New Equipment, Purple Muck Bucket

Awareness of the outside world. History.com: Labor Day 2024. More below.

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To everyone else, a muck bucket. To Milton, eats!

Milton’s current food plan requires multiple muck buckets.

To keep Milton on his diet, his daily ration is weighed out in the morning and portioned into clean muck buckets, which he then eats out of. Having the hay doled out in advance keeps me from randomly tossing additional hay throughout the day. I’m used to hard keepers. I over feed. [Weighing Meals]

To keep him from rushing through the meal, we split his breakfast and dinner and serve them in a staggered fashion. Slow feeder hay nets just piss him off.

We had been using buckets and food pans. Even with the repurposed one from SSF, we still didn’t have enough. [Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, Repurposing a Muck Bucket]

It’s one of those minor life hacks. You can get by without, but it really is more helpful to have the right equipment.

It is a different brand than the other buckets, so stacking doesn’t quite flow as well. I thought having a fun color was worth a slight size discrepancy.

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Previous Labor Day links

Because I think we forget that it’s more than a three-day holiday.

US News: Have We Forgotten the True Meaning of Labor Day? The first Labor Day was hardly a national holiday. Workers had to strike to celebrate it. By The Conversation, Sept. 1, 2023. [Rodney’s Spot]

U.S. Department of Labor: History of Labor Day. [Distracted Day] 2021

Labor Day parades: When American horseshoers marched down city streets. [How Did He Do That, Shoeing Edition] 2020

“We must learn to honor excellence in every socially accepted human activity, however humble the activity, and to scorn shoddiness, however exalted the activity. An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher. The society that scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.” John Gardner, Excellence, PBS: John Gardner, Writings [Low Key Photo Challenge: Labor] 2018

Onwards!
Katherine

Genre Haiku, A Poem

The Reread

Touch the wardrobe door.
Pick up the ring. Don’t Panic.
Plunge into the page.

Afterword

Inspiration. To be clear, I not aiming this high. I thought it would make an interesting project. Seattlein2025: Announcing Special Hugo Award for Best Poem.

Process notes. I firmly believe that if you have to explain art, the work has failed. However, I did want to show that I was paying attention. A while back, a commenter (waves hi!) kindly added pointers on proper haiku form. I think I improved on the immediacy and sensory aspects. Still weak on descriptive imagery. Outdoor & seasonal didn’t really apply. [Horse Haiku]

Also, I acknowledge that I am relying on books by dead white men, and British DWM no less, There is more to the fantasy and science fiction genres than this.

Onwards!
Katherine

School Horse Support

Awareness of the outside world. Olympics.com: Para Equestrian.

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I will often pay for all or part of bodywork session for my lesson horse of the moment. While I am sometimes lukewarm on the modalities chosen, that is the program the horses are in, so I support it.

This makes me sound kind and charitable. I confess to an element of ‘What have you done for me lately?’

Lessons? A local show? I’ll offer to split the fee. Recently paid for a half session for Andre. [Summer Showing]

Fancy ribbons from a big show? Bring it on. Back in 2017, paid for full sessions for both Dottie & Snippy after Nationals. [NACHS 2017, Riding, NACHS 2017, Driving]

I should add that I have never felt the slightest suggestion that I am required to contribute to the upkeep of lesson horses. This is me approving of bodywork and sticking my nose in.

Onwards!
Katherine

Guess My Mystery Project

Awareness of the outside world. Para Games begin today. IPC: Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

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Am considering a new project.

Gonna be vague about it until I decide.

Whatever I decide, I will let you know next week.

Meanwhile, am inviting guesses.

Is with horses.

Is not something I ever thought I would do.

Is not a new horse.

Unlimited guesses allowed.

Prize $25 gift card to online retailer of your choice. First correct guess in comments. Because I’m gonna be amazed if someone gets this. I’m kind of amazed I’m considering it.

Update. [The Mystery Project Is … drumroll …]

Onwards!
Katherine

The Conversation, Morning Walk Stories

Awareness of the outside world. NPR: A new round of free COVID tests is coming soon, Bowman, August 24, 2024. Hat tip to C.

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Morning walks been our routine since spring of 2023.

First thing in the morning. Get up. Dogs out. To barn. Halters on. One-mile walk in hand back and forth in pasture. Done. Go on about our day. We miss the occasional walk for rain, but fewer than you would think.

Every time we exit the barn, Rodney stops to inform me that retired, big-time, fancy, show horses don’t do this. I assure him that walks are good for all of us.

Me, looking at Rodney: Do we have to have this conversation every morning?

Rodney, looking at me: Do we have to have this conversation every morning?

Onwards!
Katherine