long and lazy

This weekend seemed particularly long and lazy, even though we were busy and productive almost the entire time.  There was a great deal of weather excitement in town- severe storms Friday night and all day Saturday.  Thankfully we got our rain barrels set up (read: Gary diverted our gutters- some new, some ancient) just in time on Friday and collected a full 275 gallons in the back, 55 in the front, and replenished the other existing 55 gal barrel.  Despite the storms, I made my way to the Memphis Farmers Market Saturday morning to visit with my market friends (it is hard to visit when I'm working!), pick up eggs, honey, and produce. 
Once home, I made some pots, puttered, and listened to the storm.   When the weather cleared, I did a bit of weeding in the wet garden (Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces has been my bedside reading lately) while the boys worked on the chicken coop.  I bought Homemade Living: Keeping Chickens with Ashley English: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock because I love Ashley English's writing (check out her Small Measures blog- it is very inspiring), and because last time around I lost a chicken to egg binding (basically her egg got stuck and she died because I didn't know what to do).  Our coop is loosely based on some of the plans in her book.  It is an entertaining and informative read- and it is beautifully photographed.  I'm looking forward to her upcoming books on home dairy and beekeeping! 

This week is my get-ready-for-market week.  Today I'm trimming the last of my pots, drying them in the oven (we've gotten our "april showers" all in one weekend), and bisque firing tonight or  tomorrow.  Glazing mid-week, then pricing and packing.  I snuck in a little sewing time over the weekend and hope to finish some projects and throw more pots upstairs.  Throwing is my favorite thing to do, pottery-wise.  I'm so glad I decided to get help with glazing- it's really sped up the process.

I hope you all have a great week- I'll see you again  towards the latter half.  It's almost May!  Can you believe it?


(PS- I've added Amazon Associates to my account.  Since November our finances have been tight and my book-buying habit has been severely curtailed.  It was my favorite vice.  This little tool will help me to indulge in it every once in a while again.)