Virtual Brush Box

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Sick horse yesterday morning. World can go hang. Horse fine. People tired. Horse hungry. [Hangry, Hangry Hippo]
~~~

Been using pine tar religiously on Rodney’s feet and regularly on Milton’s feet.

Got rave reviews from the blacksmith.

Well, he said Rodney’s feet were okay.

Blacksmiths. You know how they gush.

Anyone else out these using this stuff? Not just horse folks. Apparently pine tar is used on wooden cross-country skis.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Old discussion, refers to historic events. Forbes: How Lead Caused America’s Violent Crime Epidemic, Knapp, 2013. This summary article points to Mother Jones: Lead: America’s Real Criminal Element, Drum, 2013.
~~~

Why change one variable when you can change two? [Feed Change]

In the interest of getting weight on Rodney, we have put them back on alfalfa. Since bales are hard to come by, we are trying dried cubes, which we rehydrate before feeding.

I’m learning how much water to add. Doesn’t seem to bother the horses if I overwater. So far, 10 out of 10 for soup.

Rationally, I know that these two do well on alfalfa. Plus, Internet advisory tells us alf is good for settling tums. Other parts of me, not so sure. [Alfalfa, Devil Grass or Stomach Supplement? My Horse and I Disagree]

Not the first time we have engaged in poly-variable horse calculus. Maybe it’s an October thing? [Here’s An Idea, Let’s Change Several Variables At Once, Saddle, Schedule, and Diet, Part 1, Milton & Part 2, Rodney]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images, Equipment for

Awareness of the outside world. WWD: Moore From L.A.: Greg Lauren and Gee’s Bend Quilters Take Aim at Cultural Appropriation, Moore, October 15, 2021 & Greg Lauren: Mosaic : Gee’s Bend.
~~~

New pens. Because pretty.

Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Silver, Gold and Bronze. Sharpie Metallic Permanent Markers, Fine Point

Boysenberry, Navy, Aqua, Venus Green and Jupiter Red. Sharpie Metallic Permanent Markers, Fine Point

Page from art journal. (I have an art journal!)

Links

“1857. Frederick W. Redington and William H. Sanford, Jr. founded Sanford Manufacturing Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. The company focused on producing and selling ink and glue.” Sharpie: About

“I spoke with … She advised me that Sharpies are alcohol based and are not archival in any way … Sharpie ink is only good for ephemera. You cannot count on it to look like it does years in the future.” Shellie Lewis’ Blog: Sharpie Markers Are Not Art Supplies, 2021

” ‘When you hold them down and let them go they fly up in the air,’ Seal said.” The Spectator: History of Sharpies, student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 2007. Interesting factoids mostly consolidated from website.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Words

Post #3500
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Intro. Repeat of previous exercise, this time in a park instead of a mall. [Faces In The Crowd]

~~~

I am a groundskeeper. It’s the perfect cover. If a detective suspects me, I turn to the partner and ask, “‘What is this a Scooby-Doo episode?” It creates enough doubt to give me time to destroy the evidence. Witnesses? No one ever sees the maintenance truck.

~~~

See the bald dude walking his dog? The dog is my contact. I have to get close enough to activate the transponder on the collar. Then I remotely download the recordings from the last 24 hours. The bald guy had no idea who his neighbors are or what kind of burn-after-reading information is being carried around by his kibble catcher.

~~~

MeetCute in the park. Him running counter-clockwise. Her running clockwise. Passing twice per lap, usually near the entrance and over by the swing set. A nod of acknowledgment. A smile. ‘Nice day for a run’ comment. Looking back and getting caught looking. Him looking at her face. Her checking out his butt. Being too embarrassed to catch his eye for several laps. Finding a Coffee Castle coupon on her windshield. On the back a number and a note, “Text me with a day and time if you want to meet for coffee.”

~~~Curtain~~~

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. Axios: Puerto Rico leads U.S. COVID vaccination rates, Reyes, Oct 19, 2021.
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The Virtual Walk
Baltimore Running Festival
Date, IRL – some earlier point
Date, Me – Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Georgetown Lake Park
Distance – 5 kilometers
Time – 1 hour 12 minutes
Results – who knows

The dates for the virtual walk coincided with a rainy week. The only clear day was the Friday before my inaugural trip to Hunterland. Did not want to be stiff and stove-up for that. [First Lesson, Once Again]

The race was of the ‘Here’s your loot, enjoy’ variety. I didn’t need to be tracked or to register a result. So I picked a park with a patch of water to walk around and headed out.

The IRL Walk

Struggle bus. Way harder than it should have been. At 2 kilometers, I was thinking that maybe it has been a while since I did a 5K. Nope. The month before I did two in one weekend, without undue strain. I guess today wasn’t my day. At 3.5 kilometers, I started to smell the barn. I never doubted that I would finish, just more effort than I was expecting.

Also, not a new park. I had been there before but not since the park project began. Pretty enough but no novelty.

View over the lake to the wooden walkway & shaded section on the far side.

After 4 kilometers, my feet loved the soft matting of the playground. You can see the cluster of small circles at the bottom of the route map.

The IRL Walk That Wasn’t

The Baltimore IRL 5K takes places around the Inner Harbor. Where could I walk? How could I be thematically appropriate?

Did you know that a town in Alabama has a working harbor on the Tennessee River? I did not.

The harbor is being developed as a retail destination. Shades of the Inner Harbor.

The 3.66 mile Sunset Drive Trail starts near the harbor and runs along the lakefront. Perfect!

Alas. Map search tells me Guntersville is 2 hours away, at best. I never drive as fast at the map folks do.

It didn’t make sense to drive 5 hours when a perfectly decent patch of ground was close by. Sigh. If anything takes me up that way, I will definitely do my daily mile on the lakefront trail.

Links

“The Guntersville City Harbor is a popular destination for people that are traveling by water …” Alabama Travel: Guntersville City Harbor

City Harbor at Lake Guntersville

NRT Database: Sunset Drive Trail

Previous Post [Greenway Stroll, Part II, Baltimore Running Festival Virtual 5K, October 2020]

Previous Park [Little Walking, Little Walks]

I hadn’t planned to do Baltimore again. I was lured into it. “October. Baltimore Running Festival. Signed up. Was offered $15 off of a $25 race, and special shiny red 20th anniversary medal.” Virtual 2021, Digital Fun For Foot And Pedal

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. The Guardian: Let her finish: interruptions of female justices led to new supreme court rules, Yang, 15 October 2021.
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I need to keep centering the idea that point of lessons at the Hunter Barn is to jump at home. [Second Lesson]

One of the issues with jumping Rodney is that I never know which horse I will get.

The Gentleman

Horse: I think we should canter this.
Rider: Really?
Horse: Yeah. I’m good.
…
Cantered quietly in. Cantered quietly over. Cantered quietly away.

A Small Hop Forward September 2020

The Brat

RODNEY: Lemme at ’em. Lemme at ’em.
…
ME: … straightness … rhythm … pace …
…
RODNEY: Buttercup this!

An Abundance of Attitude October 2020

The Pogo Stick

Rodney got overwhelmed and LEAPED into the air.

Rodney’s Recent Jumps April 2021

He jumped 2′ 9″ sweet as you please.
Then he went sproing over a crossrail.

Free Jumping April 2021

The choices

One version. You could adapt. Make decisions on how to ride. Consider what the horse wants to do with his life.

Two versions. Depends which two. Gentleman/Brat? Both moving forward, would depend on the day. Gentleman/Pogo Stick? Sit chilly, see how much handholding is required.

The Brat/Pogo Stick polarity is hardest to deal with. Are you boiling over and need to be dialed back? Are you overwhelmed and need to be supported?

Three versions? Welcome to my world. The above duality with just enough glimpses of the underlying stellar horse that you keep hitting your head against the wall going.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding

Awareness of the outside world. Elephants & really large pumpkins. Oregon Zoo Twitter 14 Oct 2021. Assist to Balloon Juice: Friday Evening Open Thread: Monster Mash 15 Oct.
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Housekeeping note. The new barn has requested a low profile. Henceforth it shall be referred to as the Hunter Barn. They do both. I don’t want to write out New Hunter/Jumper Barn each time.

Onto lesson the second.

Different instructor; same horse. The new instructor looks to be my regular teacher. I would have been perfectly happy to stay with the first instructor but schedules didn’t match. Horse will undoubted change over time. Very happy to stay with his slow self for a while. [First Lesson]

Second instructor put me right to work. Two-point. Drop stirrups. Post at walk. Sitting trot. I’ll leave you to imagine the creaks and groans the next day.

Day was warmer. School Horse was less inclined to trot than he had been on Saturday. Even I had trouble starting the engine.

The cantering went better, as it does. There were a few strides down one long side when everything felt right with the world. I’ve said all along that I am better at the canter than at the trot. Now, I’m in a discipline where this will work to my advantage.

Trot crossrails. Around the outside in a four-crossrail course. Criss-cross of two inside crossrails, at a canter!

Afterwards, we went on a hack around the property. School Horse tried to convince me that he had never seen that, or that, or that over there. Nice try, dude. Otherwise, lovely stroll. Best walking all day.

I. Was. Exhausted. The sort of exhausted where you drive home carefully because you know your brain is sludge. Some physical, mostly mental.

Onwards!

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine