Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. Pick two. High services. Low density. Low taxes. Seen on the Internet as a Venn diagram wherein the center does not exist. Apologies for not noting the source.

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Photo by True Speed Photo, repost. [Feet On The Street]

As of 08 December 2024, I have been including alt text for my blog images. For example, the alt text for yesterday’s image, above, is Photo of person walking. Alt text is used by screen readers, as a text display if the image does not load, or if the reader has blocked images.

This is the best definition I found, “Alternative text is a textual substitute for non-text content in web pages.” WebAIM: Alternative Text. Page also has advice on choosing alt text.

BTW, I tried to run their accessibility evaluation on the blog, but it turned up an error message. Since my posts are mainly lumps of text, I figure it can’t be too impenetrable.

Do you add alt text? Do you use alt text?

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Speaking of outdoor activities, more on golf courses. Golfweek: 10 questions with NGF CEO Greg Nathan on the state of the golf business in 2025, Schupak, Jan 21, 2025. Hat tip to M. [Last Walk of 2024]

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Pro photo from Drum Run 5K earlier in the month. [Sauntering on the Streets, Walk Report, MLK Day 5K Drum Run 2024, Weekend Warrior Part 1]

Photo by True Speed Photo, courtesy of race organizers. Photo resized for posting. Photo was free (thank you!). Bought a coffee for the photographer, who I believe is Tim Nettleton.

Race website, MLK Day 5K Drum Run Birmingham AL

Race photos, above is the only one of moi, TrueSpeedPhotos: MLK Day 5k-10k Birmingham 2025

Previous Pro Photo Gallery

[Strolling To A Soundtrack, Walk Report, MLK Day Drum Run 2020] orange rain jacket
[Once More Around The Block, Walk Report, Magic City 5K 2022] brown jacket & tan hat
[In Which I Set A PR, Walk Report, Magic City 5K 2021] plaid sleeves
[Proof of Concept, Race, er, Walk Report, Magic City Run 2019] jacket, no hat, dog in background

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Smithsonian, National Museum of American History: Pegasus Stable horse show ribbon.

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I are the red queen!

ASHAA 2024 year-end awards
Academy Driving – 2nd of 2
Academy Showmanship Adult WTC – 2nd of 2
Academy Equitation Adult WTC – 2nd of 2

Photo Courtney Huguley

[Hey Kids, Let’s Put On A Show, ASHAA Fun Show] Optimus, ride & drive

[A & B & Me, Show Report, Alabama State Games] Andre, drive & Bubba, ride

[Summer Showing, Show Report] Andre, drive

[Soloing In A Crowd, Show Report, ASHAA Summer Fun Show #4] Optimus, ride

Next season? I’d like to say that I will move on to more challenging adventures (of the happy variety she adds superstitiously). But I’ve said no mas before & look how far that got me. [Achievement Unlocked, scroll down]

OTOH, getting on the leaderboard is two shows for riding and three for driving. Did I mention that the barn is going to WEC – Ocala this year? I’ve heard amazing things about the showgrounds. Not that I’m going. It would be an expensive and utterly ridiculous boondoggle.

Onwards!
Katherine

Once again, spreading the content jam over multiple slices of post toast. [Getting Ready]

For what we spent on the vet stay, I can at least get a few blog posts out of it. Happy to pay. Glad we could afford it. But it was certainly a number.

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Did Rodney miss Milton while Milton was at the vet clinic? [Milton Arranges A Spa Stay]

Initially we thought yes. Shortly after Milton refused his cookie, we loaded up and took off, which included feeding Rodney, getting the dogs and cats settled, hitching up the trailer that hadn’t moved since October, and so on, and so on, It was a minor whirlwind. When we got back, Rodney was looking a little frazzled. We thought he was wondering where Milton was.

In retrospect, he might have been ill. Rodney’s go-to move for pain is to get spooky. He might have had a mild bout of whatever Milton had. Would be logical. Rodney never stopped eating, nor acted ill. If anything, he had extra energy. After a few days, he settled. Or got better. Or both.

Did Milton miss Rodney? Not really.

Felt punk. Had company the first and third nights. Not thrilled to be left alone the middle night. Mostly looking for food. Unfortunately for Milton, he chose a health spa, one that monitored his diet, rather than a luxury spa that fed him bon-bons.

Were they happy to see each other when Milton came home? Kinda, sorta.

Initially, Rodney came up to the fence line to greet Milton while we took Milton’s shipping boots off. Much neck arching and nosing and snorting and squealing over the fence. It was adorable. Then we let Milton into the field. Rodney was happy to see his buddy. Milton was happy to see the hay Rodney had left on the floor of the run-in. Rodney stood around for a while, then went back out to the field.

It’s tempting to see this as Rodney being forlorn and wanting to be friends while Milton ignored him in favor of hay shreds. But that could be a human interpretation.

Equally likely. Happy that the herd had been reestablished, Rodney wandered back out into the field.

Either way, Milton continued to pick at the leftovers.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. “International LEGO day is celebrated annually on 28th January, which marks the day the first patent for the Lego brick was submitted in Denmark.” STEM Learning: International Lego Day – 28th January. A teacher’s website with educational resources for LEGO builds.

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Last week was extremely cold for us, complete with loud, red boxes on our weather apps and the weather folks tells us to bring pets in and check on friends and family. We did what we could. Dogs and cats came in. Milton found a warm place to stay. Checked with neighbor. Family lives north of us. [Milton Arranges A Spa Stay]

That left Rodney out in the cold. So, we double blanketed him. His heavy turnout over Milton’s old medium weight. The new medium weight stayed with Milton.

Two blankets at a time is not the new minion behavior. Mathilda wore double blankets in her golden years.

In the morning, I removed the lighter blanket that was underneath, leaving the heavy blanket in place for the day. It occurred to me that the removed blanket would be quite cold come evening. It would be rude to have your warm toasty blanket lifted up so that a cold slice of nylon could be inserted.

I brought the underblanket into the house for the day so that it would be warm when we put it back on in the evening.

🔓 🔓 🔓

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Imagine living where this is a statement. “Sometimes the wind prevents walking.” My Shetland: Inside Now!

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First off. Milton is home & feeling better.

Last Monday

6:15 am. Normal. Passed cookie test.

8:15 am. Refused cookie. Punk. Hanging head. Fever of 102.5. Shivering. !!! Walking. Covered with second blanket. Despite vigorous pooping, earned himself a ride to the vet clinic.

10:30 am. Vet clinic. Fever. Stomping feet. Colic workup for you, my lad. Rectal & ultrasounds. Impaction in large intestine. Doughy but not hard. So, our horse is full of sh*t. Banamine etc administered.

Back to stall. Started picking shavings for leftover hay molecules, above. Wet spot on flank is from ultrasound goop. In retrospect, he was better as soon as he had drugs on board.

Kept overnight on poop watch.

Tuesday

Passed the poop. Vet was pleasantly surprised that he passed it all so quickly. Yay. Go Milton. Stay until back to regular eating.

That night was due to be extreme cold for us. Not unhappy to leave him in a heated barn. His colic surgery was after a cold snap, so we are a bit jumpy about Milton and cold.

Wednesday

Better. Eating. Cleared to leave. We thought he was still a bit low plus another night of moderately cold temps inclined us to leave him where he was.

Thursday

As soon as we showed up we could see Milton was over his hotel stay and ready to go home. Still some below freezing nights to come but not as cold.

Friday, Saturday, and so on

Home. Eating. However, a little slow, a mite crankier. Clearly – to us – he was recovering from having been sick. He had that air of ‘Did anyone get the number of the bus?’

Once it was clear that Milton was on the upswing, vet mentioned the size of mass a few times. Apparently, our horse was full of a lot of sh*t.

Colic doesn’t usually present with fever. Did pain from his intestines cause the fever? Did the fever spike the impaction? The world may never know.

Given his recovery response, he definitely had something.

Onwards!
Katherine

Paper of the outside world. Georgia Tech: Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking.

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At the end of year, I get stir crazy and start signing up for stuff. This year’s crop is the Alaska class that I already mentioned, a crochet project that you may hear about if I ever get started, and The Paper Year from Helen Hiebert Studios. The subscription includes monthly instructions for a paper project, zoom meetings, guest speakers, discussions and so on.

In honor of my new interest in all things paper, I decided to do a papercraft c.v., similar to the one I did for weaving. By this I mean paper manipulation, not paper used as a substrate for writing or drawing. [Weaving In and Out of My Life]

A while back, I went on an origami binge, bought paper, folded things, virtually attended an online conference, and then wandered away.

[Gary’s Star, Origami] 2022
[Origami Dragon, Paper Art] 2024

Plus many origami links in the outside world section.

Book making has been a thing for a while, including a marvelous workshop in Tuscaloosa through the UA Book Arts Program. I briefly entertained the thought of enrolling in their university classes, but it didn’t pan out.

Bookmaking at Makebhm last year.

[Quick Books, Book Making Class #1]
[Preparing The Parts, Book Making Class #2]
[Two Covers, Bookmaking Class #3]
[Finished Books, Bookmaking Class #4]

I took a class for making an art journal, which I misconstrued as constructing the journal rather than filling a blank book, thereby making it into an art journal. Still, was a fun class. [Journal Workshop] 2024

A paper class in the style of Matisse, [In Which I Try Painting With Scissors] 2020

A letter cutout. Most of the rest of the various alphabet letters were photographs or computer designs. [Text Art: Z is for Zebra] 2015

In the past, there were paper activities that did not make the blog. Back then, I was trying to stay on topic. Trying to keep posts at least vaguely horse related. Unlike now, where I simply fling whatever I want into a post, as today. [Countdown] 2012

The photo at the top is the from a pre-blog era papermaking class at the local art museum. I saved the first piece of paper I made as a memento, thinking it would be the beginning of a long line of handmade paper. It wasn’t, or I should say, hasn’t been yet.

The rest has been fiddling with paper. Making and decorating trip journals. Cutting up a stack of postcards in an attempt to make a 3-D version of the image. And so on. As far as paper crafts go, I am definitely an amateur, even a dilettante, which I don’t mean in a bad way.

Merriam-Webster defines dilettante as “a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge” MW: dilettante. Sure, I’ll accept that. I have a little bit of interest in a lot of things, vide origami above. Call me a dabbler if that is a less judgemental term.

At least I got a blog post out of it.

Onwards!
Katherine