Virtual Brush Box

SSF Ears

Awareness of the outside world. Today. “The Earth is … farthest from the Sun, or at its aphelion, about two weeks after the June solstice. timeanddate: Perihelion and Aphelion, Kher.

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Photo of the ears and neck of a black horse in a covered ring

Optimus, riding
Stepping Stone Farm
June 2025

Being able to get undercover makes an enormous difference in hot weather.

Howz it gonna work with three barns and two disciplines? I have no idea. For the moment, simply happy to have horses to ride. [Salute to a Schoolmaster]

Photo of the ears and neck of a chestnut horse

Diego, driving
Stepping Stone Farm
July 2025

Taken before getting in the cart. Diego is concentrating on the harnessing going on behind him.

Scorecard to keep to track. Three barns: home, SSF, The Hunter Place. Two disciplines: saddle seat & hunt seat. This does not take into account driving at the saddle seat barn nor jumpers vs hunters at the hunt seat barn. Plus theoretical eventing and CDE.

If I had a plan at the moment – and I really don’t – it would be to throw lots of things against the wall and see which part of the spaghetti sticks.

But I digress.

Onwards!
Katherine

Salute to a Schoolmaster

Awareness of the outside world. Awhile back, I carefully cleaned, folded, and stored a pile of old, ratty towels. They were frayed and full of holes. Too far gone to be horse or pet towels. Recently, I needed wads of absorbent material, stat. Didn’t matter what the material looked like, just had to absorb water. Ratty towels were most excellent to purpose. And this is why I never throw anything away.

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horse and rider trotting over small crossrail

Razzy
The Hunter Place
June 2025

First lesson [In Which I Ride A Horse]

Part 0

When we started, Razzy was quick at the walk. This I did NOT need. Turns out she was just ready to get down to business. As soon as we trotted, she chugged along as her steady, reliable self. I’ve run into the same reaction from Saddlebreds. What’s with all this walk? Let’s go! Let’s get this show on the road! (If I get a chance to run thru it with them a few times – cart or saddle – they decide that they can start with a few laps of walk. But I digress.)

Part 1

In front of trot poles, Razzy likes to take a micromoment to assess the situation. I put my leg on and told her to keep a steady pace. She ignored me. I realized that she is often toting green riders. She is used to being the one to make sure everything is safe. She had a job to do and took her responsibilities seriously. Once I acknowledged her feeling of responsibility, she accepted my support as copilot and was happy to move out.

Part 2

Canter. Cue head tossing. Cue rider stress. Coach Deana told me to loosen up. I wasn’t choking up on the reins, but I was stiff. As soon as I got out of her face, she was fine.

Part 3

Razzy: Trot. Fuss. Trot. Fuss.

Rider: (having flashbacks)

Razzy: Fuss. Fuss. Fuss.

Rider: (thinking) … is she tired … am I upsetting her by being unbalanced … has the lesson gone on too long …

Instructor: Change your diagonal.

Razzy: Trot. Trot. Trot.

Yes. Pony fussed at me because I was on the wrong diagonal.

Coda

I don’t know what they pay her, but she earns every penny.

photo between the ears of a brown & white pony.

Onwards!
Katherine

Clean & Shiny III

Awareness of the outside world. AL.com: Did you know Alabama has two time zones?, Kazak 2024. [My Alaska-Flavored Adventure, comment]

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Shout out to Auto & Truck Services of Birmingham AL.

They gave my truck its 100K mile patdown along with retooling the brakes and the ignition. Post-tune-up truck drives like a dream, possibly better than it did out of the box. [Truck Mileage]

In this age of plastic parts and computer components, the shop gives off the reassuring air of a place that knows how to take a car apart and put it back together. Their web address is ww.theartofrepair.com.

The shop was appalled at the dirt level on the truck and refused to return it in that condition. They washed the outside & touched up front area inside. They were surprised to hear that it had only taken two years to get in that state. No, I did not recognize my truck.

No deal with the vendor. Simply excited to find people who are good at their jobs.

And the truck is soooo shiny.

Previous Posts

“Question: How long does it take for a truck and trailer to go from spiffy to can’t be seen in public? Answer: Chez nous, a year and a half.” [Clean & Shiny II] 2023.

“Since most of the schmutz was tree spit, every inch of metal had to be scrubbed. Not scrubbed hard, but not sprayed off with a hose either.” [Clean & Shiny] 2022.

Onwards!
Katherine

Stocking Up

Awareness of the outside world. ARTnews: A New Video Game Allows You to Repatriate African Artifacts by Looting Western Museums, June 24, 2025. Video games get political.

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photo of a shopping cart carrying horse supplies

I understand more treats. I understand more Outlast. Why do we keep needing more buckets?

Onwards!
Katherine

D Is For Digital Art, D Is For Damask, Lettering

Art of the outside world. The Met: Damascas Room.

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Digitally developed. Digitally displayed.

Damask, “It may or may not have originated in Damascus, but the name of the damask rose—a flower that traveled to Europe during the Middle Ages—honors that Syrian city.” Merriam Webster: 10 Words for Uncommon Colors

Process Notes