other than every life is special. I invite you to write down your own memories. Blog hop? Guest Post?

Onwards!
Katherine