Foto Theory

At the first Oak Mountain State Park photo class [Spotted], one of the other attendees asked me about my photo experience. I managed to garble a few words and blink. Really, I’m getting terrible at any interaction not mediated by a keyboard. So, I came home and thought about why I photograph.

Self-Improvement
It’s good to learn new things, right?

Self-Expression
Making the blog more visual.

Self-Employment
I used to be paid to take photos. Someday someone might do so again. Would be good if I remembered how.

All of these are worthy goals. What they are not is immediate goals. Any of them would be just as valid if I put them off for a day. So I do. Plus, as far as the blog is concerned, I often default to the phone as my best camera, i.e. the one I have with me.

I want to. I intend to. Suddenly it’s Friday and I got nothing.

How do you motivate for valued but nebulous goals?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Franklin Fairwell

Driving Thursday

Last weekend was our last scheduled lesson at Whip Hand Farm for the season. Canceled on account of Nate. We will be back, hopefully with Milton in tow.

Not farewell, but au revoir.

Easing on down the road.

Whip Hand Farm 2017

[Exciting Announcement]
[Driving Lesson Video Clip]
[New Equipment: Navigator Gloves]
[The Downside of Driving]
[Lots of Lessons]
[Kate’s Carriage]
[Foto Friday: Distance Problems]
[Greg and the Ladies]
[Navigator Training]
[Which Way Did He Go]
[NoPro]
[Surviving the Drive]
[Tennessee Travels]
[Show Report: MTCC Driving Derby 2017]
[Show Tweets: MTCC Driving Derby 2017]
[Foto Friday: MTCC Driving Derby 2017]
[Show Tweets: Indiana CDE 2017]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Things That Make You Question Your Life Choices

Having to take a shower BEFORE you exercise.

Seriously. First thing I do in the morning is feed. It’s possible that manure is involved. I don’t notice anymore. Therefore, I try to tone down the barn odor as much as possible before spending an hour in a closed room with muggles.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Milton’s Autumn Plans

Now that we are up and about for Rodney [Plans], Greg has taken to working Milton in the mornings before work. However, he won’t have time on all days, and we will eventually run out of light.

Someone is gonna have to get his horse fit. That would be me. It doesn’t matter how dedicated one is on the weekend. Two days ain’t enough.

So, I have started. One day, we did our regular field walk in harness and long lines. The next day, we went into the ring to practice stopping and starting and steering. Well, for me to practice. Milton already knows how to do this in harness. I plan to alternate ring work with conditioning.

Yes, yes, riding would get him fit for driving. That was and is the plan. However, Milton is doing so well lately (Yay!) and he keeps having upcoming events that I don’t want to mess up.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Rodney’s Autumn Plans

Greg has good ideas. Make a ring out of candy floss [We Spooked], put a saddle on Rodney [Looking Forward], drive Milton [What Are You Driving At?].

Greg has bad ideas. Jump your horse [Recap].

Greg has ? ideas. After Indiana [Show Report], Rodney was finally, finally over everything [One Year]. However, we kept running out of light in the evening. One morning, Greg said, “Get up. We’re going to go ride Rodney.” Yes, we. It is a joint effort.

The three of us took a short stroll from the barn to one corner of the field, surveyed our domain, and returned. I thought it was a fantastic exercise: just enough to challenge Rodney; simple enough that he could have success. I decided we would do this until one or both of us got bored – Greg doesn’t get a vote – whether it takes 6 days or 6 months.

Therefore, we are now up and at the barn by 6:30 for our team walk. I think it was a great idea. Greg may not.

Superstitious? Moi?
I couldn’t bring myself to use the word F*ll in the title. Autumn it is.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Letter Art, AlphaBooks: U is for USDA

Special Report on Diseases of the Horse
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Government Printing Office 1903

When this book came out, few cars, no antibiotics. Cars existed, Early American Automobiles: 1903 Models, but horses were still the way most of us got ourselves and our goods from point A to point B. Antibiotics would not be discovered for another 25 years, Nobelprize.org: Sir Alexander Fleming. Think about that the next time someone talks about how fast the world is changing today.

Bought from Crabtree’s Collection Old Books via abebooks.com, recommended by Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller.
~~~
This Year

[T is for Tewson]
[S is for Severin]
[R is for Rubin]
[Q is for Queen]
[P is for Pace]
[O is for O’Connor]
[N is for Newsum]
[M is for McKinley]
[L is for Lewis]
[K is for Krementz]
[J is for Journal]
[I is for Ipcar]
[H is for Hatch]
[G is for Gray]
[F is for Francis]
[E is for Endicott]
[D is for Doty]
[C is for Cooper]
[B is for Brown]
[A is for Anderson]

Past Years
[2016 Alphabet] [2015 Alphabet]

Project explanation [AlphaBooks 2017]. Open to recommendations for the remaining letters. Which books would you choose?

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

The Other Parts of My Life

A reader who has know me IRL for a long time pointed out that I have been letting my life get consumed by horses lately.

Practically, I can’t stop horsing. They live here. We have plans. In the next five weekends, one or both of us has a lesson or show (Awesome!). That doesn’t take into account Winter Tournament starting on weekend #6. Plus, I’m not gonna stop blogging (see Sane, Keeping me) and horses are what I have to talk about.

OTOH.

Maybe it’s time to stop pondering my problems, at least for a while. If wrestling with my issues was going to be successful, I would have pinned them to the mat by now. I could take a mental break. Look around. See what else is out in the wide world. Maybe find out what has been happening with the local LEGO folks. That’s as opposite to horses as I get (Of course I have a blog post on the subject, LEGO v. Horses). While I will always want to know why, leaving everything to simmer on the back burner may bring clarity. Stranger things have happened.

This is the reason one has friends. To point out when one has wandered into the weeds.

Confession Time
Her actual quote concerns driving in specific not horses in general.

I’ve seen you ride. Lots of times. I’ve never seen you look weak. You’ve been concentrating on the driving so much lately, you’ve simply forgotten what a good rider you really are. debandtoby [And We’re Back]

When I saw the comment the first time, I read it as “concentrating on RIDING.” I was struck coup de foudre. I really have been obsessing to an unhealthy, certainly unsuccessful, degree on horses and my riding lately. Hence the new mental direction and a post that wrote itself by that evening.

I didn’t see the correct version until I copied the quote here. Equally valid. Perhaps I saw what I needed to see. I don’t usually get words that wrong.

The statement on friendship is still true.

Update: What she said.
The Chronicle of the Horse: Getting A Life
by Lauren Sprieser
Nov 7, 2017

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott