Bling! Finally!

Fit To Ride

 

 
Finally got a 5k medal! Fourth time’s the charm. To recap:

Magic City, wrong medal, too slow [Proof of Concept]
Drum Run, no medal, too slow [Strolling To A Soundtrack]
La Jolla, medal, in the mail [Strolling Along]
Green Bay, medal! [Strolling Around and Around and Around]

Does bling matter? You might as well ask if horse show ribbons matter. and that’s just plain heresy.
 

 
Also t-shirt & bib number.

Official Results
Cellcom Green Bay Marathon Virtual 5K Run/Walk
Green Bay, WI
5/17/2020
 

 
Alternate Results
km pace 15.35
age graded percent 23 “Age grading allows you to compare your performance to others, adjusted for differences in age and gender.” from results page, more here.

My Results
Time – 1:17:53
Pace – 24:32
[Strolling Around and Around and Around, Walk Report, Cellcom Green Bay Virtual 5k 2020]

Differences
Pace difference must be from walking 3.17 but having my official time calculated over 3.1. Not sure why they decided on 60 for my age. Not that it matters for this. I would still have been last, 9 of 9, in 55-59. I have no explanation for the wandering bib numbers. I am filed under #10308 in the results. The 209 appears to have been printed for the virtual race. Maybe they renumbered. I assume the bib itself is an desirable artifact for racers to collect. Certainly nicer than horse show numbers.

Finisher Certificate
 

 

What are you doing for exercise these days?

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

We – The Unicorns … Go On A Road Trip, Guest Post

Welcome Meg! [Archives]
Meg McKinney, Photographer
[We – The Unicorns … Arrive, Guest Post]
~~~
 

 

We – The Unicorns … Go On A Road Trip

Story and Photographs by Meg McKinney

 
As if they stepped off a color wheel, the unicorns became brilliant creatures in the sunshine. I couldn’t resist taking their pictures. It was a Kodak moment.

“Road trip!” Mystic, the unicorns’ leader, announced earlier that day. All agreed, and plans were made. The four unicorns, currently visiting our realm, were curious about stable and pasture life for their equine counterparts.

On a recent sunny, spring afternoon, we visited Stepping Stone Farm Riding Academy, Chelsea, Alabama. I felt confident the unicorns would be welcome, and free to kick up their hooves. I provided transportation. The unicorns admitted that, left to themselves, they would get stuck in traffic on Hwy. 280. And, I knew that if any driver that saw them traveling along this busy highway, they would slam on the brakes, and that would cause more traffic problems.

The American Saddlebred horses at Stepping Stone Farm are a pretty cool bunch. Upon arrival, the unicorns certainly caught their attention. But, once their curiosity about the glittery visitors was satisfied, they returned to grass grazing. Horses have priorities.

In this time of the pandemic, the unicorns kept a social distance, following fence lines of the pastures and the arena.
 

 
Mystic practiced a piaffe atop a fence post, when Buddy, a chestnut with a blaze, peered from a barn window. Buddy returned to his afternoon oats, when he observed that Mystic was prancing in place, and wouldn’t get near his feed bucket.
 

 
Melody, the herd coordinator for all things practical, looked over the grooming stall. Perhaps she envisioned hoof trims, and replacing bits of glitter.
 

 
Starlight, head of the unicorns’ security detail, scanned the property for unwanted visitors. All was quiet. Biggums, in a nearby pasture, looked up at Starlight, and then continued his all-important grazing.
 

 
Twinkle, had a grand time, galloping along the rim of the arena, looking for new faces. Her mane and tail sparkled. A bay mare, named “Slim,” was occupied with new green grass, and paid no attention to Twinkle – that anyone could tell.

The stables’ feathered residents had their own agendas. The peacocks fluffed and fluttered their springtime finery. After side-ways glances at the unicorns, they strutted on. The guinea fowl chirped, patrolled for insects, and paid no heed to the unicorns. The barn cats were nowhere to be seen, but I’m sure they saw everything.

 

 

When it was time to go, Starlight herded the group back to my car. Everyone took one last look around to remember their day out. On the drive back to Birmingham, the unicorns discussed their visit.

“Did you see how green the pastures are?” Melody was excited by the ready supply of grass for her fellow unicorns.

Twinkle was enthralled by the numerous containers of product for manes and tails, kept in the wash stall. Perfect for any filly, grooming for an evening out.

“The arena would be good for my classical dressage practice,” declared Mystic, who prefers center stage by performing airs above the ground.

Starlight, peering out a car window, informed the herd “we should consider relocating to Stepping Stone Farm, if we need an escape from danger.”

This concluded the unicorns’ road trip and discoveries. Let’s hope they allow us to tag along on their next adventure, whenever and wherever that may be.
~~~
 

 
Photographing toy unicorn models is a welcome challenge presented by “Virtual Brush Box,” during the pandemic of 2020. The opportunity to create a fictional story — a complete diversion from photojournalism and corporate photography –- is new territory, and pushes my skill sets. This is good for every photographer.

Follow “We – The Unicorns…” as they let me know when, and where, they roam. Their arrival is documented here. They are Unicorn Stablemates from Breyer Animal Creations.

Meg McKinney, Photographer

Posting The Trot, You’d Think I’d Know How To Do That By Now

Training Journal

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

 
My groundcrew pointed out that I lean forward when I post the trot. Up & forward. Up & forward. Like a metronome. So I have been working on this. A good shut-down exercise. Hard for the rider; low-key for the horse.
 

 
When the ideal rider posts, the hips move up and forward. The shoulder does the same.
 

 
When I post, the point of my shoulder describes a longer arc than the point of my hip does. I don’t collapse down, so much as lean forward as I rise. While I have been know to slump my shoulders on occasion [Dueling Disciplines], that is not the problem here.

We can argue about the exact arc the pelvis should make. The point is 1) the motion of the hip and the shoulder should match. 2) Mine don’t. The result is that I end up pitched forward at the top of the post.

I do this for two reasons.

One. It is part of my execrable habit of leaning forward, pitching the reins, and thinking ‘Go, horsie, go.’ I do this riding [Being Muddled] and driving [Spontaneous Showing].

Two. Lurking in my hindbrain is the theory that hovering over the shoulder is somehow “kinder” to the horse. The habit is even worse at the canter. Getting rid of this idea is harder than uprooting kudzu.

To fix this, people yell at me to get my shoulders back. They are not wrong. Unfortunately, I react to this instruction by forcing my shoulder blades together. This doesn’t work. It is an untenable position that does not address the underlying problem. The rot sets in at the hip joint.

Rodney is hyper-sensitive to everything that happens on his back. His knobs are on 11. Always. When I start flinging my shoulders about, he either picks up a canter or – if he’s in a mood – gets pissy.

So, I’m learning how to post the trot.

Process notes. Apologies if I have posted this before. I remember having this discussion with Coach Courtney. (Clearly, I have not fixed the problem.) I remember thinking it would make a good theory post. Before I started this post, I searched on the words arc, shoulder, and posting. Nothing came up. So, I assumed I had not posted this before. Or I did, can’t find, and forgot. Again [Blogging: Not Remembering].

Can I point out how confusing it is to write about posting, as in the blog, at the same time as writing about posting, as in the trot? I need more words.

Roberto preparing to zoom around the ring. [Being Muddled]

Update, Tuesday evening: Tooth getting an onlay. Protection procedures outstanding. More on Friday.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Mood On Monday, Venturing Out

Thoughts

 
I hold to my policy of not editorilaizing on current events. I have nothing to add, except my outrage, which solves nothing and helps no one. When you bite into a cupcake, you don’t want Hollandaise sauce. “So, this is me, writing about horses, being a cupcake.” [Speaking Out]
~~~
Or not writing about horses, as the day would have it.

Dentist appointment tomorrow. Me, not horses. Medical providers are opening on a limited basis. My fractured tooth qualifies [Inconveniences]. This will be my first extended interaction with strangers since the pandemic got to my state.

I have not talked to a stranger for more than the length of a check-out transaction in over two months. Even those occasions are rare. When we have essential tasks, husband goes in the store. Either they are his errands or – sadly – people will respect his space more than mine.

I’m not nervous. Covid 19 is serious; it’s not anthrax. To the best of my understanding, passing contact with a tiny amount of virus particles will not doom me. I’m going into a medical environment. They will be better at this than I am. Of all medical types, a dental office will be the most up-to-date on respiratory disease transmission. They spend their lives getting up in a person’s grill and not getting sick.

I’m not nervous. I am concerned. Low-risk is not no risk. Young, perfectly healthy people can get Covid19 and die from it. I may be healthy but I’m teetering on the edge of when they say you should consider locking yourself in a tower.

I’m not nervous. I do have questions. I plan on wearing a mask and staying away from people. Will people stay away from me? Will I forget myself and commit stupid, contamination-prone actions? These are not habits I am used to. What will the world be like between the safety of my truck and the dental office? How do I manage the elevator? What if I go in first and people crowd in? Should I look for the stairs?

I live in a … um … mask-optional area. Some stores are all about protecting employees and customers: masks, acrylic barriers, regulated lines. Other stores act as if the virus is over, or never happened in the first place. No protests. No eye-rolling if you do wear a mask. Spotty compliance.

Mind you, data from my direct experience is limited, as I said. Most of this is based on reports from the household’s ambassador to the outside world and my surveys of parking lots while I wait.

Want to give props to folks doing it right. Little Professor, a local bookstore, has made a huge effort. I was picking up an order I made weeks earlier, back when everyone was yipping about placing orders to support local businesses. They had their double doors wide open, which eliminated the need to touch the door handles. This was before research was telling us about the advantages of fresh air and ventilation, so that was a happy bonus. They completely rearranged their interior by heaving bookshelves around and removing their center island. Traffic flow was wide open and I could see every person in the store in order to avoid them, had I wished to browse. The small check-out table was easy for both customer and employee to step back from. They clearly put thought into their new arrangement. Of course, masks on all employees. Good job. Here’s a cookie.

I say I’m not nervous now. We’ll see how exhausted I am tomorrow evening when I get home from my big adventure.

Update, Tuesday evening: Tooth getting an onlay. Protection procedures outstanding. More on Friday.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

In Closing, Color Contrast

Lettering & Graphic Design

 

 
A logo exercise on Sunday is my graphic design equivalent of the monthly state of the blog on Saturday.

Process Notes.The 16 letters stacked up reminded me of the HTMl 16 colors contrast chart, only not the HTML colors again. Tweaked the secondary colors to my idea of the opposites of yellow, blue, red. Checkerboard colors and 16 different fonts sounded good in my head. Too much confusion. The eye needs something to follow. Program fonts Arial bold & Century Schoolbook L bold. Drawing acquired fuzziness in exporting from Inkscape to GIMP. Fixed what I could figure out, declared the remainder to be a computer communication issue beyond my capacity, and moved on. Final question, If any color is possible, why can’t I get a decent green?

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

Blogging In A Time Of Crisis

Blogging About Blogging

 
Monthly State of the Blog [Archives].
~~~
We can wonder about the worth of the endeavor, given the state of the world. I have come down on the side of continuing, for good or ill.

Obsessing About The Blog
I have been obsessed with the blog since lock-down began. Well, I’ve always been a bit obsessed. You can’t have a daily blog for eight years without a touch of obsession. Lately, it has increased.

I have a pleasant fantasy that the blog takes me an hour a day, Monday through Friday. That was not true before. It’s not even close now.

I often get out ahead of skis, working on posts for the following week. Does this mean I use the free time for gainful activity? Not in the slightest. Let’s say Monday arrives with posts written and scheduled through Thursday. Do I go off to attack the endless to-do list that is house and barn ownership? Nope. I spend twice as long on posts for the weekend.

Is this a good use of a large part of my day? No idea. I’m not sure how to weigh merit. I am sure that I don’t have the energy for philosophical debate. I’m simply doing what holds my attention at the moment.

After the firestorm of motivation that is the blog, I do nothing. Limited housework. No work marketing, no organizing of my life, no hobbies that loom patiently in the corner of the living room. I often can’t muster the concentration to read. I’ll pick up a book, look at a few pages, wander off.

So that’s my schedule: blog, bike for exercise, horses, stare into space. Even the horse activity is low key. If we had the right horses and access, I’ll be strolling down the trail as often as possible. As is, there’s a lot of practicing our statue maneuver or meandering about the ring.

Why this devotion to the blog? A call to entertain? A diversion? A time sink? A chance to figure out where my own head is at? All of the above? No idea. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get busy finishing the rest of this post.

Obsessing, But Not Remembering
One the things I have been obsessing about is what a friend calls “evergreens.” Posts not connected to a particular time or place that can held in reserve and used as needed [Green Horses].

I have finished my current list of evergreens. Now, I have 8 in reserve: 2 text, 6 image, 2 Sunday. Some, I definitely want to use at some point, mostly those which people have been kind enough to send me. Other posts may never see the light of day, unless I get truly desperate. This much emergency rations makes me a little nervous. As if having back-up will call into existence a reason for needing it. I am trying to see it as a gift to my future self, and/or to remember that being called away could be a good thing, as when I had to drop everything to get Milton in Kentucky [Delay Of Game, Shipping].

The last one on my evergreen to-do list was a life hack about a safety can opener, on the theory that horse people have cats and dogs. This one took a while. I already had the text, from an email recommending one to a friend. I needed better photos. I wanted to get the unit after it had been cleaned in the dishwasher but before it was used for dinner. It took a while for conditions to line up. Finally, I achieved lovely pictures of the sparkling clean can opener in golden-hour light. Magnifco.

Then, my phone died. Before I had downloaded the photos.

A few days later, I wondered if perhaps I had emailed them to my desktop and forgot.

I searched.

I found the a notification for a post from 2014, [Life Hacks: Can Opener].

I have no memory of this.

All this time. All this effort. Not the faintest clue that I had done this before.

Would I have remembered had the world not been off kilter? Or have I written more blog posts than my recall buffer can handle?

Obsessing, But Not About Horses
Weekends have been off topic for a while [Fiction]. Lately, I have added posts about my exercise choices [Will Walk For Bling], about my thoughts on life [Minor Inconveniences], even my mailing habits [If We Can’t Travel, At Least Our Postcards Can]. Some weeks are more off-topic than on.

I can’t bring myself to care.

I’m typing what I want to type. Maybe because of the pandemic, maybe because I am slowly – or not so slowly – turning into a curmudgeon.

Partly, a dearth of gripping content. I talked about this before [Meanwhile]. Slow, steady progress is not the stuff of legend. We walked. Rodney was relaxed. Yay. Lack of progress is even less riveting. Milton and I continue to circle each other warily. Boo.

Partly, I have gone completely off the rails on driving traffic to the blog. I’ve stopped posting to blog Instagram and Facebook accounts. Not splitting my focus [Contests]. Triaging efforts that were not wildly, or even mildly, successful. Stop trying to entice people to read the blog. I have lost all grip on targeted audience engagement. I didn’t do much before [Attitude Check]. Even less so now.

You found it. Maybe other folks will. Awesome. Meanwhile, I need to come up with an idea for next Friday.

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott

If We Can’t Travel, At Least Our Postcards Can

Random Images

The world is vast & weird.

 

 
Have restarted Postcrossing, wherein I send/receive postcards from randomly-assigned strangers around the world [Latest Batch of Postcrossing, October 2016]. Have indicated a mild preference (they frown on direct requests) for horse-related cards to use as blog posts. Solved my postcard supply problem [PostUNcrossing] via the Yellowhammer Creative online shop.
#stayhome
#shoplocal
#supportsmallbusiness

YHC: Postcard Set, Magic City Landmarks
4″x6″postcards, French cover stock
Sloss Furnaces [An HTML Color Factory]
Lyric Theater
Birmingham Zoo [Life Is A Zoo]
Railroad Park
Alabama Theater (in LEGO bricks, not mine, a fellow LUG member [The Upside of Negativity])
Rotary Trail

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine Walcott