Virtual Brush Box

Training Journal

If you’re riding a horse, you’ve already won.

 
Awareness of the outside world. Today is Letterer Appreciation Day. 13th Dimension: 13 THINGS You Didn’t Know About Comics Lettering. What other underappreciated careers need their own day?
~~~

Overall

New plan.

Our field is basically a rectangle. The lower edge, A to B, is flat. The short sides, B to C and A to D, go up (or down) a slight slope. The top of the hill is in the middle of C to D, to the left of the downed tree. [The Hills]

The new pattern doubles the flat/flatish areas, and bumps each lap from 1/3 to 1/2 mile. We start from A, go all the way around, pass A, get to C, turn around. Then, in reverse, start from C, go all the way around, pass C, get to A, turn around. On the image, from Saturday, you can see where we overlap. You can also see where we wandered around the ring at the end waiting for the GPS to tick over.

The new laps are a wee bit more confusing than simple once around the field. Either we forget where we are in the pattern and turn around too soon, or one of us gets in a daze and wanders past the turn. I tend to announce the plan out loud each time we make the turn as an aid to keeping myself on track.

Base image from Map My Walk.

Milestones

Robinson Flat, Mile 36. Image source & additional photos, The Tevis Cup: Robinson Flat.

Daily Log
We are doing our rides in 1/2-mile laps around our pasture. Link to standings, Doctor Whooves, Major Milton, All. Daily screenshots from VTevis results page.

Thursday, August 27. Today 2.45 miles. Total 37.2 {36.2} miles. Time 52:54 min. Pace 21 minpermile/2.9 mph.

Friday, August 28. Scheduled day off.

Milton, mile 41.

Rodney, mile 40, looking back.

Saturday, August 29. Today 4 miles. Total 41.2 {40.2} miles. Time 1:24 min. Pace 21 minpermile/2.9 mph. FOUR miles! I can’t remember the last time I’ve ridden for that long. I certainly have, just not lately. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, catching up.

Milton, mile 44.

Rodney, mile 43.

Sunday, August 30. Today 3.01 miles. Total 44.2 {43.2} miles. Time 1:09:54 min. Pace 23 minpermile/2.6 mph. Update. Rodney one warm up lap in hand, catching up.

Monday, August 31. Scheduled day off.

Recent Posts
Mine
[Miles 25-34]

Others
County Island: The Tevis Trail: (Un)monumental Thoughts “Or maybe the Tevis trail is more like a state of mind.”

County Island: The Tevis Trail: Big Cats “… virtual (which is a high-falutin way to say pretend) …”

Moonlit Pastures: Virtual Tevis Week 4: Robinson Flat And Beyond

Go Pony: One Mile At A Time (Virtual Tevis weeks 3/4)

Go Pony: First Milestones. With Real Tevis commentary.

[Tevis post archives]

Process Note
Virtual Tevis reports have moved from Thursday to Tuesday. Hence only 5 days covered here. Thursday are my Fit To Ride days, wherein I talk about off-horse exercise. Lately, all of my walking and biking has had a virtual component. So, when Virtual Tevis came along, I put it on Thursdays with virtual everything else. It’s really closer to a show report – remember those? – which used to run on Tuesdays.

Plus, I needed something to say today.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Horsekeeping

Lucky enough to have a horse.

 
Awareness of the outside world. Once again, I got nothing. Kenosha. What can I say that could make a damn bit of difference?
~~~
You just know there is a story here.

You oughtta see the other guy.

Okay, other guy doesn’t look so bad.
~~~
Everyone is fine, albeit slightly scuffed.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Blogging About Blogging

Awareness of the outside world. Katrina. 15 years ago today. Whatever: Being Poor & Whatever: “Being Poor,” Ten Years On.
~~~
tldr: No more weekend posts. Too much time. Not enough to say.

New Schedule
Starting in September, I will not be putting up weekend posts.

Previously, I have been trying to stay out of my office on weekends but still posting on Saturday and Sunday. That means writing 7 posts in 5 days. Lately, that has felt onerous. [Weekends Off]

Why now? If I have been writing this way since 2016, why am I feeling overwhelmed now? One, the time/energy going into Virtual Tevis and Virtual Route 66 are wearing me out. That would be a good thing. Or, two, I am feeling lazy and slothful because I am lazy & slothful and/or because the world is on fire. That would be a bad thing. [VTevis, VRoute 66]

Why now? A lot of my recent Saturday and Sunday posts have felt like filler. Neither are on message. Maybe if my fiction was zooming along for Saturday or I was more of an artist for Sunday. It’s not and I’m not.

Why now? I was having a snit over … memory fails. This idea popped into my head from left field. It had nothing to do with the snit. Even I can’t connect the dots from whatever was bothering me to weekends off. Once there the idea decided to stay. The thought of two days off is appealing.

This plan may last a week; it may last for the life of the blog. Or, maybe I’ll post fiction on a Saturday and graphics on a Sunday when I have something to share. Yeah, because I’m such an impromptu person. Ha.

I greatly enjoy being able to say that I have a daily blog, or that I have not missed a day since my last restart, back in 2018. However, this serves no purpose other than bragging rights inside my head. I like bragging rights as much as the next blogger, but not enough to keep slogging through two extra posts a week. [Bright-Eyed, Bushy-Tailed, & Back to Blogging May 28 2018]

Why Have a Schedule At All?
Clearly, I am the sort of person who likes my life to be under control. Organizing my life with lists and plans and schedules does this. Or at least provides the illusion of control.

A blogging schedule encourages me. The Sunday graphics posts motivated me to improve with Inkscape and GIMP programs. While I am nowhere near pro quality with either, I can generally hack my way through the buttons. Photography on Friday and Fiction on Saturday have stalled for the moment. Maybe I just don’t need more deadlines in my life right now.

A blogging schedule limits me. I started Saddle Seat Wednesday as a way to keep the ASBs from overrunning the blog. My own horses weren’t getting their noses in the barn door. Similarly I keep discussions of my fitness programs to Thursdays, so I don’t bore you with my off-horse exercise more than once a week. Granted, my blog, my rules. OTOH, I like to balance that with sufficient audience appeal to keep you coming back. [Whither Now? Saddle Seat Version]

None of this is news.

Daily deadlines keep me motivated. A weekly schedule keeps me organized. Rotating through the various activities keeps one subject from taking over the blog, e.g. saddleseat [Whither Now], and gently forces me to keep up with others, e.g. photography … Is all this categorization necessary? No. Could I put up a pretty photo on Monday, skip a day, talk about Milton for the rest of the week and then take a month off? Yes. Provided I was a totally different person. Even considering the idea makes my brain itch. [Back to Blogging]

True then. True now.

What’s Left On Schedule
Monday through Friday posts. Topics as available.

Mood on Monday, if I can think of anything to say other than ‘Gee, this bites.’

Virtual Tevis on Tuesday until done.

Fitness Thursday, mainly for monthly 5k walks.

Photos on Friday, if I have anything. It’s a nice way to end the week.

… or maybe not. Maybe the blog will turn into a mad free-for-all.

But I doubt it.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Horsekeeping

Lucky enough to have a horse.

 
Awareness of the outside world. I am aware of the outside world. It sucks pond water. Why pond water, you ask? Have you ever accidentally sucked down pond water? Exactly.
~~~
 

 

Unsweetened, frozen apple juice.

Milton

Rodney

Music. Good Humour joins forces with musical genius RZA.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Training Journal

If you’re riding a horse, you’ve already won.

 
Awareness of the outside world. Virtual Tevis entrant Whiskey Ranch-Horse is taking time off from talking about their ride in order to raise money. “From Aug. 20 until Sept. 19 (one people-month) 30, I am gonna donate $2 from every *paperback* book sold (of both my paperback books) to the UC Davis Veterinary Need Catastrophic Fund. They have real good vets, who are likely not evil vet-ladies at all, who help animals that need it the most. This is all about UC Davis: give.ucdavis.edu/go/vcnf.” County Island: Help for Critters in Northern California Fires. Emphasis mine. Update. Fundraiser for UC Davis extended to Sept. 30, 2020.
~~~
Overall
Three miles! Twice!

Not much for real endurance horses, but good for two pasture puffs.

In both cases, we had to wander around the ring while I watched the GSP tick over from 2.96 to 3.0. No functional difference. Magical thinking.

Milestones

Red Star Ridge, mile 28, Image source & additional photos, The Tevis Cup: Red Star Ridge.

Elephant’s Trunk. Listed on map.

Daily Log
We are doing our rides in 1/3-mile laps around our pasture. Link to standings, Doctor Whooves, Major Milton, All.

Thursday, August 20. Today 8 laps, 2.58 miles. Total 26.7 {25.7} miles. Time 57:37 min. Pace 22 minpermile/ 2.7 mph. Warm-up trots, then 2 long trots.

Friday, August 21. Day off. Planned.

Saturday, August 22. Today 9 laps, 3.01 miles. Total 29.71 {28.71} miles. Time 58:50 min. Pace 19 minpermile/ 3.2 mph. Rodney getting large & in-charge. Led many of the laps, including first lap. Weird. Three long trots today.

Sunday, August 23. Today 8 laps, 3.02 miles. Total 32.73 {31.73} miles. Time 1:02:03 min. Pace 20 minpermile/ 3 mph. Extra warm-up trot/canter attempt. 2 long trots.

Monday, August 24. Day off. Planned.

Tuesday, August 25. Today 6 laps, 2.01 miles. Total 34.74 {33.74} miles. Time 53:05 min. Pace 26 minpermile/ 2.3 mph. Technically riding in the rain. An easy day of walking after all the trotting.

Wednesday, August 26. Day off. Planned.

Scenery
I am getting a handle on map vis-à-vis streetview. There is a line that shows the Virtual Tevis trail. There is a line that shows available streetview. These were not in the same place this week. I dutifully collected two streetviews from each riding day before I sorted this out. I can’t remember if the two lines converged in previous weeks. My sense of accuracy is offended; otherwise, mox nix.

You’d think I would have realized this earlier. I had some half-expressed theory that one was an estimate of the other. Spent far too long figuring out how the proportions related in order to gauge where I was. News flash. It is a totally different trail.

Oh.

Streetview on roads and highways? That I can handle. Streetview in the middle of trees? I get lost sitting at my desk.

Nearby, but not the Virtual Tevis trail from this week. Included because scenic. Gives a general idea of the terrain.

Recent Posts
Mine
[Miles 16-24]
[Virtual Gaits, Virtual Trees, Update]

Others
Moonlit Pastures: Virtual Tevis Week 3: Red Star Ridge

Trail Horse Adventures: 2020 Tevis Cup
Trail Horse Adventures: I Conquered “Cougar Rock”
Trail Horse Adventures: We Finished the Tevis Cup Virtual Ride!

[Tevis post archives]

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Training Journal

If you’re riding a horse, you’ve already won.

 
Awareness of the outside world. The plot of No Fixed Line by Dana Stabenow (Gere Donovan 2020 Kindle) hinges on two children separated and detained at the border. A friendly reminder that old horrors don’t disappear when new horrors arise.
~~~
The ride is virtual. The gaits and the trees are real.

Gaits
Milton has bad moments and a good attitude. Rodney has good moments and a bad attitude.

Milton has decided that going around the pasture together is not a race. When Rodney trots off into the distance, Milton toodles along, knowing he will get there eventually. So far, the one time Rodney and I disappeared around a corner, Milton responded by putting up his ears. Wonderful.

We are working on deescalating his issues at the mounting block. Some days he’s relaxed. Other days, he’ll ratchet up the tension meter. Just intermittent enough to keep us on our toes. After a few steps, maybe as much as a quarter of a circle, he’s over it and ready for the day. He’s the same with driving. Weird.

Rodney has decided he is a big, bold endurance horse who cannot be contained by the pathetic paces of his traveling companion. If we are in front, he strides off at a walk, and motors off at a trot. If we are following at a walk, he tries to pop into a trot. Just where do you think you are going? If we are following at a trot, he gets all round and bunched up. If I pick up the reins and tell him where to put each foot, he will do a passable western jog. I am so not interested in riding a horse who I have to supervise at every step.

Our theory is that he has decided to behave but be as unpleasant about it as possible. He thinks I will blink first. Little does he know that Tevis rules allow for the rider to dismount and run beside the horse. Listen up, you big dork. We will finish this 100 miles, if I have to walk you in-hand for the next 67 miles. Put that in your feed bucket and chew it.

I know, I shouldn’t call him a dork. Name-calling is not going to help my attitude.

Trees
We went around with a lopper and a handsaw. Took down the more obvious projections. The result was heaps of branches off to the side along the path.

Milton gave them all the side eye. They had not been there before. He did not like the look of them.

Rodney kept trying snack on the downed branches, even as the leaves faded. Leaf jerky. It’s a thing.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott