Driving

Awareness of the outside world. Dueling chyrons. CNN, ‘Biden speaks out on Trump’s Big Lie’. Fox, ‘Unhinged Biden goes on tirade against election fairness measures.’ The words may not be verbatim. I was too mesmerized by the difference to think of taking a photo. You get the idea. It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it.
~~~

This year’s membership brass from The National Horse Brass Society (UK).

Horse brasses float in a sea of topics that fascinate me, but that I never get around to doing anything about. I feel mildly guilty about this. I should fish or cut bait. Not leave so many loose ends flapping around.

Each year, I join the NHBS. I get the membership brass. I hang it up. I write a blog post. And that’s about my level of commitment to the topic or the club.

The newsletters arrive. I ignore them, both digital and dead tree. Oh, I enjoy the newsletters, both the content and how the club feels slightly different than a US club would feel. A slim, brown mailing envelope arrives with foreign postage. I think ‘Oh, goody. I’ll read that.’ And then I put it aside and never do.

Other interests that hover at this level are beads, stamps, Geocaching, The Braid Society (also UK), Postcrossing, and so on, and so on. I jump in, poke around, find a way to wedge it into the blog, and wander off. I’ve even had to stop myself from buying new LEGO sets when I have so many unbuilt ones.

Today is the first day of Virtual Breyerfest. I sense model horses slipping into the loose ends category. I will “attend” this weekend’s festivities, walk the virtual 5K, and then probably not think about plastic ponies until next year.

And that’s ok.

At least, I’m trying to tell myself that.

I’m trying to give myself permission to do as little or as much as I feel inclined. First do no harm. If I want to join, get the horse brass, and then ignore the rest of it, who am I hurting?

Anyone else’s brain work this way?

[Bold As Brass, National Horse Brass Society 2019, 2020] with links from previous years.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Again, I had no idea this was a thing. The problem, yes. The law, no. HealthLine: A Beginner’s Guide to Using a Restroom Card When You Have Crohn’s Disease.
~~~

Pony Solo ride for the old lady! A pony ride in spirit. No actual leading performed.

I got on! We all took a deep breath! We walked! We trotted – technically!

Improvement from last time! [Milton Goes Back To Being a Pony Ride Mount Jan 2021]

Will we do it again in 2021? Will we see you in 2022?

Time will tell.

Yes, Milton is wearing the Santa hat from our Christmas basket. [Blogger Gift Exchange]

It makes great fly protection. We offered it to Rodney. He declined. [Rodney Say Nope]

~~~
Post #3400

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

The Horse World

Warning. Another downer today. Come back tomorrow for Milton.

Awareness of the outside world. United Professional Horseman’s Association.
~~~

In 2013, the first show I rode in that was photographed by Sandra Hall. [Horse Show Today, MSSP 2014]

In 2018, the last show of mine she photographed. [Sandra Hall Captures The Moment, Show Photos, Nationals 2018]

Horse show photographer Sandra Hall passed away last month.

As with Rita Mendell, I mostly knew Ms. Hall through being a customer. I bought a lot of photos. If there is an ASB show photo on the blog, more likely than not, it was taken by Sandra.

I was always a happy customer.

She was one of the few women working in photography in the ASB world. I did not realize this until one of the memorial comments pointed it out. In the hunter/jumper/dressage/event world, photographers come in all flavors. I would estimate more women than men. Certainly, back in the day, my checks for show photos generally had a female name on them. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised to see a woman in center ring. Right now, all the ASB photo names that come to mind are men. Hmm. No idea why this should be the case.

I considered putting this together with last week, for a conservation of misery, but Sandra deserves her own post. [Tempis Fugit, And Sometimes That Sucks]

The full obit is reposted below, for archival purposes. I don’t know how long funeral homes keep them up.

Memorial donations may be made the UPHA, Sandra Hall Scholarship Program.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

from Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home

Sandra W. Hall

December 15, 1951 ~ June 17, 2021 (age 69)

Obituary

Sandra Elaine Wallace Hall, age 69, entered into rest on Thursday, June 17, 2021, with her family by her side. Funeral services will be 4:00 PM Friday, July 2, 2021, at Zoar United Methodist Church (2842 Zoar Road, Cheraw, SC 29520) by Pastor Billy Jack Johnson, with remarks by family friend, Mark Farrar. A Celebration of Life reception will be held at 6:00 PM Friday, July 2, 2021, at Green River Country Club, (714 Country Club Rd, Chesterfield, SC 29709.)

Sandra was born December 15, 1951, in Chesterfield, SC, the daughter of the late Dozier and Foye Wallace. She was a graduate of Chesterfield High School, attended Wingate College, and received her bachelor’s degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University. In 1984, Sandra started Sandra W. Hall Photography, specializing in equestrian events across the country. She involved her whole family and passed down her passion for horses. Her efforts not only helped the industry over the years but her example of tireless enthusiasm and positivity for the horses and people she loved will be remembered by all. 

Her love for the horses, coupled with her involvement with the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA) and the American Saddlebred Association of the Carolinas (ASAC), reaches back many years. She was inducted into the 2016 UPHA Carolina’s Saddlehorse Hall of Fame and received ASAC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Sandra was a lifetime member of Zoar UMC where she served on the Outreach Committee and was a member of United Methodist Women. Sandra had a true servant’s heart, always giving and expected nothing in return. She was dedicated, outgoing, and approached life with a smile. Her legacy will live on, not only through the selfless example she set but also through the memories she captured in millions of photographs. 

“Well done good and faithful servant…come and share your Master’s happiness.” Matthew 25:23

In addition to her parents, Sandra was also preceded in death by her brother, Dozier Franklyn (Frankie) Wallace, Jr. 

Survivors include her devoted husband of 43 years, Kenneth (Keith) Hall, Jr.; daughter, Erin (John) Fann; son, Wes (Jill) Hall; grandchildren Berkeley Fann, Grady and Hunter Hall. 

In lieu of flowers, a scholarship has been set up in her name with the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA). She was devoted to promoting the future of the American Saddlebred through young equestrians. 

To donate online:
Go to uphaonline.com
Click Donate Now Button

To donate by mail:
UPHA Foundation, Inc.
4059 Iron Works Parkway, STE 2
Lexington, KY 40511
Memo: UPHA Sandra Hall Scholarship Program

Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home of Chesterfield, SC (www.mrcfuneralhome.com) is serving the Hall family.
===

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. File this under, I had no idea. “Neighborhoods with a majority of people in poverty have 25% less tree canopy on average than those with a minority of people in poverty, according to our Tree Equity Score … The average temperature can vary up to 10 degrees between places with trees and those without.” American Forest Instagram, side-by-side comparisons in six cities. Makes sense. As a society, we have decided that space & trees = nice. Therefore, space & trees = expensive. More info, AF: Tree Equity In America’s Cities.
~~~

Checking in to say both horses are chugging along.

We’ve been riding most days – weather and appointments permitting.

Progress on a personal scale ; unremarkable on a grand scale.

Went for a walk around the pasture. Some trotting. Worked on increasing duration for Virtual Tevis. Went over to X. Worked in ring.

That’s nice.

Actually, it is nice.

It is not narratively gripping.

Like travel slides. Fun for the traveler. Not so fun for the audience.

And so, I post about more inherently interesting, out-of-the-ordinary events, such as shows and clinics and new purchases and visits to other barns and random moments of barn life. Meanwhile, horses are trundling along.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show starts today. Stepping Stone Farm has enough rides that I sprung for the whole week of Richfield Video livestream this year. As for the charity part of the title, JLL: Current Funded Agencies. [Happenings at the Horse Park, In Which I Live Virtually and Vicariously, Meanwhile, Elsewhere in KHP, 2020]
~~~
Do snakes poop?

I mean, of course they do. Food goes in one end. Waste has to come out the other end.

I just never thought about. Whenever I had the occasion to clean a snake habitat, it was a matter of dump all bedding and refill. I didn’t give much thought to the individual bowel movements.

Until I walked into the barn and saw this.

Scatologically explicit photos after the jump. [Photos]

Rodney’s booties were sitting on a stool under a rafter. One of them was covered in … what is that?!

Because of the white splatter, my first thought was bird. But a bird that big would not fit in the rafter area above the booties. OTOH, we do have some pretty big snakes. [Exterminator In The House]

White shmutz was all over the bootie & stool. More substantial squishy-looking brown material was inside the boot.

That’s a lotta poop.

Clean up was a snap. The material in question was still damp, so it rinsed off easily.

Barn life. Gotta love it.

UCL: How do snakes poop? Lund 2016

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. Amazing ‘Everyone Is Awesome’ construction video on Instagram, “The minifigures decided to build the set themselves.” @josvu22, July 1, 2021. While we are on the subject of the little plastic bricks, The Biophysicist: Designing a High-Resolution, LEGO-Based Microscope for an Educational Setting. Voss, Blesa, Betz. June 22 2021.
~~~

Definition. “A design in which the letters of a word (such as a name) are rearranged so as to form a decorative pattern or figure (as for a seal).” Merriam-Webster: calligram

Examples of multi-word images. Wiki: Calligram

Rigorous calligrams. Worth clicking over for. “The challenge is to visualize the meaning of a word, using only the graphic elements of the letters forming the word, without adding any outside parts.” Ji Lee: Words As Image.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Words

Awareness of the outside world. Kristian Beverly: National Museum Of African American History And Culture: Level One. Thoughtful tour. I assume more will be forthcoming.
~~~

I haven’t been out & about much. Others have. Here are three dressage riders that I have been stalking following.

Cob Jockey: Dressage with a Welsh Cob
Connor is adorable. 2nd level.

contact: a dressage rider’s journey & her unsolicited thoughts and opinions
A normal human riding Intermediaire. Rode saddle seat in another life, Among Us: The Imposter.

I read their blogs. I have linked to them previously. We reach, at least digitally. Would we get along IRL? Would it be a disaster? Do bloggers have writing selves that differ from their three-dimensional selves? Dunno. I can’t tell from blogs by people I know. When I read their posts, I picture their faces and hear their voices in my head. Haven’t had enough blogger meetups to judge in the other direction. [An Exercise in Green KB, Odd & Ends CJ, A Dash of Hollandaise In The Cupcake c]

@zimerin, Instagram
Amish Warmblood, PSG Intermediaire.
Author of the hysterically relevant Instagram account, @dressagequeen_of_memes. Halt, Salute, Mayhem.

Process note. Header photos from target sites. I would posit as fair use in the spirit of book cover images.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine