Gophers, Cones and Leaves...Oh My!

I am temporarily using an electric kiln here in the mountains, as I have no place (yet) to place my gas kiln. This has made me make some adjustments to my work schedule and firing habits, among many other considerations. Today I went outside to load the kiln for a bisque firing. I made heart ornaments and pendants and really wanted to get them done for Valentine's Day. Just because. The electric kiln will not fire without a pyrometric cone placed in the "kiln sitter" My cones are gone! I tore the place apart looking and they did not turn up. Maybe a bear ate them? This is a minor tragedy. I broke a bigger cone down to size and inserted it so I could at least start the kiln. Shheesh. I am frustrated. No place up here to go buy more cones. I will have to watch the kiln very carefully, as I do anyway. Hopefully I can get some work done today. 

I am on my 36th bag of leaves raked up from my property. My cabin is a leaf magnate and believe me, I am not picky about leaves. But I do like to walk outside without wading through a pile of them. Just when I think I am finished with it, the wind blows and there they are. 

I think I also may have gophers. My little shiba inu dog, Davie has been digging like a dervish. He might be after something! Or maybe he is just a jerk. Layla has stayed in the yard all week! I am even afraid to write this, perhaps jinx it??? I should by some fairy dust and sprinkle it around and make a wish.   

I am so very tired of being cold. I think someday someone will find me shriveled and dessicated in a corner with all my blankets.

A Day in the Life of a Potter

After much thought I have decided to try blogging. I'm not sure where it will go but here goes...

I am recovering from last weekend's show...Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica. This is an amazing show with 250 artists participating. The show promoters (Roy Helms & Associates) are more than wonderful. It is a long weekend (set up on Thursday, then Friday , Saturday & Sunday) and exhausting. It rained, and combined with,the bad economy, just wasn't as pleasant as it could be.

I drove down the mountain on Thursday, set up and then did some errands. I went to Target and bought an electric blanket (my first!). When I finally got home Sunday night (after worrying all weekend that I could not get home because of snow) I was so tired, forgot the blanket in my truck. Sheesh! It was so cold in my bed I couldn't move for fear of hitting a frozen spot. Monday I re-made my bed with the blanket, turned it on, then got in. Paradise! I didn't get out of bed all day! I was finally warm.

I stayed with my daughter, Carly, and her husband Aaron on Thursday night. It was very good to see them and I wish I could see them more often. The other nights I spent with my friends Diane & David. They live closer to the show...one half hour or so, depending on traffic. It was lovely to visit, and they fed me, too!

I woke up this morning , fed the dogs, found 1/2 inch of ice on their water bowl. It freezes???? This is weird. I hate that. It was way colder than it has to be, what's up with that? I went into my studio, and my throwing water was frozen, too. No way am I making pots today. I will do a bisque firing, then glaze and paint tomorrow. The plates I threw last week before leaving cracked, I guess they froze, I have no idea. My work week is much different than I thought it could be. I am not sure I can work in this cold! Maybe I will get used to it, but I think not. I bought some oil paints this morning so at least I can entertain myself. I have never used oils, and as long as they don't freeze, I am looking forward to having a bit of paint-fun.

Other than the cold, I like living in the mountains. It is very quiet, and I rarely drive faster than 30 miles an hour. There is NO traffic. I have dozens of huge pine cones from my trees that I can use as kindling, when I finally decide to start a fire in my fireplace. I just don't sit in the living room much. Now that I have my electric blanket, I will probably read a thousand books in my bed!