Happy Health News

I need glasses.

That’s not the good bit. Since I have maxed out the number on my OTC readers, I was not surprised to hear that I need a prescription.

I sadly say goodbye to cheap glasses.
I sadly say goodbye to cheap glasses.

The welcome news is that the doctor predicts new glasses will make me feel better. Apparently compensating for imperfect vision leaves one with feelings of tiredness and general malaise.

Exactly!

This would explain why I have been drinking my bodyweight in soda, but still slugging around the house. Why I have had to dig deep to achieve the slightest amount of exercise. And why I have felt compelled to hit myself over the head with the biggest hammer available [Inside My Head]. WHAM!

I have been blaming my tooth. That has been the answer often enough in the past [Today, 2nd paragraph]. My medical advisor said no. We hit it hard enough last fall that it should not be giving me problems. Since then, I have been blaming my tooth and my medical advisor. Mea culpa.

I did not mention any of this to the doctor. Why would I? She’s an eye doctor. To a GP, maybe, but why would you talk moods to your eye doc? So, the advice was unprompted. Unless my crows feet were wearing galoshes.

I feel better already. I feel better knowing there is a reason. I feel better knowing there is a reason that makes theoretical sense and fits the data. I feel better knowing that I am not – completely – a useless puddle of sloth (the deadly sin, not the cuddly critter [The Bloggess: The man deserves a damn medal]).

How does this affect you, Gentle Reader? By and large, y’all stop by for amusing horse shenanigans, not for my latest medical report. In my life, everything eventually ends up at the barn. Hope requires energy. I have not had a surplus of either lately. As my zest for life increases, my enthusiasm to work with Rodney & Milton will increase. If I am at least attempting progress at home, I predict more faith in myself with the Saddlebreds [Nerves Update]. Result, more adventures, less whinging, more entertaining posts. Win, win, win.

Finally, this fuels to my long-held belief that the mind-body duality is a myth.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Remnant of Rodney’s Past

Rodney sideview May 2016

I’ve talked a lot about Rodney’s back injury [Daddy Dearest, Piling on the Therapy]. I haven’t mentioned the scar on his other side, pictured here. It is from, we were told, an altercation with a doorlatch. The entire scar is 10″ long. The section with underlying muscle damage is 5″ long. The deep divot that reaches down to his ribs is about 1 1/2″ long. I’ve worked on it over the years: massaging it, applying whatever unguents we are putting on his back [Australian Dream Cream, Zheng Gu Shui]. No change. Although it lies under the saddle flap, it doesn’t seem to bother him. Not that I’ve had much chance to test that premise.

When Rodney goes into panic mode, he completely loses his proprioception [Reference Photos].

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Postcrossing

San Juan Mountains Colorado USA
San Juan Mountains
Colorado USA

Inspired by She Moved to Texas: A Postcard a Day, I resurrected my Postcrossing account.

Postcrossing logo-470x62

The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world … if you send a postcard, you will receive one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world … turn your mailbox into a box of surprises.

The profile allows one to add requests. I said that I would appreciate whatever they chose to send. However, if it where to be horse-related, the postcard could double as a blog post.

Et voila!

Mooi Friesland, Friese Klederdracht met sjees Netherlands
Mooi Friesland, Friese Klederdracht met sjees
Netherlands
Netherlands stamp
Netherlands stamp

Google says: Beautiful Friesland, Friese Klederdracht with gig
Postcard by Leers Fotodrukindustrie

Secretariat New York, USA
Secretariat
New York, USA
NYS Stamp
NYS Stamp

Postcard by Barbara D. Livingston, horse racing photographer.

The Colorado card came with a folded Budweiser Clydesdale card. The idea was for the user to detach the cards, send one, and keep the other side with Clydesdales factoids on the back. The sender was kind enough to send everything in an envelope to keep the two-part card in one piece.

Front
Front
Back
Back
Colorado stamp
Colorado stamp

Clydesdale postcard by Anheuser-Busch.
Colorado postcard by Impact Photographics.

Previous RS Postcards

zebra postcard

Burchell’s Zebra

Pretty Postcard

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Foto Friday: Lesson 1, Depth of Field

Book List

photo books

Photography (11th Edition) by Barbara London, John Upton, Jim Stone [Pearson 2013]. Textbook, art school slant.

The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally [New Riders 2008]. The stories and gear behind the photos.

David Busch’s Compact Field Guide for the Nikon D7100 by David Busch [Cengage 2013]. The manual writ large.

Alternates
Perfect Digital Photography by James B. Dickman and Jay Kinghorn [McGraw-Hill 2005/2009]. Textbook with journalism school slant.

Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David duChemin [Nrew Riders 2009] Taking travel photos without being a jerk. Within the Frame Photographic Adventures

First task for any project, buy books!

Homework: Depth of Field Exercise
Watch the changing focus on the front and back horses.

A: 1/4000 F4.5
A: 1/4000 F4.5

A: Only the middle horse is in focus.

B: 1/1600 F8
B: 1/1600 F8

B: The area in focus expands front and back.

C: 1/ 400 F16
C: 1/ 400 F16

C: All in focus.

Behind The Scenes

The Set-Up
The Set-Up
The Supervisors
The Supervisors
Playing Through
Playing Through

Photo Class Posts
Syllabus
Meet Meg
Camera

Meg head

Website
Facebook
Instagram

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott