Rubber Duckie, You’re The One

Random Images

 

 

Ducks of Yore

2018 [The Cat’s Out of the Bag, It’s Rubber Ducky Day]

2016 [Happy Rubber Ducky Day 2016]

2013 [Happy Rubber Ducky Day!]

What on earth? 2014 [Happy Rubber Ducky Day]

“The first rubber ducks didn’t even float: they were cast solid and intended as chew toys.” National Toy Hall of Fame: Rubber Duck

” ‘Rubber Duckie’ is Ernie’s signature song … reaching number 16 on Billboard’s “Hot 100 Singles” chart in 1970.” Muppet Wiki: Rubber Duckie (song)

Life is choices. “You’ve got to put down the ducky if you want to play the saxophone.” Muppet Wiki: Put Down the Duckie (song)

This one flew in from Ducks in the Window, #ducksinthewindow.

Happy Rubber Ducky Day!

Thank you for Reading,
Katherine Walcott

Listening To The Call Of Nature

Horsekeeping

 

I had intended to do a serious SitRep on Milton. I’d rather talk about poop.

Both of our horses have acquired the habit of stopping in the middle of work if they need to relieve themselves. They did not learn this execrable behavior from my training, I might add.

In a comment [Why!], rontuaru says that their horse, “Holds off until he absolutely must.” Milton is the opposite. He will stop at the mere possibility of defecation.

‘I think I have to poop … nope … maybe now … nope … let me try again … nope … I know there’s poop in there somewhere … ah, here it is.’

And then the noise. Both horses produce nearly indecent groans of effort.

In other news, Milton has been chugging away. I seem to focus on one thing at a time. This spring & summer Milton carried the blog while Rodney puttered unheralded in the background. Now the roles are reversed. Rodney posts while Milton putters.
~~~
Oh, the poop. So much poop. And piddle.
[That Fresh Stall Smell]
[Synchro Peeing]
[The Poop-O-Meter]
[Playing with Poop]
[Poop Happens]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Inktober, End of the Road

Discovering Art

 

 
Sunset at the end of the road or sunrise and a new beginning?

With this drawing, the Inktober challenge is over for me. The hardcore folks have five more daily drawings to go. More power to them. Almost there!

How did I fare in Inktober?

Analytically, given my exceedingly low goal, I succeeded. 4 weeks, 4 ink sketches.

Creatively, the project was even more successful. I produced more art than I would have otherwise. I explored drawing with ink, which I would not have done otherwise. I’m excited about drawing more in the future. I have it on my calendar to participate in Inktober 2020. I didn’t make great art. I didn’t even make good art. However, there is more art in my life. That is the ultimate purpose of such challenges.


Week 3 [Inktober Word]


Week 2 [Inktober Cat]


Week 1 [Inktober Horse]

Inktober
#inktober
#inktober2019
“Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week.” Rules

Materials
Pen: Zebra fountain pen
Paper: Canson Mix Media, spiral bound, 98 lb
Digitization: cell phone camera
Post-production: resized, border, & watermark in GIMP
Retouching: none

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Analyzing The Alternatives

Writing About Writing

 
Variations from yesterday [Alternate Author Photos], with discussion and a few more options. Photos by Meg McKinney [Blog Archive]. Kudos once again to the photographer.
[My New Author Photo]
[Behind the Photo]

Hay Bale Alternate. I like the action feel to this. I look as if I am about to leap up and finish tracking down people to interview. However, Rontaru pointed out the green bucket in the background & now I can’t unsee it.

Truck. I like this one b/c I like my truck. Particularly since I recently had to go a spell without any transportation at all [We Got Wheels]. So I might be emotionally invested. Seen as either hopeful, which is a good thing, or artsy, but not in a good way. Will come in handy if I ever write for the automotive industry. Stranger things have happened.

Post. Several people liked this one. Nice photo. I look good. However, to me it screams senior portrait. Back in the day, a senior portrait was the same cheesy headshot that we got every year. These days, graduating seniors hire photographers to take a full suite of photos, much as I did here. Leaning up against something is a standard pose in these photos. My mind catches on that and stops. Didn’t even notice the truck in the background.

In The Ring. Mainly included yesterday so I could talk about the variation below today.

In The Ring II. If I were to call up a mental picture of myself, this is closest to what it would look like. I don’t know about you, I don’t usually grin when I look in the mirror.

The one I submitted. Compared to the one above with my feet on the ground, this one looks as if I have settled in to write. As for my knee leaping out to greet the viewer – which I also can’t unsee – yeah, it would help if I were more flexible and could drop down into the sit.

Black & White I. Some folks prefer black and white a priori. I like it if the change adds to the conversation. Here it doesn’t.

Black & White II. This one works in black and white because of the texture in the background, even if it does make me look like someone just goosed me.

Colorized. It’s not just for old movies.

Post-processed. The photo shoot included professional retouching of several images. I’ve always been a warts-and-all type of person, particularly when it comes to age. This is what 56 looks like. Deal with it.

The retouching was well done. The result is ghastly. There’s some sort of weird attenuation going on with my head and neck. They look like a balloon on a string. And then my chin looks all pointy and elvish. This version of fakery was easy to reject.

I’m not sure how well my principles would hold up if post-processing made me look better.
~~~
All of this got started because Bending Genres asked for an author photo. Panic. I had one suitable photo. It’s 20+ years old [My Short Happy Modeling Career]. Sent the old one in. Arranged for new ones. Sent the new one in. What did they use? A picture of a forest. Actually, it fits well with the bio I included, Blue Hair, scroll to end.

Now I have something to send in next time someone asks.

Meg’s Links
MM Website
MM Facebook
MM Instagram

Meg head

Update, crossposted [Will Write For Feed]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Alternate Author Photos

Writing About Writing

 

Variations from my author photo shoot. Photos by Meg McKinney [Blog Archive].
[My New Author Photo]
[Behind the Photo]

Hay Bale Alternate

Truck

Post

In The Ring

The one I submitted.

Which one do you like best?

Meg’s Links
MM Website
MM Facebook
MM Instagram

Meg head

Update, crossposted [Will Write For Feed]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Checking Out Arena Driven Dressage

View From The Back Seat

 

B.B. King and Megan Wallace Bridges perform ADT Training Level Test 1.

Driven dressage takes place in a 40×80 meter arena. Ridden dressage takes place in a 20×60 arena. Since there are many more ridden dressage shows than driven dressage opportunities, drivers have figured out a way to squish the former into the latter.

Adjustments include starting in the ring to – I assume – avoid a funky turn to enter and using the diagonals instead of the center line for distance and for avoiding the tight turns onto and off center line. In addition, most shows schedule driven dressage at the end to minimize the opportunities for the ridden horses to freak out.

Over the weekend, we went to show the flag for the driven dressage class at a local dressage show. The driving minis were adorable and obedient. At least two ridden horses took exception to the minis or the carts &/or both. It’s a common response. Even our driving horse thinks minis in carts bear close watching [Milton Does Demo Duty].

Arena driven dressage. It’s a thing.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Where Everybody Knows Our Name

Training Journal

 

 
When we take the horses out for schooling, we find ourselves going to Stepping Stone Farm more often than not. It isn’t the closest. Falcon Hill Farm is ten miles closer with superb all-weather footing and a full jump course. SSF doesn’t have the most facilities. Full Circle Horse Park has a dressage ring, a large covered ring, show jumps, a cross-country course, and the largest area in which to hack.

It’s the place we fit in the best.

We know the barn routine. If we want quiet, we know when to go; if we want busy, ditto. When we arrive, I don’t have to ask for the schedule. I can look at the board to see who is riding when. I know the pattern of the lessons. I can look at a group lesson in the big ring and say, ‘yeah, they’re almost done.’ I know the horses. I was reluctant to walk Rodney along the driveway and around the rings. I didn’t want to disturb the lessons in progress. Then I looked at the horses being ridden, Sam and two other old hands. Nope. Nothing is going to bother those guys. Off we went.

And so we end up schooling at a saddle seat barn, when a hunter/jumper barn or an event barn would be a more logical choice.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott