Oh boy the holidays are coming…..

Hello Blog…… 

Update from Paine Falls…… the car has a magic button on the steering wheel you have to press exactly 4 times to make the weather alert stop.  Phew, now looking forward to winter again! 

Home today and it's a Monday.  Very odd not to be at work but as we all know the holidays are right around the corner so it's time to start construction.  It was supposed to be a small a job, again.  There is no such thing in an old house.  Everything morphs into dust, horsehair plaster, old growth sawdust filtering through the sunlight on this beautiful November day and softly landing in every crack, light fixture and glass surface.  It's makes the holiday season seem exponential festive.  I would never know any holiday is right around the corner if this house wasn't  in some sort of mayhem.  

It started at 8:00 am.

When we are done we have will have 7 new three pronged outlets, junction boxes and alert the chipmunks, new wiring!  This is the last of the wiring to be done in this house!  I am backwards counting to next Monday when the girls arrive from Colorado.  Hyper cleaning, cooking and steelhead fishing to come! 

Every room will need to be hosed down and linens washed.  I just wrote, wash me, on the upstairs bathroom sink, in the dust.  My dear husband felt this was so import ……. I'm not sure why as we have lived here 30 years.  The mystery of marriage. 

The studio is busy!  Firings are going pretty well.  

I have decided to photograph this work tonight and get it up on the website.  Somewhere in cyberspace is an esty account with my name on it, I am contemplating resurrecting it.  Still on the fence over that decision but I have a lot of pots at the moment…… 

There are alway some surprises.  The warping on this platter is ridiculous! 

This is a first for me, have never had a platter warp to this extent.  It's Standard 211, which I have been using about a year now.  It's ok, not thrilled with the clay body but the supplier is right down the road and it was easy to get. It does throw well. 

 Our local supplier just started carrying Laguna clay so I am onto testing Laguna 614 and 612.  We will see……. 

On the white clay body, I have abandoned my old Standard 240 white stoneware for Tucker Mid Smooth Stoneware.  It throws like a dream and I had used it 10 years ago but could never plan ahead enough until I was down to my last box and then hit the panic button.  The supplier was right down the road and thought I really did not want to abandon the Tucker stoneware, Standard fit my lifestyle and I made it work.   Well it's been ten years I guess I have matured a bit and think I can plan ahead so I'm back with Tucker. Everybody stop laughing….. 

 Love the company and the clay loves my glazes.

Lots of changes in the studio….. 

Love, love, love the end of a cycle!  The glazing is pretty much done, the messes has been made!

When one cycle ends it's pretty hard to start another one without a good super clean! 

Today was the day.  After loosing control in the house I thought I could gain control in the studio, Break out the mops, music and disco ball! 

And yes it's that time of the year…. Honey pots, jam pots, pate' dishes, batter bowls 

and the utensils to go with everything.  Tie a good recipe on the handle, pair it with the proper pot and it's a nice gift.  These little things sure help sell pots! 

The weather here for November has been just stellar!  I have 5 raku pots that have been waiting on my table for a year.  I see them every time I walk in the studio.  My raku kilns are right out the back door, burners are right there and ready to be hooked up to the tanks.  Three tanks, I need three tanks.  Last year I bought three new tanks because mine were expired.  I store them next to the kiln with a plastic pail over the nozzle and out of the elements.  I can fire at a moments notice!  Unless your other half uses one on the grill and takes the other one to his sister to grill hot dogs.  Really?  Another mystery of marriage and one he could die from…..  

Between tearing up the house for more electricity and now absconding with my propane tanks his stocking is going to be full of coal! 

And if you are still reading…… I tasted the sauerkraut!  I watched it on the sink and it watched me.  It bubbled and fermented away.  On the 5th day I couldn't stand it any more and put it in the fridge.  Every morning in the dark kitchen I opened the refrigerator door and it was like a religious experience.  The blinding light would pour forth and instead of the milk I would see two quarts of sauerkraut.  I couldn't bring myself to eat it.  Too many childhood memories…. Sunday I downed my coffee and thought;  Don't smell it just taste it.  I took a small fork full from the middle of the jar, held my nose and ate it.  OMG!  It was delicious!  I couldn't believe it!  Butch walked in and I said: Hey, wanna taste the sauerkraut?  It has microbes for your gut!  He looked at me funny because he had been watching this stuff on the counter too.  Just taste it!  He did and said;  This is not sauerkraut because I like it!  

So we both really like this stuff and now I am making Kraut Crocks with weights and lids so I don't need to see it bubbling.  Think I'll try carrots next…… and yes, always the pickles!!

How much sauerkraut can one eat before one eats too much.  The power has been out in the house all day and so far I've had my bowl of Raisin Bran for breakfast, a half quart of sauerkraut and an apple with peanut butter.  Do you see where this is going….  Thank god it's the electricity that's out and not the plumbing!