Virtual Brush Box

It recently occurred to me that I have two types of posts.

The horse posts, Monday through Thursday, are reactive. I talk about what has been happening.

Have I had a lesson? [Discussion in the Shadows]

Any new purchases? [Hack from the Manufacturer for Felicitous Foot Care]

What is the home team been up to? [Rodney Celebrates The Foot Extravaganza]

The weekend posts, Friday through Sunday, are projects done explicitly for the post.

I will go over the fountain to get a post on water photography. [Splish Splash]

I will write words. [Attending a Science Fiction Convention with an Alien Disguise]

I will draw the next letter of the alphabet. [G is for Gold, G is for Goldwork]

Granted, a few of the posts are a mix.

Fantasy class, non-horse, reactive. I am taking the class. I might as well get blog mileage out of it. [What’s With All The Fantasy Posts?].

No Stirrup November, horse, project. “Did I do this for self improvement? To have something to blog about? For the finisher ribbon? These objectives are not mutually exclusive.” [No Stirrup November Begins]

Overall, the first part of the week is Que pasa? The second part of the week is What’s next?

At least for now.

I realize the off-topic weekend posts detract from this being a horse blog and probably give the blog a fractured vibe. Mox nix. I’m not trying to build a brand, or sell a book, or do anything other than yell into the abyss.

“You write the story you have to tell, then you look for an audience. So this is me, writing my blog, saying what I have to say, then looking around to see if anyone is interested in reading.” [Attitude Check] 2013

“Short version. I know how to write to order. Blog is me writing for me.” [Show Report, Hoof Picks] 2025

Previous Posts

Weekend plans [Weekends NOT off]

State of the Blog [Archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography from the outside world. My Shetland: Northern Lights Autumn 2025.

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Fountain
Old Mill Square
Shelby County Arts Council
Columbiana AL
3 September 2024

Photo taken 3/4 of the way around the left side, facing the camera.

Technical Details

Phone camera. Experimenting with being artistic using unartistic equipment.

Previous fountain [Cool Water For A Hot Day]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Phys.org: Did a single genetic mutation make horses rideable? Arnold, Clark ed, Egan rev, August 29, 2025.

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Ramsay
Stepping Stone Farm
September 2025

I have a question.

Why don’t more horse folks drive?

Activity for a young horse? Driving.

Activity for a rider with bad knees? Driving.

Activity that is fun for the whole family? Driving.

I just don’t get it.

Which is a roundabout way to say that I had a driving lesson this week.

Remember Ramsay, of show bridle lessons? [New Ears] & [Welcoming a New Skill]

He also drives.

He was – as with riding – a star. Steerable, amenable, happy to power around at the extended trot. I was reminded of something I learned with Alvin. “If dirt wasn’t hitting me in the face, we weren’t going fast enough.” [Team Awesome]

As with show/double bridle lessons, will I ever use this in the wider world?

Shrug.

Meanwhile it gets me off the farm and is most enjoyable.

Media. New-to-me horse to drive, so I grabbed an early photo for when I got all excited and forgot to get an in-process photo.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. We took a position on a local issue. Within two days our sign had been taken. Putting up a lawn sign is hardly the cutting edge of political activism. How does stealing that sign aid the counterpositon?

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Taking a Break
Razzy
Hunt seat lesson
The Hunter Place

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. European Society of Cardiology: Beta-blockers did not reduce cardiovascular events in selected heart attack patients in the REBOOT trial, 30 Aug 2025. Biological sex affects medical results. Imagine that. OTOH Beta-Blockers still work before. ESC: Beta-blockers reduced cardiovascular events in selected heart attack patients without heart failure in the BETAMI-DANBLOCK trials. 30 Aug 2025

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A small thing to make our lives slightly easier.

Photo reposted from yesterday. [The Foot Extravaganza]

Milton’s abscess has healed to the point of soundness and waiting for the hole on the bottom of his sole to fill in. We all know how fast horse hoof grows. To keep the area clean, his hoof gets wrapped with a baby diaper, stretch bandage, & duct tape.

This is our most recent roll of flex bandage.

First, peep the pink and the flamingos. If you need this product, something has probably gone wrong, You might as well have fun with it.

Second, check out the small black square-ish bit near the top. This is a piece of material than lies under the start of the roll, both marking the beginning of the roll and making the roll easier to start. I hereby decree this should be a feature on all rolled products in all applications.

I’m assuming these, TSC: SyrFlex Cohesive Horse Bandage, Flamingo. Inside of tube says Neogen & Ideal Instruments, but flamingos are not an option on their website.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. NPR: This Labor Day, here are some lessons from 3 pivotal moments in workers’ history, Diaz 2022. Content warning, a photo I would have been happy not to see.

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Really?

Really?!?

Rodney decided to join in the foot festival that is Summer 2025. [The Year of the Foot]

In the bottom image, you are looking at Milton’s left hind covered with padding to keep the healing abscess dry and open. Rodney is wearing a bootie on his left front while waiting for the blacksmith to replace the shoe he pulled. A shoe that was tight and smooth the last time we looked at it.

They’re fine. Minor foot problems do not get in the way of processing hay and grain.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. Interlace: A journal of mathematics and fiber arts. Nothing yet. Watch that space.

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My non-entry for the 2025 Graceful Envelope Contest run by the The Washington Calligraphers Guild. Theme: Go Fourth. My concept, four seasons with seasonally relevant stamps. I did not send in an envelope back in March. I was not sufficiently enchanted with my idea that I wanted to spend the time drawing it on an envelope. Winning is not an option. I know when I’m taking a cart horse into a class with Thoroughbreds. If I’m doing it for giggles, it needs to be fun.

Process Notes

Drawn digitally for this post. While there is a way to shape text into a space. I admit I used brute force to squish each letter into place rather than struggling with a new skill. The joy of learning for its own sake ran into the desire to get it done and move on.

Links

WCG: 2025 Graceful Envelope Winners

WCG: Themes & Winning Envelopes, from 2025 back to 2001

The Postman’s Knock: The 2025 Graceful Envelope Contest + Tips for Success

Previous Posts

[Let The Good Times Roll Down The River, The Graceful Envelope 2024]

[Fan Mail, The Graceful Envelope Contest 2023]

[The Graceful Envelope Contest 2022]

Invitation

Why not give it a try?

The theme for 2026 is Great Beginnings. Deadline 31 March. Categories by age for kids. Note new mailing rules. Graceful Envelope Contest.

Onwards!
Katherine