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.
“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.
Awareness of the outside world. The Verge: Welcome to hell, Elon, Patel, Oct 28, 2022. Aside from the amusingly hyperbolic language, the author raises interesting points about the problems facing a global social media platform.
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Blog humming along. Nothing pressing to say for the monthly State of the Blog post. [STOB archives]
So, here are a few books.
“Not reviews. Imagine we are in a bookstore. I wander up to you, hand you one of these books, say ‘Have you read this one?’, then wander off. Whereupon you look at the cover, turn it over, look at the back cover, read the blurb, flip through the book, and decide for yourself if you are interested. It’s like that. Enjoy.” [Have You Read This?]
Finished all of these, which is a recommendation in itself. I am bad about getting distracted by shiny objects books. These retained my interest sufficiently to keep me from wandering off to other books.
Two are from Book Culture, one of my fav bookstores. Their book selection most definitely has a bias, which leans the way I do, which I don’t find often where I live. I always wish I had more room in my luggage when I shop there.
Enough blather. Here are the books.
Declassified: A Low-Key Guide to the High-Strung World of Classical Music, By Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch (Putnam 2002). Publisher’s book page. Music guide interspersed with author’s experience as a top violinist.
Along those lines, A Enter Spooking: I Quit. Author talks about walking away from competitive dressage. Your ideas get more cred when you have a USDF gold medal in your back pocket. It’s not like me declaiming what I don’t like about dressage as I potter around the Intro ring.
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick, (Penquin 2000). Publisher’s book page. What happened after the whale hit the boat. Non-fiction. If you search on this, add “book” or the author’s name otherwise you will get the movie. Read for class. [36]
Images from publisher pages. No deals or affiliate links. Bought books. Like telling people about stuff to read. [Have You Read This? archives]
Awareness of the outside world. My choices for travel. Masked: door to door for airport & flights, at service, shopping in big stores. No mask: outside, in private house (small group & felt rude, which is NOT a good reason but it was family and I’m human), in restaurants (because eating). Inconsistent masking: quick stops in small stores, i.e. gas station food mart, and walking through hotel lobby. I was very much in the minority, but I was never the only person masked.
I’ve had all my shots, including second booster and flu. Since I don’t get out much, I have the immunity exposure of a kid starting day care. I like the idea of not breathing in everyone’s germs.
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Thoughts at top. Scroll down for pretty pictures.
I’ve started something that is hard for me.
Drumroll …
I will NOT keep track of my daily walks. (Breathe. Breathe.)
Seriously, the idea of having facts and not putting them on a list is anathema to how my brain works.
However.
The point is to walk *today* for my physical and mental health. Whether or not I walked yesterday is irrelevant.
Therefore, fitness post format will change.
Dropping. Repeat places. Assume pasture, local park, and so on. Dropping. Data Dump. No numbers. Keeping. New places. Because interesting. Keeping. Data Dump. I’ll keep track of type of activities, see below, but will try not to be too tight on how often. Keeping. Mississippi River mileage. Because also interesting. Not exact mileage. Not places unless different or notable. Will change to weekly logging. This may mean I lose a mile here or there or overestimate my virtual progress. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. (Breathe. Breathe.)
A pier that sticks out into Lake Ontario. While I don’t usually keep track of the mileage outside of my daily walks, I credited myself with second a mile for the day because the pier is so freaking long. [Walking With Intention]
“My name is Mehdi Moussaïd. I’m a research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, in Berlin … My research is about any kind of collective behaviors in human crowds.” Fouloscopie: About Me.
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Updated the Now page.
+++
State of the Now, as of 1 November 2022.
Milton is driving.
Rodney is ground-driving.
I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I may have left this a little late.
But seriously folks, we are entering the fallow season. The resultant inactivity would be easier to endure had one accomplished anything noteworthy during the non-fallow season.
That was gloomy. What can I say? The end of October was gloomy and exhausting for non-horse-related reasons. I’m having trouble gamboling about the lea.
Rodney picked a poor time to become an acute source of frustration rather than his normal state of chronic frustration and intermittent joy. Of course, Rodney could pull his socks up and become the horse he was hired to be. But I digress. [Rodney Is Sent to the Horse House]
Anyway.
November has a few possibilities. With luck, I will be a perky ray of sunshine next time.
No show media from me. Did not have phone on me for an ears pic. No time to retrieve it. Show was moving quickly and I needed to get aboard.
Had a blast. Blew into the first class at a trot, which is tricky given the approach to the ring at SSF. You want showmanship? I’ll give you showmanship.
Did an unplanned, early seque back to trot in the first direction of the second class.
Me: (Floating along in happy canterland.) Opt: If you aren’t going to participate, I’m not going to either.
When I haven’t ridden saddle seat in a while, I forget how much support ASBs get from the outside rein at the canter. Yeah, even unto tipping slightly to the outside.
I am now 3 for 4 with 2 horses for not keeping the canter at shows this year. Starting to think it might not be the horses.
In other news, Optimus was three different horses for this three riders.
With me, he could tell that I’d signed on for the low-drama ride. [The Comfort Ride]
Me: Go fast. Opt: You don’t really mean that. Me: Okay.
With his junior rider, he picked up his feet and positively sparkled. With the walk/trot beginner, he had the most adorable soft, quiet trot so as not to jar his jockey.
Optimus is such a good dude.
Milton came with for a) socialization, b) the costume class, & c) hitching. Stood by the trailer like a champ. Had a short screaming fit when he decided one of the pasture horses was his new best friend, but kept his feet in order. Stellar for costume and hitching.
Virtual Brush Box 