Virtual Brush Box

Words

Words of the outside world. Book Riot: 11 of the Best Stories Featuring Origami, Cahill, 2021. Includes links to free fiction. I have not read any of these, and most likely will not. More Nebula than Hugo. I don’t do lyrical.

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The concept is to use an apartment building as a narrative frame for a sequence of interrelated short stories. The supporting characters from one story are the main characters in another story. The plots are intertwined. Sometimes the influence of one story on another is strong, for example the same events told from two points of view. Other times the connection is a passing incident that can be overlooked or noticed as an Easter Egg. Each story can be read as a stand-alone. Taken together the stories form a larger tale.

The building is both backdrop and part of each story.

Now all I need are the stories.

Lobby. Civic space. How the building interacts with the rest of the city.

First Floor. Retail shops. For UK readers. US first floor in the ground floor.

Sidewalk. Building was the site of an Historic Event. How does Historical Event effect those who live there now? Are there occasional tourists? Lots of tourists? Ghosts? Once a year celebration/commemoration of the Historic Event.

Second Floor. Dance studio & offices. For variety.

Third Floor & up. Residences.

One apartment is a combined private museum and storage space for a collector (art? relics? books? all of the above?) Collector is out of town often. Another building resident has a part-time job of receiving packages, admitting visitors, giving tours, and so on.

Hallways. Are the residential hallways decorated or not? Do the stores connect to the lobby?

Roof. Gardens. Viewing spots.

Basement.

Stairs.

Elevator.

Service Elevator.

HVAC/Electrical Room.

Maintenance Room.

Window glass cleaner. Read an slice-of-life article on this. Must relocate.

Update. Swimming pool &/or exercise room, per comment.

Other parts of a building?

Also, the idea of interrelated stories is ringing a bell. A book I read for class, but that’s all the memory I can dredge up. Any suggestions?

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping Away From Home

Awareness of the outside world. Camping concerns involve trash, overuse, and impact on the local environment. Since we “camp” at horse activities, the local environment is a parking lot.

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Our snazzy digs at Whip Hand Farm. [Clinic Report]

Sleeping in a horse trailer is not everyone’s choice. We’re cheap and we like to be near the horse(s). Trailer camping it is.

We have bedded down in the trailer four times now. Twice in the horse transport area. [Mid-South 2018, North Georgia]

Twice in the overhang of the tack area. In the post last time, I mention camping briefly. I failed to mention how freaking cold it was. We now have a camping limit of Not Below Freezing. [Rodney & Milton’s Excellent Overnight Adventure]

Issues

Hot coffee. Drive to local shop. Immersion heater. In this case, Coach Kate was kind enough to supply.

Ice. Not much choice other than buying. Needed daily infusions of ice in high summer. Clinic weekend was gorgeous weather but cool enough my sodas were still cold the next day. Everything else is negotiable.

Running water. Showers. Toilets for when a bucket isn’t enough. I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say our colons were cooperative for the duration of this overnight trip. [Putting The Portable in Potty]

Not Issues

Electricity. This is not camping in raw nature. We are within feet of buildings with lights. Flashlights and battery-operated wall lights were enough to illuminate our space. Plus we were tired and went to bed at sunset.

Water. Those nearby buildings also have water.

Thoughts

Examine terrain better. We parked on a slope. Slight enough that I did not realize. Steep enough that my slippery sleeping bag gradually slid down the platform.

Better padding. I don’t remember the overhang being so hard last time. Either we brought padding that I have forgotten about or we were so cold that padding was not a top concern.

Temps. The overhang will probably be too hot in the summer.

Space. This was one night. We moved stuff around to sleep and then moved it back in the morning. This would get old on a multi-night trip. Plus we’d have more stuff.

Outro

Any advice from more experienced regular campers or trailer campers?

Onwards!
Katherine

Driving

Awareness of the outside horse world. Driving Digest: Going the Distance w/ Robin & Wilson Groves, Pringle.

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Coach Kate brought driving instructor Robin Groves, R&W Horse Drawn Services, down from Vermont for a clinic. We went up to Tennessee. Saturday was moved to a local indoor when the rain showed up on the forecast. Sunday was cones and dressage at Whip Hand Farm.

Greg drove with Robin Groves back when he was taking lessons with Coach Kate’s horses. Liked her teaching very much. When he heard about the clinic, he announced that he wanted to take Milton.

I thought he was nuts. Milton’s record is not good for going places and covering himself with glory. [Several instances come to mind are seared indelibly into memory. No links. Looking forward to good not back to bad. But I digress.]

Diligent work commenced. Milton kept making incremental improvements. We headed off to Tennessee. We posited all manner of off-ramps. Milton might just ground drive. Milton might not hitch the first day. Milton might come off the trailer and decide that the aliens were landing. In which case, we would pat him on the neck and go home.

Come the day?

Milton was a star. Milton was an absolute, amazing, freaking, platinum star. Elegant, forward gaits. Energetic without a trace of stiffness or anxiety. Holding a steady contact with the bit. Tolerated a noisy indoor ring on a windy day. Transitions. Figures. In and out of cones. Trotting around a dressage ring for the first time ever in a cart.

It was unbelievable.

Literally unbelievable.

As in, who is this horse and were did he come from?

We got exercises. We got advice. We got guidance for the future.

The big thing we learned at the clinic?

It’s in there.

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Show benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

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Screen shot from Facebook, taken 5 October 2022. Border added.

No Stepping Stone lesson last week. Barn was at Nationals.

Did I miss going? Yes, because horse show. No, because super stressful horse show. [Where I Am Not]

Last month, Nationals chose a photo of me for a promotional post, “Wondering what to wear to the National Academy Championship Horse Show? Check out our attire page for helpful tips! Read Now: What To Wear” FB: post

I know it’s probably the luck of the draw what photos get used. Still, I was strangely touched by this.

The disembodied hand in the photo belongs to Reagan, Coach Courtney’s daughter and Stepping Stone Farm’s equitation star. If I looked good in the ring, it was thanks to Reagan’s sartorial oversight. [Barnshine]

Props to the late Sandra Hall for the photo and to J for making sure I saw the post. [Tempis Fugit II]

I bought this photo, along with many others from Nationals 2018. [Sandra Hall Captures The Moment]

As for 2022, it was a building year for the SSF riders who went. Bravi Tutti!

As for the title, Ms. Hall captured several photos of me at screaming at Nationals. [Nationals I Have Known]

Onwards!
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Voting in the US today. Whatever: I Hate Your Politics.

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Rodney has lost hackamore privileges. [Two Reins]

On the upside, he goes well in it. Giving aids to his nose does not cause the overly-dramatic curled shrimp reaction that using a bit does.

On the downside, he ignores it.

Part of the problem with his epic fuss was that I started with a solid hold of the hackamore rein. I had no input at all. Once I got a better grip of the bit rein, we were able to have more of a conversation. [Rodney Is Sent to the Horse House]

Rodney now wears a bit when he accompanies me on my walks.

I have been walking with the horses off & on. [Humming Along]

New plan is more on that off, more Rodney than Milton.

Since he is back to wearing a bit under saddle, he’s doing the handwalks with a bit to get him readjusted to the idea. He also wears his saddle because he takes walks more seriously if he’s tacked up.

Yes, Rodney, remedial classes suck pond water. Should’ve made better life choices.

Onwards!
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Color The World Orange & NERVEmber.

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Fortiflex, 5 gal. Flat Back General Purpose Horse Bucket, Black Hunter Green, Tractor Supply.

We needed more buckets – how could we possibly need more buckets? – so I bought them in Rodney’s color.

If he ever needs to go for a sleepover at a show, or a clinic, or an overnight lesson, we are ready.

Onwards!
Katherine

Images

Art of the outside world. Museum of Bad Art.

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Not as sad as most years. Horse Nation: The Idea of Order: Hello Darkness, my Old ‘Friend’…

1) Working horses in the am. Will benefit from morning light.

2) The last time?!

Reuters: U.S. Senate approves bill to make daylight saving time permanent, Shepardson, March 16, 2022

Congress.gov: S.623 – Sunshine Protection Act of 2021. Passed Senate. Waiting on House & Prez.

“Update: Mexico Abolishes DST … On October 26, the Mexican government announced that the Senate approved the law to remove DST in Mexico. Northern border locations will still follow the US DST schedule.” Time & Date: Daylight Saving Time Ends in USA & Canada, Buckle & Gundersen. 30-Sep-2022. Changed 27-Oct-2022.

Onwards!
Katherine