Thyme to garden

The kitchen garden this June. That's oregano
in the center pot, need any?

Since I have been staying home with Batman, I have been able to putter around the garden a little more than past summers. This month I have also taken the first real break from my usual
pottery fanaticism. The hot weather we've had lately has made me extra lazy. I hope to be able to leave the house for longer lengths of time soon since Batman is feeling more secure in his new home. It is my plan to work again at the Potters Guild a few times a week.

After a very slow start at my 577 Foundation garden, things are finally coming around. I had planted 2 types of dwarf sunflower seeds plus zinnia seeds, in anticipation that I'd have lots of cut flowers this summer. Much to my dismay, the seeds were either bad or the birds ate nearly all the seeds or both. I believe I will be fortunate to end up with only four sunflower plants. I have now filled in with zinnia plants, yellow squash and other late season sale plants. My food bank eggplants are still rather sad however I have been experimenting with some new organic fertilizers, Happy Frog and Tiger Bloom. I have high hopes that they will soon be respectable. Tim, Batman and I have been regularly visiting 577 after dinner. "Batty" loves going there.

Batman's favorite spot is the shady steps
of the pottery studio.

The tomato plants have seemed to really respond to the Tiger Bloom because the tomato plants both at home and 577 are now loaded with blooms and green tomatoes. I planted three San Marzano tomato plants at 577 and hope to stock up on tomato sauce this summer.

June joys

Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville

When in Asheville, the presidents
stay at the lovely Grove Park Inn

June 1 marked the end of our vacation in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a fun trip. We were fortunate to have good weather, while it rained in Ohio. Did a lot of walking, saw lots of art, mostly pottery, ate good food and spent time in the mountains. It was a great change of pace and the hilly terrain reminded me that I could be in better shape.

There hadn't been a day since Benny died that I haven't broke down and mourned his passing. His death hit me the harder than Jerry's and I thought losing Jerry was bad. Not only was our house suddenly dog-less but Benny was my intuitive, feisty, special buddy. It probably was selfish of us that we let him hang on for as long as we did.

As much as I adored all the dogs I've ever had, they all required regular grooming and I thought it might be nice to have a dog that we didn't have to clip. Tim's only wish was that we would be able to lift the dog if necessary. After caring for Ben & Jerry in their ailing days, we did a lot of carrying. I also didn't want schnauzers again who are predisposed to getting diabetes. So after we came back from Asheville, I immediately started looking online at rescue dog groups. I couldn't wait another day. I needed to help fill the void that Ben left. You can search by breed and that is how I came to find Batman in Wauseon.

 Our boy wonder—Batman. He really looks
menacing here, he forgot to smile.

Batman was given up for adoption when his ailing owner had someone move in with him who had a Mastiff that apparently bit Batman. He still has a few little scars from that attack. Batman, a.k.a. Batty, is an incredibly cute, affectionate, well-behaved, four-year-old French Bulldog. He loves riding in the car and walks well on a leash. He enjoys going over to 577 while Tim and I tend to the garden there. His only problem is that he has an extreme fear of being abandoned. He doesn't want to be left alone and follows me everywhere from room to room. Each day he getting a little better and braver but it will take a while. I'm spending a lot of time at home right now. Fortunately, he makes me smile and he is a joy to have. Yesterday I finally didn't cry.

Chasing rainbows and other signs of spring

The day I shot this rainbow photo in my backyard was probably the last day we had a decent rainfall. Since then, the flowers of May still bloomed in the yard but the garden hose provided what Mother Nature did not. Here are some of those blossoms that are now gone—

 

Rest in peace Benny

May 3, 1998—May 6, 2012

No more insulin shots, no more pain. 

I miss you so much—my smart, feisty, loving little buddy.

I like to think that Ben & Jerry are together again.

Latest backyard project

Christopher came back and sided our backyard shed with cedar shakes to coordinate with the pottery studio. I think it jazzes up our mini-compound. So now when the shakes start to weather to gray, both structures should do so at the same time. It'll bring a little New England to Perrysburg.

It's doesn't feel like May today but it is supposed to be 80+ degrees this week. Last week I bought a few perennials and the front porch Boston ferns however garden shopping will start in earnest this week. It's funny how the list of projects never ends.

It's only March…

Did not make it to Florida, all Direct Air flights were cancelled until May. Instead, warm weather came here. Unseasonable weather for March, several 80+ days, had to bring out the shorts and tees, flowers and trees are all 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule.  Frost returns this week, will see how the plants do. Off to Rhode Island on Wednesday with Tim holding down the "fort."

Facebook out, Pinterest in…

There was a time not that long ago that I was checking my Facebook page practically every time I logged on my computer. These days I go on just for the occasional glance at posts or pictures, to send a birthday message or to contact a friend.

Current obsession: Pinterest. For the longest time I couldn't understand the point of pinning pictures. Now I get it! It provides a way to sort into categories and save links to everything you are interested in without having to bookmark sites, dragging images on your desktop or remember URLs. It's also a way to share what you find with others that share your various passions and vice versa. Whether it's remembering a favorite piece of art, a link to a recipe or a how-to video on YouTube, this is an organized way to follow favorite "pinners"(one who pins) and your own interest "boards." Right now I'm building a library of links and pictures at quite a fast pace, I'm sure my collecting frenzy will become more selective in time. Your boards are an open book for others to see so you can choose to follow a friend's recent pins or check a subject board of theirs you'd find interesting. You can "pin" (find and save an image off a site) or you can "re-pin" (which means you are saving a pin another person you are following has found. One can find friends under an interest category, then they can choose to follow that person who shares the similar tastes. I now have "friends" from all over the country as well as in Europe, Israel and Japan. Very, very cool. (and addicting too).

A portion of my boards. Each photo represents a link to the
original photo and site. You click on the photo and it directs
you to the original site.

Rain, rain, go away

We had so much rain last night that there were two ducks that came back twice to check out the giant puddle in our backyard. Our un-tiled clay soil out back simply cannot absorb the water fast enough between these spring-time downpours. I am just grateful that it's just been rain and not scary tornadoes. It's 8:30 p.m. and 72 degrees, isn't that freakishly warm? The perennials and bulbs in the yard are sprouting everywhere. With the warm winter we had, it looks like it'll be a year for weeds and bugs.

The giant puddle early this morning

new blog name to start the new year

Since I am now maintaining 2 blogs, I felt that yackety-yack is a better catch-all name for what I write on this blog. The other blog, also renamed Bits of clay, will focus on my ceramics-related thoughts and news. Originally this blog was intended to focus on my printmaking and pottery endeavors but it seemed that other activities, such as gardening and traveling, became prevalent blog topics. Perhaps this variety of postings better reflects my 4.5-years since retirement and that's a "good thing."

We made it through the easiest January I can remember. I had thought I'd be spending much of January stuck at home but that hasn't  been the case. I've actually seen a bunch of friends for many a lunch last month, including Ronnie from Cleveland. I was also glad for Benny, our blind dog who has difficulty navigating outside, particularly if there are banks of snow. He's hanging in there, we take one day at a time and he doesn't seem miserable.

Spring is coming! I recently picked up some bush bean, sunflower and zinnia seeds at Downtown Home & Garden in Ann Arbor. It seems like others are also getting psyched, checking out the gardening catalogs and making garden plans in anticipation of warmer days.

Looking forward to my girlfriends trip this March with Becky and Terri. Heading back to Florida, this time, Fort Myers, Key West and Sarasota. Sometime between now and then, I need to schedule a trip to Rhode Island.

Check out my ceramics blog for what is really keeping me busy these days.

happy holidays!

I made this ceramic snowman
last year at the 577 Foundation.

Christmas is this Sunday and it really doesn't feel like it's the end of the year.  Apparently northwest Ohio broke an all-time record for rainfall this year. It does seem like it is raining all the time. Right now it's unseasonably warm and the ground in the the backyard is saturated and squishy. There also hasn't been any snow yet this season. At least no snow means no shoveling.

Here's another year we don't get to go to New York for Christmas. I feel bad that I don't get to see everyone out east more frequently. Right now it is impossible to board or leave our lone dog, Benny, with anyone. At 13 1/2, he's now diabetic with twice-daily insulin shots, completely blind, almost deaf and is having trouble with his hind legs. However he is still alert, has a hearty appetite and has seemed to adjust to life without his brother, Jerry. He likes walking all around in the backyard because he's less likely to bump into things as in the house. When the quality of Benny's life deteriorates more, we'll have to make the tough decision at that point. We dread that day and it could come at any time.

Still cranking out the pottery although the busy holiday season for the galleries ends tomorrow. Now I am simply trying to build up some sample pieces and have on-hand inventory. I am extremely pleased how much was accomplished these past six months—from starting to sell my pottery, to building a great studio conveniently located in the backyard, to producing in it, and then having my work represented in 3 top area galleries. Sales have been very good.

This is my last entry for 2011 and I am wishing that all my friends and family have a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2012!

and now a new website too!

Not only did I create a second blog last week, this past weekend I launched my own website. After much discussions with others and online research on pricing and building sites, I happened to find a cost-free way to get a domain name and build a 3-page business site through Ohio Get Online. It's free for the first year and is sponsored by bunch of Ohio organizations, Google and Intuit. I was able to alter the Intuit templates to arrive at a satisfactory design and was limited to three pages. I managed to fit what I wanted by doubling up some of my areas. After the first year, the monthly costs are reasonably priced and there is no obligation.

Check it out: cheryltakata.com
Can you tell that Art & Marketing were my majors in college and that I worked in Marketing & Communications for way too long???

please check out my new blog

This month I decided not only to make a page on Facebook dedicated to Cheryl Takata Ceramics, but to create a new public blog for my pottery as well. It is my intention to keep this blog going so friends can read whatever is on my mind while the new one will focus just on my ceramic work. It will feature some of my newest works, announce where my work is available and other related events. We shall see how this works out. I would like to build a
web site at some point but I am still trying to figure a low cost way to
do that.

My new ceramics blog address is http://takataceramics.blogspot.com/