Not sure where this cat lives other than cyberspace but it pretty well sums up winter in northeastern Ohio.

Alas not cold enough to freeze the secret society of Punxsutawney Phil worshippers off Gobblers Knob deep in the hollows of PA. Phil used to wander out of his hole and look for the nearest Super Bowl party.

Meanwhile; Phyllis, Phils devoted wife climbed to the edge of her hole and could be heard yelling: Phil you idiot get back in here, my feet are cold and it looks like 6 more weeks of hell in a hole!

Nope, now Phil gets jerked out of his hole by an old chubby white guy in a top hat while crowds cheer and cameras from around the world record his shock and awe. It's his big day leaving the other 364 days to do groundhog things like terrorizing the local gardeners, make new groundhogs and get fat..... hmmmmm....kind of like the guy that jerks you out of that hole.

In other winter news and all things under the heading of catastrophic...... my espresso maker crapped out! I loaded it up with filtered water, freshly ground beans that were perfectly tamped down, pushed the cute little red button and anticipated my little shot of heaven. A horrible noise and nothing. Noooooo, not today any day but not today. The wood stove was humming along and a howling snow storm beat at the window. I jiggled, I pounded, I pulled all known parts apart. I lite a candle to the coffee Gods on high and I got out the pink screwdriver, pliers and needle nose pliers......... the heating element and pump were la morte'.

I am knee deep in a weaving marathon with deadlines beating down my door. I have a lot of pots from the gallery but I have two shows coming up and both shows have said; Please send us new pots.

No espresso? Are you kidding me? I thought about slogging out but instead went for a pour over, not an espresso but pretty darn good and I am saving a few hundred dollars for show fees and passing on the super duper deluxe espresso maker I lust after. It's the:

Breville BES870XL Barista Express Espresso Machine

I see this machine and my eyes get teary and I spend 3 hours googling and watching YouTubes of every Barista on the web showing me how wonderful this machine really is and it had a 5 star rating! Yes, a 5 star rating...... It's coffee porn pure and simple.

This is part of my fabulous pottery life I thought would be changing in 2018, apparently not. I have spent 9 days in this chair. My noble steed (bike) is draped with uncoiling cane hanks and the seat is dusty! My brain just can't handle doing more than one thing at a time. These are times I eat a diet of plain toast, bread, bread and jelly, toast with honey and on a good day a pack of ramen noodles with a handful of frozen broccoli tossed in. I can't seem to find my way to the grocery store and personal hygiene is questionable. When your teeth get fuzzy it's time to drag yourself to the shower for a quick hose down. I am ....... in the zone? Kirby gets two walks a day, no matter what so I manage to get out the door and as my Dad used say; get the stink blown off. Thankfully I am bundled up like the Michelin Tire man and try not to inflict my lack of personal hygiene on the free world and Kirby doesn't care ..... why I love dogs!

But I am getting there......

two more pots to weave and a glaze kiln to get up and I can shower again......

and stay tuned as we are contemplating a YUGE trip to nowhere. We are loading Kirby in the van and driving until we are warm..... right after the deadlines and I will try my best not to leave Mr Potter in the driveway...... it's gonna be rough be we are going to give it a whirl. OH and we're camping!!!!

See how excited Kirby is!