Virtual Brush Box

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. ANC: Alabama Power helps a tiny turtle or two at Smith Lake, Sznajderman, August 19, 2022. Photos by Meg McKinney

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Last week’s lesson at Stepping Stone Farm with Bubba, pictured, and assistant trainer James Huguley, son of Coach Courtney & brother to SSF equitation star Reagan. [Road to the World Cup]

He pointed out many of the same things. So, at least I’m consistent. Yay?

Right Hand Goes Rogue

My right hand has been drifting upward in recent lessons. Not sure why. None of these things happen in isolation. So I pondered. I decided that I turn my body in toward the circle instead of staying square to the tangent. I doing so, I lean. Therefore, the right hand drifts up. It’s always the right hand because my right hand is always the outside hand to start because ASB lesson always start in same direction, i.e. first direction, i.e. counterclockwise.

Squaring up felt weird, as if shooting off at 45 degree angle out of the ring.

I wanted to make a saddle seat versus h/j thing out of it, but the idea of square to the tangent comes from dressage. So, a bad habit rather than clashing disciplines.

I am not alone in having misbehaving body parts. I sent this post, Thoughtful Equestrian: Possessed by demons, to Coach Courtney, with the note, ‘For your amusement, right hand antics.’

Shoulders Ahoy

I both lean forward and drop my shoulders. This one is long term. Coach James suggested taking a deep breath. I like this. I have never been able to ‘get my shoulders back’ or ‘drop my shoulders’.

My standard response to ‘Relax your shoulders’ is, ‘Have you MET me?’ But I digress.

I’ve never been able to make my shoulders go where I want. I think, perhaps, I’m trying to hold them back, which is static, which is untenable. Taking a deep breath is an actionable item.

He also pointed out not to lose the puffed-uppedness on the downstroke of the post. I do have a tendency to relax into an heap at a moment’s notice.

We’ll see if I can maintain a difference next time.

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In other news, I am working toward arranging non-ASB lessons. The universe is not bedecking the path with rose petals.

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding & Driving

Awareness of the outside horse world. The Instagram algorithm put up a schooling video of a UK rider whose name I did not recognize. This is not a surprise, as I have no idea who is hot anymore. I started following her because she wasn’t making the jumping mistakes I had been whining about, “BEND the knee. STRAIGHT line from hand to bit. Why is your horse’s nose BEHIND THE VERTICAL over a fence!?!?“ [Thoughts]

She just won Burghley. [Instagram: @piggy.march, April 27]

I may be riding in the kiddie pool, but I can tackbox quarterback with the best of them.

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Our Own Personal Parade

Two trips to get Milton and cart over to Stepping Stone Farm for schooling. Driving is awesome. The logistic are daunting.

Proto-hitching: Achievement unlocked! Milton wore full harness while being led around pulling cart while I acted as breakaway switch. Himself started to remember and afterward was very proud of himself.

Living The Life

Rodney: (thinks is his current program of gentle work is a retirement that befits a fancy horse.)

Me: You have to have the fancy career first.

Rodney: (shrugs)

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. YLE: Considerations for your fall booster, Jetelina, Sep 2.

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When we took Rodney to the vet to look at his lingering foot issues, the vet said best case was rest in a clean, dry stall, looking at 10 days to two weeks. [Taking a Splinter to the ER, Feets Update]

Since the stall would be good for his feet but horrible for his legs and mind, that wasn’t gonna happen. At least, not 24/7. So three weeks recovery, at best?

Rodney comes home and immediately starts to get better. From day one he has always been making progress, albeit slowly. Now the slope spiked dramatically upward. A small area at the back of the heel is was still sore to the touch, and will be for a while on Friday. The rest of the foot is fine. The leg swelling and heat have disappeared. By Sunday, we could press on the heel. Yeah, he got better that fast.

Explanations.

Perception bias. Now that the medical expert has said it is minor, we are more relaxed. We see progress where before we had been worried about deeper injury.

Timing. If we had waited a few more days we could have skipped the vet entirely.

Therapy. The trailer ride itself was therapeutic? An ersatz vibration plate? I’m making this up, but stranger things have happened.

That’s all fine and logical.

I swear this is how it feels …

Rodney: Vet has been summoned. Proper attention has been paid. Doc says I will be okay. I get better now.

Onwards!
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. How Buddha became a Christian saint. biblonia: Texts in cultural knots: Buddha in medieval Europe

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Legend

None. Had planned to do small cartoons for each letter, as previous. Got this far. Decided I liked how it looked & stopped.

Last month [The Illustrated Month, August]

Archive [The Illustrated Month 2022]

Onwards!
Katherine

Blogging About Blogging

Awareness of the outside world. ANC: Players mourn loss of Alabama pool hall where everybody knew your name, McKinney, July 29, 2022.

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[Digital Has Replaced the Darkroom, Portrait of A Photographer In Post Production, Guest Photo] 2019, photo by Meg McKinney

Getting back into photography with the big camera, for all the reasons stated previously: self-improvement, diversion, professional development & and so on.

Plan is to split Friday posts between fitness & photography. I’m sorta running out of things to say about walking around the pasture but I’m not ready to commit to four photo posts a month. Two, I should be able to handle. Maybe?

Completely, blatantly using the blog as combination carrot & stick to motivate me. This has worked for improving my graphic design skills on Sunday posts, less well with fiction on Saturdays. I’ll find out where photography falls on that spectrum.

This post is for your amusement & my reference, as the blog has become my external memory.

Past Classes

Tutorials with Meg, 2014-2017 [Archives, subsection Photo Classes & Advice Posts]

OMSP Nature 2017
[Foto Friday: Spotted at Oak Mountain State Park] water
[Foto Friday: Bird at Oak Mountain State Park]
[Foto Friday: Spotted at Sunset]

Samford Academy of the Arts Photography Classes
Know Your Nikon 2018 [Foto Friday: Photo Class Without The Photos]
Basic Photography 2018 [It’s All Grist for the Mill, Spotted at Kymulga Grist Mill]
History in Plain Sight 2018
[Spotted on the Vulcan Trail]
[Spotted at the Birmingham Mural]
[Spotted Spots Ghost Ads]

Sloss Color & Shadow 2019 [Color & Shadow & Spotted]

Past Photo Posts, not cited above

So, I came home and thought about why I photograph.

Self-Improvement
It’s good to learn new things, right?

Self-Expression
Making the blog more visual.

Self-Employment
I used to be paid to take photos. Someday someone might do so again. Would be good if I remembered how.

[Foto Theory]

2015 [Camera, The Rest of the Story]

2016, photo by Meg McKinney [Foto Friday: Sloss Furnaces]

2016, photo by Meg McKinney [Foto Friday: Sloss Furnaces]

2019, photo by Meg McKinney [Portrait of A Photographer]

Onwards!
Katherine

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. APM: Mary Peltola becomes first Alaska Native elected to Congress, Ruskin & George, August 31, 2022.

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Partway back to status quo ante prior to tweaking my ankle. [Bored]

Lots of walking. Getting back on bicycle. OTOH, have not tried Tai Chi yet. So many of the moves involve standing in one place and twisting. I’m probably fine, but keep finding reasons to delay it.

Places are walks, one mile unless noted.

New Places

UAB, outside
Update, UAB = The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Walmart as indoor gym. Member of household was shopping, so they got $ from us. Did twice.

Blount Cultural Park, Montgomery, Run For The Zoo Virtual 5K, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago. Update [Puttering Around The Park, Walk Report, LPZ Run For The Zoo Virtual 5K 2022]

The Summit, semi-new. Walked behind buildings on return. [Inside and Outside, Lots of Walks]

Repeat Places

Limestone Park [Der Spaziergang, New Park Old Park]

UAB, inside. UAB hospital walking trail [Following The Signs]
Update, UAB = The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Heardmont Park [Strolling Along The Edges]

Unnamed corporate park [Another Lakeside Stroll, Corporate Bronze]

Local park

Pasture

Virtual Places

Australia, biking, finished virtual tour. [Biking Virtually, Great Ocean Road, The Sequel]

Minnesota, walking & biking. [Biking and Walking Virtually, Mississippi River, Part One, Minnesota]

Kentucky, walking, above. [Der Spaziergang, Walk Report, The Strudel Sprint Virtual 5K, BreyerFest 2022]

Chicago, walking, above.

Data Dump

Walking – 21 days

Biking – 4 days

Riding – 3 lessons & 2 horses shows, which do not preclude exercise but tend to wear me out. Lesson more than horse show. Usually wired after a show.

Nothing – 5 days, ’tis the season of afternoon thunderstorms.

Doubles – 5 days, one-mile stroll secondary to bike or riding.

Onwards!
Katherine

Blogging About Blogging

Awareness of the outside world. A cute Wordle story. Braymere Custom Saddlery: O-L-I-V-E, Monday, April 25, 2022.
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Text of the new Now page. [Archive]

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As of 1 September 2022

After taking most of last month off, horses are back in work. (Crosses fingers.)

Milton is lungeing preparatory to maybe hitching again.

Rodney is going for gentle walks.

Till next month.

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Onwards!
Katherine