Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Glazing pots, getting ready for a late October fire

Yesterday we spent most of the day working together to get many of the production pots and Christmas orders glazed.
Mark does the base and I pick up the top glazing.
When we do this, I can look back at the end of the day with some sense of satisfaction seeing all the work that is ready for the kiln.



 Today we both have some fussy pots to work on.
That means a bit more thought and a bit more work.
It will go slower.....

I don't know if you can see my writing on the pots, but I usually take a pencil and put a little code on the pieces. If I do this ahead then I don't have to think about them one by one later.
blk/walts
blk/wop
red/wop
blk/2ash
 Those pumpkins are going to tax my brain since I am still not sure about how I am going to do them.
Hummmm
later....
Lamp bases in blk/2ash.

 Mark has been working on tall lamps for the last 3 kiln loads.
 It is great to have them in the store when someone is ready for one or two right on the spot.
He, of course, will still take orders for custom sizes.
I don't know what his decision on these will be maybe red/wop.

 
Mark and I have become committed to walking in the mornings.
We have at least 3 different places we can go depending on the amount of time we can put in.
We find on the days that we are walking we need to get up a bit earlier in order to slam a coffee before we head out.
I am finding the morning darkness a bit harder on my mental abilities to go.
It is a test to go out while it is still dark to walk.
When we started this morning walking it was light before 6, then 6:30 and now it is not even light at 7.

You know it is easier to hide under the coves in the winter when it is cold and dark outside, this will be a challenge.

  I am collected seed heads off the volunteer marigolds.
These are amazing, so full and pretty. I think they grew better in the yard than they did in the raised bed last year. Of course this is what a wet, wet, wet spring and summer will get you.

 Its show time!
See ya'
M

14 comments:

Claudia from Idiot's Kitchen said...

I walk almost every day (just under 4 miles) and it is amazing what good it does for my brain and general outlook. Days like today where I don't get to walk, I tend to be cranky. That being said, I have an excuse to start a bit later than you since I have to give the cat his insulin at 7:30 every morning. I'm not sure I could be up and out the door in the dark.

Anna M. Branner said...

Getting up is the hardest part...well maybe stepping out the door into the cold darkness is even harder...

I am anxious to see how you glaze those pumpkins too!

Michèle Hastings said...

I don't know why, but the mornings seem darker than usual this year!
We had a volunteer tomato plant this year, it came up late and we let it do it's own natural thing. It is growing like a vine along the ground and it has about 30 tomatoes on it right now. I hope the frost doesn't get it while we are away.

Lori Buff said...

Pre-marking the pots is a great idea. I always tell students to do this, that way they will know the best, most efficient way to work when they are glazing.

Getting out of bed in the cold, dark is a challenge, you have to convince yourself that the walk, and possibly the sunrise will be worth it or start walking after work.

Linda Starr said...

pencil codes is a great idea, looking good, cold here but sunny, got our electric blanket out

cookingwithgas said...

Claudia, I admire that you walk that far. We are doing at least 35 minutes on short days and 45 on longer days. I don't know how many miles that is. I figure that it will all add up and it has to be better than what I was doing, which was NOTHING.

cookingwithgas said...

Anna- me too! they are giving me a FIT.

cookingwithgas said...

MH- if you want to you can pick those tomatoes and wrap them in newspaper or place them on cardboard to ripen.

cookingwithgas said...

Lori- it is a good tip for your students!

cookingwithgas said...

Linda- i have been thinking of you and your search for a house....

Sandy Miller said...

Rock'n the studio! So nice to see pots kiln ready! I'm getting there. So dark in the mornings here. This morning I had to turn the light on in the chicken coop and roust the chickens! Snowed this afternoon but headed out to walk now after a day on the wheel. Standing erect is a wonderful thing :)

Dennis Allen said...

I hear from a reliable source that it will be getting light earlier real soon.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

OH! CanNOT wait to see the pumpkins :)

cookingwithgas said...

Now someone has sucked out all the heat... boo walking...