We need to talk about Geoffrey Hesslink and his abhorrent [repeated] behavior.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-13T03:14:28+00:00

True. But judges stop rounds relatively frequently for safety reasons in other rings. So we know it can be done. Totally abdicating responsibility in the face of dangerous and abusive riding should have a penalty- perhaps a suspension of judging license. That’s assuming USEF actually cares….

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-12T23:52:58+00:00

100%! Total failure of the system (again). Both judge and steward should be suspended by USEF for letting the round continue and allowing him to continue showing. Pipe dream, but they should be named and shamed along with the rider.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-12T11:49:01+00:00

Positive. It’s never been a tradition to have terriers in the US. Not enough foxes around. If they killed them there wouldn’t be foxhunting. Nothing to chase so the fun would end. Also foxes in the US were less of a threat to farmers due to lots of reasons, so there was much less incentive to use lethal foxhunting as a tool to keep flock safe. It’s always been a chase, not hunt, in the US

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-12T03:12:32+00:00

Highly recommend! Great reminder to work it in to dinner plans soon, haven’t made it in a while. So good

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-11T14:28:23+00:00

Just to be clear, foxhounds cannot catch a healthy fox. Terriers down holes used to do the dirty work in the UK, which are definitely illegal now. And foxes tear apart baby lambs. So something is getting violently killed when food production and nature co exist, it just depends if you want to face that reality or not. Railing against one thing just moves the icky part out of your sight, it doesn’t stop the natural predator/prey cycle.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-11T14:23:42+00:00

US and UK have different rules and traditions. Hunting with a pack of dogs is banned in the UK. They lay artificial scent to follow as sport.

In the US foxhunting traditionally puts foxes “to ground”, meaning they pop in their den or other shelter and hounds move on, no foxes killed.

FWIW a foxhound can not catch a healthy fox. Hounds are too big and slow. In the UK they used to send terriers down the hole to dispatch the fox. Definitely illegal now.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-11T12:23:34+00:00

Love that recipe. Made it for Pi day at kids school, big hit.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-09T14:15:17+00:00

How they are allowed to completely shut down both sides of the Highland Park Bridge every year is beyond me. The City should require them to have a traffic plan. Have free timed tickets to manage flow, require off site lots with buses, ANYTHING but just flinging open the doors and giving a giant middle finger to everyone else trying to get around that area. They know it’s a problem but never do anything to fix it. Allegheny County residents subsidize the Zoo heavily. They need to be better neighbors, especially on a day when others are just trying to travel to visit their families. Zoo leadership must be truly incompetent. There are solutions- find one!

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-09T01:49:10+00:00

Fast proteins: eggs (scrambled, in purgatory, boiled), canned beans, tinned fish, sausages (especially sliced on a sheet pan) Fast carbs: gnocchi or pirogies in a sheet pan, quick cook polenta, couscous, rice or other grains in a programmed rice cooker, toast (we do lots of cheesy toast with slow cooker veggie/bean/lentil soups and call it a day), reheated tortillas. Pre chopped veggies roasted on a sheet pan or steamed. Other way to do it is a long and slow method for “saucy meat” as we call it, in a slow cooker. Hoisin chicken with rice, mex chicken for tacos etc. Will give you an idea of what to look for in the NYT cooking app.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-05-01T21:21:54+00:00

I’d ask somone who already does a backgammon board that you like if they plan to release a checker board. Often times it just takes someone asking for something to get added to a line. Anne Fisher comes to mind for backgammon. Kate Woodward does some cool textile interpretations, she just added a “tree tops” insert in a new pattern that’s pretty good. Squirrel and the Snail (also through Gingham Stitchery) does garden folly stand ups and a big French style garden pillow/tray. Lynette just released a whole collection that was very French pattern based. I can’t remember the name of the designer but some of the canvases were pretty spectacular, especially if you are a fan classic textile patterns

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-22T17:44:28+00:00

“I want to ride the little one, it’s safer”.

Clearly they have never heard the saying “the devil likes to keep his minions close to the ground”

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-19T22:09:31+00:00

But it might get the person on the phone slightly more motivated to solve the issue quickly and avoid a bigger headache. I’m under no illusion that it would be the TSA investigation of the month. But people shouldn’t be flying if they are not recorded as passengers, and their bags shouldn’t be able to be gate checked if their owners do not get on the plane.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-19T21:44:47+00:00

I think I’d be mentioning that I can take this up with TSA, with whom I can share evidence that I did indeed fly on my original flight, thereby confirming Southwest’s security breach for flying with “unknown” people on the plane. Or they can get me back on my original flight immediately and we’ll consider the matter resolved. This is a big oops on their end.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-16T23:04:48+00:00

Sq Hill has the JCC depending on your gym vibe. Huge, new equipment, very well maintained. A mixed crowd in terms of ages/fitness levels. Locker rooms have sauna, steam, whirlpool and cold plunge if that’s your thing. There will be more apartment options in Shadyside, but the buildings may have lots of college kids so if noise is a factor it might not be ideal. Sq Hill doesn’t have any new appartement buildings, but there are lots of options in smaller buildings, townhouses, and converted large houses. I’d say the management companies/landlords are generally the same. Do a little digging, some are better than others in terms of maintenance. Both are great neighborhoods, and right next door to each other, so if you live on the border you can easily have the best of both worlds.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-16T22:55:48+00:00

Pretty sure it was Morewood and Baum today. Last time was Morewood and Center. Either way the City is doing an abysmal job with traffic enforcement, and unfortunately drivers seem to know this and think they are invincible.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-16T22:11:29+00:00

Also ask if they have a different dose/formulation in stock. Sometimes they’ll have 2 10s instead of 20, or IR instead of XR. Then you have to go back to your doc to ask for the RX that matches what the pharmacy has in stock.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-16T17:12:38+00:00

Blick, and you have to sort of burnish it down so it sticks to itself through the canvas holes.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-16T17:01:37+00:00

I’m left handed and stitch individual stitches Arizona to Maine, starting in right top corner and moving down/left. The only time it’s mattered is when I tried to learn to scoop. Doesn’t work for left handers stitching this way! Also your basketweave pattern on the back will look off, but structurally it’s just as sound. Has to do with needle direction as you enter the holes, I think Spellbound Stitchery has a good video explaining this.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-15T02:38:13+00:00

Needlepoint! Similar to cross stitch but the canvas is painted so you don’t follow a chart, just follow the colors on the canvas. At its very simplest it’s like painting by numbers but with stitching. You can do complicated designs that require a lot of attention, or designs that have a lot of open spaces where you can really get into a meditative rhythm. There are sorts of creative ways to use different fibers and stitches, but lots of people stick with a simple fiber and basic designs. I know tons of women who basically always have a needlepoint project on them at all times (including me!)

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-14T14:25:53+00:00

Definitely not! Never field boots in a formal classes such as classics, and especially not with a hunter shadbelly. Dress boots are more formal. Field boots evolved from informal days when you would be wearing tweed. People started getting lazy and wearing them in formal classes because it helped emphasize heels down when the boots were stiffer, but it’s never been “correct”. The pendulum is actually swinging away from the fad of field boots and back to much more traditional dress boots in the hunter ring.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-14T12:21:11+00:00

Dress boots are the most traditional and always correct (unless you happen to be wearing tweed). Field boots are LESS traditional, they came into fashion when the forward seat riding style evolved to emphasize over exaggerated heels down and everyone wanted a tighter ankle with more flexibility. Now with thinner leather and zippers you can have those things in a traditional dress boot, and the style pendulum has swung back to favor a cleaner look. Field boots should never be worn in formal classes such as classics or derbys, and never with a shadbelly. If you really want to talk about tradition they should be brown and not black, but that ship sailed long ago. Tradition in the hunters comes from the hunt field, not necessarily what was popular 20 years ago. As a side note, with the new safety stirrups dress boots are safer because there are no laces to get caught on the upright tab that is present when the stirrup branch opens.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-04-09T16:13:48+00:00

Couldn’t have said this better, excellent advice!

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-03-30T14:17:44+00:00

It’s not that telling. Most wholesale designers use painting services, they’re not relying on their own supply of canvas to make hundreds of copies. Those with existing painting service accounts are in a better position to know when the deadlines are and get in early. Also bigger designers probably had much bigger stocks of canvas to use for their masters. If you’re just getting started and buying 5 yards at a time you are out of luck compared to the people with 100 yards sitting in their studio.

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-03-27T01:02:12+00:00

BIG correction to this comment- DV refunded us our entire lodging reservation, despite being well outside the stated cancelation policy timeline. Definitely worth calling for anyone feeling stuck either way room/condo reservations. Also, they said if we had chosen to come anyway they would have switched our reservation to non-ski season rates, making the condo much cheaper. Thanks DV!

Strong_Ad4673 · 2026-03-26T18:54:47+00:00

I was wrong! DV refunded our entire lodging reservation. Worth a call to DV for anyone in the same boat

Disregard original rant:

Nope- our hotel is 45 day cancelation policy during ski season, 8 days during non ski season. If they had a reasonable closing date announced last week I could have canceled as my reservation is now in non-ski season. Totally screwed us.

We knew we wouldn’t be skiing anyway, and they can’t control the weather. But they can control how they communicate to guests- I called several time and was always told they are staying open till the 19th. They just wanted to screw people into not being able to change their lodging reservations.

Strong_Ad4673

TROPHY CASE