Virtual Brush Box

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. Equal time for TdF beefcake. I like how the style changes along with the color. The dude presenting the yellow jersey is wearing yellow suspenders and a bow tie. Yesterday, end of stage 12. [The Restart]

~~~

Odenville City Park

Little Walking Lately

1) More riding. Yay!

Less walking. Boo!

2) Resting seems to have addressed the aches in my knees & left hip. I find myself uninterested in reviving them. My joints are not amused by slipping in mud. So, I don’t walk the pasture in bad footing. In my defense, the mud around here is super slick. A few drops of rain and you are skating through slop.

Conversely, I am not amused by driving somewhere to walk. It’s not a green practice and it’s silly to spend more time on the drive than on the walk.

Net-net, less walking. Weekly 5Ks not happening.

Little Walks Lately

1) Rainy Day Trio
Drove around checking out parks for future walks.

McCallum Park (Bham Wiki). Was here before for photo backgrounds. [Low Key Photo Challenge: Toys, M is for MEPSA]

Georgetown Lake Park. Came here a while back for a Spotted photo shoot that did not make it into the blog. Update [Wandering Around The Water, Walk Report, Baltimore Running Festival Virtual 5K]

Loch Haven Park, aka Hoover Dog Park. Rain let up, so I took a get-acquainted lap. Coming home from dance class, so didn’t feel the need to walk an entire mile. Logged for the virtual Mississippi River project. [Biking and Walking Virtually, June 10] Update [Walking Goes To The Dogs, Walk Report, Virtual Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, 2021]

2) Stopping On The Way
When I’m out, I look for places to do my daily mile.

Odenville City Park (Ency of AL). Stopped here on the way home from a social (!) engagement. Logged for the virtual Mississippi River project. [Practice photo, Biking and Walking Virtually, June 30]

I’ve said it before. I continue to be amazed at the number of tiny parks tucked into civic spaces.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

The Horse World

Warning. Downer post. If you are not in a headspace for that, please come back tomorrow. I’ll be talking about parks.

Awareness of the outside world. Special Equestrians.
~~~

Last Purchase

Due to the sudden and unexpected death of Rita Mendel, owner of the Carousel Tack Shoppe, the store will close Monday, June 28 at 5pm until further notice. Thank you for your patronage and understanding. Please keep the Mendel family in your prayers.

Carousel Tack Shoppe

Shelby County Reporter: Mendel brings horse expertise to Indian Springs, Brakhage, 2013

Shelby Living: Equestrian Extraordinaire, 2018

After moving to the area from New York, avid horsewoman Rita Mendel recognized a need for therapeutic riding in Birmingham. She started with just a few volunteers with big hearts and a passion for horses, and with the help of instructor Pam Ibrahim, special education teacher Annette Troxell, and physical therapist Patrice Murphy, a program was born.

Special Equestrians: History, The Beginning

This is part of what made last week so tiring. [Practice]

Monday, I went by the store for what might be the last time. No one is sure what the future will bring. Thursday was the Celebration of Life for the Alabama crowd. The funeral had been held earlier in California with family.

I mainly knew Rita from being a customer at her store. That may not sound like much, but I was a customer for a long time and bought a lot of stuff.

Boots [Boots, Before & After]

More Boots [New Equipment: Britches & Boots]

Tall Boots [My Heart Is In My Boots, and That’s a Good Thing]

Horse Boots [These Boots Were Made For Shipping, New Equipment]

Helmets [On the 3rd Day of Christmas: Three Hard Hats]

Shirt. “I’m so out of touch that I simply bought what the nice ladies at Carousel Tack Shoppe recommended.” [Show Shirt Surprise]

More Shirts. “I am the diametric opposite of a shopasaurus. I loathe every aspect of the process. I went to a place I trust, Carousel Tack Shoppe. These items were available. They solved my problems. Done.” [Clothing Kaleidoscope].

Rodney’s Saddle. “Her professional recommendation was a Wintec 2000 with suede seat and air panels in the all-purpose style, because reasons. Hmm. I have been shopping at Carousel Tack Shoppe for 20 years. She has yet to lead me astray. Let’s do this.” [New Equipment: Saddle]

… along with uncountable odds & ends. Plus all the stuff I bought before the blog began.

Rita didn’t sell me all of this to me in person. She did recommend the saddle. Not sure I would have listened to anyone else on that. Several local horsewomen worked for Carousel over the years. They did a fine job. Regardless of who was behind the counter, it was always Rita’s shop.

It was a small shop, tiny even. She had to be selective about what she carried. This made for limited choice at times. I didn’t always agree with the choice, but it was always a difference of opinion, not a matter of quality. For example, I prefer pink Swat. Carousel carried clear.

[Wagging Its Streamers Behind It]

Rita was a supporter of the local horse community. Blue ribbons from Full Circle shows often came with Carousel gift certificates, above. I still have the gift certificate Rodney won earlier this year. I forgot about it for a recent purchase and then I couldn’t bring myself to spend it on the last day.

Rita always greeted me with a smile and good advice.

Memorial donations may be made to Special Equestrians.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Driving Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Robin Groves joins the American Driving Society Centennial Club for her drive at the Vermont Morgan Heritage Days. Click for photo, ADS FB page. “The ADS Centennial Club recognizes carriage drivers and their one equine partner whose combined ages total 100 years or more.” ADS: Championship & Award Programs. More details, ADS FB. Squad goals! [Weekend]
~~~

• 

• 

A friend is scheduled to have their first driving lesson today. Yay driving!

Of course, this got me thinking about my own driving. How much I enjoy it. How I haven’t been in a cart since my last ASB show, back in 2019. In pondering who had done what when, I realized I had shorted the driving horses. [Taking The Reins]

A while back, I did a post recapping my experience at Nationals, I included the driving links but not the driving pics. I am hereby correcting that, with thanks to Alvin and Snippy. [Nationals I Have Known, List of Links]

Driving at Nationals is two classes. No Sunday final. I majored in pastels. My best placing was 3rd of 8 in 2017. In 2014, Alvin & I got 4th & 5th out of 5. I recall being very annoyed on Alvin’s behalf. In 2017, Snippy and I were 4th & 3rd out of 8. Count ’em, eight student drivers in one ring. It was all about traffic management.

I was surprised to find I had only driven two years. Would have sworn more.

2014

Alvin Ailey [Show Photos]

Why don’t you drive at Nationals?
Say whaaaaat?

[Annotated Camp Tweets]

[Show Report: Important Questions from NACHS 2014, Part 1]
[Show Report: Important Questions from NACHS 2014, Part 2]
[A Horse Show In 80 Tweets]
[Lessons From Nationals: The Value of a Coach]
[Show Photos]
[Annotated Camp Tweets]

2017

HB Whizbang

[Show Tweets: NACHS17, A Horse Show in 6 Tweets]
[Show Photos: NACHS17]
[Show Reports: NACHS 2017 & Winter Tournament 2017-18 #1, Driving]

~~~
Now that I’ve sorted all of this out, I’m leaving it here for reference.

2013. I did not drive. Coco & Alvin showed with other people.

2014. Alvin

2015. I did not drive. Big showed with someone else.

2016. I did not drive. Iggy showed with someone else.

2017. Snippy

2018. I did not drive. Whiskey showed with someone else.

2019. I did not show. No carts from SSF.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. “The true horror is the fact that we’ve known about all of this for generations.” Informative, horrifying, lengthy Facebook post about Residential Schools by Jessica O’Neill, “a Canadian and a historian.” Extensive source list at end. Assist to friend who shared on FB.
~~~

… pause to regroup …

~~~

Doctor Whooves & Major Milton are signed up to once again challenge themselves over hill and dale with the 2021 Tevis Cup – Virtual Western States Trail – 100 Miles in 100 Days, Sat July 24 – Mon November 1, 2021. I jest, but that’s a lot of miles for two pasture puffs.

Women’s Classic Endurance Riding Tights from Rackers.

I have thoughts about this year’s race.

For You

Last year, I got quite excited. I tracked our data. I reported it. All of it.

I have to admit, even I find those data-heavy posts from last year to be hard slogging.

This year, I am still excited. I will still keep track of all our data. I will attempt to make the reporting of said data more palatable.

Granted, this blog is a journal but a journal offered for public consumption. There is an implied commitment in return for your investment of time. I will endeavor to entertain.

For Me/Us

+ As with any long term project, we plan to build up an early lead, as we can. Need to leave time for bad weather & bad footing, our annual routine vet appointment, mysterious foot ailments, and all the other reasons our two find to take time off.

+ Last year we ended on a walking note. We would like to mix in more trotting, and possibly cantering.

+ Do 10% of the miles off site. We managed a bit over three off-site miles last year by wandering around at two barns where we school. This year, maybe an actual trail ride on an actual trail property. A dog can dream.

+ Jod pants with pocket for phone in order to track miles, shown above. While I am planning not to obsess down to the hundredths the way I did last year, we still need a general idea of how far we go each ride.

I was unsure about carrying a phone on my leg. Then I left my phone at the barn. Walked backed to barn. Looked around barn. Started to get annoyed. Realized the phone had been in the leg pocket the entire time. That’ll work.

Outro
For all instances of “planning”, insert “hoping.” This is horses we’re talking about.

[VT Archives]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Horsekeeping

Awareness of the outside world. So Alabama; so the nation. “Kay Ivey didn’t ignore education as part of her campaign. We did.” AL.com: What Kay Ivey’s trans bashing really revealed, Whitmire, Jul 02, 2021.
~~~

Horse treats are all about operator attributes. While horses have opinions, see below, most horses will eat most treats. Therefore, the difference is how the treats handle.

Peppermints

Plus. Portable & durable.

Plus or Minus, depending. Human food.

Minus. Unwrapping gets more difficult with time. Older mints decompose into sticky, melty, messes.

Best usage. Travel. Long-duration pockets.

Life hack. Store peppermints in air-tight containers to keep them fresh.

Big Bag O’Treats

Whatever is small & cheap at the feed store.

Plus. More bang for the buck.

Minus. Crumble in your pocket. Turn to dust in at the bottom of the bag.

Best usage. At home.

Fancy Treats

[Blogger Gift Exchange]

Plus. Yummy. One assumes. They certainly look tasty.

Minus. Big. Fragile. Expensive.

Usage. Tried to use as rewards for loading. Alas, the second bag did mot prove as successful. Rodney gets distracted and doesn’t eat. Milton is more about quantity than taste.

~~~
Props to the friend who instigated this conversation. BTW, I use the vague “friend” instead of naming specific people a) for privacy reasons. I make the bet that people who are not named and get upset about being overlooked will be less upset than people are named and don’t want to be & b) b/c I often lack the lead time to ask which they want.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. National Archives: Did You Know… Independence Day Should Actually Be July 2? 2005.
~~~

The Photo
Back in the mid-90s, I volunteered briefly with the local Red Cross. There had been a tornado to the north. Could I go up and take pictures? Why, yes I could.

I remember feeling bad about having such a good(?) time.

Photographically, it was fantastic. Dramatic incident at every turn. It was hard to take a bad picture. We were outside, on clear and sunny day. Technical issues were non-existent. The area was still closed to the public. No encountering people dealing with life-changing grief. It was easy to get caught up in the the photography and forget the cost.

This was pre-digital, so the originals are around somewhere. They may have been shot as slides that the RC developed. Raise your hand if you remember having to develop film. If they were slides, I would have printed up a handful that I liked. Mental archives pull up a photo of a Red Cross volunteer serving rescue workers.

At banquet shortly after, a general slideshow featured many of the photos I had taken that day. I remember being quite pleased/flattered.

The Calendar
Around that time, we decided our Christmas present to family members would be a calendar using our own photos. We scanned every photo, designed every box, and placed every number. It was a beast.

Calendar-creating programs came out shortly after, so I got the feeling that the recipients never appreciated the effort that went into making the *!@# things and the whole project sunk without a trace.

And now it lives on as a blog post 25 years later.

The Rabbit Hole
Good Flag, Bad Flag, 16-page booklet complied by Ted Kay, available as free download from NAVA.org. A quick and well-illustrated overview of five principles of flag design with examples of good and bad.

A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols, by Tim Marshall, 2017. Full disclosure. I read and was quite taken with the first book, see below. I have started but not finished the flag book. Given the title, one can reasonably expect a certain level of confrontation in the text. This was more negativity than I was up for at that moment. All his books are/will be in my TBR pile, including a probable rereading of book 1.

Politics of Place series by Tim Marshall (S&S publisher page, Twitter)

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World 2015

A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols 2017.

The Age of Walls: How Barriers Between Nations Are Changing Our World 2018

The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World 2021

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Words

Dear (CLASSIFIED):

You will be infiltrating the (CLASSIFIED) compound as a stable hand. Therefore, we have equipped you with grooming tools that can also be used for defense/offense. All tools are employable for their original purpose. This should help you get them past security. If you can’t talk a box of brushes past a bunch of security guards, you aren’t the spy we think you are.

The technical capacities are fingerprint locked. This way, should another stable hand inadvertently pick up a brush, they won’t stab themselves. Still, please keep track of all items, both for your safety and our bottom line. Will expect an accounting for all equipment during your post-mission debriefing.

Also, remember that you will need a few moments to engage the mechanisms. Please plan your mayhem accordingly.

Assist to our operative D&T for suggesting the hoofpick as a weapon. [Ultimate]

Audio Curry Combs. Place one comb over each ear. This will create a long-distance receiver that should enable you to pick up sounds up to half a mile away.

Doom Dandy Brush. The long bristles camouflage the blade of a jackknife. It can be used alone or combined with the handle of the brush to form a short sword.

Compact Computer Finishing Brush. Wooden back of the large brush flips open to reveal wireless screen and keyboard.

Flying Hoofpick of Death. Handle is counter weighted. Tossing the hoofpick at speed end-over-end will create a single-bladed ninja throwing star.

Jet Box. The bottom of the box contains a small jet propulsion unit. Turn the box upside down. Engage jet. Hang by the handle. This will carry you a short distance. While it is not strong enough for sustained flight, the jet will get you across a wide gap or control a descent from height, such as the upper floors or roof of a building.

Pitchfork Dart Gun. Tines can be launched one at a time or all at once in a burst.

Broom Shield. Bristles will spread out in a circle to form an electro-ion barrier that will deflect fists, knives, and small-caliber bullets.

Signed,
Your friends from the end of the alphabet