Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. Never post anything online that you wouldn’t want to see the next morning on a billboard on your way to work.

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Screenshot showing major traffic spike on 12 May 2025.

Over 2000 hits. A second page shows all of the views taking place between 1 and 3 in the morning. The only explanation I can figure is that the blog was scraped for a large language model.

I refuse to waste a perfect good science fiction term on an overgrown search engine.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “I’ve learned over the years that when something’s happening, good or bad, to just keep shooting.” Charlie Mann, Chronicle of the Horse: Behind The Photo: The Great Save, Calvert 2023.

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Limestone Park
Alabaster AL USA
May 2025

Technical Notes

Phone Camera. Taken while husband was being artistic with big camera. [Recurring Guest Gallery]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “Cranksgiving is a food drive on two wheels.” Cranksgiving. Over 100 rides thoughout the US, taking place September to November. We are going to try. Means I need to get back on a bicycle.

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I’m terrible with names.

I worked with a guy named Don.

I called him Dan for six months.

Tell me your pet’s name? I’ll remember that for years.

So, at a barn I can call you by your horse’s name.

This works great.

Until I run into a girl with a horse named Tubs.

True story.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Will Tell Stories For Food: How to Research a Local Political Race. 2022. WTSF is the blog of author Naomi Kritzer.

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I’m starting to share in Rodney’s delusions.

He thinks he is a fancy, retired, champion show horse. He likes to rest on the laurels of his past greatness. “As far as Rodney is concerned, he could’ve had a glorious show career. Therefore, he did have a glorious show career.” [Imagining Rodney]

In reality, not so much. [Rodney Lives With His Life Choices]

However.

Our most recent ride was months ago. Time passes. Memories fade. He’s a good-looking horse. He moves beautifully. I imagine how much he could have done. How much we could have done together.

Maybe somewhere, in some alternate universe, we did.

Like I said, delusions.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “Health issues in wives significantly increase divorce, particularly in older couples.” Psychology Today: What’s Behind a Shocking New Divorce Pattern. Sills, May 16, 2025. An unpleasant topic. I’ve forwarded the article twice recently, which means it’s probably worth sharing here. We’re fine. The people I talked to are fine. It was more something that arose in conversation.

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Our morning walks are back and forth along the long side of the pasture.

The walk out is easy. The Cookie Meister sits in the corner and doles out treats. The horses are happy to head that way. [Version 2.0, Morning Walk Stories]

The walk back is easy. Heading to barn.

The tricky spot is the turnaround to start a new lap. If left to his own devices, Rodney is likely to say, ‘Later, Dudes’ and head back to the barn. If he goes back, he stays there.

Milton prefers to stay with the herd. He can be counted on to make the turn (as an unhitched caboose (edited for clarity)). If all goes awry and he ends up at the barn, he will come back out to see what everyone is up to.

So.

We all walk out together. Stop for morning pee.

Walk to corner. No lead ropes. On the first pass, sometimes they want me to take point. Sometimes, they march ahead.

At corner. Dispense cookies. Put leadrope on Rodney.

Walk back. Milton trundles along.

Turn around. Release Rodney. Off they go. [Milton’s Position in The Parade]

Repeat.

Last week we got back to the walks after missing a few days due to mud and rain. On the way back, Milton would get ahead of me and Rodney.

We had erred by missing a few days and he was now going to model the proper walk paradigm.

Would he make the turn on his own?

Yes, he would.

Because that’s how it’s done.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “Importantly, modern identity labels (gay, trans) didn’t exist in the 1400s so we don’t know what labels these people would’ve chosen … but … as long as I keep getting undergrads in my classroom whose educations-so-far left them with the impression homosexuality didn’t exist between Socrates and Oscar Wilde (sigh) we need to do better to show all these identities have histories.” Ex Urbe: LGBTQIA+ Renaissance. Ex Urbe is the blog of Ada Palmer.

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The ongoing, undraining mud had soaked and softened the horse’s hooves. Milton was fine. Rodney’s feet got chewed up.

Hmm. He’s kinda missing a hunk of foot over there.

Is the blacksmith gonna find anything to nail to?

If shoes will be difficult, maybe think about doing without?

However.

Fly season is upon us, with the attendant hoof stomping.

.Although the ground is soft now, in a few weeks it will – probably – be dry and hard.

This is the wrong time of year to introduce barefoot. Particularly for an oversized horse with thin, Thoroughbred feet.

We will revisit the idea later in the year.

In the event, blacksmith had no trouble putting shoes on. Damage was all below the nails, so lots of good foot above. More alarming looking than actually alarming.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art plan did not eventuate. Have a cat.

Pamplemousse (Moose)
April 2025

Onwards!
Katherine