Almost retired!

That's how I'm going to sign my emails at work until the end of this week - 3 days to go!!!!

If you're reading this Jenny, I'm almost ready to devote much of my time to what I enjoy the most - and what I think I do best - making!

I know it's been a good 2 months since I last posted - it's been a very busy, very traumatic time. Life takes it's toll - then it gives back. Sometimes in equal amounts, sometimes more, and rarely less than what it's taken.

In my few free moments I've tried to keep my hands busy. As you can see, I've had expert help from Clyde. He's a very tough critic.

I've come across some incredible fibers - I'm trading some of my llama/angora blend for a tiny bit of alpaca from a nurse friend. She's a very talented spinner and as you can see from the photo, I use spindles as well as the wheel found in my favorite fiber shop. Spindles do have their place, though, in my spinning repertoire - I can take them anywhere because they're quite portable. Right now, I'm concentrating on finding or building a slabroller for my clay work.

I seem to have a strange fascination for things that go round - a good friend and I were discussing that very briefly a couple of weeks ago - I'm not the only one with those tendencies. Fiber artists and potters seem to gravitate to pretty much the same things and interests, it seems.

Several potters on this huge discussion list I subscribe to are also avid knitters. Several of the spindlers on a couple of other lists are very involved in clay work.

I had a dream the other night that woke me with the best laugh I've had in ages - I was spinning yarn with my kickwheel. I can only imagine that it's a possibility - maybe I should try it - well, maybe not. It's an interesting concept, though, don't you think?

Here, let me show you a picture of what my kickwheel looks like -

Not the little electric wheel in the front, but one of those large, mega-weight fellas off the the right of it - that's what I have in my studio. I can't show you mine, because my studio needs a thorough cleaning - as does the wheel - and you wouldn't be able to see it for the clay caked all over it right now. Bad potter!!! Bad, bad potter!!!! Gotta get that studio cleaned!

Really, I don't normally keep my studio and work space in such a mess - time just hasn't been on my side much lately. But, SOON!!!!

For the record, the picture is of the pottery lab at the college - I can only dream of having that much space to work in.

Can you imagine spinning yarn on such a contraption? Can you understand just WHY I woke up laughing so hard? Yeah, I thought so.

Two of my friends asked me today what I was going to do this week-end since my hitch it up as of Friday - my reply was very simple. It's not the week-end that I'm going to start my so-called retirement - week-ends are week-ends! But, come Monday morning, the first thing I'm going to do is (drumroll, please) NOT go to work. THAT's what I'm going to do to start my 'retirement'.

I almost did that this week already. Monday morning, 7 a.m., sitting in the back yard with my coffee and enjoying the hummingbirds and chipmunks and the little shrew that competes with the chippies (and there's also a little bunny coming to visit now) - I suddenly realized that I still had to go to work. Bummer!

This is one of the little hummers that frequent the backyard (what a friend calls my 'sanctuary' - she's right).

I knew hummingbirds are territorial - very social, but very territorial. This little fella chases away the bees that hang around the feeder. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. There are at least 3 hummingbirds that visit each day - each has his (or her) own favorite feeder, and heaven help another that tries to invade that territory! They are, however, so social with people that I can stand within a couple feet of them while feeding (the birds, not me).

I didn't realize how late it's getting to be - I need to be in good shape for tomorrow. I'm not sure just what the boss has planned, but there's been something brewing all week. Lots of smiles and snickers, but no clues. A very large cake appeared last Friday - it was great sharing with my friends and what has become my extended family - in some cases, very close family. But, I'm not sure I'm prepared for what ever is going to occur tomorrow. I'll be surprised no matter what happens - and grateful that the people I've spent so much time with these past years have become the close friends that they are.

Oh, how about a look at the cake? A full sheet - isn't it great?



Time to go - I'll do better about posting - really!!

Later!!

Lori

So, what's my secret???

It's time to let the cat out of the bag.

Come January, I'm going to be a Grandma - daughter and her husband are expecting their first child in mid-January.

Now, wasn't that a good secret? Am I excited?? YES!!!!!!! They'll make wonderful parents - I'll be a terrific Grandma. I can spoil them with the best. (Insert the biggest, wickedest, cheesiest grin here that you can imagine.)

I have some interesting pictures from yesterday's baby shower for 2 of our nieces - I don't think they'll go here, though. Way too many - my sister learned how to use a digital camera yesterday and just loved it. She ran out of film, so I let her use my Canon A80. She's already told Santa what she wants for Christmas.

Once I have a new photo gallery set up, I'll add a link to it. Yahoo! has decided to eliminate the photo album option, so am searching for a new venue. After a lot of research, Google's Picasa looks pretty good, so that's probably where they'll end up.

That's all for today, folks - things to do, places to go, butt's to kick (a la Maxine...).

Take care, all.

Grandma Lori (just trying it on for size - it fits!)

Another Month Gone By....

I've got a secret! I'll let you all in on it tomorrow - it's going to make retirement much more interesting.

In the meantime, you might be interested to know that I have a shop set up on Etsy.com. I haven't made it public yet, but will in the near future.

So, for tonight, I'm keeping this short - I'll be back tomorrow with news!!

Lori

I just got lost in thought - it was unfamiliar territory.

Important!

Due to the increasingly HUGE number of SPAM messages I've been receiving recently, my ISP's guardian has been set more aggressive and is blocking a very large number of them. When checking my quarantined mail, I'm finding that where there used to be just one or two every other month or so I am suddenly receiving hundreds on a daily basis.

Because there are so many and typically, there's maybe - MAYBE - one or two that aren't really SPAM, I've taken to just deleting all of them rather than spending a couple of hours (that I can't really spare) going through them.

So, if you've sent me a message recently and have not received a reply, it's not because I'm ignoring you, it's because I just zapped the whole lot. Resend any messages that didn't get a reply - please. Pass this on to anyone that you think may need to see this - please. Most of all, please, please, PLEASE, be careful how you word the subject line. If it looks like SPAM or if the email address looks suspicious, it will get quarantined.

That's it for today, folks! I'm off to Cambridge, Wisconsin for the annual Pottery Festival and US Pottery Games - www.cambridgepotteryfestival.org. I hope to see a couple of suppliers there, and of course touch bases with the exhibitors and drool over all the beautiful work from all over the country - and, of course have one of those huge hot dogs with all the trimmings. Cambridge is the home of Rowe Pottery and I generally take a stroll through the shop, but since the business was sold a couple years ago, it's just not the same.

Today is the day the exhibitors compete in the throwing contests - tomorrow, the high school students get to take over the stage. Hopefully, I'll be able to snag another poster - last year they decided to use picture post cards instead - it was a great disappointment. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they decided to go back to the posters - they contain photos of some incredible work. In any case, it's always fun - and I can usually get a preview of the studio tour here in our area held in October - www.twentydirtyhands.com - now THAT's a blast!

Have a good day, everyone!!

I just couldn't leave well enough alone.....

Sometimes, I have so much rattling around in my head that if I don't get it out somewhere (on paper, in a document, in a piece of handwork) I can't rest.

For instance, I plugged in the laptop to re-charge it and put it away - but, did I sit down to read? Or, put in a load of laundry? Or, work on something else? Well, did I?? Nope - did not! Because I just need to get those thoughts out somewhere.

I think it's because I'm frustrated - and disappointed. I mentioned earlier that I only have 2 1/2 months left before my retirement date - but, I feel as if I'm already gone. Or, at least that's the impression I get daily from others. It feels as if I'm being pushed out the door - that I'm no longer needed - invisible - and that doesn't give one a good feeling.

So, here I am bemoaning the fact that I'm a useless piece of flotsam, when I don't really think that at all. Nope, not really. I just need to remind myself that I DO have a lot to offer - and, that I am worth something.

OK - rant over. I'm putting away the soapbox.

Our summer session begins next week - it's something I look forward to each year. It's a great deal of work, but worth it. Especially the end of the summer when we fire outside - RAKU!!! What a rush! I'm sorry - it's a great deal of work for OTHERS - I have a blast! Looking forward already to the couple of quiet week-ends by myself firing bisque - the studio and those ill-tempered kilns all to myself.

How about a shot of some of the raku pieces before they get pulled from the kiln? OK - here's one. Remember, they've been bisqued and glazed - this step takes the place of another long, several day glaze-fire. We're talking maybe 20 minutes from start to finish once the kiln is past the first load.



Red hot!!! Pull them with special tongs and settle them into a bed of combustible material and let 'er burn!

And, if you work the flames just right, here's what you end up with.....

The orangish-reddish pot in the center front and the the little round guy on the left are both wearing copper-matte glaze. The tall guy in the back right is flaunting that famous 80/20 glaze that goes well with just about anything.

Copper matte is one of the most difficult glazes to control - to get to work. You can reduce it in leaves or sawdust or anything else all day long, but this particular glaze needs to work with the flame (or, is it the other way around?).

If you look close, the center pot sports all colors - that's the result of several years of trials and swearing and hair-pulling and almost giving up. But, after lots of reading and listening and speculating, it only seemed right to try just one more method. So, out came the fatwood sticks I use to light the fireplace - what a difference! The little, bluish one in back, even though it was the same glaze, just didn't muster up - we used sawdust and try as we might, that elusive copper matte remained elusive. Reducing with the fatwood sticks made a huge difference, don't you think? I just love it.

Ahhhh, renewal has set in. That's what happens when I can focus on something I'm passionate about. I can walk into the studio dog-tired, not able to put one foot in front of the other, and by the time a couple hours have gone by, I can't stop - I'm so jazzed that I could go all night long (almost).

NOW, it's time go put things to rest for the night. I've fed my obsession - typically, I just need to touch clay once a day to get through it. Looking at the pictures and at least telling you about it seems to do the same thing - renewal.

Thank you for letting me rant - and, for allowing me to show a little of my world - I'm afraid there's more to come, so look out!!

My Sunday Afternoon - a Travelog, Maybe??

Before you read any further, I need to warn you that I'm using my laptop to write this - I have a difficult time moving from the keyboard on the PC to the smaller version on this little wonder, so if you see any typos or weird punctuation, I apologize in advance. Between that and the fact that my brain seems to work faster than my fingers, it amounts to a double strike at times.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours at work, paid a visit to our neighbor girl's graduation party and then headed to my favorite fiber shop.

If you've never been to Fiber Wild in Galena, IL you've missed a very nice experience. Amy and her husband are parents to a lovely tabby named Scout who reigns over the whole place. Amy thinks everyone comes in to see the kitty - I'm just as guilty as the next one, but I really enjoy visiting with Amy. I think the reason I enjoy her company so much is that she and I are a lot alike - she's very direct and you always know where you stand with her, she's got a silly love of that which is slightly off-beat, has a ton of knowledge that she willingly shares and best of all, has the absolute best array of yarns, fibers, knitting/crochet/weaving/spinning equipment that I've ever seen or been exposed to. Much of her inventory is from local suppliers and fiber artists. It's so affordable, that the first time I visited, I thought it was a terrific sale - I was mistaken. - it's affordable all the time. I don't generally walk out of there empty-handed, but what I leave with gets used before anythng else. It doesn't end up in a stash, never to be seen or heard from again. OK, the best part is that I can stop on my way to Mom's or on my way home, because it's right on the way.

This sounds a bit like a commercail, doesn't it? Guess you'll have to take it for what its worth - it's nothng more than praise and admiration for someone who has it all together.

Another favorite spot on that particular drive is in Woodbine - a small gift shop right in the heart of this little hiccup in the road. Natural Treasures (I think that's the name of it - I've never really noticed the sign - I just look for the "OPEN" flag to be out front on my way by. The greatest soy candles you've ever smelled - and, of course, she has a kitty - another tabby. She also carries her own honey and products made with it, work by local artists (lampwork jewelry, pottery, paintings) and is - again - silly beyond belief.

I'd love to sit and visit some more, but my battery's down to about 50% and the light outside is starting to go. Although, the nighborhood strays are starting to show up and look for their evening snack, I think it's time to get my own battery re-charged along with that of the laptop.

By the way - I'm down to 10 weeks of work left - 2 1/2 months - I sure wish they'd post my job so I wouldn't feel so guilty leaving. Maybe this week - maybe??

Tomorrow's another day - g'night all... Pictures then.

Some of my work

I promised pictures - and until a couple days ago have not delivered. As you can see from my last post, I finally figured out how to get them here. Just haven't quite figured out how to wrap the type properly so there aren't those large gaps between text and images. I'm getting better, though.

Every knitter needs something to keep their tools in one place - I've used pitchers, quart jars, vases, a tall basket, jammed them into balls of yarn - you name it, we've all done it. I found some old sweaters at the Goodwill Store and just had to have them. What you see here is what happens when clay meets fabric......

To the left are some of my Knitting Needle Jars - they're handbuilt from earthenware clay slabs wrapped around a tube form to create a cylinder. The texture comes from old sweaters, worn out kitchen towels or any other type of fabric that just looks interesting. Vintage buttons are added, and Voila!!! Inside is a knitted and felted cushion to protect them from damage when the needles are just dropped (thrown) into the jar. I've done it myself in a fit of temper when having to frog back a piece. What's frogging? That's when, for some reason, you have to 'rip it, rip it, rip it'.




Let's see if I can get some more pictures here where you can see them better - I know they're not exactly gallery shots, but at least they're pictures. They'll get better.



An old, quilted placemat was used for this piece.




And, this was a beat-up, not-bad-enough-to-throw-away-but-not-good-enough-to-keep sweater I found at the Goodwill Store. It had a nice tight texture.




Remember those crocheted, rattan hot pads and placemats? They offer a nice, well-defined pattern that works well with the glaze.

And the larger jar using an old, woven kitchen towel.










By golly, I think I'm getting the hang of this blogging stuff!

I have more photos that I'd like to show you, but I think I'm going to quit for today (read - while I'm ahead). I'll see if I can get some raku pictures up tomorrow - or maybe my progress with the felt-work. Who knows? Tomorrow isn't here yet, so we'll figure it out when it is!!!!

Later!!