Virtual Brush Box

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Miami. For those who were in the building. For those who are looking. For those who are waiting. ❤️.
~~~

Space for mental recalibration.

~~~

Rodney & I jumped!

A cross-country fence!

On purpose!

Nicely!

Last weekend, we went over to Full Circle Horse Park specifically to school cross-country. However low it would prove to be, it was time to lay down a baseline. Milton & husband came along as escort. No jumping, but Milton walked and trotted out in the XC field.

Rodney & I walked over a handful of low fences. [Looking Forward]

We trotted over the lowest of the low.

At the end, I aimed him at a tiny wooden box that was juuuuust big enough that I knew he would actually jump rather than trotting-pole over it. [Probably the last one, sans flags or hedgehog.]

Which he did.

As neatly as you please.

And stopped quietly on the far side.

Well, then.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Tau Day.
~~~

[Tertium Quid]

Folks at the clinic were surprised to find out that Rodney is 22 years old. Yeah, he looks good for his age. Plus, he’s had it pretty easy the last 10 years. I know. I was there. [Clinic Report]

Anyway.

It got me thinking about a third horse. Again.

I tried the go-with-the-flow version.

So, I’m not so much horse shopping as letting the universe know that I am open to a unicorn trotting up my driveway. We’ll see how that goes.

[Tertium Quid]

That was 2017, four years ago. Really? Four years? Time flies.

Then there was the whiney version.

Not as obvious as it sounds. I had to look out of the state for Rodney. I had to look out of the freaking country for Milton.

[Gotcha Day]

That was 2020, mid-pandemic.

I need to get on this.

My horse shopping situation has not changed.

The area I live in doesn’t have the density of horses that Lexington has … I have trouble getting people to take me seriously … My past decisions didn’t always work out.

[Crowdsourcing, 2012

That was 2012. ignore the optimistic tone. It took 2 more years to find Milton.

On the upside, I found out that I’m not alone.

How does a person who likes to take things slowly and steadily with unfamiliar horses, buy her next eventing partner?!

TheMareWhoNooneWanted: The Gelding Everyone Wanted

Alternatively, Milton and I could learn to work together.

In theory.

In reality, I’m not sure there are enough supplements in the tack store to make that happen. [When Milton Adores Me, Milton’s Meals]

No answers. A where-my-head-is-at post.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Images

Awareness of the outside world. BBC: In pictures: Strawberry Moon rises, June 25, 2021
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~~~
Process notes. Last week, linear and radial gradient from Inkscape. [Summer Words]

This week, I clinked on another button and found mesh gradient. I still don’t have a good “handle” on what it is or how to use it. (That was a vector joke.)

These letters are single, random colors with automatic mesh gradient fill and no stroke, i.e. edge. I went with simple when I ran out of time/patience/ability to understand the tutorials. Image finished with GIMP.

I also discovered that gradients can be designed from scratch with icons on the tool bar. One is not limited to the choices made by the fill menu. In retrospect, duh. The point of using complicated graphics software is to have control over your design.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Words

Intro
My comment game has been lax. [Comment Policy]

My apologies for …

1) The major gap in 2020.

2) The delay in catching up for several weeks in 2021.

3) Any future delays & gaps.

Personal
It would convenient to blame the pandemic. In truth, inertia is a demon I wrestle with, particularly when I am not busy.

This seems counter-intuitive.

When I have an empty horizon, I find it can take all day to Do The Laundry. When I’m busy – with a happy, perky, fulfilled kind of busy – I find it easy to toss in a load or two when I have a moment.

So it’s like that. I get myself all worked up about Responding To The Comments. So I don’t. And then the days pile up.

The pandemic certainly doesn’t help.

Grits teeth. Vows to do better.

Technical
My WordPress program has developed a weird hiccup. When I look at an unpublished post, I am logged in. When I look at a published post, I am not.

A) This messes up my stats by counting internal surfing as outside hits. Digital own-goals.

B) This means I have to comment as a visitor, rather than as the author of the blog. [example, Summer Stomping]

This only happens on my desktop. On my phone, I am logged in no matter what I am looking at.

Since I can still edit and preview, I haven’t put in the time to track down the problem. So my stats are wonky. Oh well. I’m not using them for marketing.

Therefore, if I want to comment as myself, I have to comment on my phone. Thumb-typing is less convenient than having an entire keyboard at my disposal. Cue interia.

As of now, I am caught up on 2021 comments. The 2020 comments I missed are getting a link to this post. I, for one, have no desire to go back to last October.

Outro
I read the comments.

I love the comments.

I always respond to the comments. In my head.

I don’t always respond to the comments. On the post.

~~~
STOB [Archives]

Update. The technical wrinkle occurred after the program redo in April of this year. The big hole in last year’s response was all me. [Change]

Update the second. All fixed. [State of The Blog, State of the Comments]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Fit To Ride

Awareness of the outside world. The Brothers Brick: LEGO prototype brick made from recycled plastic is a leap towards sustainable goals [News].
~~~

Capezio Canvas Split-Sole Hanami Ballet Shoe from Applause Dancewear. It was an exhaustive shopping experience.

Me: Ballet shoes for class at Dance Foundation.

Store clerk: These. (Hands me shoes).

Me: Thank you, here’s my card.

Are these the first shoes for me that weren’t some form of barn boots since ???. Do I put more effort into what goes on my horse’s feet/legs. Maybe.

The fuzzy socks I wore for the first dance class worked just fine, due to sticky dots on the bottom. No judgement from class, but I still I felt like a Muppet. They are much redder in person. I looked like Elmo.

Do you find that what looks good at home doesn’t look as presentable once you get out in public? Not as clean as you thought? A little more cat hair than you thought? Or do I need to get out more? Or both.

So, I sprung for special shoes.

In other news. The parapraxis continues. Whenever I type shoe it comes out show. [Stomping Season]

Dance Posts
[State of The Fitness, Or Not]
[Waving My Arms to Music]
[Challenge, Do Something You Are Bad At]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Written as a Juneteenth thread. Applies broadly to any intrusive personal query, “Answer the question ‘If you could ask a Black friend any question, no holds barred, what would it be?’ And then find a book or two that answers that question, because we’ve already answered it.” @BrittneyMMorris (Twitter). No reason to ask other people to do the work for us. Wonder what it’s like to be …? Someone probably has a blog on it. Assist to @yesimhotinthis (Instagram, posted in Stories, which is temporary).
~~~

Tough-1 No-turn Overreach Boots

Astute readers may have noticed zippy, new boots on Rodney in the puddle picture last Tuesday. [Rain]

Before, we were using generic bell boots from our shipping collection. They look like galoshes. [What Now]

These look like sneakers.

The new boots cover the heels instead of the circumference of the foot. The little bump keeps them from turning.

So far, so good.

Has anyone else noticed the escalation in horse sizing? With the Warmblood invasion, an XL is seriously freaking large these days. A 17+ hand Thoroughbred is L. Fortunately, I saw these at the Mosely clinic and the owner was kind enough to let me try them on for size.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. Assume you are a het woman. Would you rather be in a locker room with gay women or straight men? Other inclinations may adjust as needed to answer.
~~~

Went to watch friend have lesson at Stepping Stone Farm. (Waves hi.)

I watched several riders. A few times I said to myself, I see what needs to be done, and – more surprisingly – thought I could do it. I feel that my saddle seating shut down just as I was understanding a few things. [Notes From A Lesson]

But.

The clinic confirmed my earlier plan of staying close to home, at least in terms of riding style. [Whatever Happened To Saddlebred Wednesdays?]

My hands are good. My canter is good. My trot has way too many saddle seat leftovers. I need to move to the middle of the saddle, making all the attendant changes, and I need to lose the internal metronome that is set to a punchy show trot. [Clinic Report]

Plus, the more time I spend calming TBs, the more I alarmed I get by ASBs. [Missing The Saddlebreds, Or Not]

And finally. I. Do. Not. Miss. Wearing. Gloves.

People can learn two languages. Not me, but people. So, the plan is to spend the summer brushing up my Italian. Then in September, get back to learning Russian.

Unless I change my mind.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine