Lesson and Thoughts Thereon

Awareness of the outside world. In celebration of World Emoji Day, a reminder that communication can misfire. “Appearance historically differs greatly across platforms. Use with caution.” Emojipedia: Face with Rolling Eyes Emoji Meaning. Screenshot taken 15 July 2025.

screenshot as described with image and addition definition

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Photo of the ears and neck of a bay horse looking out of a covered ring

Bubba
Stepping Stone Farm
Saddle Seat Barn
July 2025

For my saddle seat lesson I was offered Optimist or Bubba. Although Bubba is a star, I still prefer my Emotional Support Horse. [Lesson Horse, School Horse, Emotional Support Horse]

Prefer, but don’t need. Optimist has his job taking care of the littles, and I have enough frogs at the moment to move on. [After The Show, In Which I Try To Corral The Frogs]

Even for a lesson with Optimist, I can be anxious on the way to the barn. Definitely had to do some inner believing in myself before my lesson with Bubba.

In contrast, I was not the slightest bit nervous before my hunt seat lesson with Razzy a few days before. No big deal. Gonna get on, stroll around, have a lovely time with an adorable pony. [Evening Lesson]

Razzy lesson is okay because it’s just flat work? What exactly do I think I am doing in a saddle seat lesson?

Side note on Razzy lesson. The last trot was over a tiny vertical. I was praised for being brave. Nope. I knew she was gonna trot over it. No jumping involved. There’s a big step coming when airtime starts. That wasn’t it. But I digress.

Why does saddle seat give me resident butterflies but hunt seat doesn’t? All of the horses are nice. The people are lovely. It really is a difference in the two types of riding.

I have thoughts.

1) Saddle seat is a less secure seat. Its all about stylin’ & looking sharp. Less about being ready for a jump. So that part of me that remembers galloping cross country is dubious about sitting without a deep seat and without my legs wrapped around the horse.

Or,

2) There is less to do. In theory, the rider sits chilly and the horse performs. In reality, you work like a dog. I’m more tired after a short saddle seat than after a long hunt seat. But it’s monitoring and concentrating. I feel like there was more activity required on Razzy. Balance, turn, leg, look. Riding Bubba was more about maintaining my position and keeping the air in the balloon, both horse and rider. More motion is better for my brain.

Or,

3) Comparative saddle time. If I had been doing strictly saddle seat for the last 13 years, I would have made the switch and probably would feel more at ease. Since I’m trying to maintain the two seats, I will always feel more at home with the one I am more familiar with.

This is neither good nor bad. Just is.

Per usual, I was fine once I got on the horse. [The Crux]

Okay, sometimes the ears take me a moment. [SSF Ears]

Once I get going, I’m good. It’s the pre-ride angst I could live without.

The lesson was great. Bubba had gone to Lexington as a practice horse. He thought he was all that for being in the big ring and hanging with the fancy horses. He did not show, but that didn’t seem to matter to him. He thought he was wonderful. I sat there and agreed with him.

Onwards!
Katherine

Milton’s Yearly Drama

Awareness of the outside world. ClickFix. Fake CAPTCHAs are being used to infiltrate computers. These are the ‘Are you a robot?’ questions. Oy. I think (?) it mainly attacks Windows machines. The authentication process includes keystrokes and certification strings. I’m still clicking on traffic lights. Basically, trust nothing. Hat tip to the social media post that I absorbed but forgot to note.

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Milton is off, so no morning walks at the moment. He doesn’t want to go out but he hates to be left alone. He’s the patient, so he gets to choose. Rodney stands around eating hay and telling us that nursing is hard work and that he needs more cookies.

We suspect an abscess that needs to resolve or get attended to. Either that or he needs a leg replacement. Minimal heat. Minimal swelling. Maximum drama.

I shouldn’t laugh. Pressure in a closed spaces hurts! I’ve had enough agony with my teeth that I feel for him.

April 2024 [Milton’s Silver Slipper, Sigh]

July 2023 [It’s Always Something, Milton’s Turn]

And so on.

Onwards!
Katherine

Adventures in Horsekeeping, The Chamber Pot

Awareness of the outside world. Mattel: Barbie® Introduces First-Ever Barbie Doll with Type 1 Diabetes to Expand Representation and Inspire More Children, July 8th, 2025.

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photo of a red muck bucket sitting on the ground

I am not showing you the inside of this bucket on purpose. You are welcome.

What happened?

Milton eats his hay out of purpose-dedicated muck buckets. [New Equipment, Purple Muck Bucket]

Rodney now eats his grain out of these buckets. [Rodney’s New Dinner Bucket]

When Rodney is done, we leave the bucket in aisle for Milton to clean up.

One of the horses used this as a chamber pot. Not poop. We’ve all seen that. This was deliberately lined up to piddle in the pot. With exemplary aim, I might add.

That’s a new one.

Onwards!
Katherine

E is for Electrum with an Ebony Edge, Colorwork Alphabet, Lettering

Art of the outside world. Ceramigami is ceramics + origami. Instagram: morniingstarmud 23 Oct 2024, Artist’s website, Morningstar Mud, Betsy Morningstar.

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computer graphic of the letter E with an interior starburst pattern

“Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals.” Wiki” Electrum. Did not turn up oodles of info due to companies with that name sucking up the search space.

Blackwork engraving is the use of large blocks of black in a design. Blackwork engraving is not related to blackwork embroidery except by name. The V&A: Blackwork prints: Part 1: Early blackwork prints, the development of a new technique and its uses. Bartlett-Rawlings 2013.

Process Notes

Interior pattern easy to see. No need for breakout diagrams.

Project Description [Colorwork Alphabet Introduction]

Previous Posts [Colorwork Alphabet]

Onwards!
Katherine

When Good Signs Go Bad, Or The Joys Of Being An Amateur

Behold a painted, valuable, antique sign.

It drives me batty.

The final E in the first SHOE is too large.

Let’s zoom in. Lines added for emphasis. An artistic case could be made for drawing a larger initial letter. That was not the situation here. Clearly, the sign painter was aiming for balanced letters. They missed.

I find it painful to look at.

I had a long conversation about this sign with a family member (waves hi!). The underlying arcs are smooth but not even. There is serif and sans serif on the same sign. The O on the bottom line is different than the O higher up. Although, the painter may not have had a choice in this due to spacing requirements.

Family member (waves hi again!) is not a person I see often (sad face). I could imagine them wondering, if I am so adamant about lettering, why don’t I do it for money?

Good question. I’ve thought about it. The answer is, I don’t have the eye.

Years ago, I had to design in-house ads at a newspaper. I drew up a lovely specimen. Flawless. I are such genius. Showed it to the art department.

Art Dude: Can I make a few adjustments?

Me, imagining minor tweaks: Sure.

Art Dude, hits a few keys, completely restructures the ad: How about this?

Me: Um. Yup. That’s what it should look like.

I can kibitz. I can have opinions. I cannot create. I lack the artistic sense for balance, simplicity, clarity, musicality. Call it what you will, I don’t have it. Nothing in my demonstrated abilities since then has changed my mind.

That’s okay.

One doesn’t always have to make $$ on a thing.

One doesn’t have to be pro level to enjoy a thing.

I will remain a happy amateur, ranting about lettering.

Wiki: Boot and Shoe Workers’ Union

Previous post in a similar vein, note the continuation of the discussion by the artist & others in the comments. [Just Because You Enjoy An Activity Doesn’t Mean You Want To Be Paid To Do It With Strangers]

Onwards!
Katherine