Goof off Friday

[altivo]

Well, not really. Took Gary out for breakfast, which kinda killed the morning, but that's OK. Vacuumed out the insides of computers, especially those pesky heatsinks that collect cat hairs. Went grocery shopping today instead of Saturday, stopped by work to return books and get my paycheck, stopped at bank to deposit it. This afternoon it rained, accompanied by lots of severe thunderstorm watches for adjacent counties but not ours. The thunder was amazing, it just continued to rumble several times a minute for about two hours. My dog Simon doesn't like thunder. He came in to lay right against my feet, something he rarely does because he also doesn't like feet (we think he was abused by kicking when he was a pup, before I got him.)

Testing different knitted lace patterns for a shawl I've been spinning yarn to make. I've pretty much settled on something called "fern lace" because it's an easy to remember stitch sequence. I much prefer those so I don't have to keep my place in a printed instruction or chart. The yarn is blue faced Leicester wool, creamy white and soft, and this should turn out very nicely.

What set this off is to be explained later, but I had an attack of nostalgia for two radio programs I used to love that are not carried by stations I can receive here. Gary noted that the radio in the Escape is "satellite ready" which means the dealer can add a kit to make it a satellite receiver. Apparently that applies only to Sirius, not XM, but I looked into both. Alas, neither carries the programs I was seeking. More disappointing, neither has a folk music or Celtic channel. How many flavors of rock or jazz are needed? Apparently several dozen at least, but no Celtic. Oh well. Guess I didn't need to spend more money right now anyway.

Tomorrow is the Northern Illinois Horsefest. We will go to browse the booths and exhibits, and possibly return for "Night of the Horse", their after dark theatrical presentation, but that depends on the weather. If it's warm and rainy like tonight, no go. (The whole thing is played in an outdoor arena. Two years ago the 'fest was on a really cold day with drizzle. Last year it was a 100 F heat index day. By the forecast, it looks like rain again this year. Weather alone could account for the continued shrinkage of this event. Each year I expect there will be none the next year. They've changed management twice, but it still keeps happening.

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Care for a little trot over here to help me move in a couple weeks? ;p Its not even a hoof's breadth away on the map! lol.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Boy, I'd need steel shoes for sure to trot all that distance. Glad you found a place, though. That's good news. Commuting that distance would not have been good without a train or something of that sort.

[pioneer11.livejournal.com]

Hey, get some pictures from the hossfest!

Sounds like a full, but satisfying day.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Doesn't look like a good day for photos right now. We have heavy fog. But I'll take the camera just in case.

[kildoo-lonewolf.livejournal.com]

Fog often makes the most interesting photos. The colors are more soft and often it gives them a dreaming, a magical feeling.

[kildoo-lonewolf.livejournal.com]

If you are searching for Celtic music on the net, go at www.live365.com they have many stations that play Celtic music.

I would so like to have a horsefest around here once a year :(

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, live365 has a lot better variety than the satellite radio systems do. Unfortunately, most of their stations have gone subscriber only, or have upped their bandwidth to where I can't receive them any more on dialup.

And of course, live365 doesn't work in a vehicle. :)

The horsefest is fun. Lots of vendors selling saddles and blankets and such, of course, and I hardly need anything like that any more but it's fun to look. Clinicians giving demonstrations of their methods, this year John Lyons will be there as well as several others. Sometimes there is some very fine artwork for sale, and of course they have lots of demonstrations by different groups promoting their favorite breed of horse.

For just the horses, though, I prefer to go to the county fair when the big draft horses are there. The horsefest has been shrinking a bit every year, but the horse participation at the county fair keeps going up. Dozens and dozens of beautiful big Clydesdales and Percherons. :D

[kildoo-lonewolf.livejournal.com]

Now you are making me drool. Here we have an Agriculture exposition every year, but what's mainly on display are in order Tractors and equipments, cows and casino. You don't see that many horses. If I am lucky, I'll be able to go to an auction this month where they end up the day with (sorry if I don't know the right wording for it in English and I doubt that you would understand the French expression for it) a competition where horse teams have to pull weights over a certain distance.

I hope you'll enjoy your day and that rain will spare you on that day.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's called a "pulling contest" in English. To distinguish between doing it with horses and doing it with tractors, we say "team pulling" and "tractor pull." So tell me what it is in French and then I'll know. :)

Actually, the kind of competition I like is called a "teamster's competition." It's an obstacle course. You bring your team of two horses or mules, and harness. Everyone pulls the same wagon. One team at a time, has to hitch to the wagon, go through the course, and then unhitch. Three judges score you on how well you perform. Obstacles usually include things like a gate where you have to stop, get off the wagon, open the gate, lead or drive through, then close the gate again (extra points if your team will go through the gate on command without you touching the lines.) Usually there's a wooden bridge to cross, and a ramp or dock to back up to, and various other things you have to avoid or steer around. It's great fun to watch and amazing how good some of the teams are. I captured most of one onto video a few years ago, and the winner was a ten year old girl driving her grandfather's team.

[kildoo-lonewolf.livejournal.com]

Here in Quebec we call pulling contest "concours de tire" LOL

I know about "teamster's competition." Sadly, we have few of these around here.

[animist.livejournal.com]

"Tomorrow is the Northern Illinois Horsefest. We will go to browse the booths and exhibits, and possibly return for "Night of the Horse", their after dark theatrical presentation, but that depends on the weather."

I would be interested in how much zoomorphism (cross-species self identification) and anthropomorphicism you see at this event. I note there is a lot more of this outside of the furry community than the later sometimes admits. I know that many of the staff at the zoo I was at connected to certain animals in one of those ways, although they cer5tainly would not consider themselves furry. So I'm curious about the horsey folks up your way.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I've been to this event every year for six or seven years now, and haven't noticed anything of the sort. That doesn't mean it isn't there, or that you wouldn't spot it, though. I'm not usually looking for that sort of thing, I think (too busy with my own cross-identification I suppose) and I've never been very good even at spotting other gay men unless they are very obvious.

for example....

[animist.livejournal.com]

I remember when one of the full-time educators at the zoo left to move to Ohio in '99. They had a party for her, and gave her gifts. about half of them were opossum-themed gifts. The Zoo had a 12" plate hand made at Louisville Stoneware that had a drawing of an opossum mother on it. And that's when I realized that was her with a group of children at the zoo. After that, I noticed things, like the lady with a dozen miniature lion plush or hard plastic animal toys all over her desk and computer monitor, and so on. That's when I reallized why I felt so at home there!

Re: for example....

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh. That sort of thing seems so natural to me that it doesn't even tweak my ear. Tells you the kind of people I've been around most of my life, I suppose. It's especially common in the zoological park staff that I've known (quite a few, now that I think of it.) I myself have extensive amounts not only of horse themed art, ceramics, and plush, but lions (always a big love) and bears. I'd be into wolves and coyotes too but we're utterly out of space. ;p

I don't know if I'll recognize it, but I'll certainly tell you if I see it. What I do recognize at events like this is the extended version of that pre-teen girl syndrome. The one where they fixate on horses (supposedly it's a sexual thing, but I'm not sure... I had it too at that age, which is unusual for boys I guess.) You encounter lots of women who have never gotten out of that phase, and I could easily see it as a sort of zoophilia, though it generally seems to be non-sexual in expression.

By contrast, most of the men I see at these things are, as one might expect, into it for the money, or the status, or appearances. The horse is just a tool to achieve something they want, in those cases. Once in a while you see a clinician like PonyBoy who obviously has something more than that going on.

To tell the truth, I have to admit I go to look at the horses and don't pay a lot of attention to the people. But I'll try to notice more for you this time. XD

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I can just see you wearing a shawl, sitting in your car in the rain listening to satellite celtic.

Now that I have that image....it won't go away !!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Afghans are more my style. Warmer and more generous in coverage. The shawls I make are light weight ladies' things and after they are exhibited in the show they get given away as Christmas gifts.