March! Buckle up and kiss your asters goodbye.......

 Happy Pi Day! 

March 14th and it's a blizzard out so eat more pie! 

Snow is coming down at a pretty good clip and the wind is howling.  

Wind chill is 19 F.  Put those flip flops back in the closet.

The March shoe collection continues to grow by the back door.  

No Manolo Blahniks at the back door but we do have teal Sasquatch boots or yak trax that will get you to the van and keep you vertical also a pair of sandals just in case.

I am ready to garden!  I have plants ready to go in the ground with frost cloth and plastic protective layers.  If they don't go in soon we are just going to start eating them off the shelf. 

Those 70 degree temps in February had me fooled.  I thought we would get a winter blast here or there but not the extended "Arctic Clipper" we are currently enduring followed by a left hit "N'or Easter".  Tomorrow is supposed to be better but then I've been telling that to myself for a week.  If we do hit 44 tomorrow I am hoping it melts all the white stuff and warms a wee patch of ground so I can get the turnips, radishes, kale and lettuce under cover, along with the onions.  The onions have had their bangs trimmed three times, hoping to make stronger roots.  Thursday we hit 60 degrees and by the weekend we are back in the deep freeze.  Fingers crossed these will do OK. 

 

While I wait out Jack Frost I've had time for that annual festivity; 

CAULK THE TUB 💪🎉🥳

You would think I could do this in my sleep by now ........ nope!  I manage to caulk my fingers together, my tools to the tub, the shower head to the wall and myself to the floor.  My family went off on holiday to Florida and left me, two dogs and three chickens to 10 glorious days of solitude.  They called and said; Mom, do you have cold?  You sound funny.  I haven't talked to anyone for 6 days, if you don't use your voice you loose it.  I had big reno plans but I needed to cut wood in the driveway and make big messes.  The weather did not cooperate so I pared down those grandiose ideas; cleaned out the house, cupboards and caulked the dreaded tub.  I have a deep and abiding hatred for this chore and put it off as long as possible.  The dogs slept peacefully along side the sink and toilet, I caulked them to the floor too, accidentally of course!  I freed one and now have a patch of hairy caulk.  I was so close to getting the sledgehammer and just demo-ing the whole mess but I stopped myself as I know what lies behind that plastic insert and it ain't pretty.  I'd be down to studs and no running water in no time while the dogs snored.  Perfect because the new washer and dryer still have not shown up so when I'm down at the river beating my clothes on a rock I can just jump in and take a cold bath.  I feel like I'm headed back in time and not forward; the house is winning....... again.   Just when I was hitting my stride the oldest called from Florida and requested a pick up at the airport.  She was bailing on the Florida trip and coming back to base camp.  Nooooooo......  so I finished up a few death cleaning projects and set my alarm to head to the airport at 11:30 pm 

But wait...... flight delayed it will be more like 12:30 am.  The night bus arrived at Platform 9 3/4 right on schedule at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Picking up the stranded witch or wizard for 11 sickles and returning her to the Leaky Cauldron.  There were angry muggles everywhere!  People, it's 12:30 am be nice or eat a donut!  Carnage...... Cleveland we can do better!  be nice! 

Then the other kid texted, Frontier had just up and cancelled her flight back to Fort Collins.  OK airlines WTF?  I don't fly.  I don't like going through security because I am a smart ass and say things like: don't forget to check for the bomb in my thong, asshole.  Nobody has a sense of humor anymore.  Honestly having your flight completely cancelled thousands of miles from home would have me postal and nobody would be laughing. Free flight points or trips to the lounge revoked and you ma'am are on the "Do Not Fly List".  and I would say thank you!  Drinking would be happening.  Hey and what about this guy Pete Buttigieg?  You know the director of transportation for the entire country, that guy?  I live in OHIO, he finally showed up for the February 3rd train derailment in Palestine on February 23rd, probably too many toxic chemicals.   

How would I fix all these broken systems?  What broken systems you might ask?   Pick one!  Transportation, Schools, Healthcare, Toxic Waste, THE FED, etc  Get a few Mom's on these boards who wrangle a couple kids on fixed income everyday! We are talking peanut butter sandwich and white bread Moms who work for a living.  Better have a coupon or a BOGO when you show up for the that board meeting.  Whaaaat, you left 152 people stranded in Arizona?  I revoke all your gold stars and flight hubs and give them to the neighbor kid until you get your ass back in the saddle and say you're sorry.  Hey and toss in a free drink or massage on your next flight ...... like if you're ever flying again.  I like the reward system.  If you screw over 100 people there should be ramifications!  If you sit in an airport or hospital emergency room more than an hour there should be penalties.  If you put trusting peoples money in junk bonds but give all your employees bonuses before your bank goes bust, your big ass bonus is revoked and given to the guy who couldn't make payroll, you know the people he employees, I think they are called the "little people" or collateral damage.  Ask Putin for tips on collateral damage and there is a vile human out of control who seriously needs a trip to the woodshed.  

The schools?  We are fucked if we can't fund education.  End of story, end of democracy.  Our democracy is looking more like democrazy these days.  

Yes, I'm on a rant but the lunatics are running the asylum again, it's happened before in history and it never turns out well. 

 

This month of March, show fees are due, the National Clay Conference is in full swing tomorrow, and I'm trying to work stuff out in the studio and life in general.  What does one make during these uncertain times?  I will barter fermenting jars for grass fed milk; goat, cow or other cloven hoofed animals.  I look at the headlines every morning and every morning it's another train wreck, stock crash, bank failure, climate change or mass shooting.  I go to the grocery store and have sticker shock.  I am trying to look at the big picture.  Are we feeling good about any of it?  And it's blizzard out and I have daylight savings time adjustment issues.  Crank up the violins I'm having a day here........  

I'm running down to Cinncinati in the morning for the opening at the Clay Conference and meet up with a few friends then back home by Wed. night.  My attention this year is more garden and food related.  I am sick of the grocery store madness and maybe just maybe, home cooked and grown food will be cheaper than government subsidized crap wrapped in plastic and then double wrapped again.  

A lot happens in 10 days ......... 

in other news the chickens are laying and apparently the 17% protein in the feed is working on the chipmunks, I think they finally started laying.

otherwise known as a fairy egg :)