Back In The Saddle

The Happy Ms. Kiwi & Me, Cover Girls

The hospital where I had my total knee replacement at the end of Feb. somehow decided I'd been the "ideal" patient. Clearly, they did not talk to my (Dear Husband) Rick or my PT Jana. So here are the results of a two hour photo shoot and 1/2 hour airbrushed makeup session. And the beautiful girl in the photo with the kind eyes and perked ears? Kiwi, now known as Kiwi-dashian. It IS great to be back. 

Note that I ride Ms. Kiwi in the sport of Dressage (United States Dressage Federation/USDF), which Steven Colbert has officially declared "The Sport of the Summer." I am not a rich or fancy person like Ann or Mitt Romney; I'm in the 99%* that love horses and riding, and put horses among the top of my priorities. I try my best to ride in correct biomechanical form, for the good of the horse.

*note the Virginia-clay colored Ariat boots, and though you can't see them, while cleaning them for this shoot, I found two holes in my chaps! Just went and got a new (washable - cool!) pair at Dover Saddlery! 

— with Bethany Wood in Earlysville.

Never Finished Learning....and Photo Shoots?

I took another hard look at the skeleton/bone illustration I recently posted; the one of the horse's head and neck. It was drawn back in December - February, right before I went into surgery for a new knee. Therein lay the problem! I can see now I rushed and wasn't careful.

Looking closely at the image, I see several anatomical errors, and they drive me crazy! I'll mark them up and post the image again for closer scrutiny. That's the good thing about stepping away from a piece for awhile: everything that you thought looked just fine before takes on a whole new perspective, and in this case, it needs fixin!

The hospital where I had my surgery (Martha Jefferson in Charlottesville) has decided that I was an ideal patient. They clearly did not talk to anyone involved in my recovery.

Tomorrow Martha Jeff is flying in photographers and a make-up artist to do a photo shoot. That's not something I've ever said before. They want to show me riding Miss Kiwi, a lovely mare at the farm next door, to show how well my knee works and how quickly I've been able to recover. Sure didn't seem that way at the time! Ms. Kiwi will be getting some serious bribery carrots.

Anyway, as evidenced by the photo left, clearly I am used to photo shoots with Brad & Angie, which was taken right after my surgery, at the Academy Awards. Gosh, I love Photoshop.

Hoping to post tomorrow, but it's going to be a busy day, what with make-up artists and all....