Update From My Back Porch

Is it just me, or did time go on fast-forward?

Memorial Day is behind us and June is next week!

We have had a remarkably wet month, with total rainfall ranging between 6 to 8 inches!

It has been so wet that I cannot keep caterpillars and neonates (newly-hatched slugs…ew!) from munching on my tender seedlings!

Every time I dust the seedlings with diatomaceous earth, it rained and washed off.

So, I’ve resorted to bringing them from the garden to the back porch so I can keep a close eye on them until it dries out a little in the garden.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a powdery, chalk-like substance made from fossilized remains of microscopic, aquatic organisms called diatoms and is widely used for natural pest control.

I’ve been able to catch up on glazing pottery pieces fired from my last bisque firing earlier this month.

To highlight the dragonflies, I apply an ebony wash to enhance the details.

I am tickled how the nesting bowls turned out! ☺️

Pictured from left to right: the stages of clay –

  • Leather hard: the state where clay is firm but not dry. Once completely dry it goes into the kiln for a bisque firing.
  • Bisque: the state of the clay after a low fire where it is hard and porous ready for glaze.
  • Stoneware: the state where the clay is glazed, undergone a high firing, and is hard as stone.
Stoneware Nesting Bowls Before (left) and After (right

For the rest of the week, I will be behind my computer writing item descriptions, determining prices and shipping for my Etsy shop. And starting next week, I’ll be behind my wheel throwing things!

There is more to life than simply increasing its speed.
– Mahatma Gandhi

2 thoughts on “Update From My Back Porch”

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  1. I love your clay work. That blue glaze is beautiful! 💙

    Those slugs are ick. 🐛

    I’m reconsidering returning to Etsy myself but I’m so hesitant with the constant changes in fees. Meh.

    You know, working with cement made me think of you. My cement mushrooms are so cute to look at, I’ll be writing about it soon. Maybe one day I will experiment with a pottery wheel. 😊

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