Jam

I be jammin in the kitchen.
I don't can as much as I use to, but I still make jam and jelly.
Last year we ran out and it was a disaster in the making.
I tried buying a few jars just to see how they tasted and was sorely disappointed. If you know of a good, no, a great jam company, I might be willing to try them.
The peach I make has only sugar, lemon juice and crushed peaches.
 I have made this recipe for many years and it has only failed me once.
 

 The year it failed it candied in the jar. There was no way to get it out of the jar, it was sticky, sticky, and stuck. I thought and thought about what happened and then had an idea. I poured rum in one jar, tequila in another jar, and peach schnapps in another, then every so often I would stick a knife in, and allow the alcohol to start working on breaking down the sugars. After a few months  I could shake the jars, then months later I had the best alcohol infused peach syrup that we poured over ice cream.
It was freaking fabulous.

 On my way to the studio yesterday I was surprised to find some late blooming magnolias. The deepness of the petals has always made me think of the clean, sun dried, white sheets of my youth. I always want to open my arms and fall in.
Beauty.

I am on my way out to finish glazing and load a kiln. Yep, on my way, right now, here I go.

July 2017

We have been lucky that this summer has been mild to date, mild enough that it gives you pause of days to come, but here I sit with a door open to my office listening to the morning birds calling.
I'll take these mornings.
Yesterday I posted thoughts about our fire on a July night in 2008 on our FB page.
 Why now I ask myself?
I think as a reminder of how folks can rebuild after a disaster in their lives.
Life moves on even when you feel as if you are stuck in mud.

The other thought that often comes to my mind is how many potters, artist do not carry business insurance. I know that you don't need it until you need it, but when you need it, you need it. We needed it then. I continue to carry it now even though business is not as lively as it once was. I almost did not pay that bill that came in the June before the fire. I thought long and hard about it, trying to justify not having it. Then Mark and I looked at how we had bought and built the business slowly one step at a time. We added it up and decided that if, if, something happened we needed to be covered.
I sent the check in 3 weeks before this happened.

I know how hard it is to look at these pictures. I know how hard it was to live through this. What made it better, or easier was the insurance check that allowed us to rebuild, and make it better.

We could hire someone to build it the second time rather than build it ourselves.
It has changed some of how we work and why.
I think things like this do change a person.
In the past 9 years there have been many changes, some good, some not so good.

Mark and I? We keep on moving along, ebb and flow, he makes pots and now I make tiles.
Changes come slow and some times changes are like a freight train rolling past.
Grab the caboose, you just never know where it will take you.

Living with Mr. Doubt

Do you wake up some days only to doubt every thought in your head?
There are days that we all breeze through life, like a skater on ice. Then there are other days that it is all you can do to take care of the task at hand.
Those are the days that Mr. Doubt comes to call.
He is great at sitting on your shoulder and whispering sweet nothings in your ear. He loves to start with, "what are you doing?" and then go on to,"where are you going with this?' Oh, buddy, get off my shoulder and go bug some other poor soul.

I think we all have these times no matter what you are doing as a living where you feel like an imposter in your own skin.
There are days where it's all good and days where a good hide under the covers is what you need.
We love what we are doing, but there are days that we wonder if.....wonder if we should have taken a different path, a better path to a higher life style. I do wonder if I had been the teacher I thought I was going to be if I would have lusted after being a potter. We all wonder if, if this, if that, if only.
Then you get a grip and move on.
This is what we do.
And, Mr. Doubt, go take a long walk on a short pier, I have things to do.

Little sister, making pots and glazing tiles

These two jars could be related.
 Mark is making a few jars and playing with shape and design.He is using a white stoneware body. There are a couple of thoughts on glazing, but let me get back to you on those.

We both seem to have a lot of different things going. I am working on tiles, and glazing pots.
The same but different.
When I start any new glaze combination, or tile, I need to commit the glazing to my memory bank. That is what I have been working on lately and it goes like this; what glaze goes first, what glaze works on top and what glaze works better under, and will this make a good liner glaze and if so, what works best with it.
I find it helps to think with a pencil in hand. I write directly on the pot. The pencil line or note will burn away during the firing. I write on pot bottoms if I remember before I apply wax. Otherwise right on the pot works too. I do make notes as well and if it is a test piece I write that note with black stain or pencil that is made of a stain that can I can read later.

We have been working off and on with a variety of test for the cone 10 gas kiln and the cone 6 electric fired kiln, since glazes can look alike in the bucket we have added a new way to identify the cone 6 from the cone 10 glazes. I know, if you have read this far stay with me it's really quite easy.  We bought some very bright pink duct tape to placed on the lid and on the bucket where we can write the name of the glaze and cone 6. This is important because uncovered glazes can look the same no matter if you are using 6 or 10 glazes. A quick look at the side of the bucket can save you a surprise later. Although, I have made some surprises that look great and were added to our mix. I have also figure out a mistake and had to wash 3 boards of pots. Wash, dry, reglaze equals frustration for that lost of time. Lesson learned.

Here are two of the tiles that I was glazing this morning.
It made me think that one was the big sister and the small one little sister.

I am also playing with a new camera that is one a different phone.
So here is Happy, the giraffe, I hope he makes you smile.

Don't forget the spring kiln opening in April.
We hope to see you here.

No, your other left.

Mark often says this to me if I am driving and he is giving directions.
To say I am challenged when it comes to right or left it to say the sun will rise and the moon will set.
I am challenged when it comes to many things, but especially when it comes to left and right.

When I sit down at the computer on any given morning I have many things I plan to do while I am here like write a press release for the 30th anniversary we have coming up in October on the 13th& 14th here, at Whynot, on the farm, with guest and... well you see I am taking a left.
If I sit down and open FB then I am just mindless in my scrolling to see what has happened while I was sleeping.
And, if I left over to Pintrest- good grief that one will suck out your brain, I can be darn right lost.

I have to take a left back to the reality of paying bills and making pottery.
Because if I don't make pottery the bills do not get paid.
This is simple math, impressed?

In this next kiln firing in Ms. B we have two clay bodies we are testing. One is dark and one is light and if you ask me what they are I have to go out and look- wait! 308 and... something else, taking another left in the brain I see.
We looked yesterday and pots are drying slowly so we are going to throw a few more days before we glaze.

I have a stack of tiles under plastic all carved up.
I found that if I rolled the tiles, placed them on the right size Sheetrock, then layered them in a tomato box that has handles, I could take them to the Co-op with me.
Something to work on while I was there.
It worked really well, as long as I swept up after.

 The green beans are busy making tiny beans and I see lots of them there but I am wondering if this heat is just holding them back. I, we keep watering and hope we get some to eat at some point.
I see baby gourds, that are about the size of young squash right now. I am getting excited to see them get bigger.
See how well I made that left turn from pots to garden? I do know my left from my right.

It's time for tea and thoughts about the day...but maybe...a peek at FB.
M

There is a song in there some where...

Some days as I sit in my basement and watch the world go by on my flat screen I wonder.
I wonder how we got  here to where we are today.
I wonder where we are all going and when we will all arrive.
But most days I don't wonder at all.
I just get up and do the things that need to be done to make it in this ever changing world - corny right- I know but do you really come here for deep thought?
I hope not because we are just two potters working daily at what we do.
I don't go deep because I hope you come here for some of the light stuff.
Somedays I don't want to think, some days I want to see pictures of your pots, your kids, your animals, your vacations, and yes-your lives.
If I wanted deep I could watch The Real Housewives of........
But I am just not that person.
I started this blog for many reasons one of which was not to tell you who was out there making good pots.
That is for you to decide.
Meanwhile after years of trying I just get up and do.
I do the things that need to be done to get work out.
And there are no secrets here--- I enjoy it.
So bring on the puppies, the babies, your recipes, your pictures of what you ate, your you tube, your jokes, your laughter and your tears.
Bring out the good, the bad and the ugly.
Show me a glimpse into your life and some days ,if need be, go wide.
I for one am reading.
Cheers,
M

Thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts today.
But I must say I need to sort through them, like a pile of clothes they are all a jumble.
So my thoughts today are:
be happy
be safe
be kind
think of those people who make us safe and allow us days like today.

Where have you been?

Mark and I were having a lazy afternoon.
With so much going on we decided to watch a movie and just relax a bit.
Tomorrow is another day, as we all know and when you work for your self you have to make your self take time off.
While watching a movie I was also watching the inside of my eye lids a time or two.
Well, okay- maybe three, but I was following the plot and if I had to take a test I could pass.
After the movie was over I looked over and this picture just smacked me.
I mean it just smacked me hard.
I jumped up off the sofa and thought to myself why am I neglecting you!
I took it off the brick wall in the living room and carried it right into the kitchen.
The kitchen which we added a few years ago is bright and cheerful and a place we spend a fair amount of time.
I held it up to a blank wall I have been looking at and Mark just said, " let me go get the drill." No questions asked it had a new place to hang.
We bought this picture from the artist back in 1979.
We were young pottery students with two kids and no money to spend.
But- but we saw this and just fell in love with the simplicity of the brush.
It has been a favorite for many years, but some how was lost in the room that is dark and it was over shadowed by the pottery that sits on the mantel.
We paid all of 35.00 dollars for it back then.
That was a lot of money for us then.
I was a stay at home Mom with a large garden, goats, pigs, rabbits and two kids.
And I was going to school at night taking pottery classes with Mark.
Mark was holding the pay check and working piece work as a "knock up" man.
Yes, you heard me, a knock up man.
This was the term for the guys who did the frames for sofas, chairs and love seats.
He was paid by the piece and can still tell you the number of the sofa you are sitting on.
Money was tight, but this spoke to us.
His Dad framed it for us so here is another reason to have it where it can be seen.
It reminds me of both Mark's dad and the artist.
Now I have to confess and tell you I have forgotten his name- the artist- not my father-in-law, he was a Bob and if you have ever know a Bob he was a B.O.B. Bob all the way.
There are great Bob stories but I leave that for my kids to tell one day.
Back to this picture.
I am enjoying those wonderful brush strokes and the details.
That sweet bird on the branch, the butterfly and the bug all well capture.
I know this guy past away at an early age and I also know I will have to track down his name.
Of course this picture led to several other adjustments with tiles and other pictures for the kitchen.
But - hey it was fun to be diverted.
And while I am rambling along here I have to tell you I can get the contacts in my eyes in just a few minutes.
So you can teach an old dog like me to accept change.
I like being able to see better.
Truly amazing and now my fear is he will tell me I can't have them!
Meanwhile we are trying not to watch the pot of water on the stove, but we jump everytime the phone rings.
We are looking forward to meeting Baby girl Green very soon.
Very soon in deed!