studio ponderings........

As I look at my schedule for the next few months I realize I better get to the library and pick up arm loads of books on CD.
Keeps me sane and the dog gets tired of my mindless babbling. As I looked through the rows and rows of books on CD searching for volume and not really concerned with the content, several jump off the shelf into my library bag.

I'm loaded and have trouble getting to the truck! The last batch of books I picked out were awful so hoping this group will be better! Racing back to the studio with my new haul. My hands slide into the bulging library bag and my fingers pluck out, "Einstein" by Walter Issacson, 18 CD's long. Whatever....... I pop in the first CD. While throwing pots I listen intently and start thinking, Do I really need to learn the Theory of Relativity? But I hang in there and start to enjoy the book. This book is not about relativity, it's about Einstein's life, foibles, genius and politics.

I work in the studio up to 12 hours a day this time of the year and this book took me a week to get through. Half way through the book I started making different pots....... could it be the "X" factor? Is it the book? Is it me listening to the book? Is it Einstein? Dunno but I am loving these new pots and the book!

There is a local blog I read daily on the town I live in. Some of the bloggers I find offensive, racist and just down right ignorant. Recently there has been a fire storm about the influx of the illegal Hispanic population "ruining" our town. I read some of the posts in disbelief, knowing some of these bloggers are my neighbors! Almost every single one of the bloggers posts anonymously. Today as the wheel spins and the clay takes shape I hear on the 17th CD, The Politics of Einstein. A history lesson of the WW1, WW2, the Prussians, the Jews, the Germans, the Americans, McCarthy era, etc etc etc...... and I am dumbstruck at the words I am hearing about the Jews during the war. It occurs to me I can substitute the word Hispanic for Jew in each and every passage of the book. I just read the exact words on the local blog. The words Hate and Fear spring to my mind. The book moves onto McCarthy and the witch hunts for communists in this country. Once again, the hair on the back of neck stands on end and I realize how perilously close we have come to another McCarthy witch hunt.

I don't know the answers but I know we better do a better job of teaching History in our schools or we will have another McCarthy era on our hands and we will our scratch our heads and wonder how in the world did this happen. Or even worse another Hitler...........

READ THIS BOOK!

Roll on Nimbus 2009!

Holy Schniky's what a week!

Rachael is rolling somewhere in Georgia......... I think! Seems hard to believe I have only been in the studio since Sept 8th.
It was mass panic to get the car loaded, a ga-zillion pots inventoried, invoices typed up, maps printed out, contact numbers and names jotted down and a huge batch of granola bagged and tossed into the car before it rolled out the driveway.

Every single pot in the studio was glazed fired and packed! Not one left behind. Spent Friday packing the car with the precision of a Sherpa packing for Mt. Everest. The dog was excited........ NOT going this time, go find your squeaky toy!

First stop: Louisville, KY. The Dohrman hostel. (Actually could be a 4 star B&B but since the Fab Dohrman boys were in town, I'm thinking a hostel.) While Rachael barreled down I-71 headed south, delivering, drinking & dancing her way through Louisville; I cleaned out the studio with a leaf blower and mopped the floor. Wedged out another 40# of clay and was ready to get those shelves filled again. Thank you, thank you, thank you; Dolita, Gene, Spencer, Justin and Gina!

Second Stop: Valdosta, GA. Kaleidoscope Gallery where she is meeting Faye and Jolie by 2:30 p.m. Re-packed and out of
Valdosta by 5:30 p.m. Checked out of the campground, toured the book stores and ate another banana and smoked herring.

On to the third stop & headed to Pass Christian, MS. Another potter has rolled out a guest room for her. Joanne, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Rachael, welcome to the tribe of potters, you will love us by the time you finish Pottery Tour 2009.
We ROCK!

The garden has been beckoning through my studio window as everything needs deadheading or cut back or is dead and believe me ...... MY PRUNERS ARE READY!! It's a time thing. The plants are begging for help, the dog is begging for a walk or pat on the head or just a darn good butt rub....... me too. But there are pots to make and miles to go before I can sleep.....
For now all walks commence at 7:15 p.m. and we are content to play spook the dog in the cemetery. We chase the deer..... well one of us does (that would be the two legged!) Walking this time of the year is dicey as the acorns & buckeyes have fallen, it's like walking on ball bearings. Then there are those gangs of street squirrels just having a hay day. Dog? Really, a big dog? Bring it on! We got giant nuts!!
The chipmunks are worse, they fill their pouches with my sunflower seeds and chirp back at me as they run to the wood pile. The stinky kitties are out in force too........ Really, don't want to see one more black and white nocturnal kitty headed to the bird feeder! I can smell you and know you're out there! and then there are those giant chickens pooping everywhere while headed south....... I yell as sliding through another pile....... DON'T COME BACK UNTIL SPRING! And by then I will be so happy to see them I will never remember my aching knees skidding down asphalt.

On the cold mornings, clutching a cup of coffee,stumbling down the back stairs I slam my butt onto the goose down chair in the back room. Flip on the news to hear about all the wonderful things that commenced while I slept...... but wait I can't hear the TV. There has been a cricket in the back room for two weeks! He is loud, he annoying and he sleeps under the dog bed & eats the dogs food. Crickets are not good luck! I have spilled coffee down my blue cheetah nighty trying to tap dance him to oblivion but still he remains. The dog seems unbothered by all this and snores away.
I give up, get another cup of coffee (which would explain why our Starbuck's account is on tilt) and go take a shower. This way if I spill coffee on myself it runs right off. Leaning against the shower wall sipping coffee and watching the steam curl out the ceiling fan I think about what I need to make in the studio today........ another morning before I head off to do what I love ........ spin clay into dust-ables.

Rachael drive safe and welcome to the world of wonderful potters!!
Thanx to everyone who has taken in the potters daughter, fed her, kept her safe and liquored her up!