Another diabetic dog… RI… new studio

John and Tiffany's chickens at the Manabigama Pottery Center

It never fails. Just before I am about to head out of town, one of the dogs starts acting out of sorts. This time it was Benny and our suspicion was confirmed, just like his brother, he now is diabetic. It's now a balancing act trying to figure how much insulin he needs. Excessive thirst, upset stomach, won't eat, hyperactivity were some of his symptoms. He's starting to feel better but is now sleeping a lot more. I should be grateful it didn't happen until now. It has been four years since Jerry started taking insulin and so Ben was genetically predisposed to get it too.

My 1.75-lb. lobster in Newport.
Note the plastic cup—my kind of
place to eat a messy meal

Just returned from Rhode Island after a visit with my mom and aunt. As usual, we did a little shopping and ate well. Just before I flew home, Gregg and Margaret came up from NY for a quick visit. I was able to see them for few hours before they took me to the airport.

While I was away, the potter's wheel I ordered was delivered to my new studio space. Fortunately John and Tiffany were there to receive it.

New wheel and shelves

Since I have been back, it has been so much fun setting up my new pottery studio. John surprised me and built a large, L-shaped work table and shelves for my space. This was so much more than the wobbly card table I had temporarily planned to use. All is good—the Shimpo wheel, so shiny and new, works like no other wheel I've used. Now if it would make me a great thrower, that would be a dream machine. Saturday was the wheel inauguration when I threw four pots in porcelain. What a luxury it is to have all my tools, pots and supplies arranged the way I want. Not having to pack everything up every time I work and being able to resume where I left off when I return, that's what a personal studio space can allow. Can't wait to get back down there tomorrow and the next day and the next…

My space complete with work table

Today we met Tim's family and others at Bravo's for an Easter dinner. On Friday I leave to see Bob, Terri and Becky in sunny Florida. Wouldn't it be nice if it felt like spring here too.

First pots to be thrown on my new wheel. Hopefully I will
be willing to show them again when completed

April already?

My biggest pot to date. Gas reduction cone 10.

My potting frenzy at the museum has waned somewhat now that we are just finishing up existing projects. I was needing a break from my intense obsession of making pots and experimenting with different techniques as much as I could.

These days I am still going to pottery at 577 for both
the camaraderie and clay. I don't think I'll be giving up going there any time soon. This week I've been working on non-challenging pieces there—plant tags for my kitchen garden and pink bowls.

Last Sunday was the potager (kitchen garden) workshop with Vicki. It has me now on the garden planning track. She provided some great pointers as well as a great assortment of seeds and a chive plant. Recently I've been stocking up on organic fertilizer, compost and bug control products in preparation for what I hope to be the prettiest and best yielding growing season. I also bought asparagus starts, onion sets and lots of seeds. Some will be planted here at home and the rest at the 577 plot.

Christopher is back working on another house project—replacing screens and building new frames on the back porch. It was one of those projects that has been on the list and I know he'll do a great job
as always.

Been web-browsing for my new potter's wheel. Saw Tiffany and John yesterday and I should be all set to work there in my own studio space by the end of the month/beginning of May. Now I'm figuring out all that I will need although I pretty much have most everything except the wheel.

In addition to all of the above, a lot will be happening this month. Will be making a long-overdue visit to Rhode Island to see family mid-month and at the end of the month, going to southwest Florida with Becky to visit Bob and Terri. Never been to Florida, I hear it's already 85-90 degrees there. I hope I don't melt.

Porcelain pieces painted with underglazes. Cone 6.

Perfect, pretty, clean, and some new stuff

^5 thrown & sgraffito

Since this is my last week of working in wet clay, I am frantically taking full advantage of the ceramics studio. I heard we are supposed to have a 300-lb. limit of clay. I have no idea how much I've used but I do know it's been a lot. The last class is April 18 so after this week I'll just be glazing and finishing my pieces. This won't require too much of my time so I'll be able to turn my focus on my gardens, catching up with friends and getting set up in my future pottery studio. Perfect timing!

^10 thrown & altered

Last week I broke down and purchased an iPhone4. For someone who never even bothered turning their cell on, this is quite an upgrade. I had been considering an iPod Touch so I could get music and Wi-Fi access but realized I really wanted was anywhere access, iTunes, text messaging, a camera (with optional flash) and a phone. I am now accessible, can make hands-free calls in my car and have an iPod
in my phone. Pretty cool!

Now the downside of this purchase was that my MacBook Pro's operating system was too old to run the newest iTunes which was on the iPhone. This necessitated an installation of the Snow Leopard OS. I had actually installed it before. I had purchased it years ago only to find that the printer-drivers were not yet available for my printer and had to revert to the original OS. So last week I tried to upgrade the system again. Long story short, apparently this caused my hard drive to crash beyond repair losing everything. Aggravation and $230 later, I now have the most current hard drive with about twice the space I had previously. I believe I now have all my apps re-loaded. Clean slate!

^10 thrown & carved

Tim spent today photographing Julie's new wood-fired pots plus a sampling of my latest work done at the art museum. Here's some new stuff of mine.

Is it spring yet?

Who else is ready? Some positive signs—it's finally March and Daylight Savings Time starts in 11 days on March 13, followed by the first day of spring on the 20th. The 577 community gardeners also gathered on Sunday for the annual garden meeting. Although I did not attend, Tim, my favorite garden assistant, attended on our behalf. And where was I? Where else have I been nearly every day for over a month?

Making pots at the museum ceramics studio. Not sure if I have ever been this consumed with an activity before. Definitely being obsessive-compulsive about attempting to perfect this craft. I am also trying to
take advantage of the facility by using the equipment/materials and learning as much as possible while enrolled in this class. I've met some really good and creative people there and I'll miss seeing them when I'm done there.

I still manage to get over to the 577 pottery barn every once in a while. It's always nice to see those friends and getting there is never an issue when the weather is bad. There, I have been exploring different designs and techniques with small wall plaques (tiles). One of these days I'd like Tim to take some photos to document my progress then I'll post them.

Made another visit to the site of my future studio in BG—now named,
the Manabigama Pottery Center. Tiffany and John have accomplished so much in such a short time. Chris J. and I finally found a good day to go down there and we both returned with some great wood-fired pots
of John's.

Vicki's potager class is this month. This should really push me into garden planning and re-directing some of my focus. As of now, I just know I'm growing eggplant (my assignment) for the food bank.

Baby, it's cold outside

In case you missed this photo on Facebook.

We were fortunate and escaped the worst of the snow. It's also a good thing to have a snow blower and a spouse who willingly takes on the job of clearing the driveway, walks and dog paths. Ben and Jerry have become truly house dogs and dislike the snow and cold and really couldn't manage without those paths. They're ready for spring. Something else to be grateful for—not having to get up and drive to work when it's a mess outside!

Ben, the photogenic one.

Just signed up for a potager class in March with Vicki, the 577 horticulturist, and bought tickets to go to Florida in March with Becky for our annual trip. This year we are visiting college friends, Terri and Bob, in Cape Coral, near Fort Myers. It's been about 30 years since I've seen Terri and about 20 since Bob came out this way. It's my year for reunions. These events will be my harbingers of spring.

Love my shelves!

Christopher finished my shelves in record time and I'm thrilled with the way they transform the dining room. More floor space to walk around without the buffet and the wall I never knew how to fill can now hold more than I imagined. Prudent editing will be the key to a good display so I am slowly filling the shelves.

Classes began again at the art museum and I plunged right back into the porcelain clay. It was good to see the same classmates have returned. When I have my own studio space, I will miss the camaraderie here and at 577. I think of that while I ponder on which wheel to buy. I've narrowed it down to 2 brands—Brent or Shimpo. Hmm. Meanwhile, Tiffany and John have been busy building the Manabigama wood kiln at my
future digs.

Never thought the east coast would get more snow than here. My mom says they got 19 inches the other night and I heard more is on the way. Yuk!

It had been 40 years…

My friend Ami

This week I ventured to Chicago to meet a friend I hadn't seen since 1971. Ami had been a really close friend when we were in both junior high and high school in New York. Going away to college and living in different states, we drifted apart only to find each other on Facebook just this past year. Not knowing how much we changed was our only gamble. We each got our own nice rooms at the Knickerbocker Hotel near Water Tower Place. It had been my first trip on the Megabus, which turned out to be the way to go, a cheap and stress-free way to travel. We had a wonderful time catching up, dining, window shopping on Michigan Ave., plus we spent a few hours in the new modern wing of the Chicago Art Institute. We also enjoyed a nice dinner at Carnivale, a Latin American restaurant in the Fulton Market area. It was recommended to us by the grown daughter of one of my college boyfriends (small world stuff). We had a wonderful time and hopefully I will visit her sometime at her home in Madison, Wisc., when the weather is warmer.

A wood-fired pot I bought
from John Thies 

Also this week I got together with Tiffany (a friend and my dogs' vet) to check out the new studio of her and her boyfriend, John. Located just north of Bowling Green on Bishop Rd., they are creating Manabigama Pottery, what will soon be a wonderful ceramics studio complete with wood-fired kilns. John is a great potter and also the designer of the wood kiln at the 577 Foundation. It is my plan to rent a space there starting in sometime in late March or April. I am currently checking out prices and getting ready to purchase by own potter's wheel. Pretty exciting! Meanwhile, my ceramics class at the art museum starts up
 again on the 24th.

Another home improvement is underway in the dining room. Christopher is currently working on a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall built-in bookcase. It is my latest brainstorm that he has been able to bring to fruition in our home. Tim has assisted in painting and I believe is equally excited about the project. Photo to come.

The holidays are here

My hard work is now behind me. This past Saturday we hosted our annual pre-Christmas family get-together. Since we are not going to NY for Christmas, I made brunch instead of the usual dinner because we'll have dinner with the same family members on Christmas day. It came off without a hitch, ham & broccoli strata, sweet potato bisque, pumpkin & chocolate chip mini-muffins, fruit & cheese and a Bob Evans French Silk Chocolate Pie.

This has left this week to gift wrapping, passing out gifts and a little holiday baking. Merry Christmas! The dogs are happy that they are not spending the holidays being boarded.

Ho, ho ho!

Our "Nature's Bounty" tree adorned with vintage Radko
fruit, vegetable and nut ornaments, and glass icicles.

It's finally beginning to look like Christmas in our household. It was a busy weekend. On Saturday, Tim and I went out to buy a Frasier fir tree and had brunch at a new local diner-type place. After that, I was off to a Saturday pottery class, "Slips and Engobes." Then Barb and I snuck out of class a little early to go over to Kelly Savino's Holiday Pottery Sale. That evening Tim and I went over to the mall for a little gift shopping and dinner. When we returned, I then spent five hours getting the tree decorated. I was finally done at 3 a.m.

My nature-themed wreath

On Sunday, a few friends and myself took a holiday wreath class with Vicki Gallagher, the horticulturist at the 577. A fun afternoon and I believe we all went home pleased with our little projects.

Sgraffito sells!

Green and brown sgraffito pots. Photos courtesy of Tim.

Well it couldn't have turned out better! This past Friday and Saturday was the annual holiday pottery sale at the TMA ceramics studio. I wished I had my camera, there was a lot of nice work of fellow potters and decent crowds. This was the first time I tested the market with my pottery. Made $349, all but five pieces sold. Twenty of my pieces were my "signature" sgraffito porcelain pots. Barb says this style is my niche and they all sold the first day. All, except two of them, I considered to be test pieces or "seconds," so many were priced to sell. I am thrilled although I now may be short on pottery gifts this year. This really has given me the confidence to continue in this direction, yes!

New work (not sgraffito).

Girls Night Out

New work: Bunny Hop

After this past week of trying to get some new prints finished and framed for the GNO yesterday and the Holiday Open House at Angelwood Gallery this weekend, my diligence paid off. Yesterday Nicki, a pottery/ vet friend, purchased the print I made after she had provided an inspiration photo of a Great Dane. It's so nice that I receive the support from many of my pottery pals. I had hoped to get two other images finished, however the ink was too slow in drying.

It was a fun night where I got to hang out with Linda S, Bonnie, Barb B, Julie B and Nadia all in one fun spot. The gallery also looked great with lots of nice stuff. We all left with something for ourselves and a few gifts. Linda and I also had a pleasant dinner beforehand at Smedlap Smithy's in Waterville. It seems she's found the perfect flexible job to keep her hands in things.

Now I'm getting ready for the Studio Pottery Sale at the Museum next week on "Black Friday" and Saturday. My dining table is currently covered with pots that I hope will sell. Otherwise, everyone knows what they will be getting for Christmas.

My 4th Wood Kiln Firing

Unloading the kiln on Wednesday evening. Pots still covered with ash.

My bunny and Julie's vase.

This past Saturday we fired up the Manabigama kiln at the 577 Foundation. Despite the cool weather, the kiln, wood firepit, food and camaraderie kept us all content. Turkey breast, Jerusalem artichokes, baked potatoes and bread were all cooked wood coals. It was all good.

My pal Barb with her siren pitcher.

While it might not have been the most successful firing in terms of everyone's results, there were still quite a few beautiful pieces. I believe the kiln did not reach the desired temperature toward the back.  Not a big issue, some of mine I will re-fire in a future firing.

Not the most flattering photo, here are just some of the group with
Julie (in the shark headdress), our fearless leader.