right now

right now I am sitting at the kitchen table, glazing a fern platter.  I'm feeling a little under the weather- you know, when it's just starting and you know that you can stave it off if you go to bed early and take care of yourself?  That's where I am.

But it isn't entirely unpleasant.  I'm watching the little sparrows (and occasional cardinal, finch, and rascally squirrel) at the feeder just outside the window.  I'm listening to a history of the world in 100 objects, wishing that there was a companion book to the series.  My favorite episode so far is the one I've just heard- about how the image of Buddhism- the young, seated Buddha- is the one we think of when presented with the idea of Buddha.  But really, they're all just fascinating.

I've just had my very favorite tofu curry soup (so spicy, so rich, so full of veggies), delivered by a soup fairy (thank you, thank you Jess), and am smelling the warm mingled spiciness of my umpteenth cup of chai and gingerbread warm from the oven.  Homework is being completed beside me as I work.  A little later, once I've cleaned off the bottoms of my pots, I'll get into bed with more tea, knitting, and finish watchingthe Gleaners and I.   I'll wait to fire the kiln until the morning. 

I feel so much relief since re-adjusting my holiday business plans.  And I thank you, friends, for your support and understanding.  It means a lot. 

plans and changing them

Hi.  How are you?  I haven't been in this space much because, honestly, I've overscheduled myself.  After a solid year of working as hard as I  can to keep my family financially and emotionally afloat during unemployment and morale crises,*  I'm tuckered out.  It's been a year full of amazing highs and seemingly bottomless lows, and I am ready to re-prioritize.

I have focused most of my production for local markets this year- two shops I'm thrilled to be associated with, my local farmers market, and my long time customers, friends, and family who live in and around Memphis.  I've really neglected my online customers and my Etsy shop this year.  I had big plans for listing things online near Thanksgiving, but low- Thanksgiving is this week and everything I've managed to make is either for local stores and shows or a really big thing that's coming up in mid-December, completely unrelated to the holidays.  I think, realistically, that I won't be able to do a big update this year.  If you were counting on it, I am so sorry.  One of my 2011 habits-to-work-on is to update Etsy once a month.

Today, though, the idea of adding ten more honeypots/berry bowls/butter crocks to my to-do list  makes me want to find a new profession.  I was thinking yesterday as I was cranking out 15 of the same little item that ten years ago I'd grandly thought that I wanted to be a production potter, and how fulfilling and wonderful that would be.  Now that I almost have become one, it is wonderful, and it is incredibly gratifying to have people tell me how much my work means in their daily lives, I'm realizing that it's also really, really physically tiring.

So.  I'm letting myself off the hook for a holiday Etsy update.  I'll put up some of my birds nest ornaments by Dec 1, because I did make those specifically for etsy, and I'll share my big news (the reason for the production pottery) in a few weeks.  I hope you have a peaceful, family-filled Thanksgiving.  And if you're shopping this weekend, I hope you'll make an effort to support local small businesses.  The families that run them will thank you, as do I.



*Happily, thankfully, blessedly, my husband found a new position almost one year to the day after his layoff in November 2009.  It is a good fit for him, an I'm grateful that it came along when it did.

7

my little one is 7 today.  We began the day with chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup (seven of them), and I'm making gingerbread cupcakes with maple frosting for his urban-forest hike birthday party tomorrow.  Also doing a little trimming and glazing. 

Have a good weekend, friends.

The sale this weekend went so, so well.  I sincerely thank everyone who came out.  I know you have a choice in where you spend your money and I am deeply, deeply thankful when you choose to support my business and my family with your hard-earned dollars.
I did something a little different this year- I had a "soft" opening Thursday evening for some area moms- it was good to get set up early and have Friday free from the usual pre-sale stresses.  I think I'll be repeating that.

The weekend was capped off with the mortal release of someone who had been both a friend and foe.  I went to visit her early this morning- she was no longer cognizant, which was a blessing, really.  I spent a short time with her, did my other errands, and came back home to a phone call that she'd passed soon after I left.  I'm grateful that we were able to have peace with one another, grateful that she is no longer in pain and conflict.    Beginning my day with a release like this one is odd- I'd planned to have a quiet day; now it is more so.

This little porcelain cup is one of my favorite things- I bought it in Sewanee, TN, and can't remember the artists' name any more.  I keep a beeswax votive in it to light when I pray and meditate.  Today has been a very meditative day.

Peace, friends.

Annual Open House

I'm woefully behind on getting out postcards for this event, but given the fact that this is 1 of 4 in the next month, I don't feel too too terrible.  So.  If you're in Memphis, please come on over on Friday and Saturday (5:30-9 Friday, 10:30-4 Saturday) to see the pottery.  There's slightly less than I've had than in years past, but again, this is sale 1 of 4.

Okay.  Time to finish glazing.

Have a good week!

chickens and the egg

 new chickens- big golden buff orpington is Merigold (named first for Merigold, MS, secondly for her color).  She's at least 8 lbs.  Big girl.
Next to her is "Speckles," a barred rock.  She's medium size, no larger than my sweet pet chickens.  These ladies aren't tame.  Yet.  They'll come round.

and one of their eggs- I think it belongs to Merigold.  It is extra, extra large.  Edna's egg, to the right, is a regular large grocery-store sized egg.  Merigold's was twice as large.  I thought it might have been double yolked, but it wasn't.  The yolk was large and a big asymmetrical, but not fully double.  They haven't gotten hang of the idea of nest boxes yet- this was on top of a stone in the yard.

I'll be back later in the week with some pictures of pottery, I hope.
Have a nice week!

covered up

so so much is happening around here.  good stuff, crazy stuff.  I've got some pretty big news to share soon, and I've got production deadlines for shows and gift orders for the holidays.  My little kiln is running twice a week and the big kiln is going at least once a week.  My sister in law saved the day by picking up several hundred pounds of clay for me last week when she was in Nashville- I've been going through almost three 50 lb boxes every week.

Gary is covered up in freelance work, I'm covered up in pottery, there are school, scouting, and sport functions, and WOW- upcoming shows and sales.

Here's my schedule in brief:
Nov 12/13 Home Sale
Nov 28 Tsunami's Annual Holiday Art and Artisan Sale
Dec 4 Trolley Stop Market's Artisan Showcase
Dec 11 Memphis Farmers Market Harvesting the Holidays

Somewhere in there I'll be doing a big Etsy update.  In between those we have some big family birthdays, a 7 year old birthday party, Thanksgiving, and everything else that we do as a family.

And tomorrow?  We're picking up two new chickens. 

See you soon, folks!