Virtual Brush Box

Why Horse People Are Superstitious

Awareness of the outside world. ❤️. [Over The Years]

~~~

Years ago, I was standing at the side of the ring watching a rider at an event do their show jumping round. Next to me was spouse of rider.

Spouse: They are really having a good trip.

Me: Don’t say that. You’ll jinx it.

Spouse: Oh, I don’t believe in …

CLONK!

Pole down.

🐎🐎🐎

Put this on the list of things you can’t use in fiction because no one would believe it.

Do I truly believe in jinxes? No. On the other hand, I never say a ride is going well until everyone has their feet safely on the ground. Make of that what you will.

Onwards!
Katherine

Whip Hand, Wordless Wednesday

Photo of a hand holding rein and driving whip, horse in background

Big Brown Lump, Morning Walk Stories

Awareness of the outside world. Dead white man’s clothes. I can’t determine how current the website is. I can’t imagine the problem has gone away.

~~~

We were on the first lap of our morning walk. The horses were off lead. I was taking point. Rain during the night had made the ground soft and squishy.

I heard a loud thump behind me.

I turned around to see saw a large brown lump lying on the grass several yards back.

Fortunately, before my shock could turn to horror, Rodney moved. He was rolling. He finished and hopped up.

Whereupon Milton said, Oh, we can roll during a walk?!

Whereupon Milton selected a broad muddy spot and dropped. He rolled thoroughly. He braced a foot to get a good angle on scratching his neck. He flipped over to get at the other side. Satisfied with his work, he heaved to his feet.

We now had two bays.

His gray coat was still dyed mildly brown the next day.

I love watching horses roll – once I am certain they are in fact rolling. They seem to enjoy it so much.

Onwards!
Katherine

Weighty Considerations

Awareness of the outside world. Space.com: ‘We learned so much that we didn’t know’: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost moon lander mission was full of surprises, David, April 26, 2025. Hat tip Balloon Juice: Overnight Open Thread, TaMara, April 27, 2025.

~~~

Milton is cruising on Purina Outlast. It seems to be helping. It’s not ulcers, we’ve been down that road. We’ve been down many roads with him. Supplements, new feeds, husbandry changes. They help for a while and then don’t. Outlast seems to have staying power. So far.

Now we are wondering if Milton was truly fat in the past. Or was he bloated and puffy from whatever weirdness is going on within his digestive system? That would explain the pot belly. Current project is trying to get the right kind of weight on him.

OTOH, Rodney remains skinny, despite free choice timothy. He can’t get unlimited alfalfa nor piles of grain. Too many fancy calories and they start leaking out his ears, making him whack-a-doodle.

Thoroughbreds. Not know for being easy keepers.

Onwards!
Katherine

The City Vertical, Graphic Art

Buildings of the outside world. The Skyscraper Museum: Supertall! Photo slideshows on subpage, TSM: Supertall! Cities.

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Previous Posts

computer drawing with a two-tone blue letter C and the letters I, T, & Y in grey and yellow.

[City Lettering] 2025

[City Letters] 2020

Inspiration

Current online class, UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East. On hiatus for the moment, hence generalized city instead of Cairo & Istanbul.

Onwards!
Katherine

Knowing the Rules, Growing Up City, Non-Fiction Short

Awareness of the outside world. Mend In Public Day.

🏙️🏙️🏙️

Years ago, I was chatting with a friend. He was waxing nostalgic about childhood. You know, he said, when you had rules, but they didn’t really count. Like clean your room or take out the trash.

No, I thought, I grew up in a city. The rules mattered. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t cross on a red light. Don’t go into the park at night.

This wasn’t parental paranoia. This was New York City in the ’70s, when Times Square was still a hive of scum and villainy, minus the spaceport.

🏙️🏙️🏙️

Current online class, UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East. On hiatus for the moment, hence generalized city instead of Cairo or Istanbul.

Onwards!
Katherine