Virtual Brush Box

What I Learned From Class

Ettended UChicago Graham School, Alaska: Indigenous, Russian, American.

One. Russian influence in AK. Yes, I knew about the sale. No, I did not know about the remnants of Russian in the state. BTW, Russia and the US had different calendars. On the day of the sale Alaska went from the 6th to the 18th.

Two. Are there any first contact/colonization stories that aren’t depressing?

Three. Politics has always been global. Russian became interested in getting out of Alaska after a loss in the Crimean War.

Four. I am now more likely to stop at a TV show, or pick up a book about AK, at least to check it out.

What I Found While Reading & Surfing

Odds are good, but the goods are odd. Expression. Also said about tech schools.

“The great alone” Murder on the Iditarod Trail by Sue Henry.

“Alaskans, according to a familiar saying, don’t tan—they thaw.” Death Trap by Sue Henry – among other places including on a t-shirt for sale.

“The mules became accustomed to shipboard life, placidly converting oats into a hygiene problem.” Guardian by Joe Haldeman. Parts of the book are set in Alaskan towns during the gold rush. No idea of historical accuracy but the details scan well enough. Turned up in a search for Alaskan science fiction. It is … kinda sorta. Weird book, but a good writer can get away with writing decisions that would doom a lesser writer. I both finished this & recommended it. Used as intro link. [New Year, New Energy, New Horse] Thu 16 Jan.

The Iditarod & the amount of coverage available for couch mushers.

What I Learned From Posting About Alaska

Fiction
[North To Alaska part 1] Saturday 23 November 2024
[Taking The Long Way Home part 2] Saturday 11 January
[I’m Not Going] Saturday 25 January
[You’ve Got To Go] Saturday 8 February
[When You Can’t Go, Muse and the Alaska Made For TV Movie] Saturday 22 February
[Going Virtually, Fiction] Saturday 8 March, included links & Internet finds that otherwise would be listed here.

“How do I write a story set in a place I’ve never been?” I worked that premise into the ground. I will admit, after awhile, I wanted to see if I could keep it going. [I’m Not Going]

Non-Fiction
[Wild Nature] Alternate title, In Praise of Civilization, Saturday 18 Jan
[Searching For Alaska, A Linkfest] Saturday 15 Feb

Art & Photography
[Lettering Over Alaska, Art] Sunday 2 Feb
[Alaska on The Street, Photography] Friday 21 Feb
[Step Zero, Photo Editing] Friday 28
[Totem Pets, Art] Sunday 9 March

The area for the stop sign photo turned out to be sketchier than my initial evaluation. I was fine. I was able to step into the truck and drive off. Makes me a bit more paranoid/prudent about the next time I go somewhere, which – unfortunately – is probably a good thing.

Intro Links

Alaska.org: Alaska Photography: What’s Different. (a travel sales site) [Footprints in the Snow] Friday 17 January

World Ice Art Championships. Ice Alaska Photo Gallery. [Lettering Over Alaska] Sunday 2 February

Anchorage Daily News: Murkowski introduces bill to keep Denali as the name of North America’s tallest peak [Searching For Alaska] Saturday 15 February

Alaska Magazine: 2024 Photo Contest Sponsored by Alaska Airlines [Alaska on The Street] Friday 21 February

Anchorage Daily News: Think sled-dog racing is fading? In Alaska’s mushing-crazy Kuskokwim Delta, it’s booming, [Minion, My Water Is Icky, Life With Dog] Thursday 27 February

Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers: alaskaWILD. [Step Zero, Photo Editing] Friday 28 February

[Alaska.org: Totem Heritage Center. Also mentioned, Alaska DNR: Totem Bight State Historical Park and Alaska.org: Saxman Village Totem Park.] Sunday 9 March

Previous AK on the Blog

Imagine the effect on geopolitics if Russia still owned Alaska. Idea courtesy of listening to the audio edition of Full Circle by Michael Palin (St. Martins 1997, Audible 2012), which begins with the author looking out across the Bering Straits. Palin Travels: Full Circle [Summer Shoes] 24 June 2024

“15 states have more than one time zone: Florida, Oregon, Kentucky, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, North Dakota, Michigan, Alaska … “[Yet More Walking, State of the Now] 1 June 2023

APM: Mary Peltola becomes first Alaska Native elected to Congress, Ruskin & George, August 31, 2022.” [State of the Fitness, Ambling About] 2 Sept 2022

Alaska Airlines Safety Dance. [The Boot Barrage Begins, Rodney] 28 April 2021

Virtual 5Ks, Don’t believe I did any of them. [Will Walk For Bling] 14 May 2020

“Tim Cahill reports on the road trip to end all road trips: a journey that took him from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.” [Have You Read This? Travel] 9 November 2019

+ Attend a USEA event in Hawaii and in Alaska, Areas VI and VII respectively. [My Go Mighty 10] 20 November 2013

Next Up

Cities, both general and specific. UC Graham: From Istanbul to Cairo: The City in the Historical Novels of the Middle East

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “Happy Pi Day” : 03.14.2024. Vizualization of Pi being Irrational by Chirag Dudhat on YouTube.

~~~

Technical Details

Tree flower, f/8.0, 1/125 sec., 140.0 mm, ISO 100.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Turns in circles. Overwhelming desire to shout in multiple directions at once.

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Question asked by horse rescue: Has a veterinarian visited your intended facility or property within the last year?

No.

That’s the honest answer to the question as asked. It’s been years since the vet has come to the house.

Because.

We take the horses to the vet clinic. Once a year for routine work & as needed. Not just for emergencies, see below.

Clinic visits are easier to schedule, are quicker because all of the resources are to hand, and we find the vets more willing to stand around giving extensive answers to our questions. I guess because they aren’t in a hurry to get on down the road. So, we do the hauling.

Allow me answer the question the rescue intended to ask. Do your horses receive regular veterinary care?

Yes.

Previous Posts

[Taking a Splinter to the ER, Rodney Visits the Vet] 2022

[Getting Their Annual Check-Ups] 2024, with list of annual check-ups, starting in 2021

[Milton Arranges A Spa Stay] 2025, most recent visit

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. As below, with added angst & existential screaming.

~~~

Everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here now, thank you. How are you?

Ahem.

Questionable Star Wars quotes aside, Wookiepedia, we’re all doing fine here. Not much to add.

Horses living their best lives.

Humans doing what they do.

Pets being perky.

Low drama.

Good for life. Bad for storytelling.

You good?

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Ballotopedia: Special elections to the 119th United States Congress (2025-2026) Two scheduled for Florida on 1 April 2025. One unscheduled in Texas. House Press Gallery: Party Breakdown. Republicans: 218. Democrats 214. Vacancies 3.

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During morning walks, there is often a nature break. Followed immediately by mugging me for cookies. I believe in treats as a reward for making good decisions, such as opening one’s mouth for the bit. (This was the *only* thing Previous Horse ever got treats for. He was too much of a bad combination of food motivated and grouchy. But I digress.)

The current barn residents disagree with my treat philosophy. Their argument goes along these lines:

We get cookies for doing good things.

Pooping is a good thing.

Ergo, cookies for pooping.

I don’t cave. I hold a hard line on treats. But I can see their point.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Saugeen Times: We Will Survive – a Tariff Song for Canada.

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Predicted high and low from earlier this month.

Spring is coming, but only during the day. It will be nice one night and then near freezing the next. Much dressing and undressing of horses. Many decisions. Which blanket? How heavy? Is it cool enough yet? Usually, it will cool off just enough by dinner to put blankets on.

Rodney is easy. As long as it is under 70o or dark, he’s good. There might be a few nights in high summer when he couldn’t wear a blanket, but that’s due to humidity more than heat.

Milton has gotten easier. He is a much bigger fan of warmth than he used to be. These days, if Rodney has a blanket on, so does Milton.

I have mentioned all of this before. I keep being amazed at how much Milton has bought into the blanket paradigm. He has even suggested that he might want his own old-man cardigan.

[Changing the Blanketing Protocol, In Which Rodney Plays The Old Man Card]
[New Equipment, Horse Sweatshirt]
[What’s Been Happening With The Home Team, Bring The Blankets]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Ketchikan Museums: Totem Heritage Center Exhibits. Description, Alaska.org: Totem Heritage Center. Also mentioned, Alaska DNR: Totem Bight State Historical Park and Alaska.org: Saxman Village Totem Park.

~~~

When I was kid,
We had apartment cats.
Orange, tuxedo, tabby, purry, furry.
The beginning of a soft parade.
Of the rest of my life.

When I was a teen
I was a barn rat.
Riding, brushing, watching, feeding, hanging out.
She’ll grown out of it.
Or not.

With the husband,
came the dogs.
Low Bassets and tall Shepherds
I became a dog person.
Expanding the furry parade.

Process Notes

Just finished ettending UChicago Graham School, Alaska: Indigenous, Russian, American.

We had an assignment to draw a totem pole. Since I can’t draw in the slightest, I went with lettering instead. I call this Totem Pets. Cats on the bottom because they came first. Then horses. Then dogs.

When I sent it in, the professor asked if I wanted to tell a story to go with it. Eeep? I wrote it out b/c no way was I saying it for the first time aloud during class.

Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation

What is cultural appropriation? What is cultural appreciation?

Con. “Borrowing the aethetics” ie drawing pretty pictures. Certainly. Emerging Voices: Cultural appropriation: Crossing the line, Cruickshank.

Listening to a handful of lectures while living almost 3,000 miles away does not grant me deep insight into Alaska or the people who live there. “Distance from Birmingham to Juneau is 4,464 kilometers. This air travel distance is equal to 2,774 miles.” DistanceFromTo: Distance from Birmingham to Juneau.

Pro. Honoring the culture. Totem poles record notable events. What could I record? Animals certainly qualify as notable in my life. I modeled the style on what little I have read of Northern tales.

In other news, the expression ‘Low man on the totem pole’ is inaccurate. “The figures at the base are, contrary to the colloquialism, the most significant.” ICTInc: Debunking Misconceptions About First Nation Totem Poles, 2018. From a Canadian training company.

Onwards!
Katherine