And now it's just Marker...

Oct. 3rd, 2025 07:09 pm
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It’s been a little over a month now since that late afternoon when I went to Mocha’s field and discovered…she could barely walk. That moment when it became The Time I Knew Was Coming Far Too Soon.

I’ve finally stopped thinking about dividing the apple slices for horse grain. Noticed how slowly both grain and supplements are getting used, now that I’m down to one horse, especially one who just gets the bare minimum of grain to make his supplement palatable because he’s such an easy keeper (for those who are curious, it’s ¼ lbs grain, ½ lbs supplement. He still does well on that and on hay).

I’ll still glance off at that field on the way back from the ranch, somewhat of a habit from the summer when it was Mocha in that field and I wanted to check on her (and noticed that she knew when Her Truck drove by the field. Of course she knew. She knew the sound of my car when I pulled up at Gregg’s place, and would often be standing in the middle of her stall, where she could see me coming through the door. Sometimes she whinnied at me, but she was always, always looking for me).

Haven’t catalogued her ribbons yet, though that day is approaching.

And…it’s moving on with the Boi. A week ago he had the honor of carrying Miss Rodeo Oregon 2025, Mary Makenna Olney, as part of her Miss Rodeo America 50 Horse Challenge, where they have to ride 50 different horses within a set time period. Despite not having anyone besides me on his back since I bought him in August, 2023, he did well by her. I had a brief regret that Mocha never had this opportunity, but oh well. Marker’s path is different from Mocha’s.

I finally tossed the brushes I have been using on both horses. Surprise, surprise, they wear out faster when using them on two horses. I got a marvelous tail tamer brush and had a brief regret that I hadn’t discovered this one for Mocha’s lush mane and tail. But it was one of those moments when I’m aware things are moving on. That said, I’m holding onto one Mocha brush from Gregg’s day, because it still has a tooth mark from one of his dogs who I was fond of—the Bernese-Great Swiss Mountain Dog cross Cowboy. Two memories to cherish when I see that brush. Right now I have two braids, that brush, a custom bar shoe, a chunk of tooth, and several bits that were Mocha’s and Mocha’s only to remember her by.

But. New brushes, not worn out. I also finally found the right snaffle bit for Marker, a three-piece smooth ring snaffle with a dogbone center and a copper roller. He likes playing with the roller, just like he does with the curb bit. I put it on the old snaffle headstall I got over twenty years ago for Mocha, along with the seven-foot latigo leather reins, and the cavasson from Mocha’s early training. It seems to work for him.

Moving on. Our work this summer has made his canter smoother and more consistent. It’s a lovely rocking-horse type of canter that is easy to sit. Now we’re working on all three types of canter lead changes—simple (walk or trot before asking for the change of lead), interrupted (whoa, then pick up the new lead), and flying (change the lead at the canter). He’s starting to get them.

One thing I really appreciate about the training options this time around (as compared to Mocha at the same age) is that we aren’t locked into an arena. Both going down the road or riding in the hayfield allows for simple, straight-line work, just to build up muscle and provide a mental break from arena work. I’m not sure if that is why it seems easier to teach him things or if it’s tied to conformation and mental differences between the two horses. Or a combination of both. Nonetheless, he really settles into covering a lot of ground at the fox trot, which he seems to like doing.

There are some things I haven’t touched on much in our training, but may do this fall now that I have the snaffle. He’s solid in round pen and lunging work, though when I deviate from a pattern he expects he gets worried (well, we’re doing more of that variation stuff so he adapts). The injury to my shoulder earlier this summer means I’m not working on ground driving. Maybe that will be a winter thing. It’s possible.

He also needs a lot more work with ground poles in box and L backing/sidepassing. Again, probably best done in the snaffle, not the curb. It’s the kind of detail work that is best laid down in a non-leverage bit with some horses, and I think he’s one of them. But oh, he is really getting decent at gates. Not crowding my knee into them, either.

I’ve found that lunging or round penning him before I tighten the cinch eliminates a lot of the tension he’s had around saddling. And getting him to settle into the snaffle means I tie the reins loosely to the saddle while he works, then adding the cavasson after he’s had a few minutes to mouth the bit and settle into it.

So we’re settling into fall. For some reason his fall coat seems to be heavier than in past years—maybe due to the supplement he’s getting. He seems to be more relaxed, and…shows signs of becoming a fully mature horse. Oh, he’s still playful and mouthy, but there’s just that filling in of the front end, and a certain calmness that comes with maturity.

And, perhaps, knowing that he is now the Only Horse.

I miss the old mare, but…he’s doing a decent job of filling her horseshoes, in his own way.


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[personal profile] jacey

An original cast recording of a single episode length story in which the rest of the crew go in search of Dayna and Vila is left alone on board the liberator while ghostly figures stalk the corridors and get inside his head. Revenants? Demons? His alcohol-fuelled imagination? None of the above, but there is an answer. Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon), Michael Keating (Vila Restal) have very recognisably familiar voices, the others slightly less so. Published in 2015.


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[personal profile] jacey

Audiobook narrated by Russell Boulter.

I jumped into this series at number #7, but didn’t have any problem getting into the characters despite not having any idea of what happened in books #1 - #6. It’s AD 46 and Roman centurions Cato and Macro have been posted to Judea to investigate Longinus, Roman governor of Syria, and to try to mitigate the effects of Roman oppression in a hearts and minds operation. Yeah, right! Religious figures are revolting (literally), and after Rome crucified the last charismatic Judean leader, Jehoshua, the whole place is a revolt waiting to happen, stirred up by local tribesman, Bannus. Add to that opportunistic Parthians eager to fight Rome and Macro and Cato have an almost impossible task. Macro is the seasoned centurion, happy to charge in regardless. Cato, his junior, but slightly more upper class, is a clever thinker. Together they make a good pair when the fort they’ve been assigned to is full of corruption. This is read quite well, if a little ponderous, by Russell Boulter, but he has a strange pronunciation of the letter A, as in last. He doesn’t have the short northern A, so it doesn’t rhyme with ass. Neither does he elongate the A-sound to rhyme with arse, but somehow manages to rhyme it with air, so last sounds like lairst. I can only think it a deliberate choice, but it kept pulling me out of the story at first, though by the time I reached the end I’d almost stopped noticing. The blurb says for fans of Bernard Cornwall, and I would also say for fans of Lindsey Davis’ Falco – though without the lightness of touch.


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[personal profile] jacey

Audiobook narrated by David Morley Hale.
This was a revisit for me. I read the Kindle Version in February 2023, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but was tempted to the audiobook by the quality of the narrator. David Morley Hale does a marvellous job, voicing Thomas Piety as a gut-rough northerner. Piety returns to Ellinburg from a horrendous war, bringing back his surviving soldiers (including his second, Bloody Anne, and his war-damaged brother, Jochan) to take back his ‘streets’ and his businesses (brothels, gambling dens, taverns and protection rackets) only to find they’ve been taken over and his aunt (who was caretaking) has fled to a convent. Thomas has to take over his territory again, brutal blow by brutal blow. But it seems as though the threat of war is not over. There’s a fearsome Queen’s Man in town who can make life very uncomfortable, and short for him. When he’s informed that foreign infiltrators are responsible for the takeover, he’s pushed to do something about it lest they invade his city. His watchword is the right man for the job, and it seems as though Thomas is the right man to oust the foreigners, helped by the Queen’s Man (who happens to be a woman – very attractive, but lethal). This is a high body-count book, full of conflict and peril, but it also shows the effects of violence on men’s souls. Thomas is a great character, very human despite his criminality. My original review is on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37884491-priest-of-bones


Art!

Oct. 3rd, 2025 04:31 pm
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[personal profile] astrogirl
You know I have to post about this sort of thing here when it happens, because it makes me go "Eeeeeeeeeee!" a lot in excited, delighted tones, and I can't not share: someone did a little fanart sketch for my Gravity Falls fic "Congratulations on Your Apotheosis." And it is awesome to see not just a visual representation of something in my fic, but of this particular moment in this particular fic. Eeeeee!

Note: Art is spoilery for a climactic moment in said fic, may seem a bit weird if you're not familiar with the show (or maybe even if you are, depending on your shipping opinions, I suppose), and may not be viewable if you don't have a Tumblr account (which is one of the reasons why I have one, even though I never post there).

Testing, testing

Oct. 3rd, 2025 03:57 pm
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[personal profile] shewhomust
Did I mention that I have taken the plunge and acquired a smart phone? And that I am very gradually learning what I can do with it?

Well, it seems I can use it to post to Dreamwidth. Coming to you live from the Hartlepool Folk Festival.
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Forgotten again by her family, Joan Greenwood discovers that this time her witch-kin had a legitimate excuse: a potentially existential threat to Greenwood power and privilege.

An Unlikely Coven (Green Witch Cycle, volume 1) by AM Kvita

Wasn't as bad as it could be...

Oct. 3rd, 2025 08:09 am
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[personal profile] seawasp
... but that meeting was sure bad. As many have noted, some of the expressions in that room were ones you NEVER want to see on the faces of flag officers. Especially the Commandant of Marines. 

They didn't explicitly go for a loyalty test -- but they did threaten the top eight hundred officers and staff, which is always a great way to endear yourself to the military. 

They didn't present a grand strategy to usher in a new imperialist era... because they're focused on literally sending the army against Democratic cities. 

They didn't have a mass firing... just a lunatic ranting third rate macho bullcrap as new regulation instructions that are specifically targeted in ways that will eliminate a vast number of POC and women from the ranks, while doing nothing at all to actually improve the functioning of the military. 

They didn't announce martial law... but they did announce "Geneva Convention? More like Geneva Suggestion!". 

This was simultaneously frightening and just plain embarrassing. I don't understand how Hegseth, at least, didn't realize how insanely stupid his whole act was. Trump has dementia, so at least he's got an excuse for being unaware of anything around him. 

Gods above and below, what a clown-car of banal horror.  

Project Announcement – HARP

Oct. 2nd, 2025 04:38 pm
[syndicated profile] sfwa_feed

Posted by SFWA Communications

Now Launching… HARP!
SFWA Indie Leads Our Digitization Project for Back Catalogs

SFWA’s greatest strength lies in its community.

That’s why SFWA’s Independent Authors Committee is the proud home of our latest outreach initiative, the Heritage Author Republication Project (HARP), which is fully launching today with a call for mentees.

HARP pairs digitally savvy book creators with writers whose work was traditionally published and now lies out of print. Maybe you’d like to see it published as an ebook, or produce a new print version? Maybe you’d like it preserved for posterity, or made easier to distribute to local programs?

If you’re a trad-pub author with rights reverted and an electronic copy of the work, then HARP stands ready to help give your older SFF new life.

From now until October 23 at 11:59 PM Pacific Timewe are accepting applications from writers seeking skills training in the following domains:

  • How to prep a manuscript for digital publication
  • Layout and design essentials, on a variety of software
  • Cover art theory and guidance for the digital marketplace
  • Navigating distribution platforms
  • The ins and outs of digital marketing campaigns

We’ll match you with a mentor who can walk you through the process, help you set manageable goals for the work, and support any number of questions you might have about the digital side of publishing.

As a broader team of mentors and mentees, HARP also stands ready to support all participants with general notes of caution about the perils of digital publishing – the scams and overpriced services; and how to recognize an AI product to make thoughtful choices about your tools – and to celebrate in community the joys of finding new readers for your older works.

The Team Behind the Scenes

SFWA’s Independent Authors Committee is a resilient team of digital creators that runs the spectrum in genre. As one of our most dedicated volunteer cohorts, SFWA Indie meets monthly to talk about a theme of relevance to Indie creators, and quarterly to touch base about what worked and what didn’t with the latest campaigns. All SFWA members are welcome!

With guidance from another excellent SFWA team – the Mentoring Initiative, which runs our annual career mentorship program! – HARP’s Indie volunteers have developed a three-month training cycle, which will run again in 2026. (So get those rights reverted when you can!)

Today, our inaugural cycle launches. Mentor/mentee matching will be announced at the end of October, and result in a showcase of our accomplishments – your work, given new life in digital form – in January.

So let’s work together, shall we?

Creators helping creators.

If you’ve got back catalog in need of a reboot, HARP is here for you.

Check the status of your publishing rights, get that electronic copy of your work, and sign up before October 23!

The post Project Announcement – HARP appeared first on SFWA - The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.

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A field agent armed with privacy-violating technology searches for Nazi loot--stolen diamonds--on behalf of a South African diamond cartel.

Probe (Search, # 1) by Leslie Stevens & Russ Mayberry

Last night's dream

Oct. 2nd, 2025 08:28 am
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[personal profile] james_davis_nicoll
I dreamed I discovered a weapon in Half Life 2 that would generate and hurl at considerable speed empty shipping containers.

Bundle of Holding: The Far Roofs

Oct. 1st, 2025 02:01 pm
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The complete tabletop RPG about the heroic rats of Fortitude

Bundle of Holding: The Far Roofs
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[personal profile] ffutures
This is a new bundle of a single game, The Far Roofs, by Jenna Moran. It's what generally gets called a "wainscot fantasy" setting, based on a modified version of the Nobilis rules, in which intelligent rats (and occasional humans, the player characters) have adventures in a world of strange lands and monsters formed around the rooftops of human homes.

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/FarRoofs



It's an interesting idea and very nicely presented, and the rules are in ePub as well as the usual PDF format which is quite useful if you want to read them on the go. It's also cheap, and if you want to play with something different from the usual fantasy tropes I think it's well worth a look.

October 2025 Patreon Boost

Oct. 1st, 2025 10:59 am
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You too can support James Nicoll Reviews.

October 2025 Patreon Boost
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Akiko's plan to become Japan's foremost manga artist is manifestly reasonable, so why will reality not cooperate?

Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey„ volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura

Dentist again

Oct. 1st, 2025 01:39 pm
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[personal profile] lexin
I went to the dentist yesterday, I had to travel to Llanfairfechan. This time I went by taxi and train, taxi to the railway station, train to Llanfairfechan, taxi to Neuadd y Bryn hospital, then a return journey.

The thing which went wrong was that there were no trains between 14:30 (I missed the 14:30) and 16:30. I arrived at the station for the journey back at 15:00. So I sat on Llanfairfechan station for an hour and a half. It being a little halt, probably the least busy station on that line, there was nothing to do - no cafe and nothing to see. An hour and a half of nothing to do - and I couldn’t even walk back to the village and go to a cafe there.

I am told (by the taxi driver in Bangor) that the delay was because “some people” had stolen some of the copper wire that carries the signals. I don’t know if that’s true.

The dental work itself was completely painless. The dentist uses some kind of orange flavoured stuff that numbs the gum before putting the novocaine in. None of my dentists before him did that, but it’s a revelation.

I have a further appointment in November.
[syndicated profile] theyoungprotectors_feed

Posted by Alex Woolfson

I’m sure it’s nice and cozy in there…

Please note: These are work-in-progress colors. Vero should get me the final colors soon.

You can talk about this page at The Young Protectors Community here.

(Disqus comments are still at the bottom of this web page!)

Link to preview page (page 27) for $5+ Patrons:

https://youngprotectors.com/typ4/fallen-ch2-page-27/

NEW PATRON THANK YOUS

The only reason I’m able to keep making The Young Protectors is because of the very generous support of readers like you on Patreon. Especially now. And we had 3 new folks sign up over this week! So, please join me in sending out a very special thank you and welcome to the new members of the Woolfpack this week!

Muscle160499, Rodney L. and Tim P.

Thank you so much for your amazing support, Muscle160499, Rodney and Tim!

ANNIVERSARY PATRON THANK YOUS

Your continued support has always been the reason I’ve been able to continue making this comic. And I am especially grateful to our readers who continue to support this comic month-after-month during this time. Thank you for letting me continue to create these pages. Thank you for being the real superheroes of this comic.

And so, I hope everyone will please join me in wishing a very special Woolfpack anniversary “thank you!” to those Patrons who have been supporting our work for a year or more!

I’d like to give a heroic thank you as well as for Woolfpack members who have been supporting our work for 36 months as of this week (Sep 28-Oct 4):

Jamie R. and An V.

(Three years of support! Thank you so much, Jamie and An!)

I’d like to send out a big thank you to a member of the Woolfpack who has been supporting our work for 48 months as of this week (Sep 28-Oct 4):

Ricky W.

(Four years of support! Thank you so much, Ricky!)

I’d like to give a massive thank you to members of the Woolfpack who have been supporting our work for 96 months as of this week (Sep 28-Oct 4):

Chris C., Kyle C., Derek D., Ron D., Javier F., Maciej K., Steve P., Christina R. and Sarah S.

(Eight years of support! Thank you so much, Chris, Kyle, Derek, Ron, Javier, Maciej, Steve, Christina and Sarah!)

And let me also send out my biggest howl to members of the Woolfpack who have been supporting this comic and our work from the very beginning!

Here are the awesome readers who have been supporting me and this comic for 120 months (10 years!) as of this week (Sep 28-Oct 4):

Richard B. and Michael H.

Thank you so much, Richard and Michael! Y’all are so awesome!

Thank you all so much for your amazing, ongoing support! It’s the consistent support that is what really allows me to continue making this comic. You all truly are superheroes!

(Would you like to make sure this comic continues? Ready to dive even deeper into The Young Protectors world? Learn more about all the benefits of joining me and your fellow readers as part of The Young Protectors tribe on Patreon and then join the fun!)

So!

So! Almo has apparently provided bed and breakfast for our heroes! But Cory doesn’t seem satisfied with this amazing miracle.

Is Almo up to something here or honestly trying to help?

Tune in next Wednesday to find out! Hope to see you there!

The Young Protectors: Fallen Chapter Two—Page 26

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