Where are we going and how do we get there?

 

On a snowy, cold, icy Friday morning, I made it down to see Dr. Mike.  The parking lot was covered in ice and snow and thought wow here is some job security for all the orthopedic guys in this building.  Every single handicapped space was taken and I watched seriously hobbled folks trying to maneuver across the parking lot, which is also on an incline.  Go with God tottering people of the impaired.  I quickly realized it was busy season due to skiing accidents, icy sidewalks and general mayhem.  People Yak Trax are your savior, delivering you from the crash and burn of this treacherous parking lot.  Unless you're a skier and then all bets are off!

Filled out obligatory paperwork, filed insurance card, and waited.

  

10 points because I was seen 10 minutes early and once in the room, very short wait, did an in depth interview with his assistant. She is on my plus list as she has chickens.  It's not a very high bar to get on my plus list but chickens will take you to the top of the list pretty quick.  

She said wait right here, returned with the dreaded paper shorts.  Struggled to get off the boots, the jeans, long johns, coat, over coat, and other layers and the lovely Tiffany Blue paper shorts on.  I marveled at the mound of insulation as I leaned against the table.  A knock at the door and a jovial guy in a mask entered and said; We are off to X-ray.  They do everything in house. Yay! But honestly, walking around the halls waving at people in blue paper shorts is not on my bucket list!  Pictures of both knees and walked back to the "room" smiling and waving and wanting to die.  Thought oh this is gonna be awhile because they need to develop the x-rays.  That is how long it's been since I had an x-ray!   Dr Mike was in the door in under 5 minutes and the x-rays were already loaded on his computer.  Awesome, because my mind tends to go down a very dark tunnel if there is much waiting involved.  

No breaks but torn meniscus.  Then he showed me the other knee.  Pain?  Sometimes.  Really?  Your right knee is bone on bone where there should be a the lateral meniscus.  Oh well that is the one they worked on in 2014 and I'm not thrilled with how that turned out so I would like to avoid surgery at all cost on this leg.  Back to the injured knee. Poking, prodding, no pain, to scrap me off the ceiling pain and do not touch that again! 

So torn meniscus and a hyper extended hamstring on the back of the knee that sends me to the moon if you touch it!  We agree to no surgery and instead physical therapy and something called dry needling.  And doesn't that sound like ball of fun?  

Turns out the bike is the best thing I could do for this injury and I can still keep spinning.  Although instead of all at once; 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.  I will be touring English gardens for an hour a day on YouTube.  Gave me a bunch of exercises to do twice a day and after two days this now feels like a full time job.  

And for a person who hates leaving this compound I will now be traveling to physical therapy twice a week for a month and then we will re-access and see where we go.  

I'll wave be waving....... 

 

The Gift that just keeps giving.......January

 

After coming off the colonoscopy fun I thought I was home free.  Dragged out the garden plot, seed catalogs, seed inventory list, also big plans in the studio, garden plants on the hit list and on and on.  Amazing what a clean bill of health will do for future plans.  All in all things were looking up!

 The day after the "procedure" I was pretty wiped out.  On Wednesday I sat down to take notes on starting microgreens in the studio via YouTube and promptly fell asleep.  Woke up with my hip and knee at weird angle, tried to get up and limped to the kitchen for coffee.  Dammit, now what?!  Hobbled around for a day and called the chiropractor because I have stuff to do!  She had a cancellation, could I be there in 45 minutes?  Vroom...... adjusted, leg and hip were better and went to work in the studio.  

Thursday, back too limping and decided to hop on the bike.  My bike fixes just about everything, it's my "go to" when my body is flailing around.  Friday morning back on the bike, watched BBC gardening shows and back out to the studio to finish up an order.  3pm ran in the house to shower and change for an opening in Cleveland.  Van was loaded with boxes and wrapping paper for people to pick up their purchases.  Hit the steps and see old Kirby tossed his kibble on the landing.  Ack! 

Had a cup of hot coffee with me so when I hit the landing I pivoted to run back down and pick up a bucket and towels to clean up the mess.  

The last thing thing I saw before I heard the crack....

My knee and leg buckled after the crack, hot coffee doused the wall and I slid through the semi-digested kibble as I careened down the a flight of stairs.  I laid at the bottom, scalded, slimed and doing a body check.  Ahhhhh my annual bone density test.  Didn't feel like anything was broken but my knee was screaming and what was that crack before I feel?  It woke the dog up because now he was standing over me, CPR? Wanna play, got anything to eat?  For the first time in my life I had my phone in my pocket!  Called Mr Potter and no answer, left a message.  5 minutes went by and I called again, left another message.  OK it's you and me Kirbs.... but Kirby had already returned to the second floor and was napping, not Lassie and Timmy really is in the well! 

Got to my butt on the first step and onto to my feet.  Holy ouch!  Called the gallery, not coming, apologies.  Finally Mr Potter called, he just got the message and he was heading home or should he call emergency.  Nope I am OK!  Besides who has time to wait 4-8 hours just to be seen by a Dr at ER.  

this could be me.....

So the weekend was a figuring out of what I could and couldn't do.  I made it back to the studio as my upper body was still intact; trimmed a bunch of pots and carved a bunch of pots.  Thankful I didn't have kick wheel..... although I might have yelled Klopfenstein when I was in free fall.

an original  Klopfenstein kick wheel made in Mansfield Ohio long ago......

By Monday I had enough limping around and pretty sick and tired of the whole incident.  Also by Monday I realized my other knee was a mess, my back wasn't the best and I had more blooming bruises than I could count.  So I hopped on the bike.  If it hurt I could bail and wait to see the Orthopedic Dr, who wasn't available until Friday, seven days away.   I have bike shoes, you are clamped onto the pedal so you and the bike are "ONE".  I grew up on a bike and really can't ride a bike without them, my feet fly off the pedals.  So off I pedaled while touring English gardens with Carol Klein on youtube.  After 40 minutes it felt pretty good; until I had to twist my foot off the pedal to release the damn shoe.  Stuck again.  I sat there for minutes and just started laughing because stick a fork me I am so done.  Finally bent down unvelcro-ed the shoe, eased my foot out and got off the bike.  Ok, no twisting, pivoting or jumping up and down.  

Back to youtube to see if anybody posted any videos on knee pain.  To my absolute amazement the amount of content on knee pain was mind numbing!  Some are from crazy people but then I found the "Sports Injury Physio" channel, an online group of sports physiotherapists providing researched based advice for injury.  While I rode my bike I got an anatomy lesson on the knee joint and all the things that can happen, how and why.  Really great information and explained why I could ride the bike but not kick my shoes off.  Also perfect to get me to Fridays appointment with the orthopedist.  Sounds like I tore a meniscus but that is just my uneducated youtube guess.  During the pandemic so many sports therapy groups turned to YouTube because offices were shut down and facilities.  They have come up with some pretty inventive ways to keep you in physiotherapy while on lock down! 

Kind of over January and hoping February will be a bit kinder and gentler.  Just heard we can now get N95 masks free, myself I will looking for the pedestrian airbag! 

Living large for Valentine's Day and my fingers are crossed for Friday as they are one of the body parts still working. 

Hit the ground running....... hello January!

I love January!  The desolation is wonderful; the wildlife move back and the humans are holed up in holiday food coma.  I try to get to the beach as often as possible, Kirby is grateful for January too. 

 

So much has transpired since last posting!   January is a month I try to get my ever growing "to-do" list wrangled back into something I can live with.  Clean the studio, order clay and go pick it up, annual taxes, sales tax, colonoscopy....... ya finally did that little trip.  Tried to get in right before covid hit two years ago and well we all know that story.  Then garden season hit and then show season hit and knowing my family history and my age that little voice became louder and louder about 1 AM.  So I called ....... kill me.   I have a chiropractor who has kept me vertical for 40 years.  I almost never get sick and then it's just sniffles and a day in bed takes me back to GO.  We are very lucky, I think.  

My Dad was hypochondriac and my Mom was the opposite. "you know they start poking around, they're just gonna find something."  And my Dad who drank Metamucil like Koolaid would just shake his head while she muttered under her breath:  Jesus Christ, his gonna shit himself to death.  I am a happy blend of both. 

As two years passed and that nagging voice kept yelling at me in the middle of night I was pretty sure I would be told I had terminal colon cancer, go home and put your affairs in order and we will see you on the flip side.  Yup, that is exactly where I was, so when I had my video consultation with the butt scope guy I had pretty much resigned myself to death.  The consult lasted 10 minutes, on a Friday afternoon, he was matter of fact, prescribed a "new and much better PREP", and see you on Tuesday at the clinic.  OH, Ms Miller, would you be interested in our research study?  Will it help to eliminate colonoscopies?  Perhaps.  OK I'm in.  During the call I explained I didn't eat the traditional 'merican diet of cheese, meat, fat and white bread and ate pretty clean......... except at the holidays.  So he prescribed some stuff called Su-Tabs.   Never heard of it but it was supposed to be so much better that drinking gallons of the other stuff. 

The research lab called me right away and seemed surprised I would volunteer.  You need to give blood.  Fine.  I do home renovation and garden, I give blood regularly.  Well since this is your first colonoscopy your are eligible for 3 studies.  Can you come in Monday at 8:30 am.  Sure!  Monday morning I ran up, gave 11 vials of blood, brought home a cologuard test and picked up the prescription for Su-Tabs.  When I got there she said; We found 4 other studies you qualify for.  Cool!  I would participate no matter what because I have kids and we have a family history of polyps and cancer.  Told the tech.  I want my kids to go to a drive thru;  Here sit on this and download the app.  we'll be in touch in 5 minutes.  My hope for the future and anybody who has family history.  Both arms punched, blood drawn, poop in a can and she gave me something called a clinic card with $750.  WHAAAAT?    WHAT IS THIS FOR?  My van has bumperstickers (more than one) that state loud and clear: "I BELIEVE IN SCIENCE"  The more data you have the quicker we can move this forward.  The tech said they need 125,000 people to participate and they have a hard time finding people to participate!  They thought money would be a good a motivator.  Are you kidding me?  How about your kids might be able to get a blood test to find out if they had the DNA linked to certain cancers?  I asked the tech; so science is taking a hit, even here?  She confirmed.  

 I just don't get it.  However I took the money and bought a new phone.  I had been using a hot spot and a crappy old phone that really didn't work; gonna be a game changer.  

Anyone contemplating a first time colonoscopy I don't think I'd take Su-Tabs.  First off, as I don't do Dr's and medical stuff and I don't have a GP Dr.  this was mind numbingly terrifying.  I had a midwife to deliver my babies and my labor was 10 minutes on the first and 20 minutes on the second ( and I wanted to know what was taking so long!).  Kids were born at dawn and I was home for lunch.  I hate all this stuff! 

Monday night with bruised arms, I downed 12 large pills and drank 16 oz of water.  Waited 20 minutes drank another 16 oz. Waited another 30 minutes and drank another 16 oz of water and waited and waited and waited and googled.

while drinking I decided to read the pamphlet that came with the new and improved PREP.

 ALARM!

and so here is how it went.......

I am here now......... nothing to eat since Sunday night and scheduled for colonoscopy at 2:30 pm on Tuesday.  I am so sick I can't even talk right now.  This is the new and improved stuff, Bullshit.  Took 12 pills at 5 pm.  was supposed to kick in by 7 or 8 pm.  Well it sort of kicked in at 1:15 am... I have been up all night, bloated, chills, nausea, headache.  Took a hot shower, got on my bike at 2 am and rode like the wind for 30 minutes.  Drank hot tea, drank hot water 5 glasses.  Collapsed on the bathroom floor at 5:15 am.  Crawled downstairs at 7 am to take another 12 pills and mandatory 16 oz. of water while Kirby danced at the back door.  Suited up in hat, boots, gloves, goose down parka and rain slicker because it was -1 at 7 am.  On the way back to let the chickens out and give Kirby his morning toot I promptly threw up in the fire pit.  Hmmm no white pills just water and an awful acid taste.  Let the chickens out, Kirby face skied all over the backyard while I puked again and even better shit my pants.  I just stood there, looked up at the moon and said; Take me.  Wrangled the dog back in the house, fed the dog and ran up to burn my clothes and shower.   So on a -1 day in January I was sitting on the crapper and puking into a trash can while my clothes laid in a pile staring back at me.  Honestly I have no words but death was looking real good!  

Butch came home and drove me up to the clinic I prepared for I don't know what but wished I had eaten a handful of glitter before this butt scope!  If you're gonna die go out with sprinkles.  The one saving grace of all this......... they let me keep my alpaca socks on.  Rolled me in, I passed out and woke up 20 minutes later with a clean bill of health.  

Two years of stress just disappeared.  There were projects I had put off that are now viable.  And I have a new phone to record everything! 

Back on my bike 40 minutes everyday, filling a couple orders and I'm sitting here in our first winter storm with the wood stove burping and the coffee is hot.  The taxes are done (as I was sure I was dying).  

 Best news, I don't need to go back for 10 years and I hope it's a drive thru with an app! 

January just sort of sucks sometimes....... 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....... ding dong.......

 

Not my favorite brand but will do in a pinch! It is the holiday season and if you have read this blog for any length of time you know how feel about the holidays....... wake me when they are over or self medicate.  

This year is a bit different as the weather is warm, scary warm, but we are taking full advantage. 

Christmas Eve was outstanding!

We did miss the annual snowbanks to chill our drinks AND what has happened to the tradition of using the porch as a second "fridge" when storing leftovers from Christmas dinner?  This year it's no longer possible or safe with temps reaching 50' and 60's routinely.  Why is the sweet potato casserole fizzy and bubbling?  

Had the last call for mugs on Christmas Eve morning, referred her to a gallery, the studio is on break, I'm baking cookies!  I made the mistake of asking the head elf what kind of cookies he wanted this year.  He said; CUT OUT COOKIES, DECORATED!  Before I could say, NO; he walked out the door to work and waved as he backed out the driveway.  

Are you kidding, nobody has time for cut out cookies this time of the year and decorated? BaHahahahaha!  I grabbed my car keys at 7:30 am and ran to 4, yes 4 local bakeries!  Not a cut out cookie was to be found.  I returned home around noon empty handed.  Sitting down to dig thorough a dusty recipe box.  A hand printed card in blue ink was tucked in the cookie file (dated 11/79 over 40 years ago!)  a note at the end of the recipe had three red letters PIA!  (code for Pain in the Ass)  Had the royal icing recipe too.  I hate royal icing, but then these cookies could sit on the counter for months.  These cookies took me two days!  Told the head elf to keep one for posterity because I am never making these cookies again and next year, call a girl scout!  Wait, they don't even have cut out cookies!  And they taste like sawdust, IMHO but every night he cheerfully opens the the cookie jar and rations out one cookie for after dinner coffee.  Bless him but never ever again!  I used to make 12 - 20 different types of cookies in my hey day of baking frenzy, I have all my lists and can't believe I used to do this.  Those days are gone and over, pass the carrots and broccoli!   

Making cookies reminded me of the other "Most Wonderful Time of the Year" 

I love the logo!

Victor

  "Outsmarting rodents since 1898"

That's a lot of finger snapped since 1898 and how many swear words uttered on a not so silent night! 

But alas the basement has been swept clean and the feral cats must be getting old as it was a massacre the first round.  Happy to report, this mornings check yielded no lives lost and my fingers are safe today! 

Christmas is just a hurdle endured until we can resume indoor sports.  

Here we go again, insert maniacal laughing.

When I put the kitchen together I failed to put an outlet between the stove and the fridge.  Thought it would be a grand time to move the stove, check for random living things and crusts of bread.  Happy to report only cobwebs this year!  Winning!  I have an unused outlet back in the dark nether regions.  Dug out a few tools; drill, bits, hole saw to drill through the cabinet, screws, screw driver, should be pretty easy, 45 minutes tops.  

Three hours later......... the leg fell off the stove due to pushing it in and out one too many times.  Forgot a flashlight, got the wrong screws to fit the power strip and then hunting for the vise grips and several blocks of wood to prop up the stove while I adjusted the broken leg.  Never did find the proper blocks of wood and decided not to haul out the chop saw because that would lead to other projects, many projects.  And that my friends is the true Christmas miracle! That sanity took hold before I dug out all the big guns and a cloud of sawdust settled over the decorations and those damn cookies.  

Thankfully, years ago my Dad welded a stainless steel roasting pan for the Christmas beast, it weighs 10 pounds and an elephant could sit on.  

Flipping it upside down, I picked up the edge of the stove and slide the pan under with one foot.  I will be joining the circus if I can stand erect after this home project. 

 And let's discuss my assistant who is very good and standing on the toe of my shoe while I am on my knees searching for the screw that fell to the floor and rolled under the refrigerator, taking us both down.  Yup, there we were gatoring on the kitchen floor. 

The power strip also had 3 USB ports so now I have a hidden charging station.  I will build a drawer for that stuff later but this cleared a very cluttered counter! 

I don't know if he's looking for screws or cookies for doing such a great job as my assistant. 

Three hours later the stove was level, the power strip and charging station were installed and I was calling the chiropractor. 

But all in all it is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!  

There is time for hiking, reading, garden plans and just plain old sitting....... 

 

Mauled by Humanity..........

 It is 4 pm on Sunday afternoon.  A pilgrimage to the grocery store was in order ...... why? Because pineapple was on sale for .99 each, I have a food dehydrator also out of earl grey tea and sardines in olive oil and lemon juice.  I have not been out to a grocery store in awhile, things were looking bleak in the pantry.  My knight in shining armor was on the ladder hanging Christmas lights, another reason to leave the compound.  

I went to three stores looking for TAZO Earl Grey tea, it's the only one that takes to me a happy place around 8 pm at night.  I was zipping along pretty well....... until the third big box store, Giant Eagle.  I almost never go to this store except to fill my van with gas.  They play the points game and right now I have .40 cents off a gallon of gas because Butch fills his car for work and he gets points, lots of points.  I get to use the points when I fill up my van which holds 16 gallons of gas.  The van averages 28-33 mpg.  Even if the van happened to be on fumes I would only save $6.40.  I use a tank of gas every 4-5 weeks (I don't drive much because I live in the studio, kitchen and garden)  Six dollars and 40 cents for the month! Even if I saved $12.80,  I'm done! After shopping at the huge Giant Eagle for over 30 years I am done. Giant Eagle is based out of Pittsburgh and I hate them, I hated them 30 years ago and hate them even more today, indeed after today my hatred is beyond words.  I picked up a box of tea (not Earl Grey, they were out) one pound of cod, and two .99 pineapples.  They did not have the express lane open for people with 12 items or less so I perused the lines with carts piled high with the Christmas beast, yams, flowers and cans of cranberry sauce.  I spied a line that was moving along and jumped behind a woman wearing this: 

and a red Christmas sweatshirt with ornaments attached.  Should have been a red flag but it was festive and I was salmon swimming upstream.   On the belt she had two gift cards for Target, and more sugar than I could ever heave on the belt, tubs of ice cream, marshmallows, many bags of chocolate chips, crisco, and cat food.  ALL OF THESE ARE RED FLAGS, DO NOT GET BEHIND THIS WOMAN.  She totaled out at $117.00  OK I have never spent $117 at the grocery store, ever.  There was not a speck of green veg or protein or any living thing or had been living at one time, on that belt.  And then it happens....... Giant Eagle no longer allows their check out personnel to handle cash.  Your cash must be fed into a slot at knee level, not eye level.  It's black metal and pretty invisible.  What idiot thinks this is a grand idea and everybody else on the board says WHOA we should do it.  They want you to use bitcoin or plastic, anything but cash. What happened to cash it king?  My Dad always said; Cash is King and take care of your tools. 

That black box sometimes spits at you if it doesn't like the bill you fed into the little slot, you can shove that bill in the slot a hundred times and the machine spits it right back at your knees.  You are bent over like you are harvesting rice or working the fields. 

This woman proceeds to pay her $117.00 bill with ONE DOLLAR BILLS, one hundred and seventeen, one dollar bills!  She was bent over so long she started sweating.  She had sweat rolling down her temples and I expected the green blinking lights to short out and she would just pass out but noooooo!  The green blinking tinsel hat began falling over eyes and she kept missing the slot.  Then she was festively swearing and muttering; who's stupid idea was this?  Well I was ready to light the hat on fire with the BIC Christmas Stick lighter right there in front of me at checkout!  Might want to rethink that product  placement Giant Eagle.  The checkout kid packing bags looked around the corner and did a pretty big eye roll above his mask.  I slowly loaded invisible bullets into the thumb of my hand gun and placed it to my temple, he laughed out loud.  The people behind me just kept sighing, loudly; loudly enough for Santa to hear at the North Pole.  And then the check out girl said; OMG while she cracked her gum.  I was ready to high five her.  I thought; should I jump in and help but the dollars kept spitting back out.  Then when the swearing started I backed away.  I am a coward.  Lady do ya have a $20? I think the machine is having a heart attack.  After an eternity she whipped out a credit card and paid off the remaining $52 on her credit card.  Yelling at the poor check out kid; I HAVE NEVER PUT GROCERIES ON A CREDIT CARD IN ALL MY LIFE!  

I made it, I survived. I felt mauled.  I wished the kids behind the check out, Merry Christmas and followed Mrs Potty Mouth Christmas to the parking lot.  She got in a huge shiny new pick up truck and peeled out of the parking lot.  

While I was in line waiting I had time to look around at "stuff". We have lost our minds.  There was wardrobe for your dogs clothes.  I am not kidding!  Look at this! 

and don't forget the little doggie hangers.

And can we talk about the chicken people?  In my email this morning. 

"How does your flock inspire you to decorate?" 

How about a frying pan? 

and there is a cream cheese shortage....... that is it, we are doomed!@ 

I just ordered tea, a case of canned tuna and sardines on Amazon, it will be on my porch Monday as I am self grounding.

Merry Christmas..... 

  

Can we "Holiday" yet....... NO!

This time of the year I think crafts people are in perpetual motion.  Get out of bed, make coffee, take care of needy things and trip to the studio at dark thirty.  It's been like this for over 35 years and you would think we would have figured stuff out by now.  Never gonna happen, at least not here in the land of illusion. 

Holiday Tip #1

Worried about cleaning? No need to clean those pesky cobwebs out of the corners, turn on that summer fan you never put away and toss some glitter in the air!  You my friend are decorated!  You're welcome! 

In my effort to go gluten free and failing I am now just eating the whipped cream I made to go on the gluten free cobbler.  Throw the cobbler soup out and just eat the whipped cream.  Well there is time saver.  

Rachael arrived from the frozen tundra of Alaska just in time for Thanksgiving!  WOO HOO!  We phoned and texted voraciously before she arrived!  She was bringing her running shoes and I was making salad.  I texted back, I am massaging the kale right now!  Oh such happy thoughts.... 

 I picked her up at the airport and the Midwest phenomenon happened.  Do you have cheese?  Where's the lard?  Oh I need to pick up maple syrup and can we make nisua?  (Finnish sweet bread filled with butter, sugar, milk and white flour, ya it's the Finnish Paleo life for us)  We toured museums, botanical gardens, ran to the land of bonnets and buggies (Amish holy land, Middlefield, OH).  We bought cheese, smoked meats, jerky, maple syrup, honey.... and those running shoes were but a distant memory.  And then she said; make the coconut cake..... NO, not the coconut cake.  We were all in and it was GOOD! and then I burned the recipe because no one should ever eat this cake, ever! 

She packed her bag and took an additional suitcase filled with Midwest goodness (fat), including the cake and loaves of  nisua.  I had visions of the poor drug sniffing dogs going over her suitcase at checkin.  At the airport while waiting on security, a woman in front her was carrying a cake carrier and just like that she had a new BFF.  She and her cake were going to Maryland and did you know it was National Cake Day?  Who knew?

And in return Rachael gifted us Alaskan salmon and halibut, 50 glorious pounds.  

We're gonna live!!

While Rachael was here, Santa Abby had my early Christmas present arrive.  An 8 quart Instant Pot. 

Do I need another addition onto the kitchen?  Holy Huge!  After much texting and discussion, returned for a 6 quart model.  It fits, no addition required.  

Ok I was really on the fence about this thing.  I am down sizing and do not need one more plug in appliance.  While Rachael was here she extolled the virtue of this "magical new thing you really need". 

It arrived the day before she flew out.  As it had an air fryer lid, we made bacon.  (shocking, I know)  

and I decided I kind of liked it because it kept all the mess in one place and one pot!  I started watching youtube's and there are people with an army of Instant Pots because apparently it is a cult.  I have used it everyday, really everyday.  If I don't embrace it for 30 days it will be shoved to a dark recess and forgotten.  I've made the best soft boiled eggs, sweet potatoes, slow cooked stuff, fast cooked stuff, air fried everything I could think of and it dehydrates small stuff.  The day I dusted the stove it earned a place in my kitchen!  

The old crock pot is now in the studio, warming throwing water and the giant air fryer that sat on the counter is gone!  Two gone, replaced one; I guess that is downsizing.  

And it's always happy to see me!  

Hi! Back at'cha Instant Pot! (I know its the temperature but again leave me my illusions!)

And it's a time saver, because life is just chaos at the moment. 

two more shows checked off the list...

Delivering orders and now calling myself Uber Ceramics.

But stuff is getting done and there is a light at the end of the tunnel and there is one more week of this chaos and then we can HOLIDAY!  (because it is a verb in this house!) 

and Kirby is living his best life 💞

and above all else when your adrift in a sea of orders and people who order and insist they must have it before Christmas for their dear Mom or BFF and then....... don't get back to you, they ghost you, won't even let you know they moved or died or choked on a candy cane, impaled while loading the Christmas tree in their Volvo..... well 

I think I'm on spin dry.........

   This year has flown by, just like those long departed bluebird fledglings.  

It's time to blow the cobwebs off my keyboard, dig through the pile on my desk and plug into the world of blogging again.  It's dark-thirty, the snow is piling up, the coffee is hot and morning news sucks, hello bloggers. 

 I have spent more time in the studio than the garden this year.  Left the compound a few times but not many.

The view is great and nobody talks back around here.

It was a hot, humid, dry summer.  The mosquitos were out for blood, not even a fan kept them away.  I noticed the dragonflies disappeared mid July.  I didn't think too much about it until I read an article:

Male Dragonflies loose wing color due to warming climate

Dragonflies can't find each other, cannot mate, the mosquitos have a party and I need a transfusion.   

And so went July, August and most of September.  

The great thing about gardening, you can walk away for periods of time and plants still grow.  If you mulched well in the Spring and your soil has loads of compost to retain moisture, it will carry on without a meddling gardener.  So the back garden turned into the little shop of horrors and carried on.  It still made an abundance of food too, gardens are amazing.  

The chickens didn't seem to mind.  Our evening free range was a bit uncomfortable for one us though.

I tried to stay on the compound and MYOB, I really did.  Working in the studio I noticed flowers moving around sporadically with little wind.  Then a hummingbird disappeared as an orange clawed paw slapped the tiny hummingbird out of paradise.  I ran out with the squirt gun and sprayed the offending cat and stared at a pile of feathers and one tiny leg.  God nature sucks sometimes.  The cat is doing what cats do and the hummingbird is doing what hummingbirds do but seriously; come on nature.  I pondered this the rest of the day in the studio.  What are my options with the offending killer cat?  Cats are pretty smart and I did mange to keep them out of the back garden with an electric fence that also worked for deer.  So I dug out my old electric fence thingy.  Strung up 20' of electric fence, close to the ground and flicked the on switch.   

It did not take long and the bird slayer got a tiny little electric kiss.  And there happened to be three more bird slayers!  A grey one and a black and white cat.  Argh!  Honestly this is a huge problem. 

Cats decimate bird populations  (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) 

There was no screaming or dramatics, the cats just jumped back and walked away, never to return. 

Ok before anyone calls PETA let me explain my choice of cat deterrent.  Guns are not allowed to be discharged in the city limits although you are allowed to open carry, poison is just to horrible for words and besides I have zapped myself on this fence more times than I care to admit and it's like being snapped with a rubberband shooting out blue sparks. I swear and walk away.  If a cat could swear I am sure it would.  IMHO, it was the lesser of all evils.  And it took one encounter and the offenders were gone.  Hummingbirds carried on, bees were happy and I was very happy watching nature from my studio window.  

Until a certified letter showed up in my mailbox a week later.......  I had been turned into the city for an electric fence violation by my neighbor!  The inspector would be out in two weeks to see if I had removed the offending fence or face a stiff financial penalty.  

OK I had to calm myself down before I called the city inspector to explain what was going on and HEY!  Why couldn't the neighbor just walk over and say; whats with the electric fence?  Inspector said he runs his lawn mower over there and was worried about getting electrocuted........ only on a good day sir! 

So I unplugged it the day before the inspector arrived but left it up as a reminder to the cats.  

AND THEN ....... he was out mowing his grass and screamed; YOU'RE A CHICKEN LOVER AND THEY BETTER NOT COME IN MY YARD.  Ok so my neighbor is a pycho and I tried to play nice but a "chicken lover".  Gloves off asshole!  I now understand the Rand Paul incident; Rand Paul attacked by neighbor

So every night for an hour I battled the mosquitos while the chickens free ranged and I wrangled them; mosquito netting and squirt bottle.

I have dropped down a very dark hole of moats filled with alligators, a border of bamboo fill with poison ivy, sniper towers, invasive species..... I have all winter to contemplate my next fence move; probably hot pink with motion sensor flood lights pointed at his bedroom and maybe a siren or two.  High enough to block the sun.  Or maybe I will collect all the old artificial Christmas trees people toss after the holidays and use those for a fence, string them with lights you can see from space.  Or sit in my lawn chair with a gun strapped to my hip facing his house........ because that is also legal, I just can't fire it.  Anybody think we have hit a level insanity yet?  

We had the property surveyed and little pink flags went up.  Now we know where the property line really is and I now know that razor wire is also illegal.  But hey let the games begin. 

Ok I need to go pack for a show tonight and get some glazing done.  

Happy Fall everybody

Sebastian, a very well behaved cat, adopted and living his best life in an apartment with Abby in the mountains of Colorado.