Happy New Year!

2012! I have been frantically making pottery. I don't know why except maybe because the weather is good? It is 70 degrees here in Crestline, but I can't tell. It is still very cold in the dungeon.

I had to re-make a pitcher for a customer because unfortunately the handle broke during the shipping process, so I have been making all kinds of pitchers. Big, tiny, tall, skinny, short, and fat. I'm having fun! I also am making cups and all, as well. Just a busy bee.

I have also spent quite a lot of time raking leaves! With the hurricane winds we had a few weeks ago, seems like my cabin is a leaf magnet. All the oaks are bare and I know where the leaves went. I have filled at least 12 bags and haven't made a dent.

I am also starting to paint the cabin. It has not been painted in what looks like 50 years! But weather, etc. may be the cause. I am starting on the bottom parts that I can reach, and will hire someone for the ladder work. No way am I getting on a two story ladder! I chose a brown color to blend with the surrounding area. Maybe someday I will paint it red....

I am just now deciding which shows to do in the coming year, and will have a list soon. Meanwhile, if you are ever on the mountain here, I have my work at Timberline in the Glen, a store in Cedar Glen and of course on etsy.

Poor Chicks!

December already! Another year flies by.

I am getting ready for my last show of the year, in San Francisco. I leave tomorrow to drive up there. I hate driving!

It takes me 7 or 8 hours to get there from her in Crestline. I will arrive at the Concourse Exhibition Center around 11 am. I will set up my both, which takes about 2 hours, perhaps a bit more. Then I will drive back down to San Bruno to my hotel and collapse, get ready for Saturday. Sounds fun? As I get older it has become something I sort of dread doing.

I went out to the dungeon this morning to check on the pots I made. Some were dry enough for me to clean up the bottoms and sign them. I did that to 10 coffee cups and had to stop. The pots were so cold it hurt to touch them! This is unexpected. I can no longer mindlessly make pottery! I have to think about freezing my hands off. Everything takes longer than what I am used to. So, I came in the house to do laundry and pack my bag. I never know what to take so I take everything. My truck must weigh 2 tons when I leave. Hopefully it will weigh much less on the return trip : ) .

My neighbors have (had) chickens! Apparently a bear ripped the fence open and the chicks got out. I found one yesterday in the street and returned her. When I went into the backyard, my dogs had found another. Needless to say, that one didn't make it. Very sad, bad dogs!

My daughter Carly and her husband Aaron are coming up here while I am gone, to feed the beasts and hopefully fix the fence where dogs are escaping. I hope they find no more chicks!

Cold, cold weather.....and stuff

Some background, so you know why I am so surprised with the weather..
I moved to Crestline from my home in Long Beach last June. I had lived in Long Beach my entire life (with short exceptions). Long Beach has an average temperature of 72 degrees all year. I had never experienced a major change of seasons. Crestline, being at 4500 feet in the San Bernadino Mountains, has seasons. I am living through Fall now. It is beautiful, all the leaves dropping and the smell of wood fires in the air. It is way colder than I am used to. I had to buy long underwear!!! Last night, it was supposed to snow but did not, at least here in the Valley of Enchantment (where my cabin is).

Because I am used to even weather, I am having trouble with my pots drying. It is much dryer here, so I have to cover pottery with plastic so it does not dry too fast. When it is really cold, I guess I have to put a heater in the Dungeon (my studio has earned this nick-name) so pots will not freeze when drying. I found this out when I threw 10 dinner plates and 6 of them cracked all the way across! I was stunned! I hope I can figure out how to dry them successfully soon...this gets expensive! My hands also freeze. They are always in water, whether throwing pots or painting them. This makes it a little slower going. I can't use (yet) my large gas kiln, there is really nowhere to put it. I am using a very small electric kiln. It works, but I can't make as much pottery as I used to. This frustrates me a little.

My dogs keep digging out of the yard which they never did in Long Beach. I have to stop working and chase them around until they are back in the yard. Stella and Dave have developed a taste for paper and eat my bills...Layla is being very good except when she gets out.

I just finished my HOME SHOW at my daughter Carly and her husband Aaron's home in Long Beach. I had a good show and enjoyed seeing some of my old customers. And I got to spend a day and night with my daughter!!!!!

This Saturday the 26th I will be participating in the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday. This is the first year I have participated. It is an event to promote small businesses encouraging shoppers to shop small and shop local this holiday season. I am offering 10% off all etsy orders on Saturday ONLY. To redeem this offer use coupon code SBS2011 when checking out.

My last show of the year is December 10 and 11 in San Francisco at the KPFA craft fair. I am looking forward to it and then I plan to concentrate on some very big pots!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!